Should I be worried about the nitrogen?

[Noobfarmer420]

Hello, so this is my first grow and well I haven't a clue despite all my research. So I'm using sohum living soil. Super soils in generally some people say are too hot for autos but a lot of others have success so I'm sticking with it. My biggest concern is I was told to incorporate with the Sohum some roots organic elemental mixed in at start, and then roots organic rising bloom during flower, both have nitrogen as their main thing. I also plain on feeding soil with worm casting tea and watering with yucca extract. But my main concern is the roots organic with the sohum, is that too much nitrogen for autos ? I've no idea what too much nitrogen is or would be until they start dying but would like to prevent that, please let me know what you guys think.

 

[SmokingWings]

My biggest concern is I was told to incorporate with the Sohum some roots organic elemental mixed in at start, and then roots organic rising bloom during flower, both have nitrogen as their main thing.

I have become a fan of the products in the Aurora Innovations line-up. Several of them sit on the shelf in the grow room. I do not grow "auto-flowers" but will try to help on the Nitrogen concern.

I am not sure that I entirely understand your concern about the Nitrogen. Maybe you misread something somewhere. The N-P-K numbers should always appear in the same order with Nitrogen first and not because it is the main thing in the product.

You did not mention which of the Sohum peat moss-soils you are planning on using. One of them is a water only from start to finish so in theory nothing more is needed. Either way, what size pots or containers are you planning on using? Knowing the pot size can help in whether to worry about needing more Nitrogen or knowing that there is enough for healthy plants.

Both of the Sohum peat moss-soils have an N-P-K of 0.5-0.5-0.25 and that is about about normal for most soil mixes. The Nitrogen on the Elemental (which is their Cal-Mag supplement) is .25% which probably comes from the Fish Protein Hydrolysate that Aurora Innovations puts into the product so not much to be concerned about there. The Nitrogen amounts in the Bloom is 3% and that seems normal to me for most grows with plants as demanding as Marijuana is when it is in full flower mode.

Nitrogen is important for the growth of the plant and not just leaf production. And, the plant still produces leaves even in flower. Think about all those little sugar leaves in the buds. Some of the Nitrogen will be used for growing the stems and flowers. Too much Nitrogen could be bad for plant health but so far I do not see a problem.

 

[Noobfarmer420]

I have become a fan of the products in the Aurora Innovations line-up. Several of them sit on the shelf in the grow room. I do not grow "auto-flowers" but will try to help on the Nitrogen concern.

I am not sure that I entirely understand your concern about the Nitrogen. Maybe you misread something somewhere. The N-P-K numbers should always appear in the same order with Nitrogen first and not because it is the main thing in the product.

You did not mention which of the Sohum peat moss-soils you are planning on using. One of them is a water only from start to finish so in theory nothing more is needed. Either way, what size pots or containers are you planning on using? Knowing the pot size can help in whether to worry about needing more Nitrogen or knowing that there is enough for healthy plants.

Both of the Sohum peat moss-soils have an N-P-K of 0.5-0.5-0.25 and that is about about normal for most soil mixes. The Nitrogen on the Elemental (which is their Cal-Mag supplement) is .25% which probably comes from the Fish Protein Hydrolysate that Aurora Innovations puts into the product so not much to be concerned about there. The Nitrogen amounts in the Bloom is 3% and that seems normal to me for most grows with plants as demanding as Marijuana is when it is in full flower mode.

Nitrogen is important for the growth of the plant and not just leaf production. And, the plant still produces leaves even in flower. Think about all those little sugar leaves in the buds. Some of the Nitrogen will be used for growing the stems and flowers. Too much Nitrogen could be bad for plant health but so far I do not see a problem.

Sorry I guess it all was a little vague lol
So the soil I'm using sohum living soil "what cannabis craves", it is a just add water, I'm only adding things because the grower at my local grow shop recommended it. The Nitrogen on the bag is 0.5% you were correct, and just to confirm with you The Elemental is 0.25% and the rising bloom is 3% so we're on the same page. I am using 5 gal fabric pots as well. If it looks all fine to you that's awesome, I just know the autos get finicky is all so I thought I'd ask lol

 

[SmokingWings]

Yes, we are on the same page. I looked up the NPK numbers on their website since it was easier than going to the basement to look what I had on the shelves.

You have the better of the two soils. The shop guy or gal's recommendation makes sense since Cal-Mag (the Elemental) seems to be needed for a lot of grows. The Bloom will help but do not go overboard.

Since this is your first grow just let the plants do their thing. If you see a possible problem try to figure out what the plant is telling you that it needs or what needs fixing. Check threads here just to see what problems others find, what the recommendations are and if anything helps fix the problems.

You first, and probably second, harvest probably will not be as great as you hope for but it is part of the learning curve.

 

[Noobfarmer420]

You first, and probably second, harvest probably will not be as great as you hope for but it is part of the learning curve.

I know haha I'm just trying get it right as much as possible man, I'm so excited for it I'm getting equally worried about making a terrible mistake! Like a 1st time parent over doing everything haha lol. Thank you for the help and the ease of mind my friend!

 

[Emilya Green]

Sorry I guess it all was a little vague lol
So the soil I'm using sohum living soil "what cannabis craves", it is a just add water, I'm only adding things because the grower at my local grow shop recommended it. The Nitrogen on the bag is 0.5% you were correct, and just to confirm with you The Elemental is 0.25% and the rising bloom is 3% so we're on the same page. I am using 5 gal fabric pots as well. If it looks all fine to you that's awesome, I just know the autos get finicky is all so I thought I'd ask lol

Hi @Noobfarmer420 and welcome to the forum!
Be very cautious when taking advice from the local grower shop. They talk a good game, but he really wants you coming back over and over again to buy more stuff. It sounds like he already gave you some bad advice, having you mix the roots organic in with the sohum. The truth of the matter is that with a bag of sohum and some filler soil for the rest of your container, you really need nothing else from him. He only makes more money if he can convince you to buy something else that is not needed. You should have no need to adjust or worry about pH either... just supply your grow with non chlorinated water.

The normal way of running this stuff is to use the sohum as the soil in the lower half to 1/3 of the container. N is not the main thing in there... the sohum is a mineralized living soil, whos main thing is the massive amounts of calcium, phosphorus and potassium, not to mention all the other lesser elements, all mixed in and cooked into that soil for slow release via your microbes. In a grow of this type, you have no need to concern yourself with how much N or anything else is in there... just trust that it is in there. It is not like you are doling out the needed amounts of elements that your plants are going to get in here... the microbes do that for you. Your job is simply to supply living active microbes... not feed your plant anything extra. The idea of the teas is not to feed the plants... it is to supply microbes. If your grow shop guru is telling you otherwise, and that you need this or that to be added to your teas or top fed to your plants, he has no idea what he is talking about. You have everything you need in there already... just add water. If you think the microbe population is dwindling, add a tea once a week or use a microbial inoculation product such as RealGrower's Recharge, URB or Voodoo Juice. Using the Sohum should make this the easiest grow ever... just let the microbes do their thing.

Next, treating autos as something delicate and fragile and unworthy of normal nutes. Please do some research on various nutrient lines and see if you can come up with a special feeding chart just for Autos, and since people all over the place seem to believe that they absolutely must be fed less, these charts should be easy to find. The truth is, there are none. An auto is simply another plant, with the same feeding needs as any other... if it gets more light or gets bigger, it needs more food... just like any other plant. If you have been told otherwise, again, the people giving that advice have no idea what they are talking about.

 

[Noobfarmer420]

Hi @Noobfarmer420 and welcome to the forum!
Be very cautious when taking advice from the local grower shop. They talk a good game, but he really wants you coming back over and over again to buy more stuff. It sounds like he already gave you some bad advice, having you mix the roots organic in with the sohum. The truth of the matter is that with a bag of sohum and some filler soil for the rest of your container, you really need nothing else from him. He only makes more money if he can convince you to buy something else that is not needed. You should have no need to adjust or worry about pH either... just supply your grow with non chlorinated water.

The normal way of running this stuff is to use the sohum as the soil in the lower half to 1/3 of the container. N is not the main thing in there... the sohum is a mineralized living soil, whos main thing is the massive amounts of calcium, phosphorus and potassium, not to mention all the other lesser elements, all mixed in and cooked into that soil for slow release via your microbes. In a grow of this type, you have no need to concern yourself with how much N or anything else is in there... just trust that it is in there. It is not like you are doling out the needed amounts of elements that your plants are going to get in here... the microbes do that for you. Your job is simply to supply living active microbes... not feed your plant anything extra. The idea of the teas is not to feed the plants... it is to supply microbes. If your grow shop guru is telling you otherwise, and that you need this or that to be added to your teas or top fed to your plants, he has no idea what he is talking about. You have everything you need in there already... just add water. If you think the microbe population is dwindling, add a tea once a week or use a microbial inoculation product such as RealGrower's Recharge, URB or Voodoo Juice. Using the Sohum should make this the easiest grow ever... just let the microbes do their thing.

Next, treating autos as something delicate and fragile and unworthy of normal nutes. Please do some research on various nutrient lines and see if you can come up with a special feeding chart just for Autos, and since people all over the place seem to believe that they absolutely must be fed less, these charts should be easy to find. The truth is, there are none. An auto is simply another plant, with the same feeding needs as any other... if it gets more light or gets bigger, it needs more food... just like any other plant. If you have been told otherwise, again, the people giving that advice have no idea what they are talking about.

Thank you for the reply! I have seen you know your stuff around here so thank you for your input!
So you would use Sohum in only 1/3 of the container? I was going to just use all 5gal of it, what is the reasoning behind that? I'd hate to run out of the good stuff in the soil and have to add later in flowering, and being so limited time for autos I'd rather not risk it if it's possible to run out if I only use 1/3
I know what you mean about the grow guys hustle, the one that I was talking to definitely said all the same stuff as you though, biggest hippy nicest guy he wasn't trying sell me nothing really, not even ph tester since the soil will buffer like you said, the 2nd guy however definite shyster and he sold me on the ph tester smh lol. I didn't trust the sohum just add water thing so I just wanted to know what's safe to add to try boost my plants!
The worm casting teas to feed my soil is something he told me too, I'm on it!
So are you recommending doing nothing with the roots organic and just do watering only as sohum says? I was also going to use yucca extract and bottom water then yeah once a week worm cast tea from the top.

 

[Emilya Green]

Thank you for the reply! I have seen you know your stuff around here so thank you for your input!
So you would use Sohum in only 1/3 of the container? I was going to just use all 5gal of it, what is the reasoning behind that? I'd hate to run out of the good stuff in the soil and have to add later in flowering, and being so limited time for autos I'd rather not risk it if it's possible to run out if I only use 1/3
I know what you mean about the grow guys hustle, the one that I was talking to definitely said all the same stuff as you though, biggest hippy nicest guy he wasn't trying sell me nothing really, not even ph tester since the soil will buffer like you said, the 2nd guy however definite shyster and he sold me on the ph tester smh lol. I didn't trust the sohum just add water thing so I just wanted to know what's safe to add to try boost my plants!
The worm casting teas to feed my soil is something he told me too, I'm on it!
So are you recommending doing nothing with the roots organic and just do watering only as sohum says? I was also going to use yucca extract and bottom water then yeah once a week worm cast tea from the top.

There is no way that your auto could use all that is cooked into that soil during its entire lifetime. You will not run out of nutrients in that soil. Because there is so much good stuff packed into that soil, it is too hot to use to directly place young plants into. This is why we put it at the bottom of the container, so that the roots can "find" it, and prepare themselves for it before venturing in there. Mixing the sohum and the roots has minimized this a bit, but still, your roots now have no choice in the matter... they are in 50% sohum no matter where they are. This actually makes it harder for the plant to get the needed nutrients, because unless you really work on creating a rootball in that entire container, 90% of your soil will never be touched by roots, so all that sohum has been wasted. Its best to put it in the bottom of the container where the roots can not only find it, but then have concentrated nutrient from then on. Again, it is all about understanding what you are working with, and trusting the process. Your grow shop guy apparently does not trust the process and now has tried to turn you too.
So you said it again... feeding your soil with a tea. This is definitely not what will happen. The sohum soil is already fed up to its gills and cooked... it needs no additional feeding. A compost tea is simply to create microbes. I am curious, did your guys even mention the possibility of putting several thin layers of EWC in the soil as you built that container? They should have... this is the most common way to use EWC.
He sold you roots organic nutrients too?? As soon as you apply ready to go, available now nutrients, such as these, to your organic grow, the organic feeding cycle stops. Sohum turns off at that point. Did your guys tell you that? Did they mention that feeding in bloom with that bottled nutrient will totally stop the organic process going on in the Sohum? They didn't tell you it was one or the other, and that by using one you wasted your money on the other? These guys are everything that I expect grow store operators to be... clueless and self serving.
Yes definitely follow the directions from Sohum. Yucca won't hurt anything as it is mostly just a wetting agent, with some additional silicate to help make your branches strong. You could use this every watering and not hurt a thing. Bottom watering however is a huge mistake... and now the guys are trying to turn you into a hydro grower by ruining your soil grow. Always water from the top, so that you can pull oxygen down into the rootball. Bottom watering neglects to feed the top feeder roots and is totally the wrong way to water a weed that employs two sets of root systems.
Please take everything this grow shop told you with a grain of salt. Please read my link on how to properly water and understand the importance of the wet/dry cycle and the two sets of roots. If you are still planning on uppotting again from here, consider strongly doing the sohum in the bottom third as recommended... there are many good reasons to do so.

 

[Noobfarmer420]

There is no way that your auto could use all that is cooked into that soil during its entire lifetime. You will not run out of nutrients in that soil. Because there is so much good stuff packed into that soil, it is too hot to use to directly place young plants into. This is why we put it at the bottom of the container, so that the roots can "find" it, and prepare themselves for it before venturing in there. Mixing the sohum and the roots has minimized this a bit, but still, your roots now have no choice in the matter... they are in 50% sohum no matter where they are. This actually makes it harder for the plant to get the needed nutrients, because unless you really work on creating a rootball in that entire container, 90% of your soil will never be touched by roots, so all that sohum has been wasted. Its best to put it in the bottom of the container where the roots can not only find it, but then have concentrated nutrient from then on. Again, it is all about understanding what you are working with, and trusting the process. Your grow shop guy apparently does not trust the process and now has tried to turn you too.
So you said it again... feeding your soil with a tea. This is definitely not what will happen. The sohum soil is already fed up to its gills and cooked... it needs no additional feeding. A compost tea is simply to create microbes. I am curious, did your guys even mention the possibility of putting several thin layers of EWC in the soil as you built that container? They should have... this is the most common way to use EWC.
He sold you roots organic nutrients too?? As soon as you apply ready to go, available now nutrients, such as these, to your organic grow, the organic feeding cycle stops. Sohum turns off at that point. Did your guys tell you that? Did they mention that feeding in bloom with that bottled nutrient will totally stop the organic process going on in the Sohum? They didn't tell you it was one or the other, and that by using one you wasted your money on the other? These guys are everything that I expect grow store operators to be... clueless and self serving.
Yes definitely follow the directions from Sohum. Yucca won't hurt anything as it is mostly just a wetting agent, with some additional silicate to help make your branches strong. You could use this every watering and not hurt a thing. Bottom watering however is a huge mistake... and now the guys are trying to turn you into a hydro grower by ruining your soil grow. Always water from the top, so that you can pull oxygen down into the rootball. Bottom watering neglects to feed the top feeder roots and is totally the wrong way to water a weed that employs two sets of root systems.
Please take everything this grow shop told you with a grain of salt. Please read my link on how to properly water and understand the importance of the wet/dry cycle and the two sets of roots. If you are still planning on uppotting again from here, consider strongly doing the sohum in the bottom third as recommended... there are many good reasons to do so.

I think you're being a little harsh on the grow guys, I was the one to ask for extra stuff lol.. the guy I talked to also grew in super soils and per my request gave me the roots organic saying it wouldn't stop the soils organic grow because its also organic, it's all natural stuff and breaks down in the soil it's not exactly an available now nutrient. The bloom stuff isn't a bottled nutrient either its like a pinch of stuff you put on top. Also when I mean "feeding soil", I'm taking about the microbes, they're in the soil I'm feeding them/the soil you know?
The seedlings as per Sohum I was going to use what they called the Cyclops method where I take a football sized amount of sohum soil out of the pot and replace it with seed starter soil. Im not mixing 50% sohum with root stuff, the root organic elemental is like a tablespoon of additive to the soil that has like crabmeal and fish stufff or something to encourage root growth. Also sohum recommended I bottom water so you got to really ease up on the grow guys idk what your grow guys did to you but these guys are alright lmao idk why sohum recommended bottom watering but I know people had an issue with it being a little hydrophobic? So maybe that's sohum answer to that.
I'm definitely taking what everyone says with a grain of salt because everyone does things different and swear it works I'm just trying to find the most common working theories and put them into practice. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to get nitrogen burn because Im a hypochondriac lol
I do not however know what an EWC is, no one/nothing I've researched ever mentioned that, what is it?

 

[Emilya Green]

I think you're being a little harsh on the grow guys, I was the one to ask for extra stuff lol.. the guy I talked to also grew in super soils and per my request gave me the roots organic saying it wouldn't stop the soils organic grow because its also organic, it's all natural stuff and breaks down in the soil it's not exactly an available now nutrient. The bloom stuff isn't a bottled nutrient either its like a pinch of stuff you put on top. Also when I mean "feeding soil", I'm taking about the microbes, they're in the soil I'm feeding them/the soil you know?
The seedlings as per Sohum I was going to use what they called the Cyclops method where I take a football sized amount of sohum soil out of the pot and replace it with seed starter soil. Im not mixing 50% sohum with root stuff, the root organic elemental is like a tablespoon of additive to the soil that has like crabmeal and fish stufff or something to encourage root growth. Also sohum recommended I bottom water so you got to really ease up on the grow guys idk what your grow guys did to you but these guys are alright lmao idk why sohum recommended bottom watering but I know people had an issue with it being a little hydrophobic? So maybe that's sohum answer to that.
I'm definitely taking what everyone says with a grain of salt because everyone does things different and swear it works I'm just trying to find the most common working theories and put them into practice. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't going to get nitrogen burn because Im a hypochondriac lol
I do not however know what an EWC is, no one/nothing I've researched ever mentioned that, what is it?

point taken... I do tend to get too harsh sometimes on people and situations. I am also very opinionated and even though Sohum might recommend bottom feeding, I know these plants, and I never will agree that bottom feeding satisfies the needs of this weed. There is no way to build a rootball by bottom feeding, the upper spreader roots are neglected, and oxygen can not get down to the lowest roots that are sitting underwater most of the time in a bottom feeding setup. I can give you several reasons to top water that will hold up to logic and our knowledge of these special weeds. I also know how to best use a supersoil, but in this case it looks like Sohum would like you to use all of their soil in all of your containers... they sell more soil that way, I guess. That makes me not want to buy Sohum soil. I was confused that you were mixing it with roots organic, who also makes good soil, and because that is the normal way to use a supersoil. Look up Subcool Supersoil, and how it is recommended to use it, or for that matter, Coots too. The pinch on the top stuff sounds like it might be legit... but should not be needed, especially with a full container of sohum sitting there, but as you say, you asked for it, so they sold it to you. Your plants will have plenty of nutrition.
Finally, EWC... you mentioned making tea from them... earth worm castings. Carry on... but be slow to distrust the capabilities of your Sohum... go slow before thinking you might need to add additional stuff.

Most good soils are a bit hydrophobic, but there is a simple solution to that, that doesn't require a whole new method of watering. If you simply soak the surface of the soil with a small amount of water and walk away for 5 minutes while it soaks in, all of your troubles will be over. It simply takes a little bit of patience, but once that suction starts, nothing will stop that water from going in.

 

[Noobfarmer420]

point taken... I do tend to get too harsh sometimes on people and situations. I am also very opinionated and even though Sohum might recommend bottom feeding, I know these plants, and I never will agree that bottom feeding satisfies the needs of this weed. There is no way to build a rootball by bottom feeding, the upper spreader roots are neglected, and oxygen can not get down to the lowest roots that are sitting underwater most of the time in a bottom feeding setup. I can give you several reasons to top water that will hold up to logic and our knowledge of these special weeds. I also know how to best use a supersoil, but in this case it looks like Sohum would like you to use all of their soil in all of your containers... they sell more soil that way, I guess. That makes me not want to buy Sohum soil. I was confused that you were mixing it with roots organic, who also makes good soil, and because that is the normal way to use a supersoil. Look up Subcool Supersoil, and how it is recommended to use it, or for that matter, Coots too. The pinch on the top stuff sounds like it might be legit... but should not be needed, especially with a full container of sohum sitting there, but as you say, you asked for it, so they sold it to you. Your plants will have plenty of nutrition.
Finally, EWC... you mentioned making tea from them... earth worm castings. Carry on... but be slow to distrust the capabilities of your Sohum... go slow before thinking you might need to add additional stuff.

Most good soils are a bit hydrophobic, but there is a simple solution to that, that doesn't require a whole new method of watering. If you simply soak the surface of the soil with a small amount of water and walk away for 5 minutes while it soaks in, all of your troubles will be over. It simply takes a little bit of patience, but once that suction starts, nothing will stop that water from going

point taken... I do tend to get too harsh sometimes on people and situations. I am also very opinionated and even though Sohum might recommend bottom feeding, I know these plants, and I never will agree that bottom feeding satisfies the needs of this weed. There is no way to build a rootball by bottom feeding, the upper spreader roots are neglected, and oxygen can not get down to the lowest roots that are sitting underwater most of the time in a bottom feeding setup. I can give you several reasons to top water that will hold up to logic and our knowledge of these special weeds. I also know how to best use a supersoil, but in this case it looks like Sohum would like you to use all of their soil in all of your containers... they sell more soil that way, I guess. That makes me not want to buy Sohum soil. I was confused that you were mixing it with roots organic, who also makes good soil, and because that is the normal way to use a supersoil. Look up Subcool Supersoil, and how it is recommended to use it, or for that matter, Coots too. The pinch on the top stuff sounds like it might be legit... but should not be needed, especially with a full container of sohum sitting there, but as you say, you asked for it, so they sold it to you. Your plants will have plenty of nutrition.
Finally, EWC... you mentioned making tea from them... earth worm castings. Carry on... but be slow to distrust the capabilities of your Sohum... go slow before thinking you might need to add additional stuff.

Most good soils are a bit hydrophobic, but there is a simple solution to that, that doesn't require a whole new method of watering. If you simply soak the surface of the soil with a small amount of water and walk away for 5 minutes while it soaks in, all of your troubles will be over. It simply takes a little bit of patience, but once that suction starts, nothing will stop that water from going in.

There's nothing wrong with being opinionated youre passionate about what you do and know, that's badass, I am too lol. Although I was going to bottom feed because people say it's good for the roots to want to go downward for the water and spread out as much as they can? Idk if that matters as much as the guy was saying. But once a week I was going to do the ewc feeding from the top, would that then incorporate the top roots enough to be healthy or should I straight up just not bottom water? Also using fabric pots idk if I said so or I it matters.
And yeah I guess the sohum should have everything it needs idk why I'm so distrusting against them, I suppose it sounds too good to be true to me I'm not sure. I also have other people with their synthetic nutes going crazy about how they're superior to super soils so I felt like I did need more than what sohum provides.

 

[Stoneface Jack]

There's nothing wrong with being opinionated youre passionate about what you do and know, that's badass, I am too lol. Although I was going to bottom feed because people say it's good for the roots to want to go downward for the water and spread out as much as they can? Idk if that matters as much as the guy was saying. But once a week I was going to do the ewc feeding from the top, would that then incorporate the top roots enough to be healthy or should I straight up just not bottom water? Also using fabric pots idk if I said so or I it matters.
And yeah I guess the sohum should have everything it needs idk why I'm so distrusting against them, I suppose it sounds too good to be true to me I'm not sure. I also have other people with their synthetic nutes going crazy about how they're superior to super soils so I felt like I did need more than what sohum provides.

Bottom watering works well with standard potting soil mixes, as it wicks up to the top. I have done it for years with hot peppers, and the dry soil at the top of the container can moisten up pretty rapidly.

Bottom feeding however can give you issues.

I can't really give much advice on organics, but as I understand it bottom watering doesn't work too well for a living organic soil, and it might be easier to overwater that way.

@Emilya really does know organics. You should do pretty well following her advice.

 

[Emilya Green]

Peppers however are not weeds, and they don't have the very specialized spreader roots that a weed does, that can fill up the container and provide for the plant's ability to pick up water and nutrients. I can't help but think that Sohum's advice to bottom water is not taking this into account and surely their advice is for growing anything but weeds.

I strongly advise only top watering as there are many benefits to doing so. This game is all about building up new roots into rootballs for maximum yield... and bottom watering can't do that. The first clue is how easy it is... how often is the easy way, the best way? Trust me, gravity works... and the roots still head down to the bottom to chase after the water. Its just that with top watering, and centering in on the sides of the container, you can entice the roots to go wherever you want them to, and by teasing them like this with your water, you can make them many times thicker than they would have been just sitting in an available pool of water 24/7.

 

[Stoneface Jack]

Peppers however are not weeds, and they don't have the very specialized spreader roots that a weed does, that can fill up the container and provide for the plant's ability to pick up water and nutrients. I can't help but think that Sohum's advice to bottom water is not taking this into account and surely their advice is for growing anything but weeds.

I strongly advise only top watering as there are many benefits to doing so. This game is all about building up new roots into rootballs for maximum yield... and bottom watering can't do that. The first clue is how easy it is... how often is the easy way, the best way? Trust me, gravity works... and the roots still head down to the bottom to chase after the water. Its just that with top watering, and centering in on the sides of the container, you can entice the roots to go wherever you want them to, and by teasing them like this with your water, you can make them many times thicker than they would have been just sitting in an available pool of water 24/7.

Oh you certainly don't have them sitting in water 24/7, just a couple of minutes, if that. The pots I used for bottom watering were made specially for it. You pour water into the small reservoir at the bottom, and the soil wicks it up. A couple minutes later there's no more water in the res, and you don't refill it. That's the main issue most beginners run into when they start bottom watering, they keep topping up the reservoir, and pretty soon their soil is a waterlogged mess.
I had plants in both types of pots, and I didn't notice any difference in either growth, or the rootballs when I examined them as I put them into the composter, but I wasn't really that thorough. Maybe I'll do an experiment sometime. It would have to wait for my winter grow though, I've been top watering in the fabric pots since I got them.

Sorry @Noobfarmer420 way off topic. In case my post wasn't clear, with your setup I agree that top watering would be best.

 

[Noobfarmer420]

Peppers however are not weeds, and they don't have the very specialized spreader roots that a weed does, that can fill up the container and provide for the plant's ability to pick up water and nutrients. I can't help but think that Sohum's advice to bottom water is not taking this into account and surely their advice is for growing anything but weeds.

I strongly advise only top watering as there are many benefits to doing so. This game is all about building up new roots into rootballs for maximum yield... and bottom watering can't do that. The first clue is how easy it is... how often is the easy way, the best way? Trust me, gravity works... and the roots still head down to the bottom to chase after the water. Its just that with top watering, and centering in on the sides of the container, you can entice the roots to go wherever you want them to, and by teasing them like this with your water, you can make them many times thicker than they would have been just sitting in an available pool of water 24/7.

I read your article and it seems like sound advice! I will follow your plan lol