So who here is growing in true organic living soil?

fattiemcnuggins

Well-Known Member
Do I need to have clover going in the same buckets as my mmj to reuse the dirt? I pulled a male and threw another plant right into the pot, didn't think it wasthe right way to do it but gave it a try. The plant is growing a little slow and spindly but I had so many plants jammed under my tiny veg light it could just be low light.
 

NickNasty

Well-Known Member
Do I need to have clover going in the same buckets as my mmj to reuse the dirt? I pulled a male and threw another plant right into the pot, didn't think it wasthe right way to do it but gave it a try. The plant is growing a little slow and spindly but I had so many plants jammed under my tiny veg light it could just be low light.
No you do not need to have clover going to reuse soil.
 

Rrog

Well-Known Member
As his Nastiness says, no need for clover.

But this last harvest I planted the clover a week before I chopped. The new MJ seed or clone is not competing with the clover. They are companions. The clover will start to add N back in the soil for you, and the live roots of the clover will hasten the saprophytic fungi (and other friends) to convert that old plant root system into useable nutrient. This all happens much faster if there isn't a gap in the presence of live, viable roots for the microherd to tend to.

This will mean there will be a super-alive soil soil, and when your new seedling hits this living soil, the herd will immediately plug in to the sprouted roots. Note that the plant's immune system will more quickly be augmented by the microbes in the rhizosphere.
 

Rrog

Well-Known Member
Maybe just a pause for a thought- In the above post I mentioned a Saprophytic Fungi that will start to break down the dead roots. There's probably hundreds of specialized fungi, bacteria and protozoans that get turned ON when needed. These microbes are a lot like light switches. They're always around in some level, from fully active to dormant to somewhere in between. When needed, their numbers swell, and when the task is done, their population dwindles down to whatever level they're needed.

So is the air you breathe. It's full of all of these bacteria and fungi. They blow around perpetually. You can easily create LAB serum in the dead of winter by collecting microbes from your living room floor. I do it all the time.

This is why I support not buying more microbe powders. Collect local Beneficial Indigenous Microbes. The BIMs you collect will have everything you need, and because they're local microbes, by definition they are the absolute best suited to survive in your area. Think local.
 

fattiemcnuggins

Well-Known Member
I ran out of my packaged microbes, so I finally read through the BIM link. Question is, can we do it in winter? I got new lacto brewing, and need to mix up some new dirt friday.
 

silusbotwin

Well-Known Member
Question for Rrog or anyone else who knows as much about organics as Rrog...

So, I'm doing a soup style with the entire Roots Organics lineup following directions on the bottle (in the middle of transition to the 5 mil program and ultimately a complete TLO grow) and I have a few things I am a tad confused about. Maybe you could help.

A) I Roots Organics truly organic in the TLO sense of the word (not including Roots' Soul Synthetics)?

B) My nute solutions are coming out to 4.0 pH @ 1200 ppm. Should I be pHing? The fella at the hydro store who put me on to TLO growing had me get some Earth Juice ph up and down and he told me that I should pH my soup with it if it's Roots Organics. I'm under the impression that the pHing happens inside my containers and I shouldn't worry about pH at all unless my runoff goes outta wack. I'm currently using Roots 707 formula with 15%-20% added perlite.

C) Do you have any experience with Roots Organics 5 mil program? If so, what did you think of your results?

D) Do Roots Organics solutions need to be "cooked" or can they just be mixed and applied on the spot?
 

Rrog

Well-Known Member
Fattie, you can collect LAB with the open jar of rice water within 2 feet of your floor. All winter long, no problem.

Silus- How are you? I can't help you, as I have no idea what those things are, and I don't measure pH anymore...
 

Rrog

Well-Known Member
You'll be fine with an inside collection. You just use the LAB to get things going.
 

silusbotwin

Well-Known Member
Fattie, you can collect LAB with the open jar of rice water within 2 feet of your floor. All winter long, no problem.

Silus- How are you? I can't help you, as I have no idea what those things are, and I don't measure pH anymore...
I just spoke with The Rev and he has me talked into ditching all of it and making my own base mix with bagged soil, EWC, and perlite. The thing that sucks is I dont have the money to get the stuff I need for a custom TLO mix at the moment and I don't have the time to cook even if I did have the money for the ingredients. Once I get the cash, you better believe I'm investing in building a tea/vermi station.

I do have access to about 7 other nute lineups that I got as sample packs.

Something called "The Other Tomato" is the only other organic nute lineup I currently have access to. Everything else I have is synthetic like Techna-Floras B.C. lineup, Foxfarms Trio, X Nutrients lineup, Ionic trio, and a few different solubles, but I'm staying away from chems at ALL costs.
 

NickNasty

Well-Known Member
Question for Rrog or anyone else who knows as much about organics as Rrog...

So, I'm doing a soup style with the entire Roots Organics lineup following directions on the bottle (in the middle of transition to the 5 mil program and ultimately a complete TLO grow) and I have a few things I am a tad confused about. Maybe you could help.

A) I Roots Organics truly organic in the TLO sense of the word (not including Roots' Soul Synthetics)?

B) My nute solutions are coming out to 4.0 pH @ 1200 ppm. Should I be pHing? The fella at the hydro store who put me on to TLO growing had me get some Earth Juice ph up and down and he told me that I should pH my soup with it if it's Roots Organics. I'm under the impression that the pHing happens inside my containers and I shouldn't worry about pH at all unless my runoff goes outta wack. I'm currently using Roots 707 formula with 15%-20% added perlite.

C) Do you have any experience with Roots Organics 5 mil program? If so, what did you think of your results?

D) Do Roots Organics solutions need to be "cooked" or can they just be mixed and applied on the spot?
I will try answer this as best I can. I have not used their lineup but have used many other bottled organic nutes in the past.
A) I would say it is organic but not in the TLO sense. TLO is more about having soil feed your plants then you feeding aka amendments is soil etc.
B) I would check your run off and see what that reads normally I would say don't worry about it but that seems way low.
C) No
D) Solutions or bottled ferts do not need to be cooked only dry ferts need time to start breaking down.
Bottled ferts are more feeding right when they are needed TLO and amended soil have the nutrients already in the soil so the plants/ microbes use them up as needed.
 

scugg

Member
Man I love this thread. Always the first one I go to now when I check in. I love that we have most of the stuff we need for soil amending all around us. I love that we can make some of this stuff while recycling at the same time all without having to dish out major cash at grow stores. This leads to my questions....

I have access to stinging nettles (we always called it 7 minute itch) but are they any good to harvest this time of year when they're dead? I can wait until they grow, just curious.

Also, I was watching all the vids Nn posted on biochar and each person pretty much has their own way of making it. I'm assuming I can make this in my woodstove. I can cut the oxygen off all the way, let it smolder awhile and just empty it out and wet it down. When I do damp the stove down and let it smolder I get great black carbon looking logs that just crumble when you touch them. Looks just like everyone's finished product on the videos.

Does any one have any thoughts on this? Would be cool if I could use my woodstove for something other than heat I guess.

This threads epic, thanks.:weed:
 

gladstoned

Well-Known Member
I have been extremely busy the last few days. Trichn9ne came over yesterday and mixed up the TLO soil for us. We did it 100% according to the book except for one item I fucked up. Unbleached bone meal, Whitney Farm. Somehow I ordered the Organic BLOOD meal instead. I was gonna order it and the add it and wait 4 weeks from then, but I had a box of down to earth fish bone meal. We substituted with that. We mixed a double batch. Wet it down and it's in a garbage can in the basement. We mixed the shit right in the basement cuz we are crazy like that. I opened a small basement window and we had a fan on. Hopefully we didn't breathe in crazy shit. That fish bone meal that I mentioned was pretty intense. lol. Gave him a copy of the book and it's cooking. In the morning or over the next few days I am going to start a TLO thread. I took pics and I'll post all the amendments we used and why the book (or The Rev) says to use them. Just wanted to give an update.
 

smellzlikeskunkyum

Well-Known Member
I recently switched over to Roots Organics from Fox Farm products.

I am very happy with Roots Organics, and you can tell just by look and smell that there is a huge difference in "organics" between the two.

Ive also enjoyed using ORGANIC blackstrap molasses... u can get it at Meijer its about 7 bux. big difference from granny's
 

Rrog

Well-Known Member
Scugg- Stinging Nettles now would still be great. The secondary metabolites would have crapped out, as would the N, but still great compost value. Next year use in compost. But you already knew that.

The char you describe is perfect. Activate it by throwing in a N rich solution and maybe some vermicompost. There are thoughts to inoculate with N so you don't leach it from the soil. Also a thought to inoculate it with microbes, which is just always a good idea.
 

scugg

Member
Thanks Rrog. It's amazing how much stuff is right around us when you stop and think about it. I can't take a shovel full of soil from anywhere in my yard without getting oyster shells mixed in with it. I live on the coast where there were lots of Native Americans living for milenia I suppose. They used to bury their shells all around them in what are called "shell middens" if I'm not mistaken. My neighbor has one that's 6x6x6 in his yard that he just happened upon. Not sure I'm.going to take the time to collect and process them or not but its still badass that I have the option I guess.


Nevermind dandelion....I have more than enough of that!!:joint:
 

Rrog

Well-Known Member
Comfrey, that you can grow in piles, has 3X the N of kelp. The stuff is all around us, yes. There's still items we have to source such as rock powders, some clay powders, the sphagnum, but all in all you can feed this soil from local sources.
 

HomeLessBeans

New Member
I have been extremely busy the last few days. Trichn9ne came over yesterday and mixed up the TLO soil for us. We did it 100% according to the book except for one item I fucked up. Unbleached bone meal, Whitney Farm. Somehow I ordered the Organic BLOOD meal instead. I was gonna order it and the add it and wait 4 weeks from then, but I had a box of down to earth fish bone meal. We substituted with that. We mixed a double batch. Wet it down and it's in a garbage can in the basement. We mixed the shit right in the basement cuz we are crazy like that. I opened a small basement window and we had a fan on. Hopefully we didn't breathe in crazy shit. That fish bone meal that I mentioned was pretty intense. lol. Gave him a copy of the book and it's cooking. In the morning or over the next few days I am going to start a TLO thread. I took pics and I'll post all the amendments we used and why the book (or The Rev) says to use them. Just wanted to give an update.
as your barrel of shit cooks will you get a sample reading of some run off RO water? PH and PPM on a weekly post would be helpful to me.
 
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