NorthernCosmos
Well-Known Member
I know some are proponents of flushing the growing medium (soil in my case) some time(s) during the grow, to wash out accumulated salts/nutes that might cause nute lock outs. The general recommendation seems to be to run 3 times the medium volume of water through the medium.
I fear that soaking the pots of soil that much would lead to them needing weeks, or at least quite a few days, to dry out again. Much to wet for too long I'd have thought. Or perhaps the 3 x volume advice is for coco and the like that has little water retention?
Then I read Old Salt (gone MIA?) mention that watering to run off would achieve much of the same, which is logical. So how about this:
Would this constitute a continuous flushing/cleaning of the medium, so that no huge flush is needed?
I fear that soaking the pots of soil that much would lead to them needing weeks, or at least quite a few days, to dry out again. Much to wet for too long I'd have thought. Or perhaps the 3 x volume advice is for coco and the like that has little water retention?
Then I read Old Salt (gone MIA?) mention that watering to run off would achieve much of the same, which is logical. So how about this:
Start every feeding with a bit of plain water, a fraction of the medium volume, say around 10%, let it sink in, maybe a little run off will be seen, then proceed with the nutes-mix on top of that until there's more run off, maybe 25% in total
Would this constitute a continuous flushing/cleaning of the medium, so that no huge flush is needed?