Should I go no-till or is it better to till this spot?

[Phillybonker]

My new spot is in pine forestry and the ground has pieces of wood right through the soil in various stages of decomposition.

My question is - Should I go no-till on this new spot or should I till it to remove the pieces of wood littered throughout the soil that could hinder root growth/expansion?

Here is a picture of the grow spot:

View media item 1879467

 

[Roy Growin]

Hi @Phillybonker

Been a long time since I did a guerrilla grow, but I would till a hole twice the size of the root ball to give it a start, that's all [assuming you're gonna germinate etc in a pot then plant out?]
The material in the soil will help retain moisture, promote microbes, humic acid, frass etc
A pine soil will be slightly acidic too

 

[Phytoplankton]

Looks like a nice spot. To me it looks like an old logging landing. I'd definitely rake off the wood chunks and till it. If you don't add your own soil you'll probably need to add additional N to help with the decomposition of the wood chunks. You want a Carbon to Nitrogen ratio of less than 15 to 1, straight wood chips have a C to N ratio of about 300 to 1.

 

[Phillybonker]

Hi @Phillybonker

Been a long time since I did a guerrilla grow, but I would till a hole twice the size of the root ball to give it a start, that's all

That's a good idea, Thanks

[assuming you're gonna germinate etc in a pot then plant out?]

Yep that's correct, 3 weeks in pots before plant out.

The material in the soil will help retain moisture, promote microbes, humic acid, frass etc

The soil is very dark brown and very moisture retentive. It's great!!

A pine soil will be slightly acidic too

Sounds good, I figured as much. I'll test the pH to get an exact reading just to satisfy my curiosity.

 

[Roy Growin]

That's a good idea, Thanks



Yep that's correct, 3 weeks in pots before plant out.



The soil is very dark brown and very moisture retentive. It's great!!



Sounds good, I figured as much. I'll test the pH to get an exact reading just to satisfy my curiosity.

It will probably be around pH 5.5, ericaceous

 

[Phillybonker]

Looks like a nice spot.

Yeah it's not a bad spot, 9-10 hours direct sunlight right throughout the season which is as good as it gets around here when you got to hide a grow.

To me it looks like an old logging landing.

I think you're right, there is a few spots like this in the area with lots of weathered aged wood piled up as if they have been processing trees/wood in these locations.

I'd definitely rake off the wood chunks and till it.

Yeah I'll remove all the large wood chunks from the surface which is not as much work as it looks because I'll be planting in the spots with the least amount of wood chunks. Also the grow spot is bigger than what the photo suggests and there are small areas mostly free of large wood chunks.

If you don't add your own soil you'll probably need to add additional N to help with the decomposition of the wood chunks. You want a Carbon to Nitrogen ratio of less than 15 to 1, straight wood chips have a C to N ratio of about 300 to 1.

That's the other thing I was worrying about, lots of brown around but not much green. Additional N is most likely needed.

 

[Roy Growin]

Yeah it's not a bad spot, 9-10 hours direct sunlight right throughout the season which is as good as it gets around here when you got to hide a grow.



I think you're right, there is a few spots like this in the area with lots of weathered aged wood piled up as if they have been processing trees/wood in these locations.



Yeah I'll remove all the large wood chunks from the surface which is not as much work as it looks because I'll be planting in the spots with the least amount of wood chunks. Also the grow spot is bigger than what the photo suggests and there are small areas mostly free of large wood chunks.



That's the other thing I was worrying about, lots of brown around but not much green. Additional N is most likely needed.

Mix in some blood/fish/bone meal when you back-fill and top dress every few weeks, that will be ample

 

[Phillybonker]

It will probably be around pH 5.5, ericaceous

Whoow I didn't know it would be that acidic. I will definitely test the pH.

 

[Phillybonker]

Mix in some blood/fish/bone meal when you back-fill and top dress every few weeks, that will be ample

Okay I'll order in some fish meal that has a good amount of N in it and hopefully that does the trick.

 

[Roy Growin]

Whoow I didn't know it would be that acidic. I will definitely test the pH.

Around pH 5.5 is fine, most forest floor is around that mark
As it is an exposed area and the trees have gone, rain may well have washed it to pH 6.0-6.5
Interested to know though

*edit* if you're gonna get some fish, get some potash too

 

[Phillybonker]

Around pH 5.5 is fine, most forest floor is around that mark
As it is an exposed area and the trees have gone, rain may well have washed it to pH 6.0-6.5
Interested to know though

I'll find out in a few days when I next visit with a pH test kit.

*edit* if you're gonna get some fish, get some potash too

Yep I'm going to need a K source and potash is a good option.