Greetings all,
I'm a returning member after a 5 year break due to being away during much of the summer. I looked at the 3-part Earthbox video of Blake setting up the Earthbox and explaining the system--as a refresher. I saw him and "Dorothy" dump the potting mix into the box after putting some water in the reservoir), pack the corners and press the mix into the water to start the wicking, then mix in the dolomite and do the rest.
Never once did they add any water to moisten the mix. They dumped it in right out of the bag. So.... I thought, gee, maybe I'd been doing it wrong all those years back. I did wet the mix slightly, because I just couldn't see putting it in right out of the bag like they did--it went against my grain having seen the word spongy...and I saw the written instructions said "moist" media (though no info about how to moisten, no images of water or hoses in any instructions) but my boxes overall were fairly dry. I planted my tomatoes and watered from the top down. That part is nice and moist.
After worrying about this for a couple of days, I decided that the video just had to be wrong. Since I'd already done the dolomite, fertilizer, built the mound, planted, taped the cap, I lifted the cap from different angles, and as best I could tried to moisten the mix everywhere. What a mess I made!! I couldn't get all the way to the screen, nor under the fertilizer.
Do you think I may have gotten it moist enough for it to work.... Or... should I recut the slits, take the cap off, take the plants out, try to lift off the top portion that has the dolomite, moisten the bottom part, and then the dolomite part, and put it all back together? We've gone to some trouble trying to squirrel proof our area (ha!) and I would hate to have gone to all that trouble (and expense, as after 5 years I felt I needed to replace the old mix in the boxes) and then not have the plants grow properly.
So what do you think? If I'm going to do a re-do, I should do it now while the plants are still small. Or... is there a way to know if I got it moist enough so I don't have to take them apart. Is there any chance the wicking will reach the dry areas and moisten it? Sigh.....
PS, I'm listed as a newbie. Is there anyway to "reinstate" my former status and access old threads? Or perhaps with the platform change, all of those threads are long gone? Happy to see Gardendoc is alive and well
I still have my "snack" in an airtight container!
Many thanks,
JB
