Tutorial Organics for Beginners

[GeorgeSmiley]

On top dressing with lime; I had some problems with PH on last springs run and Captcheeze had me make a mixture of EWC and lime and top dress, mixing in with the ewc made it much easier to deal with and of course, the EWC was awesome to add as well. Within 5-6 days I saw things come around nicely.

On azomite, I have a bag of mineral mix we get out here which is
azomite
glacial rock dust
soft rock phosphate
NJ greensand
limestone

I left it out last year and it clumped so I got a diff bag and set the clumped one aside. Suppose the clumped bag is still useful?

Smiley

 

[jaykush]

hell yea its still good, its just rocks! minerals don't rot. organic matter rots! i just crush the clumps with my hand over a screen and sift into soil, or simply just make a glacial milk water plants with that and not even use the azomite dry.

the only thing that can happen is some rocks like limestone leech away with water( that's why we have limestone caves) but that's over years of running water.

 

[GeorgeSmiley]

Thanks jaykush

Leaching etc is why I hesitated. I was just going to broadcast it in my flower beds bud it would be nice to have it for my grow since its $20 per cuft. lol

Smiley

 

[chappie]

types of molasses

types of molasses

The Three Little Birds article which many people keep referring to mentions using "food grade" molasses such as Brer Rabbit brand. Do you all use "horticultural" molasses instead?

 

[Midnite Toker]

Ladies and Gentleman,
I'm new here and have a basic brginner's Q. Wondering about pruning leaves.
Good, Bad.....Thanks for any help, I'm in this alone!

 

[guest2012y]

If you're gonna' take off leaves,do it how George Smiley does...That guy up there ^^^ two posts ago.

 

[grapeman]

I absolutely disagree with this. It makes no more mess than any rock flour. Every time you water, a little bit of it goes to exactly the right place. If you keep worms in your pots they will grab it for their gullets.

Azomite is wonderful top dressing. if it chunks up too much for you, try watering after you apply it with a spray instead of a pour. Also a little bonsai rake is great to use when you apply, and moisten the top layer every day unless you are fighting gnats. (or just ignore the harmless "hot mess")

I disagree with your disagreement. You assume these micro elements will leach into the soil with watering. Not a valid assumption for many of these micros. Some may, many will not. And by the time most do reach the root zone, the grow will be about over and the plant will assimilate very little... if any.

 

[mad librettist]

I disagree with your disagreement. You assume these micro elements will leach into the soil with watering. Not a valid assumption for many of these micros. Some may, many will not. And by the time most do reach the root zone, the grow will be about over and the plant will assimilate very little... if any.

What I'm assuming is that rock flour will contain some VERY tiny particles, and lots of them. When you water, some of those very tiny bits of azomite follow the water. I don't believe this process is called leaching but I don't know the proper term. if you take a look at a drop of soil culture under the scope, you will notice lots of fine particles suspended in the water and flowing with it. With phase-contrast on, they actually twinkle.

This is similar to the way outdoor soil is enriched by simply mulching. As organic matter is broken down into teeny bits, it follows the water and goes deep into the soil, even if it is clay. Wait long enough and keep mulching, and the area becomes fertile clay loam. Our container mixes are very fast compared to hardpan, so you can rest assured any rock flour you add will work its way down as you water.

If worms are present, they create channels for the movement of tiny particles, and of course when they use it in their gullet they spread it around.

Top dressing. Look into it.

 

[MagicChef]

I need some experienced help on mixing a good batch of soil. Im using botanicare organic ferts( grow/bloom and Liquid Karma) but want to mix up a good healthy soil as well. I know there are probably a good thread on recipes but I'm hoping someone can read from the list of ingredients Ive got on hand and how much to use etc. Im also wondering how the feeding will work? Will I still need to feed my liquid organic nutes at full streghth or at all? Can I use my soil mix right away or does it have to sit?Got some seedlings on the go that have already hit the bottom of my cups so Id like to mix this up asap. Ill be growing three plants in 1.5-2.5 gallon pots.Thanks in advance! Word.

Sunshine #4
Vermiculite
Perlite
Blood and Bone meal 7-7-0
'Sea soil' organic potting soil with organic matter and coco
worm castings
'Black Gold' seedling mix
Dolomite lime

 

[BigTex]

Magicchef you're on the right track...I'd add some peat to that list too. Mix it up and and let it sit a couple months before using it so everthing has time to break down. The first post of this thread will give you an idea of proper proportions.

 

[MagicChef]

Darn Im looking for somethimg I could use in a few days to transplant my seedlings into. Is this even going to work?

 

[BigTex]

Sure you can do that but IMO I think it's better to let stuff like bone and blood meal have time to break down so that the roots can absorb it better. A little extra planning goes a long way...

 

[Cannadoc]

Need Alternatives for Bone and Blood Meal.

Need Alternatives for Bone and Blood Meal.

BurnOne:

Thank you for the organic soil and tea post. This reply is coming almost 3 years later, so I hope you're still with us. I have a question to you if you know of an organic alternative to bone meal and blood meal?

In one of my medical journals there was an article describing a new yest, 1000x more sensitive than all prior tests that are specific for bovine (cow) markers for a disease called spongiform encephalopathy. You may have heard of iys common name, "Mad Cow Disease". This far more sensitive test has found bio-markets showing that this PRION disease (cannot be killed by irradiation or other sterilizinh process) the prions causing Mad Cow disease are present in an infected cow's SALIVA and BLOOD.

This was never known before as the detectable levels were well below what previous assays could detect. This testing may never reach the lay press due to hysteria and its negative financial impact on many industries. I'm not keen on bat guano either for similar reasons.

So do you know of any equally efficacious substitutes?

Looking forward to your reply.
cannadoc 01.15.2011

 

[mad librettist]

It's also worth noting that composting does not break down prions. Nor does anaerobic digestion.

We've known for a long time that prions are concentrated in feces. Sheep and deer that graze in the same place for too long develop transmissible spongiform encephalopathy associated with high levels of prions in the blood.

We've also known for a long time that cow's blood fed to cows is a very bad thing.

That said, most bags of blood meal I have seen were derived from porcine blood, not bovine. (can't speak for others) Also, since you have no splashback from rain inside, and the blood meal is spread throughout the mix in relatively small quantities, it is very unlikely you will develop transmissible spongiform encephalopathy from cultivating MJ on a small scale. If you use it outside, just don't forget the mulch.

 

[Eddyshore]

Thanks to this thread I think I figured out all my ratios for my first grow .Let me know what you guys think.

This is to make enough soil for a 5 gallon bucket grow .

4 Parts Dr. Earth Organic Soil
2 Parts 100% Organic Potting Soil
2 Parts Perlite
2 Cups Vermiculite
8 Tbsp Lime
5 tbsp Blood Meal
10 tbsp Bone Meal


The Dr. Earth Organic soil has the following in it
Ingredients:

Screened Forest Humus
Fir Bark Fines
Canadian Sphagnum peat Moss
Worm Castings
Chicken Manure
Bat Guano
Kelp Meal
Seaweed Extract
http://www.drearth.com/products/organic-soils/


Let me know what you guys think and thanks in advance . This is my first grow and I want to go Organic all the way. I smoked some organic stuff in BC and to me the difference was night and day , maybe the other stuff wasn't flushed or cured properly , but the organic stuff was smooth and delicious .

E

 

[MagicChef]

So I need a bit of help. Im using botanicares line with liqiud karma in my current grow. My soil mix is Sunshine Mix #4, and a bit of worm castings. The sunshine mix is nuetral pH, and I used about 4.5 gallons of mix with about 2 single handful scoops of worm castings.
I fed my plants the directed portions of botanicare, a little light actually, and they seem to have burned a bit. I feed with about 6.3 PH water after mixing nutrients. The plants are about 2 weeks old. What do you think the problem is? Plants are 2 weeks old. Is it too early to feed? Should I have used extra lime in the mix to counter the worm castings? Any help is appreciated...

 

[Stankie]

I'll be honest chef, I don't see one sign of burning. At all. Maybe you could elaborate on what has you worried?

One thing to consider, I started my seeds in similar containers and as soon as the roots started to circle the bottom, I started to see 'burning' signs. Take it easy on the nutes for another week or 2. I don't use bottled nutes, so no comments there.

 

[Dignan]

I agree- they look fine. If you're referring to the leaves sort of "squirming," that is typical of young seedlings depending on genetics. Many do it; many do not.

They look happy to me!

 

[jaykush]

they look fine to me, definitely not burned.

in the first picture though i can sort of see the cotyledons, they look to be a bit yellow. unless that's caused from the flash. it might be time to start thinking about transplanting soon, or feeding some low level ferts(i prefer a EWC slurry at this stage) if its just the flash and they are green your good.

 

[Eddyshore]

Thanks to this thread I think I figured out all my ratios for my first grow .Let me know what you guys think.

This is to make enough soil for a 5 gallon bucket grow .

4 Parts Dr. Earth Organic Soil
2 Parts 100% Organic Potting Soil
2 Parts Perlite
8 Tbsp Lime
5 tbsp Blood Meal
10 tbsp Bone Meal


I am going to start the seedling in plain 100% organic soil, then in about 2 weeks move it to its final container with the above recipe . Will this recipe get me all the way thru flower without needing any Nutes ? Thanks in advance . The Dr. Earth soil is 100% organic and contains the following ...

Screened Forest Humus
Fir Bark Fines
Canadian Sphagnum peat Moss
Worm Castings
Chicken Manure
Bat Guano
Kelp Meal
Seaweed Extract

E