Joe Blows Trees
Well-Known Member
@greasemonkeymann should I add the same amount of ingredients again for a more thorough mixture of nutrients?
Joe goes organic
- Thread starter Joe Blows Trees
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greasemonkeymann
Well-Known Member
which ingredients are you referring to?
If you still cant get those recommended ingredients you can skate through with the others.
And I like volcanic rock, thats a good aeration.
Can you find biochar, or have a trader joes, or some kind of health food place that sells hardwood charcoal (not the briquettes), then mash that up and add it to a nitrogen tea to charge it.
norcal mmj
Well-Known Member
Amazon has everything if you can't find a local gardening center. Good luck, looks like your getting good help.Thanks @greasemonkeymann and @Richard Drysift for the advice.
I've been diligently searching for crab, fish bone, alfalfa and neem meal in my area with no success yet but I'm refusing to give up. I'll see if one of the hydro stores has the happy frog in case I have to get these amendments shipped to me. I almost bought some garden gypsum today when I picked up some more EWC, the last two bags too. I'll get some tomorrow.
I am using red lava rocks for aeration right now and I think until someone suggests something else I can pick up and try out, I'll keep using them. I've been unsuccessful finding rice hulls or pumice as well.
I'll pick up some baby oatmeal powder to add to the soil mixes(how much per cu ft do you add).
I now have 3 totes of soil cooking with the exact same recipe posted so if I add the same amount listed again would that be enough for the 4cu ft? Hopefully I can find the other amendments you guys suggested by this weekend so I can mix them in asap.
I did by 1000 red wigglers and 100 European night crawlers which are enjoying their new home. I also put some in each soil mix so that by the time I use them, I'll have fresh castings in the mix. I'll be ordering another thousand for my compost pile. I hope the worms are able to break down some of the amendments a little faster so they'll be easy to access by the plants.
Two of the soil mixes will not be used for atleast 4/5 months so hopefully they'll be much richer than the one I'm gonna use in about 2/3 weeks. I'd go 4 weeks if that would be best for getting more beneficial bacteria and microbial life going which will be better for the plants. I'll be using teas too. I'm sprouting popcorn and some cannabis seeds now to make seed sprout teas. I'm also going to do a compost tea.
I really appreciate the help you both offered as I'm excited to be going organic.
Joe Blows Trees
Well-Known Member
I found alfalfa meal today at an organic farm store which I bought and they had the organic happy frog 5-5-5 but I didn't get it, gonna keep looking for the other items first. I believe I saw that charcoal in wholefoods when I picked up the molasses and coconut water but if not, there's a trader Joe's near by. I found two more possibilities for the remaining ingredients so the hunt is on. I'll also look for volcanic rock.
As for the ingredients I've already put into the soil, you answered my question. By adding the other suggested amendments, I should be ok for this run and I'll amend it again when it gets recycled if needed. I can, however, add more of the amendments I already have to the other two soils I mixed so they'll be closer to, if not right about where I want the soil life to be if that'll work along with adding the suggested items as well.
Thanks @norcal mmj and you're right about the good help. Feel free to drop suggestions as well. I enjoy learning, it promotes mental growth!
As for the ingredients I've already put into the soil, you answered my question. By adding the other suggested amendments, I should be ok for this run and I'll amend it again when it gets recycled if needed. I can, however, add more of the amendments I already have to the other two soils I mixed so they'll be closer to, if not right about where I want the soil life to be if that'll work along with adding the suggested items as well.
Thanks @norcal mmj and you're right about the good help. Feel free to drop suggestions as well. I enjoy learning, it promotes mental growth!
Richard Drysift
Well-Known Member
I like to use pine bark nuggets and straw because they don't break down & are reusable but you've got several options. You don't need much oatmeal maybe just a 1/2 cup for 2cu ft of soil but even less would suffice...its just to help get your fungi established.
+1
I use pine bark fines in my mix as both aeration and a humus source along with perlite. I don't use mulch at all indoors and seldom in containers, but when I do, I just use perlite for mulch. Works like a champ. Yes it floats, but that's why it works so well as mulch. Just top dress on it and with the first watering, the perlite goes back to the top and whatever was top dressed ends up on the surface of the mix. I have NEVER experienced perlite working its way up out of the mix, not in 43 years of using it. Near the surface from getting blasted with a hose, yes, but not down in the mix.
Oh, and don't bother with 'chunky' perlite, it actually doesn't work as well as the regular perlite, having less surface area for equal amounts of product. A good source for the big (4cf), bags is a builders supply as it's used for insulation and is exactly the same as the horticultural labeled perlite.
I do use lava rock in my raised bed gardens, but not in mixes/containers. For me, it's un-needed weight and really does a number on my hands when digging around in the mix. But, whatever blows your skirt up.
Wet
Joe Blows Trees
Well-Known Member
Made my first SST today using cannabis seeds! (Seed Sprout Tea)
Soaked them for 48hrs and then put them on a damp paper towel for another 48hrs.
Put them in the small blender with a 50/50 coconut water/filtered water mix
Blended until nicely mixed. Has a milky looking texture to it.
About to go get a pump and a five gallon bucket and brew up this mixture. Got some popcorn seeds sprouting as well. The popcorn feeding won't be until late veg or early flowering.
*I don't know exactly how many seeds I used, I just grabbed a half a handful of cannabis seeds. The popcorn seeds equal one cup*
Soaked them for 48hrs and then put them on a damp paper towel for another 48hrs.
Put them in the small blender with a 50/50 coconut water/filtered water mix
Blended until nicely mixed. Has a milky looking texture to it.
About to go get a pump and a five gallon bucket and brew up this mixture. Got some popcorn seeds sprouting as well. The popcorn feeding won't be until late veg or early flowering.
*I don't know exactly how many seeds I used, I just grabbed a half a handful of cannabis seeds. The popcorn seeds equal one cup*
Joe Blows Trees
Well-Known Member
Added some alfalfa meal and baby oatmeal powder to the soil mixes. Turned them as well.
This little plant started growing along side one of my Jamaican Pearl plants. Doesn't seem to bother the plant so I'm going to let it stay.
This little plant started growing along side one of my Jamaican Pearl plants. Doesn't seem to bother the plant so I'm going to let it stay.
Grandpa GreenJeans
Well-Known Member
If you can find it, try coco bean hulls as mulch layer or mix in to the soil. My best results came from a 4" mulch layer of hulls. They decompose overtime and every watering washes in those goodies.
If you use it, don't freak out when trichoderma colonize the mulch layer, but it will go green and blue under the surface.
If you use it, don't freak out when trichoderma colonize the mulch layer, but it will go green and blue under the surface.
greasemonkeymann
Well-Known Member
Now THAT is some cool shit man.
I really like re-using cannabis byproducts, I had a whole big-ass outdoor plant that got mold real bad so I composted all the buds and leaves into my compost, I have a crack-pot theory that plants have adapted to needing the prior harvested plants decomposition into the soil for next years plants, similar to how apples/pears/fruit bearing tress rely on their rotting fruit to restore the soil nutrients.. Like evolved perfectly to have that restore the soils nutrients, in exactly the plants liking..
I find that shit fascinating.. albeit completely a stoner-theory
So anyways this compost has a LOT of cannabis leaves, hash byproducts, and aforementioned molded buds (like probably 5-6 oz?) So in all I have at least a cubic foot of it.
Granted I probably won't see a difference but I just get a kick out of trying to replicate mother-nature as close as possible.
Cool shit man, haven't seen a cannabis SST before
I think it'd be cool as hell to make a compost out of cannabis leaves, instead of all those tree-leaves.
That's a LOT of leaves though, cannabis leaves are sorta flimsy compared to what I normally use
greasemonkeymann
Well-Known Member
I had an interesting argument on this forum a yr or two ago regarding perlite "floating"
I found the easiest way to get my point across was using gold-panning as an analogy...
Over time, lighter objects naturally migrate to the top, while heavier objects go to the bottom..
Especially when the plant is freshly transplanted and inexperienced growers overwater.
Perlite doesn't "float" at all, as you pointed out, and speaking of, damn dude, 43 yrs?
Got me beat by over a decade.. I got like 25 yrs..
I do like me some volcanic rock though, and I love me some pumice too
That sounds weird in my head...
"love me some pumice"....
anyways..
I really like my aeration mix, although it's a total high-maintenance thing..
perlite, pumice, volcanic rock, biochar, little strips of coco-wool (roots FILL those pockets)and rotted tree-log chunks
Yea.. totally superfluous
but I like what I like, and I have probably 40-45% aeration in my mix, and it works well for me, my fruit based worm castings are pretty dense, so I gotta fluff that up a lil
Aeration is key though.. I am often amazed on how well these plants do with very little food and just amply aerated-humus-rich soil
Joe Blows Trees
Well-Known Member
I got the idea from the mendo dope no till video as well as the popcorn tea @greasemonkeymann He mentioned using cannabis seeds and since I have some I don't plan to plant, they still have usefulness now for teas.
I also want to use every part of the plants. I actually put the strained particles left in my wormbin. I'm keeping my inside bin on a cannabis/fruit diet. The compost pile will have a few more things like coffee grounds and eggshells along with root balls, leaves, stalks and branches from the previous harvest. My compost will be more for my outside vegetable garden and the inside bin for my indoor garden. I may try what you suggested and have a separate "cannabis leaf" compost pile.
I also want to use every part of the plants. I actually put the strained particles left in my wormbin. I'm keeping my inside bin on a cannabis/fruit diet. The compost pile will have a few more things like coffee grounds and eggshells along with root balls, leaves, stalks and branches from the previous harvest. My compost will be more for my outside vegetable garden and the inside bin for my indoor garden. I may try what you suggested and have a separate "cannabis leaf" compost pile.
DonBrennon
Well-Known Member
You'll have to keep us informed how the tea works, I've got a mate who's got a shit load of seed from an un-noticed hermie, I've thought about trying it before, but never got round to asking him for the seed.......................gonna text him nowI got the idea from the mendo dope no till video as well as the popcorn tea @greasemonkeymann He mentioned using cannabis seeds and since I have some I don't plan to plant, they still have usefulness now for teas.
I also want to use every part of the plants. I actually put the strained particles left in my wormbin. I'm keeping my inside bin on a cannabis/fruit diet. The compost pile will have a few more things like coffee grounds and eggshells along with root balls, leaves, stalks and branches from the previous harvest. My compost will be more for my outside vegetable garden and the inside bin for my indoor garden. I may try what you suggested and have a separate "cannabis leaf" compost pile.
oh........and I'm sure your worms would love some of those crushed up eggshells too
Richard Drysift
Well-Known Member
That is dope how you did the cannabis SST...I got a ton of old hermie seeds I'll never use- great use for them thanks for posting this
Joe Blows Trees
Well-Known Member
So I open one of my soil mixes today to put a mashed up banana in for the worms and I see this
If you zoom in on the thumbnail you can see the cotyledons forming on a stem in the soil. I'm gonna take this as a good sign for the soil life and I might bury another stem in a separate container and if it roots like these, I'll grow it out. Another way to clone possibly. There were no seeds in the soil mix.
If you zoom in on the thumbnail you can see the cotyledons forming on a stem in the soil. I'm gonna take this as a good sign for the soil life and I might bury another stem in a separate container and if it roots like these, I'll grow it out. Another way to clone possibly. There were no seeds in the soil mix.
Joe Blows Trees
Well-Known Member
While reading up on ladybugs, I came across these two articles:
http://www.treehugger.com/lawn-garden/why-you-shouldnt-buy-ladybugs-natural-pest-control-your-garden.html
http://www.learn2grow.com/problemsolvers/insectsanimals/insectsbeneficial/BuyingLadybugs.aspx
From what I've read, I'm gonna go with lacewing's instead for my outdoor garden. I'll probably put some in the veg and flowering rooms as well.
http://www.treehugger.com/lawn-garden/why-you-shouldnt-buy-ladybugs-natural-pest-control-your-garden.html
http://www.learn2grow.com/problemsolvers/insectsanimals/insectsbeneficial/BuyingLadybugs.aspx
From what I've read, I'm gonna go with lacewing's instead for my outdoor garden. I'll probably put some in the veg and flowering rooms as well.
Joe Blows Trees
Well-Known Member
Will be transplanting these plants in a few days
Purple haze, Hindu kush, Jamaican Pearl, bubblegum, Pakistan Chitral kush, and sour smurf.
Purple haze, Hindu kush, Jamaican Pearl, bubblegum, Pakistan Chitral kush, and sour smurf.
greasemonkeymann
Well-Known Member
which one is the possible russet mite one?
you can usually tell by the pics
Joe Blows Trees
Well-Known Member
The picture is my revegging og kush plant that I first noticed any bug activity. Before doing further research, I sprayed the plant with a dish soap and water mix which did seem to kill them off as no new webs formed, but it also killed some of the older growth of the plant. The spiders are brown and visible to the naked eye.
The plants in the picture in the earlier post only have the spots on the leaves. I do notice some also have brown spots under the leaves as well. No visible spiders though.
Joe Blows Trees
Well-Known Member
I've been reading up on predatory mites and I'm going to add some to my soil mixes and start breeding them. Hopefully this will be my last mite infestation.