Planting cover crop seeds while soil is Cooking?

DoctorChaos

DoctorChaos

Member
Is there any reason I shouldn't throw a bunch of seeds into my soil mix while it's cooking to let the roots start the myco action?

I have a ton of flower seeds and pea seeds, I was thinking of letting a bunch of things sprout and smothering them with straw when my cannabis plants are ready to be transplanted in. Then I'd start a real cover crop like yarrow when the straw has mostly broken down.

Any flaws in this plan?
 
DoctorChaos

DoctorChaos

Member
myke said:
Wouldnt the soil be too hot?I stir my soil once a week and add water.
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That's a good question. I would be worried about that if I were using something hot like blood and bone meal, but I'm using a mix of a pretty mild compost (0.7-0.5-0.4), Pro-Mix Organic Veg and Herb (0.3-0.12-0.1) and Perlite with small amounts of quite mild amendments added. The compost tea I'm using to inoculate the soil is pretty mild as well (approx 1% EWC and 1% insect frass) so I don't think it's impossible that something would sprout.

I should ask though, is stirring your mix once a week standard practice? I was planning on mixing it all up and immediately putting it into my grow bag and starting my cover crop, but if weekly stirring is necessary at first to keep the anaerobic microbes at bay, I guess I would need to wait to plant my cover crop either way and my question is moot.
 
myke

myke

Well-Known Member
DoctorChaos said:
That's a good question. I would be worried about that if I were using something hot like blood and bone meal, but I'm using a mix of a pretty mild compost (0.7-0.5-0.4), Pro-Mix Organic Veg and Herb (0.3-0.12-0.1) and Perlite with small amounts of quite mild amendments added. The compost tea I'm using to inoculate the soil is pretty mild as well (approx 1% EWC and 1% insect frass) so I don't think it's impossible that something would sprout.

I should ask though, is stirring your mix once a week standard practice? I was planning on mixing it all up and immediately putting it into my grow bag and starting my cover crop, but if weekly stirring is necessary at first to keep the anaerobic microbes at bay, I guess I would need to wait to plant my cover crop either way and my question is moot.
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I’m in Canada and it’s cool in my garage where I cook the dirt. I use a heat pad under so after 4-5 days it needs turning to mix the heat around. I think if it’s cooked in room temp air you wouldn’t need to turn it as often.
 
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