SoilBible · Episodes · Ep 007

Ep 007: Mulch Layer, Cover Crop and Worms for 10x10

· Jeremy walks through setting up the mulch layer on the 3x3 take-and-bake bed and the four 10-gallon recipe containers, explaining why mulch is a non-negotiable part of indoor living soil. He waters with Rootwise and saponin wetting agent, sprinkles BAS 12-seed cover crop, then tops with certified-organic spent-mushroom-block straw and adds a few red worms from his worm bin. Along the way he answers community questions on water pH for living soil, reusing dried soil with Craft Blend and Coco, and companion-planting vegetables inside cannabis containers. The episode is framed around building an indoor ecosystem where mulch feeds predator mites, protects cover-crop seed, and turns into future compost.

Topics

why mulch indoors is essential for living soil ecosystems · spent mushroom block straw as a pre-pasteurized indoor mulch · BAS 12-seed cover crop application on top of take-and-bake · watering at 5 percent of soil volume with Rootwise and saponin · adding red worms from the worm bin to new beds · water pH is irrelevant in properly built living soil · reusing dried soil with Craft Blend and Coco worm castings · companion planting radishes, lettuce and herbs with cannabis · quarterly saturated paste soil tests for all four BAS recipes · natural sexing under 18/6 veg light

Sections

0:00 — 2:30

Intro and why a mulch layer indoors

Jeremy thanks viewers for the early interaction on YouTube and Instagram and opens episode 6 on the mulch layer, which he calls a highly controversial subject because many indoor growers skip it even though outdoor growers accept it. He shows the one-gallon healthy plants already running cover crop and straw mulch, explains straw insulates the soil, and sets the philosophical frame that living soil is an ecosystem — you can't buy a good grow, you have to build the full system. Getting moisture right, roots in the soil from cover crop, and mulch for beneficials is the goal today.

  1. 1. Show the existing 1-gallon plants with white dutch clover and straw already in place
  2. 2. Explain outdoor vs indoor mulch perception and why indoor growers push back
  3. 3. Frame the session: moisture first, then cover crop, then mulch
2:30 — 5:30

Quadrant tour — earth boxes, cover crop digestion, vegetables

Before touching the 3x3 and 10-gallons, Jeremy updates quadrant 1 (earth boxes) and quadrant 4 (vegetables). The earth box that had a foot of cover crop chopped down less than two weeks ago is already almost fully digested into castings by the worms; surface residue will be next cycle's mulch. Quadrant 4 is a family-food demonstration — tomatoes need trellising immediately, kale leaves are being harvested to drive new growth, and sprouts and sourdough are referenced as parallel ways to learn soil biology.

  1. 1. Inspect earth box — confirm cover crop has turned into soil in under two weeks
  2. 2. Identify worms still working residue and surface straw for next round
  3. 3. Plan upcoming earth box build for female transplant
  4. 4. Decide whether to trellis tomato vertically or bush it out
  5. 5. Strip existing kale leaves to drive new growth
  6. 6. Plan sprout tray on upper shelf once vegetables clear
5:00 — 6:30

Worm bin visit and adding worms to the bed

Jeremy opens the worm bin, pulls a small handful of red wigglers and drops around 10-20 into the 3x3 bed. He argues that buying pounds of worms is unnecessary because any container quickly becomes its own worm bin; starting a worm bin and transferring a few is the preferred approach. He plugs Colorado Worm Company castings as his fresh, cut-to-order backup and notes that worm bins deliver free predator mites and rove beetles as bonus biology.

  1. 1. Open worm bin, confirm worms active on top of food scraps
  2. 2. Grab a small handful of red worms by hand
  3. 3. Scatter 10-20 worms across the 3x3 bed surface
  4. 4. Note rove beetles and predator mites hitchhike from the bin
6:30 — 9:30

Mixing the watering can — Rootwise and saponin wetting agent

Jeremy fills his 3.5 gallon tape-and-sprayer can, adds one tablespoon of Rootwise Mycorrhizal Blend directly to the water, then adds roughly a quarter-teaspoon of the BAS saponin wetting agent (extract form, little beads). He explains that for large acreage you can shake Rootwise directly into the cover-crop bag so microbes meet freshly germinated roots, and that saponin helps dissolve Rootwise uniformly while adding soapiness that breaks surface tension on the mulched soil. The can is shaken then pumped.

  1. 1. Fill 3.5 gallon tape-and-sprayer with water
  2. 2. Add 1 tablespoon Rootwise Mycorrhizal Blend to the can
  3. 3. Add about a quarter teaspoon of the BAS saponin wetting agent extract
  4. 4. Seal can and shake to mix
  5. 5. Pump the sprayer to pressurize
9:00 — 11:30

Watering at 5 percent volume with 1 gpm nozzle

Jeremy uses the 1 gallon per minute nozzle (biggest fan-wave on the tape-and-sprayer) to evenly apply water across the 3x3. He waters slowly over two to three minutes to deliver 3.5 gallons — exactly 5 percent of the 70 gallons of take-and-bake soil in the bed. He demonstrates that even after a gallon has been sprayed the soil a centimeter down can still look dry, which is why slow even application with wetting agent matters: you want absorption, not runoff into the tray.

  1. 1. Attach 1 gpm big fan-wave nozzle (not the foliar nozzle)
  2. 2. Sweep even fan passes across the full bed
  3. 3. Target 5 percent of soil volume — 3.5 gallons on 70 gallons
  4. 4. Save a small amount in the can for post-mulch watering
  5. 5. Apply the same 5 percent to each 10-gallon recipe container
11:30 — 13:30

Applying 12-seed cover crop and raking in

Jeremy sprinkles BAS 12-seed cover crop directly from the bag, working the perimeter first then the middle. He stresses it must not be buried deep because many of the seeds are tiny. He finger-rakes it lightly into the top layer so every seed contacts soil, then plans to cover with straw and re-wet so moisture glues seed-straw-soil together. He admits he deliberately overdoes it compared with the field rate of 5-15 lb clover per acre because any seed that germinates and dies acts as seed-meal fertilizer.

  1. 1. Hold bag above bed, sprinkle seed around perimeter first
  2. 2. Then fill the center evenly, heavier than field rate
  3. 3. Finger-rake lightly to press seed into the top soil layer
  4. 4. Do not bury deep — keep it at or just under the surface
13:30 — 17:30

Laying the spent-mushroom-block straw mulch

Jeremy breaks up a block of BAS certified-organic straw mulch — straw pre-pasteurized and inoculated for mushroom cultivation, then sold as spent substrate full of mycelium. He calls out visible mushrooms growing from the block, warns against any weed-free straw because it is typically sprayed with Roundup, and targets a thickness where soil is just barely visible so cover crop can still push through. He references Masanobu Fukuoka's One Straw Revolution and Fukuoka's lesson that locals laying straw in perfect rows suffocated the soil — toss it naturally. He notes rice hulls tend to suffocate the surface and he prefers straw.

  1. 1. Break up the mulch block by hand into a bin/tote
  2. 2. Scatter straw loosely across the bed — no perfect rows
  3. 3. Target thickness so some soil still peeks through
  4. 4. Avoid over-mulching cover crop — it will not grow through thick mat
  5. 5. Warn against weed-free straw (Roundup)
  6. 6. Pull handfuls over to the four 10-gallon recipe containers
17:30 — 20:30

Q&A 1 — water pH in living soil

Answering Mr Huey on whether water pH matters in living soil, Jeremy's rule of thumb: filtered tap water needs no pH adjustment because municipal water is near neutral, living soil rips chlorine and chloramine apart, and the mulch plus kashi plus probiotics further buffer incoming water. What matters is the balance of calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium in the soil, not the pH of the water. Well water is a different story — it can carry sodium, bicarbonate or chlorides that build up because no-till beds rarely run to drain, so get well water tested and decide whether to add gypsum or acidify.

  1. 1. If using filtered municipal tap — do not pH, use as is
  2. 2. If using well water — get a water test first
  3. 3. For high bicarbonate well water — consider adding an acid to lower alkalinity
  4. 4. For sodic water — consider gypsum or change water source
  5. 5. Never rely on pH of water alone to fix soil chemistry
20:30 — 23:30

Q&A 2 — reusing dried soil with Craft Blend and Coco

Tennessee Smith asks whether used soil can be dried out then amended with Craft Blend and castings before replanting. Jeremy confirms yes: drying knocks microbes into dormancy but they reactivate with moisture and can be re-inoculated with Rootwise and kashi blend. Craft Blend is a balanced all-purpose top-dress with about 15 ingredients and will not burn at label rates. Coco (Colorado Worm Company) worm castings are so alive they effectively re-inoculate the soil and bring predators with them. Warning: if the soil is already rich and you pile on both heavy Craft Blend and heavy Coco, it can tip excessive.

  1. 1. Let used soil fully dry between runs if needed
  2. 2. Re-inoculate on rewet with Rootwise and kashi blend
  3. 3. Top-dress Craft Blend at label rate — safe, all-purpose
  4. 4. Add Coco worm castings for instant biology and predators
  5. 5. Do not double-up amendments on already-rich soil
23:00 — 24:30

Q&A 3 — indoor companion planting with cannabis

Daryl Thomas III asks for best companion vegetables for cannabis. Jeremy recommends fast, low-light crops — radishes, lettuce, a few edible herbs like holy basil — rather than slow crops like tomato that take 60-90 days. Lettuce around the edges can be harvested before canopy closure blocks light. He admits he personally finds it hard to split attention and runs a dedicated veg quadrant instead, but invites viewers who are already companion planting to share what works.

  1. 1. Prefer fast crops — radishes, lettuce, herbs
  2. 2. Avoid 60-90 day crops like tomato in the cannabis container
  3. 3. Plant around the edges so light reaches them early
  4. 4. Harvest before cannabis canopy closes over them
24:30 — 28:30

Repeating the process on the four 10-gallon BAS recipes

Jeremy repeats the exact same water-cover-crop-mulch routine on the four 10-gallon containers planted with each BAS recipe: Los Malibu (Malibu compost), Los Oli (Oly Mountain compost), the Light Mix, and the 3.0. He plugs the saturated-paste soil test reports published quarterly in the product photo sections at buildasoil.com so geeks can compare recipes over time. He wants viewers to see the differences as plants grow in all four.

  1. 1. Water each 10-gallon at 5 percent with same Rootwise/saponin mix
  2. 2. Sprinkle 12-seed cover crop evenly in each container
  3. 3. Transfer handfuls of mushroom-block straw to cover each
  4. 4. Keep mulch thin enough that cover crop pushes through
  5. 5. Plan periodic top-dress through the mulch for the smaller 10 gallons
28:00 — 31:30

Finger-rake, final gluing water, and Fukuoka note

Jeremy walks around each container, presses the seed-straw-soil interface with his fingers, and quotes Fukuoka again on not laying straw in perfect rows. He then applies the last reserved water from the can to glue everything together and says he will water the surface lightly daily until the cover crop germinates, which takes a few days. He notes the plants are already showing pre-flowers under 18 hours of light so sexing and transplanting are coming in the next episodes.

  1. 1. Finger-incorporate seed into straw across every container
  2. 2. Apply the reserved water as a final even glue-down
  3. 3. Plan daily light surface watering until cover crop pops
  4. 4. Let the cover crop dictate when to back off daily top watering
31:00 — 33:00

Outro — natural plant shape, keeper selection, Halitosis and Branson's Revenge

Before wrapping, Jeremy highlights the 1-gallon plants that have gone from tiny transplants to raging health in 11 days with no topping or training. He argues that keeper selection needs plants to show their natural shape. He names Halitosis #1 (from number 2), Branson's Row Revenge (a Long Valley cross named for returning employee Branson), and points out a phenotype that has produced triple growth at every node since day one where the others are double.

  1. 1. Leave plants untopped during seed-run keeper hunt
  2. 2. Let natural structure reveal itself for phenotype selection
  3. 3. Note unusual traits — triple-node phenotype, leaf shapes

Notable quotes

"You can't just buy a good grow — you have to go through the process."

Setting up the philosophy of living soil as an ecosystem you build rather than a product you purchase

"We're trying to create an ecosystem — there's not just one part when it comes to living soil."

Justifying why the mulch layer is non-negotiable even indoors

"If you imagine a 100 percent perfect balanced soil, the second your plant takes from it, it's no longer balanced — so the only way to have a balanced soil is to constantly have something adding to the system at the same rate that you're taking from it."

Explaining why mulch + cover crop + worms is mandatory in a no-till loop

"I don't want you to do rocket science and all this math — all we have to do is create a mulch layer and worms, and nature will do the rest."

Closing the balance-math loop and pushing back on analysis paralysis

"When he taught the locals they would go put it in perfect lines and straight, and that would suffocate the soil — he said why are you doing it perfect, just throw it down there."

Fukuoka story quoted as Jeremy scatters the straw naturally

"Avoid weed-free straw or mulch — typically that means it's been sprayed with Roundup, and Roundup's not good, we don't want to use any of it at all."

Direct warning against weed-free products

"In living soil the pH of the soil is what matters — not the pH of the water."

Rule-of-thumb answer to Mr Huey's water pH question

"Perlite floats to the top and it breaks down — it doesn't create a permanent solution. We don't want you to throw your soil away, we want you to keep it forever."

Pumice vs perlite explanation while scooping the mulch bin

Glossary terms from this episode

12 seed cover crop mix · 5 percent watering rule · alkalinity (bicarbonate) · carbon to nitrogen ratio · chlorine and chloramine · chop and drop · Coco worm castings · Cover crop · Craft blend · fungus gnat larvae · gypsum · Kashi blend · Living soil · Mulch layer · mycorrhizal inoculant · natural plant shape · no-runoff watering · No-till · pasteurized straw · perlite · pre-flower sexing · Predator mites · Pumice · Rove beetles · saturated paste test · seed meal fertilizer · soil balance · soil pH vs water pH · sourdough as soil metaphor · spent mushroom block straw

Products mentioned

Earthbox · Rootwise Mycorrhizal Blend · Rice Hulls · BAS 12 Seed Cover Crop Mix · White Dutch Clover · BAS Saponin Wetting Agent · BAS Organic Mushroom Block Straw Mulch · BAS Regular Straw Mulch · Weed-Free Straw · Colorado Worm Company Worm Castings (Coco) · BAS Craft Blend · BAS Los Malibu Recipe · BAS Los Oli Recipe · BAS Light Mix Recipe · BAS 3.0 Recipe · BAS Take and Bake Soil · Red Wiggler Worms · 3.5 Gallon Tape-and-Sprayer (pump sprayer) · BuildASoil.com Saturated Paste Test Reports · BAS Worm Bin