Free CO2 with Living Soil

natureboygrower

natureboygrower

Well-Known Member
ttystikk said:
I found tiny red bugs today, but not in my plants.

Turns out it as a colony of predator mites!

I tired to relocate them to my clones, hope it worked.
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That's what I was hoping they were.they never got bigger and my plants were doing and did great,so I didn't really work about it (surprisingly. i get nervous about any bug)but going organic I definitely wasn't going to dump anything on them.they did disappear after the frass application. I find NF's observation interesting though,as I initially thought the bugs came from the ewc.how big are your mites?and where do you suppose they came from,you being indoors and all?

edit oh,I see you said you found them.I'm assuming from outside?
 
NaturalFarmer

NaturalFarmer

Well-Known Member
natureboygrower said:
That's what I was hoping they were.they never got bigger and my plants were doing and did great,so I didn't really work about it (surprisingly. i get nervous about any bug)but going organic I definitely wasn't going to dump anything on them.they did disappear after the frass application. I find NF's observation interesting though,as I initially thought the bugs came from the ewc.how big are your mites?and where do you suppose they came from,you being indoors and all?

edit oh,I see you said you found them.I'm assuming from outside?
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If it makes you feel any better, I believe the root aphids that are in the wiggle worm are most likely a species (corn?) that is easier to kill than the grape ones that you hear horror stories about in Cali that have the tailpipes on their asses.
 
ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
natureboygrower said:
That's what I was hoping they were.they never got bigger and my plants were doing and did great,so I didn't really work about it (surprisingly. i get nervous about any bug)but going organic I definitely wasn't going to dump anything on them.they did disappear after the frass application. I find NF's observation interesting though,as I initially thought the bugs came from the ewc.how big are your mites?and where do you suppose they came from,you being indoors and all?

edit oh,I see you said you found them.I'm assuming from outside?
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No idea where they came from, but I'm glad they're here.
 
natureboygrower

natureboygrower

Well-Known Member
NaturalFarmer said:
If it makes you feel any better, I believe the root aphids that are in the wiggle worm are most likely a species (corn?) that is easier to kill than the grape ones that you hear horror stories about in Cali that have the tailpipes on their asses.
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it does make me feel better lol.my main pests are leafhoppers (learned to live with them)and for the first time ever,loopers showed up last season (very few,and I've never seen them up my way before) I planted some lavender around my grow bags and knock on wood,seemed to deter the moths from laying.I also put up a bug zapper a ways away from the garden to try and kill some of those worm laying moths before they made it to the garden.the only thing I didn't like about the zapper was the possibility of light reaching my plants.it didn't according to my light meter,but I like complete darkness lol
 
natureboygrower

natureboygrower

Well-Known Member
NaturalFarmer said:
@natureboygrower This may be helpful
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Very cool NF,thank you.I've made myself ladybug houses and put up a bat house.I will have to look a little bit further into the info you sent.nice having it all together like that!I'm very much into nature taking care of things.
I'm trying the living soil myself,and wanting to get some rock dust into my soil but it's all frozen now.if i get it in by april/may will that be enough time to be beneficial?also what else would you add to supplement?I really did have my best grow last year,in 35 gallons of soil.but I'm attributing that to all the soil and fresh start the plants had.never had a leaf go yellow until flowering.I'm a little concerned the plants "used" up everything last grow.as soon as that soil thaws,I plan on just top dressing with kelp,neem,dusts,and a little more compost
 
NaturalFarmer

NaturalFarmer

Well-Known Member
natureboygrower said:
I'm trying the living soil myself,and wanting to get some rock dust into my soil but it's all frozen now.if i get it in by april/may will that be enough time to be beneficial?also what else would you add to supplement?I really did have my best grow last year,in 35 gallons of soil.but I'm attributing that to all the soil and fresh start the plants had.never had a leaf go yellow until flowering.I'm a little concerned the plants "used" up everything last grow.as soon as that soil thaws,I plan on just top dressing with kelp,neem,dusts,and a little more compost
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Love that Luna moth! You a New Englander?

I personally think a great base goes a long ways. I am trying to steer away from Coco Coir because I am trying to make a local recipe but you really cannot beat Coco as a part of your base mix. I have tried several things and found coco, ewc and peat as well as an aeration (I perfer rice hull) but these work very well together and get you a nice pH that your plants will like. In my opinion gypsum is a must if you are using dolomite lime. Calcium and sulfur, but it really is one of my favorite inputs for cannabis. (Maybe I can get Jeff Lowenfells to edit his second book to add it in). I would recommend taking a look at the soil mix I have posted on the first page here
.
Many times plants don't use up all of the inputs but rather they didn't have the right ratios and it threw off the nutrient interactions.


https://www.rollitup.org/t/soil-nutrient-interaction.928978/
 
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natureboygrower

natureboygrower

Well-Known Member
NaturalFarmer said:
Love that Luna moth! You a New Englander?

I personally think a great base goes a long ways. I am trying to steer away from Coco Coir because I am trying to make a local recipe but you really cannot beat Coco as a part of your base mix. I have tried several things and found coco, ewc and peat as well as an aeration (I perfer rice hull) but these work very well together and get you a nice pH that your plants will like. In my opinion gypsum is a must if you are using dolomite lime. Calcium and sulfur, but it really is one of my favorite inputs for cannabis. (Maybe I can get Jeff Lowenfells to edit his second book to add it in). I would recommend taking a look at the soil mix I have posted on the first page here
.
Most likely your plants, didn't use up all of the inputs but rather they didn't have the right ratios and it threw off the nutrient interactions.
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yes I am.hard to get a cover crop in around these parts lol.I have "Teaming with Microbes"and plan on reading it this winter.heard he has a new one,I'll have to get that.thank you for your input,there really is so much to soil science,once I think I have a grasp of it, I learn something completely new. I like your way of thinking,all your ingredients seem "cleaner" if that makes any sense.I did not use lime but i did use gypsum in my mix.I will be doing a lot of reading this winter and will definitely be keeping my eye on this thread(and checking out that soil mix).thanks again
 
Rrog

Rrog

Well-Known Member
Composting or vermicomposting bins make a lot of CO2. Nothing new there. Convention says active theromocomposting (enough to swing CO2) would by definition burn your shit. If your soil is hot enough to maintain an increased CO2 level AND your plants have not suffered N burn, then I owe you an apology.
 
NaturalFarmer

NaturalFarmer

Well-Known Member
meangreengrowinmachine said:
Naturalfarmer forgive me if it is earlier in the thread but are you using basically just an indoor raised bed??
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That would work well though if you have the volume of space to fill CO2. I am running an 8' by 8' room but if you had a greenhouse and ran a this soil you could figure out the volume of soil needed once I dial it in more. That is the plan once my greenhouse gets up.
 
Rrog

Rrog

Well-Known Member
My buddy has been growing with his worm bin in the grow room for a looong time. That's active composting all the time creating CO2.

Creating it in the soil itself, with a plant in it, isn't steady or dependable long-term since you can't constantly add top-dressing sufficient to increase CO2. You get spurts of CO2, nit a steady stream.

Personally, I'd just move the worm bin in the room and call it a day
 
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