Thank you so much for the in depth reply. A few follow up questions.
1. With canadian spagnum peat moss, is pH something I should be worried about? (This goes for the worm castings and other amendments as well)
compost is a great buffer for pH, and an all purpose fert usually has dolomite lime, oyster shell, or something else to help buffer pH.
2. With worm castings do I need to be worried about NPK values? If so then what is a good NPK value I should look for?
no
3. ^^ (Also you said worm castings were not something to cheap out on, with that being said is there a specific brand you would recommend that I would be able to get shipped from amazon or ebay?) I was wondering if this would be any good?
https://www.horticulturesource.com/aurora-innovations-roots-organics-earth-worm-1-cu-ft-60-plt--p23716?gclid=CjwKCAiAyfvhBRBsEiwAe2t_i0OTzGVVTdAB1NC2jXi9iZkM3X3b60aFZyYVfg8Xb95EeqFTVc0ocxoCNcIQAvD_BwE
expensive, but likely a quality casting. never used their castings. when i used to order i would get them from WormPower in new york... but now i have a worm bin. best cheap investment I've ever made for my garden! saves me hundred of dollars
4. Reading from other users on here it seems the 3 most common used forms of rock dust are glacial, granite, and basalt. Which of these do you recommend the most? Or is there a different one thats less common but better?
i really like glacial, because it contains a mix of stones. the only thing i dislike about it is how fine most of them are. typically i get basalt because of the texture (more sand like than powder). there is also some scientific reasoning to use basalt but i'm not well versed on that subject.
5. You mentioned that the four amendments (peat, compost, drainage, minerals) make up your "base" When you say base what do you mean? (also you mention the peat should be "pre wetted" but then later you go on to say mix all the amendments and fertilizer together with some water. Could you elaborate on that some?
Base mix: the bulk portion of your soil before adding nutrients/amendments. this is a good starting point for a variety of plants, and then nutrition can be adjusted for specific plants if they require special needs. the base mix is a fairly nutrient poor medium, which is why we add nutrients/amendments. the base mix is your soil.
peat moss is a mess when dry (wear a dust mask), and expands when wet. you want to measure the expanded peat. plan on breaking it up, putting it in a tote, watering it, and turning it every so often until saturated. keep a lid on the tote to help raise humidity to hydrate it. it's a bitch to hydrate, but a great product.
6. Fertilizer confuses the shit out of me. I have read that cannabis needs high N in the veg stage, and high P & K for flowering. So my logic is if the plants need high N in the veg stage, I would buy a fertilizer for veg, and then later on give the plants a different fertilizer for flowering? But you say to mix the all purpose fertilizer with everything the peat, compost, drainage, and minerals. So with you recommending an "All purpose organic fertilizer" would it cover veg and flowering without needing to have two types of fert one for veg one for flower?
well there is truth and there is misconception to some of what you have read. you can use an all purpose with no issues, because the plant uses all of these nutrients, in different quantities, throughout the entire grow. the great thing about organic growing, is just having it in the soil is enough. the plant and microbes will take care of the rest. remember the plant can feed and grow itself, it does not need your help. it's done it for millions of years.
EDIT: i should elaborate a little bit at least. in this sort of living ecosystem, plants get their nutrient from organisms in the soil. organisms in the soil get food in the form of sugars from the plant in return. the nutrients you add to your soil are not available until broken down by organisms. so when the plant wants something, it will ask for it, it will be fetched by the organism that specializes in what is asked for, and it will be received! pretty cool eh?
7. For "All purpose organic fertilizer" what NPK should I look for? And to make things easier on me could you recommend or link an all purpose fertilizer?
https://www.amazon.com/Dr-Earth-Life-Purpose-Fertilizer/dp/B07B168GBV/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1547690953&sr=8-3&keywords=dr.+earth+organic+fertilizer
this is a solid product. you might even consider getting the the flower girl for later in the season as a topdress when the plants start taking on a noticeable stretch at the end of summer.
8. Also you never mentioned anything about compost teas, foliar feeding, topdressing etc. I'm assuming an all purpose organic fertilizer mixed in with the peat, compost, drainage, and minerals will provide all the nutrients needed from veg to flowering with only water needed? No nutes from time to time?
compost teas are unnecessary if your soil was properly composted (never stinky/foul) and remains properly moist ALL THE TIME. no wet/dry cycles. provide consistent amount of water, not too much (there should be no run off) and not too little (don't let the pots get light in weight). the compost in your soil has plenty of microbial life. now with that said, a compost extract from time to time would be fine. you simply rinse compost in a sieve with water into a catch bucket, and voila, compost extract. nice rich brown water full of microbes and fulvic acids (i know TMI haha). foliar feeding is unnecessary. topdressing can be beneficial.
ONE REALLY IMPORTANT NOTE: the surface of the soil should have a mulch on it at all times. a simple and effective mulch is bedding straw (from the farm store). cheap and effective. 1" layer is fine. this will help your soil retain moisture longer.
ANOTER NOTE: compost teas are tricky. without a microscope, there's no way to really quantify how good your tea really is. so I would say for you to just avoid it all together and use the compost extract method.
9. Is it safe to start from seed in this recipe? Or will it burn the plants?
this is a safe to use recipe for seeds. i have used it myself.
I believe thats all the questions I have at the moment. Thank you a bunch for taking the time to help me out.
(Idk if it makes any difference but I thought I should mention this grow will be done outdoors. I don't have the room in my house to grow indoors)
