And you probably had to first explain EWC to them, right?
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YOUR GARDEN IS NOT ORGANIC...
- Thread starter ActuallyOrganic
- Start date
growclean
Grow Clean.... Go Fast!
Ha! Yeah. And to tell you the truth, I am not smart enough to feel confident starting a soil food web or biology of ACT topic yet. Actually we haven't met anyone locally yet that even knows what ACT is, but after explaining a little they seem interested. I am sure that we could convince some of them to give it a try eventually.
Honestly, I am still most helped by the Organics for Beginners thread usually, but I am becoming a bit of a snob already, feeling like "ours" is a little better than "theirs" (the hydro salt based guys!)
Ok, I feel like it is alot better! Plus I like knowing exactly what is going into our soil and plants...
Honestly, I am still most helped by the Organics for Beginners thread usually, but I am becoming a bit of a snob already, feeling like "ours" is a little better than "theirs" (the hydro salt based guys!)
Ok, I feel like it is alot better! Plus I like knowing exactly what is going into our soil and plants...
Earth Wart Cream?
At one time I didn't know what the abbreviation meant myself.....
Some people in the bizz just don't know,I run into this a lot out here in the real world.
CC1
Actually I meant explaining what 'earthworm castings' are and not necessarily the acronym of EWC.
Even my little buddy at the local grow store gave me a puzzled look the first time I asked if they were planning on carrying EWC - he wasn't sure how or why you would use such a product. That's why they made him the manager I suppose.
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Actually I meant explaining what 'earthworm castings' are and not necessarily the acronym of EWC.
Even my little buddy at the local grow store gave me a puzzled look the first time I asked if they were planning on carrying EWC - he wasn't sure how or why you would use such a product. That's why they made him the manager I suppose.
CC
LOL....From fry cook to grow-store manager. America,land of opportunity.
On the topic of EWC...why do so many suppliers mix EWC with so much "whatever" they have?
Composted this and that,etc. I bought a bag of EWC from a local supplier a couple weeks ago that was basically nothing but composted straw. I was digging around in it searching for anything recognizable as EWC...barely found any. How do they get away with that? I've been through 5 brands! Some are better,some are junk.!
The brand you and CT guy recommend is now my local fave. A good product.
Composted this and that,etc. I bought a bag of EWC from a local supplier a couple weeks ago that was basically nothing but composted straw. I was digging around in it searching for anything recognizable as EWC...barely found any. How do they get away with that? I've been through 5 brands! Some are better,some are junk.!
The brand you and CT guy recommend is now my local fave. A good product.
Sadly your experience isn't all that unusual at all.
There's a guy in Southwest Washington who packs an EWC product. You'd be better off buying a bale of peat moss and using that. It would definitely be a lot less expensive.
Same deal with compost - once you find a viable source it's probably a good idea to stick with it. I finally found a good source and it's only $8.00 for 1.5 c.f. (same brand that GS is using).
And then there's the Canadian EWC products. Pretty lacking given the food items that they're fed.
CC
I think a lot of these types of suppliers depend upon the general ignorance of the overall consumer. They use bags you can't see through,wet it so it feels heavy,etc.
I'm starting to feel like if I'm going to buy anything in a bag that I can't see through,then I'm cutting the bag open right there on the spot with my trusty pocket knife...fu*k "em,they can tape it back up if I think it sucks.
A lot of people who are not as educated to the organic way of gardening are taken advantage of by these creeps.
The poor little old lady who wants to stop using Miracle Grow is shafted by some schmuck saying that his EWC's are the best when they are basically just filler....Shame!
Having a bin or making your own or thinking your source is reliable just does not cut it IMO.
Check put some homemade under a scope and you may not find what you though you would. Same goes for good commercial product.
Check put some homemade under a scope and you may not find what you though you would. Same goes for good commercial product.
I have to dig through a thousand PM's to try and find the name of the local "kind castings" 
Just some dood with a bunch of worm shit
I'm using 4 corners right now,. the consistency is good but I still sift it to get rid of the stones.... 2 per bag I would say. Smells fresh, few worms..... enough so every pot gets at least a few
they don't seem that bad for how convenient it is to get. I think I pay 9 a cuft.
i still have yelm worm farm and that other place to check out.
So many poooops so little time
Smiley
Just some dood with a bunch of worm shitI'm using 4 corners right now,. the consistency is good but I still sift it to get rid of the stones.... 2 per bag I would say. Smells fresh, few worms..... enough so every pot gets at least a few
they don't seem that bad for how convenient it is to get. I think I pay 9 a cuft.
i still have yelm worm farm and that other place to check out.
So many poooops so little time
Smiley
Northwest Redworms - talk to Doug.I have to dig through a thousand PM's to try and find the name of the local "kind castings"
Probably the very best EWC you can source in Southwest Washington/Northwest Oregon.
He's a very good guy to do business with.
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BTW - the guy in Southwest Washington that I said his castings were worthless? That would be 4-Corners - he and his dimwitted kid were the ones who started 'Black Gold' in the 1980's - the FFOF of that era. Just without the really kewl Sesame Street graphics.
About as worthless as well. Today Black Gold is owned by the folks who pack the various Sunshine Mixes.
CC
Figures
i think there's a degree to where, since it is EWC, you do get the benefits to varying degrees
not sure where you're coming from saying making your own is no guarantee ML but,
expecting my home brew EWC to exceed commercial by far
(yeah black gold is pretty marginal - all kinds of "extras" -twigs and crap)
not sure where you're coming from saying making your own is no guarantee ML but,
expecting my home brew EWC to exceed commercial by far
(yeah black gold is pretty marginal - all kinds of "extras" -twigs and crap)
xmobotx
Actually the Black Gold organic mixes are pretty good overall. Much tighter quality control than the Black Gold conventional mixes according to the manager of their mixing operations.
You'll do better buying a base inert soil base like Sunshine #4 or one of their organic mixes and building your own potting soil but the Black Gold organic products are a decent base to work from, IMHO
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Actually the Black Gold organic mixes are pretty good overall. Much tighter quality control than the Black Gold conventional mixes according to the manager of their mixing operations.
You'll do better buying a base inert soil base like Sunshine #4 or one of their organic mixes and building your own potting soil but the Black Gold organic products are a decent base to work from, IMHO
CC
That looks like a pretty cool operation!
I dig the little "ant-farm" type see through window display.
A bit down the highway,turn at the old tree,then at the sign post for me,but If I ever get that way it's worth checking out.
It's just up the road for georgeSmiley if you ever need some.
thanks for the affirmation - i know there's often twigs and funk in organic products.
BTW, you should know i typically mix from at or near scratch. i m actually looking to find a peat bog and a local resource for perlite alternatives - hoping to get completely free from the stores
makes me wonder where my generic peat moss comes from (they tell me it's basically the same as "pro-mix" - but they are also selling it - i have pretty good results in it)
I'm saying regardless of source, if you are not looking with a scope and recently, your recommendation is next to meaningless.
You just can't judge with the naked eye what is good compost. You may be able to see, smell, and feel some aspects, but looking under the scope can yield surprising results.
Are you just after humus? Microbes? What kind and in what proportion?
Yea, a consistently good source is a good bet. But the scope should be the standard for evaluation in the first place.
The more I learn, the more I realise I have been talking shit, not compost.
I certainly couldn't and definitely wouldn't offer a viable answer to your admission.
The truth will set you free! - Captain Tripps from the Hog Farm, circa 1969
HTH
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