Tutorial Organics for Beginners

[judas cohen]

This is my understanding of Maxicrop kelp concentrate & factory recommended doses:

Maxicrop LIQUID kelp concentrate (0.1-0-1) Mix 1-2 OZ/gal water (=2-4 TBL/gal water)

Maxicrop POWDERED kelp concentrate (1-0-4) Mix 1/4-1/2 TEASPOONS/gal water. (NOTE: 10.7 OZ POWDER mixed with 1 gal water makes 1 gal of LIQUID CONCENTRATE that must be diluted at 1-2 OZ/gal water before using.)

POWDERED and LIQUID concentrates are different NPK ratios and very different amounts recommended by factory.

If "less is more" in organics and mykes/BB make smaller amounts of nutes sufficient to feed plants, why use 6-12 times the amount of POWDERED Maxicrop recommended by factory....especially since factory recommendations are usually on the high side?

If looking to increase K, wouldn't soluble K-Mag be a better choice? (or premix kelp MEAL (1-0-2), granite rock dust, green sand, or Azomite into recycled soil.).... and water with tea containing 1/4-1/2 tsp Maxicrop POWDER/gal water OR 2-4 TBL Maxicrop LIQUID/gal water, if you believe kelp in mid-late flower is desirable.

I'm not trolling, I've just never understood the massive dose of POWDERED kelp in the FLOWER tea recipe..... but for sure there are many ways to grow.

 

[BurnOne]

Hey BurnOne, You have very good info and I got my tea understanding from you, greatly appreciated!!

I am a little confused about the whole soil ordeal. Can you explain it to me a little??

I just dont understand when people say organic soil, to organic soilless. Or some will add organic fertilizer to organic soil, some will add ORGANIC potting soil with ORGANIC soil? You see what I mean?? I just dont understand this crap, its very confusing and its giving me a headache.. Maybe I am just thinking too much??

Is there a NOOB thread? Where people just ask questions and Professionals answer? There is a thread like that on GC and its great.. If you could help me out it would be much appreciated...

Peat is a soiless base. It's peat, not soil. Neither is perlite, dolomite or worm castings. So therefore, soiless. And, this is the noobie thread.
Burn1

 

[BurnOne]

Quick question, when combining the mix and using parts if i use a 3qt container for parts how would i count the promix, would i loosely fill the pot with 3qt of promix or would i make it firm and pack it down like in a plant container?
thanks!

edit: Also say i bought a 2cu.ft. bale of promix for containers, on it it says 2cu.ft packed = 4cu.ft loose, when making a mix would i base the parts ratio off of 2cu.ft or 4cu.ft? Hope that made sense

"Parts" is whatever you want it to be. I use a 3 qt. saucepan as a "part" because it's easy to use.
You'll need to break the peat apart and fluff it up before you use it. Just make sure there are no chunks bigger than your fist and you should be fine. This stuff is easy folks.
Burn1

 

[BurnOne]

Hi BurnOne, suby, oldfool,

Thank you for your replys. What would you suggest for a SOG recipe? ie.
clone to 1 gallon pot with mix, then 1 week or so veg, followed by 60 day flower.

I was thinking cutting blood meal in half and maybe lowering the amounts of bone and kelp slightly.

My tentative base is 4 parts FFOF, 2 parts Pro-Mix, 2 parts Castings, 2 parts chunky perlite. I add a myco innoculant to this.

Then during the grow I'll water with LK, molasses and light teas (Pure Blend Original and FF Big Bloom) as needed.

Its a sort of customized version based on this thread and BOGs old threads.

Use the recipe I posted as directed for SOG. The plants will take what they need.
Burn1

 

[BurnOne]

This is my understanding of Maxicrop kelp concentrate & factory recommended doses:

Maxicrop LIQUID kelp concentrate (0.1-0-1) Mix 1-2 OZ/gal water (=2-4 TBL/gal water)

Maxicrop POWDERED kelp concentrate (1-0-4) Mix 1/4-1/2 TEASPOONS/gal water. (NOTE: 10.7 OZ POWDER mixed with 1 gal water makes 1 gal of LIQUID CONCENTRATE that must be diluted at 1-2 OZ/gal water before using.)

POWDERED and LIQUID concentrates are different NPK ratios and very different amounts recommended by factory.

If "less is more" in organics and mykes/BB make smaller amounts of nutes sufficient to feed plants, why use 6-12 times the amount of POWDERED Maxicrop recommended by factory....especially since factory recommendations are usually on the high side?

If looking to increase K, wouldn't soluble K-Mag be a better choice? (or premix kelp MEAL (1-0-2), granite rock dust, green sand, or Azomite into recycled soil.).... and water with tea containing 1/4-1/2 tsp Maxicrop POWDER/gal water OR 2-4 TBL Maxicrop LIQUID/gal water, if you believe kelp in mid-late flower is desirable.

I'm not trolling, I've just never understood the massive dose of POWDERED kelp in the FLOWER tea recipe..... but for sure there are many ways to grow.

You can make 1/4 as much if you like. Use 1/4 tsp. Maxicrop 1-0-4 powder to 1 qt. water. Kelp meal mixed into soil works well. Greensand and rock dust are used as a supplement. Their release rate is too low to be effective alone.
Burn1

 

[Guest]

Neither is perlite, dolomite or worm castings. So therefore, soiless. And, this is the noobie thread.
Burn1

Worm casting not soil? well yes and no. kinda. Surely a ton more nutrients than pearlite or dolomite I thought soiless was basically steril growth medium - no nutes and micro organisms

My first experience with worm castings says they are hotter than shit - so to speak - I mixed no more than 1/2 gal into 5 gal of 50-50 Ocean Forest and Pearlite and while my clones didn't miss a beat - some SDS seedlings I started got toasty and required repotting into OF and pearlite only.

 

[judas cohen]

Will someone pls help me out?

This is my understanding of Maxicrop kelp concentrate & factory recommended doses:

Maxicrop LIQUID kelp concentrate (0.1-0-1) Mix 1-2 OZ/gal water (2-4 TBL/gal water)

Maxicrop POWDERED kelp concentrate (1-0-4) Mix 1/4-1/2 TEASPOONS/gal water.

POWDERED and LIQUID concentrates are different NPK ratios and very different amounts recommended by factory.

If "less is more" in organics and mykes/BB make smaller amounts of nutes sufficient to feed plants, why use 6-12 times the amount of POWDERED Maxicrop recommended by factory....especially since factory recommendations are usually on the high side?

I'm not trolling, I've just never understood the massive dose of POWDERED kelp in the FLOWER tea recipe..... but for sure there are many ways to grow.

Burn1/Suby/Von/Jay/3BM: I keep reading cut and pastes of a FLOWER tea advocating 5 Tablespoons of Maxicrop POWDERED Kelp Concentrate/5 gals water. Is that a typographical error? Shouldn't it read Maxicrop LIQUID Kelp Concentrate if using that large of a dose rate?

According to Maxicrop factory recommended dose rates, there is a huge difference between application rates of Maxicrop LIQUID (0.1-0-1) and POWDERED (1-0-4) Kelp Concentrate!

Pls help me understand why the recipe calls for 5 TABLESPOONS of POWDERED kelp and the factory recommends 1 1/4 to 2 1/2 TEASPOONS (MAXIMUM) per 5 gal water. TIA!

 

[judas cohen]

Burn1: Sorry, I didn't see your last post as I was typing when you posted. My question has to do with the amount of POWDERED kelp in a gal of water; not about reducing amount of finished tea.

How much powdered maxicrop/gal water...1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon (as per factory specs) or 1 Tbl?

I'm such a slow typist, I hope I get this posted before you reply...LOL!

 

[BlueberryNutz]

first i would like to thank everyone for all the good info here. ive never done soil, only hydro a couple times. i made the soil mix #1 with peat, perlite, compost and i hydrated it with seaweed extract. its been sitting there in rubbermaids to let the lime go to work and get all the good bcteria goin, but i looked today and i noticed white spots of growth. some sort of mold or fungus. is this normal? is it a good thing?? i know there are many types of beneficial bacteria and fungi im just hoping that this is one of them. its white and kinda fuzzy looking in spots.

 

[BurnOne]

Burn1: Sorry, I didn't see your last post as I was typing when you posted. My question has to do with the amount of POWDERED kelp in a gal of water; not about reducing amount of finished tea.

How much powdered maxicrop/gal water...1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon (as per factory specs) or 1 Tbl?

I'm such a slow typist, I hope I get this posted before you reply...LOL!

Oh yeah. That's a typo. It should say 5 teaspoons Maxicrop 1-0-4 powdered seaweed per 5 gallons of water. Or 5 capsfull liquid Maxicrop per 5 gallons of water.
I'll fix it. Thanks.
Burn1

Edit: No, that's right. tsp. = teaspoons. tbs. = tablespoon.

 

[green_grow]

is there any appreciable amount of plant food in the leftover water from boiling, say, spinach, broccoli, carrots, peas, or what have you ? anybody tried this ?

 

[judas cohen]

Oh yeah. That's a typo. It should say 5 teaspoons Maxicrop 1-0-4 powdered seaweed per 5 gallons of water. Or 5 capsfull liquid Maxicrop per 5 gallons of water.
I'll fix it. Thanks.
Burn1

Edit: No, that's right. tsp. = teaspoons. tbs. = tablespoon.

Burn1: Thanx for your prompt reply!

VEG recipe: 5 tsp (teaspoons) POWDERED kelp/5 gal water (2x maximum factory recommended dose.)

FLOWER recipe: 5 TBS (tablespoons) POWDERED kelp/5 gal water (6x maximum factory recommended dose.)

Factory instructions that came with my Maxicrop POWDERED kelp concentrate says 1/4-1/2 tsp (teaspoons)/gal water. (which equals 1 1/4-2 1/2 teaspoons per 5 gal water.) Not everyone subscribes to "less is more" and I understand there are many "right" ways to grow.

I've never used Maxicrop LIQUID because of shelf life and it's much more expensive when diluted as per factory recommended dose.

BTW, a cheap source of Maxicrop POWDER is www.groworganic.com. 10.7 oz jar is $12.99, but 1 lb (16 oz) Bulk is only $13.99.

10.7 oz jar of POWDER (1-0-4) makes 1 gal of LIQUID CONCENTRATE (0.1-0-1) which is then further diluted to use at rate of 1-2 oz/gal water.

FWIW: The above link also sells MICRONIZED SRP (750 mesh) and MICRONIZED HUME (1000 mesh) 65% Humic Acid that are IMMEDIATELY available and designed for fertigation/foliar application.

If you like soft rock phosphate for flower and don't want to wait for it to break down in soil, MICRONIZED SRP is the best way I know. (Cheap too! 2 lbs micro phos is $4.99 and 2# micro hume is $7.99.)

I imagine you know all this, but wanted to share in case some folks didn't.

Grow Safely/Be Happy!

 

[Sunseeds]

Burn1, very nice thread. I'm thinking of trying out 1 of the soiless mix's with recipe # 3 (the guano and Kelp tea's) for nutrients using the veg and flower recipes the whole way through for an indoor container setup.

Would their be any benefit to adding more mycorrhizae or would the worm castings completely take care of this?

Could I use Budswel (.01 .1 .01) in place of the PSG, EWC, and High P Guano for the flowering formula since it contains a mixture of all three? It's a local product and would like to support them.

Lastly, would any products like Cannazyme, Hygrozyme, or Sensizyme bring added benefit?
Thanks!

 

[BurnOne]

Sunseeds-
I only post the methods that I have personally used and had success with. IMHO, anything more provides minimal benefits. I used a 5' X 5' room with 4- 400 watt HPS lights and had so much weed that I simply couldn't use it all.
I am not for selling cannabis. I believe that each and every user should grow their own. That would completely end the black market in cannabis. And, that's my goal here.
Burn1

 

[Suby]

Beautifully put, that's why we love you B1 :friends:

S

 

[sunnydog]

And never just pour the water over the plants. Very poor way of doing it.

What's the best way? I rough up the top inch or so and use a measureing cup to water?

 

[Guest]

I do like you in roughing up the soil. I give them a drink or two and let it soak for a bit. Then come back and water. No need for a measuring cup.

 

[Dr Herbivore]

would it be okay to just use Fish emulsion for veg, and then Neptunes Harvest for flower? Or should I add other things, i havent found maxicrop but i could go out looking if it would help during veg. thanks

 

[sneaky_g]

Great info thx burn

 

[BurnOne]

would it be okay to just use Fish emulsion for veg, and then Neptunes Harvest for flower? Or should I add other things, i havent found maxicrop but i could go out looking if it would help during veg. thanks

You need potassium (K). Get the Maxicrop or kelp meal. Neptune's Harvest seaweed 0-0-1 or Earth Juice Meta-K will also work.
Burn1