Top dress, mix or both?

How do you amend your medium

  • Mix

    Votes: 4 19.0%
  • Top dress

    Votes: 5 23.8%
  • Both

    Votes: 12 57.1%

  • Total voters
    21

blazebug65

Well-Known Member
When it comes to making super soil the process involves mixing it throughly or concentrating it in the bottom layer of the soil. I've heard in normal gardening people would add their fertilizers on top of their beds and between their rows or make a small pocket with their chosen nutrients to be leached in. Would it make any difference by adding dry amendments on the top of the soil, add a casing layer and let the fertilizers work it's way in via watering?
 

green_machine_two9er

Well-Known Member
When it comes to making super soil the process involves mixing it throughly or concentrating it in the bottom layer of the soil. I've heard in normal gardening people would add their fertilizers on top of their beds and between their rows or make a small pocket with their chosen nutrients to be leached in. Would it make any difference by adding dry amendments on the top of the soil, add a casing layer and let the fertilizers work it's way in via watering?
Yes. Snd if you using raw amendments most of them don’t become fully broken down or available during the whole grow which you too dressed during. At recycle the half broken down top dress gets mixed in. At least that’s how I try to work things.
 

Rurumo

Well-Known Member
Supersoil, like Subcool's mix, is meant to be used at the bottom of a pot with the rest filled with potting soil. Other mixes, like Coot's mix, the amendments are blended throughout the soil. Usually top dressing is only done to supplement a grow due to some deficiencies, or to add something to no till soil that you don't want to disturb. If you have the choice, I think it's always better to blend in an amendment as well as possible. You might even need to let the soil sit for a month or so if you added a lot or the mix is too hot.
 

blazebug65

Well-Known Member
So what would be the outcome of doing a reverse subcool mix with the concentration on top to water in over time
 

DoobieDoobs

Well-Known Member
I would think top dressing bone would help the subsequent grow. Correct me if I'm wrong, and if I am, explain so I'll come away from this smarter.
I have no idea man, but think I did read somewhere here someone said that bone meal does take a lot of time to decompose. Not sure if that means that it won't feed the current grow.
 

Obepawn

Well-Known Member
I have no idea man, but think I did read somewhere here someone said that bone meal does take a lot of time to decompose. Not sure if that means that it won't feed the current grow.
I think if you top dress with bone meal at the start of flower, it might not cycle in time, however, I think if you blend bone meal with EWC and bokashi brand, it'll break down much faster and give a boost in mid to late flower.
 
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Dopesmoka

Well-Known Member
I would think top dressing bone meal would help the subsequent grow. Correct me if I'm wrong, and if I am, explain so I'll come away from this smarter.
Growing in pure coco with perlite I top dress every week with bonemeal it works but is tricky to use you can easily burn the hell out your plants
 

Dontjudgeme

Well-Known Member
When it comes to making super soil the process involves mixing it throughly or concentrating it in the bottom layer of the soil. I've heard in normal gardening people would add their fertilizers on top of their beds and between their rows or make a small pocket with their chosen nutrients to be leached in. Would it make any difference by adding dry amendments on the top of the soil, add a casing layer and let the fertilizers work it's way in via watering?
I do both. I amend with veg amendments during veg, it usually last 3-4 weeks before I top dress. Before flower, I transplant and amend my soil with the flower amendments and 1/4 veg amendments, then top dress in another 3-4 weeks. Depending on how long it takes the plant to finish determines how many times I top dress. I use roots organics Terp tea grow and bloom. With each amendment and top dress I throw EWC in mix. Kelp and guano brews get fed in between waterings and my plants never have an issue. With autos I follow the same schedule minus the veg top dress because flowering starts in about 30 days or so. I top dress twice in flower and that takes her to the finish line. I do however continue to use the veg amendments during flower, just at a reduced rate to keep my nitrogen levels in check.
 

ImpulsiveGrower

Well-Known Member
I do both. I amend with veg amendments during veg, it usually last 3-4 weeks before I top dress. Before flower, I transplant and amend my soil with the flower amendments and 1/4 veg amendments, then top dress in another 3-4 weeks. Depending on how long it takes the plant to finish determines how many times I top dress. I use roots organics Terp tea grow and bloom. With each amendment and top dress I throw EWC in mix. Kelp and guano brews get fed in between waterings and my plants never have an issue. With autos I follow the same schedule minus the veg top dress because flowering starts in about 30 days or so. I top dress twice in flower and that takes her to the finish line. I do however continue to use the veg amendments during flower, just at a reduced rate to keep my nitrogen levels in check.
I’m on my first indoor run and I also have terp tea bloom. On the bag it says to top dress every 7-10 days anywhere from a tea spoon per gallon of soil to a tablespoon. What ratios are you using? I’ve starting brewing compost teas and applying but wanted to start top dressing. If I apply every week tho will I harm my plants? I was going to follow what it says on the bag and start low at only a teaspoon per gallon of soil. I have 3 gallon fabric pots what are you using? I’m in my first week of flower and the teas seem to be working well I water then feed then back to water.
 

Dontjudgeme

Well-Known Member
I’m on my first indoor run and I also have terp tea bloom. On the bag it says to top dress every 7-10 days anywhere from a tea spoon per gallon of soil to a tablespoon. What ratios are you using? I’ve starting brewing compost teas and applying but wanted to start top dressing. If I apply every week tho will I harm my plants? I was going to follow what it says on the bag and start low at only a teaspoon per gallon of soil. I have 3 gallon fabric pots what are you using? I’m in my first week of flower and the teas seem to be working well I water then feed then back to water.
There’s a few ways you can do it. Either top dress weekly, or once a month. I do it once a month because I don’t feel like messing with the amendments every week. So I use either 3 TBS of bloom and 1 TSP of grow if I’m in a 3 gal, or 5 TBS of bloom and 2 TSP of grow if I’m in a 5 gal. Usually my top dressing starts at week 3 because it takes about a week for the amendments to break down, by top dressing weekly, you don’t have to worry about that because you are feeding weekly. It takes some practice to get the feeding schedule right by top dressing monthly, but I’ve been doing it this way for so long that it’s no biggie. I’m also in coco and I have a drip system, so the only time I do anything manual outside of the top dressing is to feed the kelp and guano teas, how many times depends on how hungry of a strain it is. I could probably get away without using the teas but RO’s NPK levels are a bit weak for flower, in my opinion.
 

ImpulsiveGrower

Well-Known Member
There’s a few ways you can do it. Either top dress weekly, or once a month. I do it once a month because I don’t feel like messing with the amendments every week. So I use either 3 TBS of bloom and 1 TSP of grow if I’m in a 3 gal, or 5 TBS of bloom and 2 TSP of grow if I’m in a 5 gal. Usually my top dressing starts at week 3 because it takes about a week for the amendments to break down, by top dressing weekly, you don’t have to worry about that because you are feeding weekly. It takes some practice to get the feeding schedule right by top dressing monthly, but I’ve been doing it this way for so long that it’s no biggie. I’m also in coco and I have a drip system, so the only time I do anything manual outside of the top dressing is to feed the kelp and guano teas, how many times depends on how hungry of a strain it is. I could probably get away without using the teas but RO’s NPK levels are a bit weak for flower, in my opinion.
Ok thanx for the reply so your going heavy with the tablespoon per gal dose. I think I’m gonna go for the weekly teaspoon per gallon of soil top dress and increase every week of flower until I find my sweet spot. Ya I watch mr canucks grow on YouTube and he always top dresses Gaia green like once a month like you’re stating so when I seen the directions on the bag and then you saying how you did it monthly it made me wonder. It’s pretty hard to overfeed when top dressing since it’s all being released slowly so I think that’s gonna be my safest bet this first run. So far my 5 strain scrog is doing amazing and I’m in the first week of flower Im excited to see these ladies fill out!
 

Dontjudgeme

Well-Known Member
Ok thanx for the reply so your going heavy with the tablespoon per gal dose. I think I’m gonna go for the weekly teaspoon per gallon of soil top dress and increase every week of flower until I find my sweet spot. Ya I watch mr canucks grow on YouTube and he always top dresses Gaia green like once a month like you’re stating so when I seen the directions on the bag and then you saying how you did it monthly it made me wonder. It’s pretty hard to overfeed when top dressing since it’s all being released slowly so I think that’s gonna be my safest bet this first run. So far my 5 strain scrog is doing amazing and I’m in the first week of flower Im excited to see these ladies fill out!
Since you plan on feeding weekly, a tsp a week is exactly what you’re supposed to do. Since I feed all at once, that’s why I top dress the way I do. I was feeding like this before I even seen or heard of Mr Canuck, and his process seems pretty solid, so I must be doing something right.
 

Hollatchaboy

Well-Known Member
I think if you top dress with bone meal at the start of flower, it might not cycle in time, however, I think if you blend bone meal with EWC and bokashi brand, it'll break down much faster and give a boost in mid to late flower.
And mulch it. It'll help fungal layer thrive and break down top dress faster.
 
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