TOP DRESSING HOUSEPLANTS FOR FERTILIZER & MICROBES. THE RESULTS WITH SHOCK YOU! | Earth Medicine

[@mmirandaxx]

My local hardware store has been selling 1kg bags of vermicompost so I've been top dressing with that :) I did have issues with water pooling at the top of the pot for a several minutes before finally making its way down, so I started applying less compost but more often, using only a thin layer, and it has practically removed the issue. I tend to prefer potting in a very porous mixture with lots of perlite which I top dress once with orchid bark to slow evaporation; overtime, when I add the vermicompost, I find that it settles nicely into the mix when I water, as long as I have only sprinkled on a thin layer so that it can't form large aggregates :)

[@GardeningInCanada]

That sounds like a really nice process you have there.

[@EverythingPlants]

What am extremely informative video and now I am a believer of top dressing houseplants. Thanks for all the great information!

[@GardeningInCanada]

I’m glad you enjoyed!

[@OliverEnding]

Just bought some of this and shared your channel with my family who love plants and gardening! Thank youuu for doing what you’re doing!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Glad you enjoyed it so much!

[@MushroomMagpie]

My cats love my plant top dressings and frequently add their own fertilizers to the mixture! In all serious tho, I've been using an inch of wood mulch on top of my plants for some time and they love the water retention in the top layer of the soil.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Hahahahahahahaha that’s so funny. And yea mulch is a great choice

[@GardeningInCanada]

Thanks for watching! Check out www.earthmedicineeco.com/ and use the discount code gardeningcanada10 Check out everything plants m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXKbaaR7iJh8hrM

[@Free_Falastin2024]

I've top-dressed for years with garden compost (all plant matter). It's all I do indoors and outdoors. It works very well when you cap it with a sand layer (keeps bugs in the soil).

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea absolutely good point

[@shakezula5636]

I top dress my indoor plants with Gaia Green All Purpose mixed with worm castings. I actually like seeing that white fuzz so I know I have life in there.

[@GardeningInCanada]

HAHA YES! I love this

[@MushroomMagpie]

I add the old root balls with soil to my compost as well as kitchen and yard waste. The result is that I get a compost that is closer to soil and pretty much ready to plant right into if i want. Top dressing with this also works well and doesn't repel water the same as typical composts do.

[@GardeningInCanada]

That’s an awesome tip. The pooling is so irritating to deal with.

[@MushroomMagpie]

@@GardeningInCanada I even root cuttings directly into compost with a high success rate.

[@heatherkrueger5550]

How does this compare to topping with worm castings? Thank you for talking about not breaking up the root ball when replanting- it is commonly talked about to remove “old dirt” from plants when replanting.

[@GardeningInCanada]

😬 never remove the old dirt it’s the good dirt 😏. And it would be similar but again the worm casting will be messy because it can become hydrophobic. Just prewet everything and it will be fine.

[@lindam9018]

Yes! I am wondering about that. I've seen people pulling it all apart, washing the roots with water and hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, all kinds of stuff. Also then throwing away soil, sphagnum moss etc. and using new all the time, which seems like a waste, unless there were pests or disease.

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea you’d have to have a pretty serious infestation to warrant that.

[@mwoods4608]

@@lindam9018 I think people do that when they have an issue. Not just basic repotting

[@ElizabethTynan]

I love love love your videos!! I have about 20 plants to water and I bottom water the majority of them. I just got Earth Medicine. I use a 1 litre watering can (rain water) that doesn’t always get emptied every day. I now know from your video that I was likely duped by using liqui dirt, but I’ll use it until it’s gone. If I dissolve some Earth Medicine in the liqui dirt/rain water, will it be ok if it’s in there for a couple of days between bottom watering or will the good stuff that Earth Medicine provides go bad w/o being in soil? If it’s ok, how much should I dissolve/litre?

[@GardeningInCanada]

It will be totally fine. At most it will ferment which won’t harm anything

[@wildedibles819]

Flax very nice! Very interesting And Canadian too cool!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Thanks!

[@wildedibles819]

@@GardeningInCanada your welcome Very interested in mulching house plants :) I had a sensitive mold issue before and had to get rid of my house plants except the cacti I'm slowly adding more now but careful with the peat moss mixes and such want better options to cover the soil

[@swatch12345]

Just found you and love your channel. Really good stuff. Would you still top dress houseplants in a so-called "aroid mix" for epiphytic or semi-epiphytic plants? Mix is mini orchid bark, perlite, sphagnum moss, and earthworm castings. Using polymer coated Osmocote brand 15-9-12 at half strength. Unfisinshed terra cotta pots. Still worth using Micro-myko localized in the root zone during transplant? Thank you and I'll keep learning :)

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yeah absolutely I definitely think it’s worth using that. I’m glad you found the channel and hope you enjoy. Let me know if you want any specific videos

[@offjasonwaynenicholsjr.182]

Lookin good.

[@wildedibles819]

Lol im growing a cover crop in several house plants too lol Chia, oat, sunflower seeds:) sprouts yummy for us and the critters

[@dymondwillow2]

Jack the cat has beautiful eyes! and thanks for the informative video.

[@GardeningInCanada]

❤️❤️ he’s adorable

[@blusurf9964]

Hi Ashley, Thank for all info. I must be blind. I don't see the link to order the Earth Medicine. I do not use Instagram at this time. Thanks! Susan

[@GardeningInCanada]

Here you go! www.earthmedicineeco.com

[@ayentan1808]

Hi is a combination of coconut peat, carbonized rice hull, worm cast, and pumice sufficient as a potting mix for container gardening? thank you!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea! That’s sounds amazing

[@wildedibles819]

I use stones for my cacti :) they enjoy my stone collection:)

[@MitchCurtis]

Hi Ashley, I had some tomato plants that were in small pots in regular potting soil. I watered them regularly (sometimes with liquid fertiliser) but they eventually developed very hydrophobic soil. I noticed you said that compost/manure (?) can make soil a bit hydrophobic, but I don't think I used any in those pots. Are there other factors that could result in hydrophobic soil?

[@GardeningInCanada]

So peat-moss in general can become hydrophobic especially if it’s allowed to dry out too much or there isn’t even pore space. If it gets to that point soaking the pot actually helps.

[@MitchCurtis]

@@GardeningInCanada Great, thanks! :)

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea no problem!

[@wildedibles819]

Ive been experimenting but it doesn't look good lol no mold but its pine shavings and rabbits poop and sometimes hay...dry rabbit turds ive been thinking about but ya they have fungi going on Im going to experiment with hemp fibres:)

[@GardeningInCanada]

That’s awesome hemp fibre is seriously the STRONGEST plant fibre I have ever encountered

[@wildedibles819]

@@GardeningInCanada they make a mulch Matt ;) It's going to be interesting to play with I'm going to try adding some to my peat moss the loose stuff Probably soaking it first Can be used like peat moss or coir So I want to experiment I think using it as a mulch would work better now tho ;)

[@grat2010]

Can you use this with leca or pons mixture?

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea! So they actually have a hydro version they just released. The discount code will work for that as well

[@smileytownSF]

Can you do a video on using Epsom salt as a way to supplement deficient soil or to revive a neglected plant?

[@AB-wx4qv]

I'm not sure if you've done a video on outdoor gardening fertilizer but I would really appreciate something that touches more more on the fact that you said nitrogen should be the highest number all of my fertilizers seem to be the opposite please help

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea. I can totally put something together!

[@TriCombStudio]

Perhaps something for people interest, powdered yucca (or extracts) mixed with watering mixture (orjust with water) for its surfactant capabilities to help water into hydrophobic mediums.

[@TriCombStudio]

Horsetail fern I beleive also works

[@GardeningInCanada]

That’s awesome! I never knew that! Thanks for sharing

[@TriCombStudio]

@@GardeningInCanada 1/8 tsp per 5 gallon bucket seems to work well

[@GardeningInCanada]

Okay! Good to know

[@janetsmith9380]

do you still have to fertilize if using earth medicine?

[@taylorwhitney2996]

Hello! So I was fed up with fungus gnats and saw a tip to sanitize my soil with hot water but after watching some of your videos I see how big of a mistake that was. Is there a way to replenish the microbes in the soil after doing this or is it never going to be as good had I just left it alone?

[@GardeningInCanada]

just top dressing with composts and manures will help alot. do it sparing though because it can be hydrophobic

[@francismeowgannou5322]

Mulch the pot to gain a lot!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yea another fantastic idea. Or cover cropping is like to try that

[@lindam9018]

So we are not supposed to aerate/break up the soil? You had mentioned not breaking a layer; I didn't quite catch, it started with an 'M'. I see some people breaking apart the root ball, pulling the roots apart with their hands, also people advocating aeration by poking holes with a chopstick, etc. Did I misunderstand what you said?

[@GardeningInCanada]

Don’t break up the root ball you’ll disturb the mycial web you’ve developed through top dressing/feeding microbes. You can use chopsticks too aerate that’s not an issue. But ripping up the root ball doesn’t happen in nature so it shouldn’t happen in the home. It’s counter intuitive.

[@lindam9018]

@@GardeningInCanada Great, thanks! There's a lot of content on your channel I'll have to absorb. I appreciate the information.

[@GardeningInCanada]

That’s half the fun 🤓

[@MrTeenStyle]

thoughts on using it in semi-hydroponic? :o

[@GardeningInCanada]

For Semi hydro I always go with synthetic fertilizers

[@angelikaszabo1962]

I top dress with one or two spoons of worm castings and then the rest with potting soil. I always thought it would be fine. Is this okay?

[@GardeningInCanada]

Yup!

[@mwoods4608]

What if I bottom water?

[@GardeningInCanada]

It will work in that case as well

[@locumdo]

Do you feel there is benefit to mixing in compost/manure into your soil mix?

[@mwoods4608]

So I tried this and all of my plants got fungus gnats from the worm castings

[@GardeningInCanada]

You will because it’s a living soil. Add in some predatory nematodes and you will not have the fungus gnats issue any longer.

[@tobruz]

Don’t you risk getting nats in your home?

[@GardeningInCanada]

Nawh. Nematodes! I don’t even worry about gnats anymore. Haven’t for years. gardeningincanada.net/how-to-get-rid-of-fungus-gnats-in-soil/

[@MushroomMagpie]

@@GardeningInCanada also centipedes!

[@GardeningInCanada]

Nematode them 🤓 seriously there are so many predatory nematodes out there.

[@kendravoracek3636]

💚💚

[@GardeningInCanada]

❤️❤️❤️

[@ColocasiaCorm]

Plant people are so heady

[@nomanejane5766]

🐈

[@GardeningInCanada]

Hahah yea