Week 1 is in the books, and everything has gone well so far! I’ve officially set up the permanent home for these plants: 9L fabric pots filled with a mix of soil, perlite, Urgesteinsmehl (basalt rock dust), and fine dolomite lime. The basalt is there to help strengthen the cell walls and boost resistance against pests like spider mites, while the lime is key to balancing out the Calcium/Magnesium ratio in my water.
Speaking of the water, I’m using tap water (pH 8, Ca: 51mg/l, Mg: 9mg/l). I’m not adjusting the pH; instead, I just let it sit in a bucket for at least 24 hours to let the chlorine dissipate. If I notice the Ca:Mg ratio needs a little boost later on, I’ve got some Epsom salt on standby.
As for the feeding, I’m sticking strictly to the Biotabs NL schedule for automatics. Today, at Day 7, I added the first tab to the soil. The second tab will follow in exactly 7 days. I’m really looking forward to seeing how the soil ecosystem and the plants develop with this specific regimen!