The Dons' Organic Garden

calliandra said:
Aaaaah, so THAT's what the filling of one of my yoga cushions is! :bigjoint:
I've been pondering using those in my soil mixes too - the old batch, in the cushion, has been sat on for quite some years, but doesn't look any worse for wear, when I compare it to the new filling. So it must be hellishly loaded with those structuring substances (was it chitin?), moreso than the grain hulls I've also sat on, which tend to crack lengthwise and start pulverizing.
Also, I like how the curved shape makes them bouncey, promising fluffiness in the soil mix.

I'd be curious to know what the hulls are made up of specifically, but sadly couldn't find anything specifically. But I did find this about using the hulls in and around the garden, nice and simple and clear: http://www.bettervegetablegardening.com/types-of-mulch.html#hulls
mmMm use em in the wormbin too! :cool:
I need to mix a bit of soil for uppotting in a few days and do think some of those hulls are going to get incorporated :blsmoke:
Cheers!
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Yes, good point about the worm bin I'm gonna have to add a bunch when I get them. Good call. And yeah @calliandra the fact they are joined in the middle make them like little concave springs, I've been reading that people use them in mattresses for 10-15 years then recycle them as topdress/mulch in the garden, so it got me thinking, hey what the shit am I depending on rice for! That and we are the largest exporters or were, for buckwheat, and cause the rice hulls cost me $4400 extra to get 20Tonnes delivered, thats just for frieght, in USD, which is how much the rice cost in the first place, so literally double, may as well try go local right, lol.
 
@fumble great question by the way, it is definetley wise to keep different varieties apart, especially sweets away from popcorns and so on.. we're going to do a triple row of sweet red corn, along the road, and keep the popcorn types out at the lake! Gonna try get someone else to grow the gem corns for us too, so nothing gets cross pollinated!

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Corn is wind-pollinated and different varieties planted too closely can affect their flavor.

Spacing for Sweet Corn Varieties
Because sweet corn is open-pollinated, all varieties can act as pollinators for one another, so give each variety of sweet corn at least 250 feet of space between varieties. Corn is wind-pollinated, so at this distance, the wind is unlikely to carry pollen far enough to affect the different varieties and if it does, it is unlikely to be enough pollen to cause contamination. For complete isolation, to ensure no cross-pollination takes place, leave 700 feet between each sweet corn variety, the distance generally used in plant breeding.

Staggered Planting
When growing sweet corn, you can also use a method known as staggered planting. Plant each type of sweet corn two weeks apart up until the last sowing date for your area. This gives you sweet corn throughout the growing season, and planting each variety at least 14 days apart separates the tasseling time for each variety. Staggered planting is an effective method for those with little growing space who want to grow more than one sweet corn variety.


Spacing Corn Types
Other corn types, such as ornamental corn, baby corn and popcorn, must be isolated from all varieties of sweet corn. If these corn types are allowed to cross-pollinate with sweet corn, it makes sweet corn starchy, affecting the corn's flavor. The sweet corn can also contaminate the other corn types. Popcorn pollinated by sweet corn may be sweeter and shriveled. Yellow dominates in sweet corn, so any variety of white corn planted in close proximity to yellow corn will be yellow.

Block planting Vs Row Spacing
When planting the same corn varieties, the corn is planted in blocks instead of one long row, because this ensures better pollination. Since sweet corn is wind-pollinated, block planting ensures that a good supply of pollen falls on the silks. Sweet corn that is poorly pollinated grows poorly filled ears. Plant sweet corn 8 to 12 inches apart and leave 2 1/2 to 3 feet between rows, planting several short rows.
 
Interesting stuff about why bunnies shouldn't eat some veggies..

The Brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kohlrabi, mustard greens) contain chemical chains of glucosinolates. They also contain a special enzyme. While the vegetable is growing, the enzyme and glucosinolates are stored in separate parts of the plant. But, when a person or rabbit bites into one of these veggies, the enzyme cuts apart the chemical chain, setting the glucose (sugar) free and leaving behind sulfur. In the gut the sulfur forms hydrogen sulfide, the gas that can give bunny poops a distinctive odor, not unlike (but hopefully much less pungent than) the gas passed by a person who binged on cole slaw or sauerkraut.

If your rabbit is like my Nestlé, he eagerly devours any of the Brassicas. This is where rabbit guardians need to be careful. Bunnies love the bitter taste of kale and its cousins. Professor Irwin Goldman at the UW Department of Horticulture says that’s the funny thing - Brassicas actually make the glucosinolate compound to discourage mammals and insects from eating them! Ingesting too much of this compound over time can have toxic effects on animal health by reducing the thyroid gland’s ability to uptake iodine.
 
DonTesla said:
Anyone use worm compost leachate (diluted to strength) to charge their BioChar? Ive been hearing some varied opinions on the matter so though I should ask

@Rasta Roy @greasemonkeymann @any good folk reading :D
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No, I've used homemade fish fertilizer but never leachate. I did some experiments with feeding leachate to my tomatoes last season but I got better at feeding my worms so I ran out of leachate to use lol. So that experiment never quite finished unfortunately. My worms seem happier tho! :)

I don't know about your area, but I got a lot of Fisher's so fish and all their related parts are readily at my disposal. I used to use it as a liquid fertilizer but I was having too many issues with storing it, and having it go bad. Recently I've been using it to charge all the shredded wood mulch we currently have (not quite biochar), but I haven't got to really run any hard experiments with it yet. My anecdotal evidence says it's going well! I definitely think it's worth exploring the fish fertilizer option for charging if you have access to the byproducts.
 
DonTesla said:
@fumble great question by the way, it is definetley wise to keep different varieties apart, especially sweets away from popcorns and so on.. we're going to do a triple row of sweet red corn, along the road, and keep the popcorn types out at the lake! Gonna try get someone else to grow the gem corns for us too, so nothing gets cross pollinated!

87836805_XS.jpg

Corn is wind-pollinated and different varieties planted too closely can affect their flavor.

Spacing for Sweet Corn Varieties
Because sweet corn is open-pollinated, all varieties can act as pollinators for one another, so give each variety of sweet corn at least 250 feet of space between varieties. Corn is wind-pollinated, so at this distance, the wind is unlikely to carry pollen far enough to affect the different varieties and if it does, it is unlikely to be enough pollen to cause contamination. For complete isolation, to ensure no cross-pollination takes place, leave 700 feet between each sweet corn variety, the distance generally used in plant breeding.

Staggered Planting
When growing sweet corn, you can also use a method known as staggered planting. Plant each type of sweet corn two weeks apart up until the last sowing date for your area. This gives you sweet corn throughout the growing season, and planting each variety at least 14 days apart separates the tasseling time for each variety. Staggered planting is an effective method for those with little growing space who want to grow more than one sweet corn variety.


Spacing Corn Types
Other corn types, such as ornamental corn, baby corn and popcorn, must be isolated from all varieties of sweet corn. If these corn types are allowed to cross-pollinate with sweet corn, it makes sweet corn starchy, affecting the corn's flavor. The sweet corn can also contaminate the other corn types. Popcorn pollinated by sweet corn may be sweeter and shriveled. Yellow dominates in sweet corn, so any variety of white corn planted in close proximity to yellow corn will be yellow.

Block planting Vs Row Spacing
When planting the same corn varieties, the corn is planted in blocks instead of one long row, because this ensures better pollination. Since sweet corn is wind-pollinated, block planting ensures that a good supply of pollen falls on the silks. Sweet corn that is poorly pollinated grows poorly filled ears. Plant sweet corn 8 to 12 inches apart and leave 2 1/2 to 3 feet between rows, planting several short rows.
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Wow...thank you DonT. Great info. I have read about planting in blocks vs. Rows for better pollination but that's about it. Much appreciated!
 
DonTesla said:
may as well try go local right, lol.
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looks like all signs are pointing in that direction, yup :mrgreen:

DonTesla said:
Anyone use worm compost leachate (diluted to strength) to charge their BioChar? Ive been hearing some varied opinions on the matter so though I should ask

@Rasta Roy @greasemonkeymann @any good folk reading :D
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1. leachate is gross, as it very probably contains anaerobic-leaning microbes
2. I don't have any
3. da @greasemonkeymann pointed out to me just recently (I was thinking ACT) that we need to charge our carbon with nitrogen to get a balance there - if we charge it with microbes the carbon is going to suck nitrogen out of the soil.

oh and
4. while the concept of the biochar offering soooo much surface area for the microbes to hang on to is cute, that's not really how the microbes hang in the soil.
They build their own houses, by producing those glues that allow the microaggregates to form ;)
So while I'm pretty sure the biochar will get colonized by microbes, trying to charge them with microbes to help them "find a home" lol, is actually missing the point :rolleyes:
At the risk of repeating myself, I love learning with you guys!
 
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Thanks for all the input everyone! Ill type up more responses once I'm back on the pc! Here's some pics, cause I gave my word to @eastcoastmo an update on the Jack x Shits, he sent over and I finally got the tabbie to hold a charge.. Time for an upgrade. Lol. 3 untopped from seed with a touch of LST and some decent side branching. The smells are classic lemony jack pine, lavender coke, and citrus anise. Got really greasy after their b vitaminsimage.jpg

image.jpg
 
DonTesla said:
Thanks for all the input everyone! Ill type up more responses once I'm back on the pc! Here's some pics, cause I gave my word to @eastcoastmo an update on the Jack x Shits, he sent over and I finally got the tabbie to hold a charge.. Time for an upgrade. Lol. 3 untopped from seed with a touch of LST and some decent side branching. The smells are classic lemony jack pine, lavender coke, and citrus anise. Got really greasy after their b vitaminsView attachment 3944019

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Legend, thanks for the pics mate, it looks like that cross worked well!!
 
eastcoastmo said:
Legend, thanks for the pics mate, it looks like that cross worked well!!
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For sure bro, I can snap pics more too, the one candy x caps smells like ultra jack herer citrus cleaner type as well, really piercing but enjoyable smell. Makes one say woah. It's strong but different. But my fav for overall is probably the afghani x skunk! Only one of 5 made it but its a stacker, its sticky, and its greasy, if you know what i mean, its productive, its really dank smelling not to mention complex and luring .. Yet structure Like a cactus . Ill snap a pic tmrw of it. i really like how the resin profile developed
 
DonTesla said:
For sure bro, I can snap pics more too, the one candy x caps smells like ultra jack herer citrus cleaner type as well, really piercing but enjoyable smell. Makes one say woah. It's strong but different. But my fav for overall is probably the afghani x skunk! Only one of 5 made it but its a stacker, its sticky, and its greasy, if you know what i mean, its productive, its really dank smelling not to mention complex and luring .. Yet structure Like a cactus . Ill snap a pic tmrw of it. i really like how the resin profile developed
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Thanks man, I really appreciate that. If you don't mind, can I repost the pics on IG? A few people have asked about them, I'd love to show yours off if that's cool?
 
Organic TPR 12/12 Fs :)image.jpg

These cola Dom specimens won't be long now.. Smells very good. Only 2 of 5 germinated and they were slower and more finicky to then the BW and Dons gear but at least both were females. And both look great, especially this larger (still small) one.. Gonna make for a really good one time treat, if the smoke is insane it'll get revegged though
 
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Just putting in some climbing walls in the garden for beans, sunflowers, and cukes.. should be interesting little experiment!! the beneficial nematodes are on the way so now I can get a little more aggressive and fearless, they handle 230 pests! including many of the most popular herb bugs lol
 
eastcoastmo said:
Nice! Thanks brethren :)
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For sure homes

Only Tested 5
4 broke thru
2 became female
Candy x Caps, the one REAKS like sweet herer if thsts possible and the other putout the nodes heavily.. Time to baby them at last and fatten them up. No sign of herms,
I even tested their wills pretty hard ..
Three nights in a row I gave them an hour of extra light, mid flower..
Second night was 2 hours, and third night was 3

They survived the onslaught

I test small numbers but test em hard.

If you need more ran let me know!
 

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