Here's how I do it.

[montanaorganics]

To start with I have used many mediums. I feel the basis of your grow is the medium, and this being the Organic Soil forum that is what I'm interested in telling you about.

I used FFOF for a while. I decided that LC's mix had to be better, and while I was at it may as well use coco. Though it was good, cooking the soil within my house did not impress my wife. With so many base nutrients it would sometimes turn into something similar to a bucket of cow shit. I got some sort of beneficial soil mite in the coco, and freaked out for some time thinking these were root aphids. Ditched the LC's mix and went to Roots Organics. Decided that was too fluffy, also I saw no evidence of myco populations in the Roots solely.

So now, I have been evolving my medium. I re'use my soil. After the last Roots grow I have started adding components with the Roots as the main basis.

Here is what I would basically do mixing more. I vary based on what has went in and what I feel in my gut. Lately I have given up measuring for the most part, but I may be able to approximate.

15 gallons Roots
2 gallons FFOF
2 gallons FFRW
2 gallons mushroom compost
2 gallons Glacier Gold compost

5 or so gallons Glacier Gold Potting soil(65-70% compost, 5% perlite, 20% peat

Pour a few gallons of FF chunky perlite in

into this I also toss:
30-60 TBSP EWC
30-60 TBSP of whatever myco-bacteria starter I have currently
60 TBSP Dolomite lime
give or take the rest of these sometimes I do, sometimes I dont.
30-60 TBSP green sand
30-60 TBSP glacial rock dust
30-60 TBSP diatmaceous earth
30-60 TBSP Kelp meal
30-60 TBSP Alfalfa pellets


If I feel like more variety I may toss in a little leftover bone or blood meal, though I tend to avoid these.

Oh yeah, I had some old LC's mix in buckets so those have been
mixed in also, got a couple more coco bricks to toss in at some point.

After transplanting plants I mulch 2 to 3 inches of soil pep onto the surface. The myco really loves this new soil, though so do the gnats.

For now I like the variety as one pot is not the same as another. Variety is the spice of life.

Eventually I'm hoping for the most varied and complex homogonized mix I can get. Soon I will start mixing in bio-char and the rest of the Terra Preta components. Eventually I should not have to feed with anything other than EWC and mollasses.(I hope) But for now I'm just feeding the shit out of my mircoherd. Buy all my ammendments in bulk, they are way way cheaper.

Anyways, thats what I use. What do you all think? Hehe open for critiscim and comments. I dont really need any advice but if its relevant pitch it my way.

 

[barletta]

That sounds tasty, MT The 'brand name soil' stuff is expensive, but if it works for ya, great! I started with FFOF, and began amending it with perlite/vermiculite/coco/castings. After while I started to re-use the soil, and incorporate fresh coco and screened compost.

100 ways to grill a cat Whatcha got growin?

 

[montanaorganics]

At the moment I have 13 strains total. Chemo, Purple Urkel, Sour Diesel, Bubblegum sativa and indica phenos, lemon skunk, OG Kush, Happy Apple, original? Northern Lights. I also have 3 plants of my own that came from a previous seeded grow from Nirvana genetics. One is very haze like but finishes quickly. The other two are certainly seed sisters and vary little. One of these two turns completely dark black. The NL is going shortly, hate that plant. Have not flowered the OG or Happy apple yet. Oh yeah I got shipwreck also but have not flowered yet.

At the moment I have 8 plants at 4 weeks(PU, 2 BG-S, Chemo, LS, #1, #7, #11(my three).

I am running a perpetual setup. There are a #1 and LS at 2 weeks. Just put in another LS and the shipwreck. I'll keep putting in 2 plants every two weeks.
They go into 6 to 15 gallon pots, so after I figure out how these fatty pots will yield I will adjust my cycle. Gunning for a pound a month to make me and the misses happy. That is worth 3500 to 4000 to us, and I feel is the bottom line for us to make it as caregivers exclusively.

All this tasty soil goes into a ~ 8x11 bud room housing two 1000s in open reflectors, on light rails. Two different air conditioners keep temperatures steady. A base board heater at lights out helps keep condensation and humidity down.

At the moment everything is huge and its getting packed, be nice when those first 8 come out. When I get up to 50 posts I will show off some pictures but until then... My PU in a 15 gal at 4 weeks looks like it has 3 oz on it right now. Prob be another 6 before she comes down Mmmmm I cant wait since all I have right now is the last shit ass NL I grew, it did not impress in any way other than yield.

 

[barletta]

k+ on the detail!!

I have a similar thing going on. A perpetual with 'too many' strains/plants I managed to get my moms down to 4 (ssh, Lanina, MKaze, and Spice x ssh), then promptly went about wetting a shit ton of homemade seeds

I try to do ~3 week rotations. It gives me a few extra days in both the 'root' and veg stage. I keep ~75% of my plants in the 'rotating soil' and ~25% of em in perlite/casting (~90/10) hempys.

Lookin forward to seein you round

 

[montanaorganics]

Thanks very much, awesome to see somebody else diggin the homemade seeds. Gotta love that hybrid vigor.

 

[big_daddy]

Hi Montana........your system sounds very similar to mine......I re-use my soils, amend with a lot of the same things you use. (glacial rock dust, diatomaceous earth, dolomite lime, EWC etc. etc........)

I use bulk soils from a local source and enhance it with my own array of goodies......it's working for me. I also am using compost teas in conjunction with my nutrient fortified soils.

Strains are MTF/Perma Frost/ Train Wreck/ and some crosses I made with the above and a hash plant male.

You should be able to post pics....you've more posts than me and I've posted some pics.

Glad to be in the company of like minded growers...........

big_daddy

 

[montanaorganics]

Hmmm. i was under the impression I had to wait to post 50 to pm or post pics. Ah well be there tommorow then ill figure out the pic thing. Yeah I like teas alot. My budding plants get a guano compost tea every feeding. I dilute the leftovers and give them to my veg plants. Tea is used and refreshed every 3 days or so, I keep it going and dont start fresh, no problems at all. Typically I toss in Indonesian or psb guano, composts(ewc, shroom,forrest) mollasses and kelp meal.
Oh. I must admit I use a little trinity now and then for extra humic.

I have recentlystarted vermicomposting. Hopefully with some char and re-use I can get to the point that my own EWC and a little mollasses and compost do the trick.

Thanks for stopping by big daddy.
gungrave?

 

[big_daddy]

gungrave?

I had to wiki that one lol.......no, not a gamer...just an old nick name for a big guy. I like your grow style.......this organic thing grabs you and you don't ever look back.

 

[montanaorganics]

Hehe very true, if i ever run out of new organics to try im not sure what i would do. It was an anime before a game. A good one.

 

[VerdantGreen]

sounds like a good mix - of course the only way to know how well it works is to show us one of your finished plants

V.

 

[big_daddy]

Hmmm. i was under the impression I had to wait to post 50 to pm or post pics. Ah well be there tommorow then ill figure out the pic thing. Yeah I like teas alot. My budding plants get a guano compost tea every feeding. I dilute the leftovers and give them to my veg plants. Tea is used and refreshed every 3 days or so, I keep it going and dont start fresh, no problems at all. Typically I toss in Indonesian or psb guano, composts(ewc, shroom,forrest) mollasses and kelp meal.
Oh. I must admit I use a little trinity now and then for extra humic.

I have recentlystarted vermicomposting. Hopefully with some char and re-use I can get to the point that my own EWC and a little mollasses and compost do the trick.

Thanks for stopping by big daddy.
gungrave?

Montana......do you exclusively add high P to your teas, or do you side dress also? At what stage of the 12/12 cycle do you begin upping the guano/P?

 

[jjfoo]

Anyways, thats what I use. What do you all think? Hehe open for critiscim and comments. I dont really need any advice but if its relevant pitch it my way.

Do you till or disturb the soil in between grows?

 

[montanaorganics]

Big Daddy- I do not side dress, have lots of residual nutes that end up on top. Even before I bud them I like for them to be getting full strength tea so they are ready for it. I find it speeds cloning a little too, especially with hard to clone varities. From the start of bud they get heavy nutes; typically PSG or indo guano with alfalfa, either way I incorporate a N source until around 4 weeks. I`m experimenting a little and starting a starve period at 5 weeks. They will get only EWC and mollasses till they finish.

I do not re use my soil as is, it comes out of bucket and is re-mixed. I`m seeing a little salt build up at the bottoms and with such large pots have little runoff to deal with it. Char should help neutralize it but ultimately I would like my soil composting outside to naturally leach salts off.

 

[montanaorganics]

Here is most of my garden

Here is most of my garden

The oldest are at 5 weeks and its starting to get cramped in there


My wife was cleaning up some stuff last night and found a 6 year old pack of Nirvana Durban Poison, there were 6 of them in there!
So, after these next few seeds I'm poppin I will play with them. I also got cuts of Blueberry and LSD the other day, so that is very exciting.

 

[JackTheGrower]

k+ on the detail!!

I have a similar thing going on. A perpetual with 'too many' strains/plants I managed to get my moms down to 4 (ssh, Lanina, MKaze, and Spice x ssh), then promptly went about wetting a shit ton of homemade seeds

I try to do ~3 week rotations. It gives me a few extra days in both the 'root' and veg stage. I keep ~75% of my plants in the 'rotating soil' and ~25% of em in perlite/casting (~90/10) hempys.

Lookin forward to seein you round

I'm stuck too.. One gallon Mums.. I think I will make new cuts and flower the old.

I like to have two of each in there but I'm stuck for space.

Sucks huh.. It's like collecting things.. How do I let go of that lanky Sativa? I might want that one later and such...

 

[NUG-JUG]

I got some sort of beneficial soil mite in the coco, and freaked out for some time thinking these were root aphids. Ditched the LC's mix and went to Roots Organics.

If they were beneficial why not just stick with the LC mix? looks like youve got it down though. Was the main reason for ditching lcs mix the smell when cooking it? Im currently using lcs mic and would like to know any reason I should worry about re-using it.

 

[montanaorganics]

No worries it worked fine for me and I have incorporated some of it. I just prefer the teas. I mix my soils but have no need to let them cook.
LC`s mix is great stick with it.
I didn`t realize the root mites were beneficial until after my freakout...

 

[big_daddy]

The oldest are at 5 weeks and its starting to get cramped in there


My wife was cleaning up some stuff last night and found a 6 year old pack of Nirvana Durban Poison, there were 6 of them in there!
So, after these next few seeds I'm poppin I will play with them. I also got cuts of Blueberry and LSD the other day, so that is very exciting.

Now that is a thing of beauty......nice grow montana!

 

[montanaorganics]

Thanks Big Daddy! When I have time and as the plants get prettier I`ll get more pics on here.

 

[Microbeman]

Sometime try a huge tub (eg rubbermaid type) and allow your soil to remain alive from crop to crop, rather than mixing up all that life between plantings. If you have worms you can run them through for 10 days in between plantings and just trap them out after with a mesh container. They will break down the dead roots, aerate the soil, stimulate microbial life and defecate. If you mix in rock powders, they are likely good for 5 to 10 years.