So who here is growing in true organic living soil?

[buckaroo bonzai]

Rrog--doesn't an RO filter leach out the nutrients in the soil? and bind to them? I have heard not to use that with organics--

i was told along time ago tht true organic you just use regular well water with minerals and works fine--microbes adjust
now as far as city water ....I know RO helps to eliminate the chlorine and fluoride that is in city water --

just wondering the need for RO if you are doing organics--

 

[abe supercro]

Along those lines, I've heard to not only consume RO water because it can remove minerals from your body as well. Something like osmosis. Would this parallel be accurate?

 

[Rrog]

I've looked into this aspect of RO both for plants and people. The fact is that you sill have ions in RO water, and I have personally concluded that RO being bad for people or plants is myth. I run well water now but I'm planning to recycle the soil for many grows and am concerned about Ca and Mg buildup from the well water. I haven't devised a solution yet

 

[buckaroo bonzai]

I have a friend around A2 that almost died from drinking RO water for a couple years straight--he was in the hospital in intensive cars for awhile this was in the 90s and he thought it was good for his health

he was getting more and more sickly over about a years time and the hosp kept running tests but couldn't figure out what was wrong with him....finally he talked about drinking RO for so long they tested him and found his body was leached out of minerals and that's what he was sick from---he eventually recovered but I never forgot this even though I no longer talk to him

my point was ...and I've seen posts in other forums and will search for them ....but I am relatively certain that RO is not good for organic growing methods---isn't needed didn't you put up the analogy of the microbes doing all the work and not having to worry about quantity and such...?? very good by the way

i will look for the posts it has been some while since I was reading there---

but anyone else weigh in on this--- is RO water good for organic method??

and I also forgot to comment on the bio-char you have to treat it before you use it is my understanding other wise this too will leach out nutrients and be more harmful than beneficial--- I will find those threads too


but glad looks like he is well on his way to experiencing the benefits of organics---I know once you go this way it is a wake up and so simple and better all around

peas BB

 

[Rrog]

Hey BB, I have to say I'm very skeptical of that scenario. Maybe if he was on a straight water diet, but as soon as you eat or drink anything else, you've mixed in minerals and more ions.

Much of the water sold in stores is RO. Says so on the label. Also much drinking water is distilled, and small water stills are sold for homes all over. Distilled water has fewer minerals and ions than RO.

I've been drinking RO for many years

 

[buckaroo bonzai]

Hey BB, I have to say I'm very skeptical of that scenario. Maybe if he was on a straight water diet, but as soon as you eat or drink anything else, you've mixed in minerals and more ions.

Much of the water sold in stores is RO. Says so on the label. Also much drinking water is distilled, and small water stills are sold for homes all over. Distilled water has fewer minerals and ions than RO.

I've been drinking RO for many years

searchin for the threads-- --intermission--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f1tHEC5Ik0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[Rrog]

Also, look at rain water. Mostly water. No minerals, unless Ca, Mg and Fe also evaporate... So plants dig it.

The shelves of the stores are filled with bottled RO and distilled water.

RO systems are primarily sold for under the counter installation in a kitchen with a little tap to dispense it from. Same with distillation systems.

I have run many grows with straight RO.

 

[gladstoned]

I have wondered about RO water myself. All throughout The Rev's book he says use RO water though.
The charcoal that I have is horticulture charcoal, so I think it is good to go. I will look into that as well.

 

[buckaroo bonzai]

hers one I found interesting--

http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/1140915-organics-ro-water.html

 

[Rrog]

When I was looking into this risk a couple years ago I found most critics were from the water filter market. People selling standard carbon filters, etc. RO was just demonized as far as I could tell.

 

[Cory and trevor]

hypothetic soil mix-is this a living soil?
1 part each peat moss perlite (large) and vermiculite with 4 parts topsoil. per 40 lb bag of top soil used 1 half cup each: mexican and jamaican bat guano blood and bone meal steamed and labeled organic and dolomite lime. mycos wp from something like xtreme gardening or some shit-per intructions. wet, left 3 weeks turned and left 1-3 more weeks. Then the full line of fox farms used thru whole life including the bloom boosters and opensesame shit and bushmaster root drenches and all of it at half strength. is it alive? does the ferts kill it? it's PH perfect when the ferts are added. Thoughts?

 

[Rrog]

I come from the school of no bottles. Living soils never use bottles. That's the issue I have with Rev. He's caught between two universes

 

[buckaroo bonzai]

lookin for more cause I've read many---
im sure it's a school of thought type argument

i am of the mindset that just good well water and balance it out with your 'mix'...

hell in the mtns you use what you have and ammend accordingly or by preference rain water cisterns also--like Africa

im gonna look isee forums for some interesting threads about it

 

[Cory and trevor]

well, I wonder if this mix is still colonized and working well alive and well after the drenchings from the parts that aren't worm poo and guano tea. I get much more hard resinous buds with bottles in the soil but the soil did support some pretty nice buds as well but there was a marked inprovement in yeild with the ff nutes. I should take a soil test after a harvest and send it to MSU and truely find out whats what huh?

 

[Rrog]

Personally, the more natural I have gone with my soil, the better my grows are. Part of the issue is that a fresh batch of soil isn't optimal. Use that same soil 2-3 times, with amendments, and you'll really have a super duper soil.

If your grow is improved with bottles, then something was wrong with the soil. My opinion. I'd really encourage you to build great soil and let it cook for 6 weeks. THe give it a run.

 

[buckaroo bonzai]

heres an experience--

http://boards.cannabis.com/plant-problems/195276-reverse-osmosis-can-cause-issues.html

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?p=5452086 ---look for the link in this thread

i think well /spring/rain water is good with living soil-


bio char comment-

-------By carbon I assume your talking charcoal? If so keep it in very small amounts and pre soak it in a high nitrogen solution before using it. Carbon will rob N from your soil mix if you don't pre soak it. ------------

http://www.michiganmedicalmarijuanagrowers.net/index.php?/topic/162-organic-soil-mixes/page__st__20

thers lots of excellent threads and reading
TLO @ grass city forums

happy reading! do your homework kidz--- quiz next wk...

 

[abe supercro]

I'm pretty darn sure if I had the ability to reuse living soil multiple times and Only Used my Well Water, that Calcium build-up could become a real issue from my well-water quality. One flowering cycle may not hit these possible high calcium levels.

 

[Rrog]

Thanks BB, but if you flush soil with large amounts of water to drain, then yes of course you'd leach some cations. But who does this?

The second example was a fellow who rooted in RO vs. mineralized water. Again, of course the huge ionic shift would bleed the cutting. But again, who does this?

If we simply water the plants, then any water loss is from evaporation and transpiration, and so no loss of anything due to RO water. Keep in mind that rainwater is very largely devoid of minerals (has some sodium) and so is more similar to RO than it might seem.

 

[Rrog]

I'm pretty darn sure if I had the ability to reuse living soil multiple times and Only Used my Well Water, that Calcium build-up could become a real issue from my well-water quality. One flowering cycle may not hit these possible high calcium levels.

Exactly where I'm at. The Mg is what bothers me most. High levels of Mg can tighten the soil. Less gas exchange.

I'm running those blumats from my well with a pressure reducer and it sure is slick. I hate the idea of a res with RO or an RO / well water blend. Trying to keep that clean... I'd inoculate the res with microbes and a little molasses, maybe.

 

[gladstoned]

hypothetic soil mix-is this a living soil?
1 part each peat moss perlite (large) and vermiculite with 4 parts topsoil. per 40 lb bag of top soil used 1 half cup each: mexican and jamaican bat guano blood and bone meal steamed and labeled organic and dolomite lime. mycos wp from something like xtreme gardening or some shit-per intructions. wet, left 3 weeks turned and left 1-3 more weeks. Then the full line of fox farms used thru whole life including the bloom boosters and opensesame shit and bushmaster root drenches and all of it at half strength. is it alive? does the ferts kill it? it's PH perfect when the ferts are added. Thoughts?

The Fox Farms Grow & the Tiger Bloom both are NOT organic. They will kill all the good shit. The one main bottle of Fox Farm is good though.