Vincent VanGrow
Member
Just picked up a few bags at the local nursery. How much per gallon of soil for ammending would be best? I'd also like to use it as a tea if at all possible. Thanks much
Denali Gold Humus
- Thread starter Vincent VanGrow
- Start date
C
CT Guy
Honestly, the stuff is just okay microbially. It's better than your avg commercial compost. I'd amend it with some alfalfa meal and some oat flour to get the microbes active before using it for tea or as part of my mix. Get some good forest litter as well.
What other "composts" do you have? I'd say maybe 10-15% of your mix, with a minimum of 25% of total compost. It will drain better than the EWC.
What other "composts" do you have? I'd say maybe 10-15% of your mix, with a minimum of 25% of total compost. It will drain better than the EWC.
Vincent VanGrow
Member
Hi CT
I'm also using Agrowinn EWC at 10%, with an organic all purpose soil mix as a base. Gardner and Bloome Blue Ribbon. It is pre ammeneded but...who knows how much they actually put in there...I use it as a simplified base to which I add pumice, 25% or so, horticultural charcoal, 3-5%, alfalfa meal, SRP, Azomite, kelp meal, 1-2 TBS per gallon, and sometimes epsom salts in small quantities. The humus is something new I wanted to try. I've heard good things from people about it, but you know your bizness for sure. Do you recommend something superior to this? HOnestly I was stoked to see this even available at the local store. I'd imagine it will have at least SOME benefit, yes? Especially since I recycle my soil.
I'm also using Agrowinn EWC at 10%, with an organic all purpose soil mix as a base. Gardner and Bloome Blue Ribbon. It is pre ammeneded but...who knows how much they actually put in there...I use it as a simplified base to which I add pumice, 25% or so, horticultural charcoal, 3-5%, alfalfa meal, SRP, Azomite, kelp meal, 1-2 TBS per gallon, and sometimes epsom salts in small quantities. The humus is something new I wanted to try. I've heard good things from people about it, but you know your bizness for sure. Do you recommend something superior to this? HOnestly I was stoked to see this even available at the local store. I'd imagine it will have at least SOME benefit, yes? Especially since I recycle my soil.
Vincent VanGrow
I'm very familiar with the Agrowin earthworm castings as well as their other products (rock dusts, seed meals, etc.) and if you're using this product specifically you certainly do NOT need Denali Gold. Up here in Oregon Denali Gold runs $25.00 per 1 c.f. and it ain't much to write home about.
Bump up the percentage on your castings to 15-20% and you'll be in very good shape.
Especially with the Garden & Bloome Potting Soil product. For a commercial potting soil it's pretty nice.
HTH
CC
Vincent VanGrow
Member
Hi CC
Yeah I think it was you that actually recommended Agrowinn to me, them being down in San Diego. I LOVE that product, hard to keep in stock around here, I guess the word is out! Damn, I bought two bags of the stuff thinking it was "gold". I have the receipt and can exchange it for something more useful. Sulpomag, maybe? And here I was getting so good at adhering to the "less is more" credo...so it's no good to use it with the EWC? Too mucky? Less is more, less is more, lather rinse repeat...
Thanks as always...I've recently moved out of the city, I like the fresh air here!
P.S. At what rate do you add neem seed meal to your mix? I spoke with the lady at neem resource, very helpful and nice, but she seemed unsure about using it mixed in as an ammendment.
Yeah I think it was you that actually recommended Agrowinn to me, them being down in San Diego. I LOVE that product, hard to keep in stock around here, I guess the word is out! Damn, I bought two bags of the stuff thinking it was "gold". I have the receipt and can exchange it for something more useful. Sulpomag, maybe? And here I was getting so good at adhering to the "less is more" credo...so it's no good to use it with the EWC? Too mucky? Less is more, less is more, lather rinse repeat...
Thanks as always...I've recently moved out of the city, I like the fresh air here!
P.S. At what rate do you add neem seed meal to your mix? I spoke with the lady at neem resource, very helpful and nice, but she seemed unsure about using it mixed in as an ammendment.
VV
I add about 1 tablespoon of neem seed meal to each gallon of potting soil or about 1/2 cup to 1 c.f. of soil.
Sul-Po-Mag - most definitely a good thing to source and use. Add about 1/4 cup to 1 c.f. of potting soil.
I'm not following you on the deal about EWC being mucky - mixed with what exactly? If I were adding EWC to a bagged soil product I would use an equal amount of perlite or pumice or whatever to the same amount of EWC and then add to your mix. One thing to remember about Agrowin's castings is that they do a stellar job of separating the castings from the vermicompost meaning that you're dealing with a product that is 90% pure castings and that generally is not the case with other EWC products.
Looks like you've assembled a good array of products for your garden! You will do well.
CC
I add about 1 tablespoon of neem seed meal to each gallon of potting soil or about 1/2 cup to 1 c.f. of soil.
Sul-Po-Mag - most definitely a good thing to source and use. Add about 1/4 cup to 1 c.f. of potting soil.
I'm not following you on the deal about EWC being mucky - mixed with what exactly? If I were adding EWC to a bagged soil product I would use an equal amount of perlite or pumice or whatever to the same amount of EWC and then add to your mix. One thing to remember about Agrowin's castings is that they do a stellar job of separating the castings from the vermicompost meaning that you're dealing with a product that is 90% pure castings and that generally is not the case with other EWC products.
Looks like you've assembled a good array of products for your garden! You will do well.
CC
Vincent VanGrow
Member
I've made the mistake in the past of adding too much (inferior) EWC directly to the soil and not enough pumice...but that was 2 years ago the last time it happened, so maybe I'm being over cautious. I like the idea of mixing the EWC and pumice first, then adding it to the Blue Ribbon, along with the ammendments. I'll snag the SulPoMag for sure. That should get me going for right now. Gotta love organics on the cheap! I'll round the mix out with Fish Bone Meal, Oyster FLour, Neem seed meal, and maybe I'll try the karanja. I have had great success with neem oil in my garden, so the meal should be nice, especially since I will reuse my organic soil over and over. Glad to be back in the DIRT!
VT
Given the huge number of flower growers in North San Diego County as well as the organic agriculture district around Alpine, I would think that sourcing good products shouldn't be much of a problem in that part of the world.
I used to surf Swami's (as well as being a member of SRF) and lived in Leucadia, Solano Beach and Cardiff at different times. I used to love North County - good weather, great surfing and pretty laid back. Before the developers came into rape and plunder - sad deal.
CC
Given the huge number of flower growers in North San Diego County as well as the organic agriculture district around Alpine, I would think that sourcing good products shouldn't be much of a problem in that part of the world.
I used to surf Swami's (as well as being a member of SRF) and lived in Leucadia, Solano Beach and Cardiff at different times. I used to love North County - good weather, great surfing and pretty laid back. Before the developers came into rape and plunder - sad deal.
CC
C
CT Guy
Since you have the Denali Gold, I'd throw a bit of it in the mix, but I trust CC's recommendations about the EWC product.
If you ever make it up to San Francisco, pick up a bag of "Root Force" from Diestel Turkey Farm.
And of course, I have to mention in honor of JayKush, that you can make your own castings and compost pile for cheap and in most cases get an even better product.
If you ever make it up to San Francisco, pick up a bag of "Root Force" from Diestel Turkey Farm.
And of course, I have to mention in honor of JayKush, that you can make your own castings and compost pile for cheap and in most cases get an even better product.
Vincent VanGrow
Member
CC
So are you a longboard man or what?
That's awesome. I smoked my very first bowl standing on the rocks of Moonlight Beach, gazing out into the blackness of the Pacific after midnight.
Ten days after my 16th birthday, I bought my first car, a 1967 Chevy II Nova (square body 95,000 original miles) from a 95 year old lady who lived full time at the Swami Temple (center? not sure the proper name). She said she had no more need for material things and such. She let it go for $1800 and I don't know if that woman knows how much good karma she gave me, but I hope she's reaping the benefits somewhere in this universe. Thanks for stirring up those grand old moments in time. Geez I'm getiting the chills. Wow..
CT Guy
Hey thanks for that brother. I already put down $15 on a couple of bags, and even though it's not the best, I still want to use it. I already have the real good Agro EWC, and use it religiously for tea and ammending. What percentage of the Denali in the mix you think?
I hoping to see San Fran for the first time this year sometime. I hear the north side of CA is a whole different world than down here.
ITs funny, I though about worm farming, but I'll let the Agrowinn guys (read: pros) take care of me for now, and when I feel sufficently motivated, I may do a small hobby farm for my teas.
Thanks again guys for your insights and sound advice.
Vince
So are you a longboard man or what?
That's awesome. I smoked my very first bowl standing on the rocks of Moonlight Beach, gazing out into the blackness of the Pacific after midnight. Ten days after my 16th birthday, I bought my first car, a 1967 Chevy II Nova (square body 95,000 original miles) from a 95 year old lady who lived full time at the Swami Temple (center? not sure the proper name). She said she had no more need for material things and such. She let it go for $1800 and I don't know if that woman knows how much good karma she gave me, but I hope she's reaping the benefits somewhere in this universe. Thanks for stirring up those grand old moments in time. Geez I'm getiting the chills. Wow..
CT Guy
Hey thanks for that brother. I already put down $15 on a couple of bags, and even though it's not the best, I still want to use it. I already have the real good Agro EWC, and use it religiously for tea and ammending. What percentage of the Denali in the mix you think?
I hoping to see San Fran for the first time this year sometime. I hear the north side of CA is a whole different world than down here.
ITs funny, I though about worm farming, but I'll let the Agrowinn guys (read: pros) take care of me for now, and when I feel sufficently motivated, I may do a small hobby farm for my teas.
Thanks again guys for your insights and sound advice.
Vince
Vincent VanGrow
The temple is associated with the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) based on their teacher's writings in the 1930's and most of the 1940's until his Mahasamadhi. Swami Paramahansa Yogananda and his book, Autobiography of a Yogi
Yeah - I was a longboarder. A friend of mind from high school is one of the mucky-mucks in the Longboard Association out of Costa Mesa (?) and continues to shape boards for the old guys like me.
I shaped for a couple of years with the (in)famous drunks up in Huntington Beach - The Hawk Brothers. Sobriety forced me to quit and find other employment that didn't require 3 or 4 hours a day at Cagney's on PCH. What a crew!
Weird and interesting times..........
CC
The temple is associated with the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) based on their teacher's writings in the 1930's and most of the 1940's until his Mahasamadhi. Swami Paramahansa Yogananda and his book, Autobiography of a Yogi
Yeah - I was a longboarder. A friend of mind from high school is one of the mucky-mucks in the Longboard Association out of Costa Mesa (?) and continues to shape boards for the old guys like me.
I shaped for a couple of years with the (in)famous drunks up in Huntington Beach - The Hawk Brothers. Sobriety forced me to quit and find other employment that didn't require 3 or 4 hours a day at Cagney's on PCH. What a crew!
Weird and interesting times..........
CC
Vincent VanGrow
Member
Weird and interesting...far more preferable to "normal and boring", wouldn't you say?
Very cool about the board shaping...good for you for sobering up brother. You've added years to your life, for sure. I'm learning to shape wood over a Palomar College right now...eventually into the shape of guitars, but I'm still a newbie. Great program and I love working with my hands. I also see grow cabs, planter boxes, stash boxes, etc in my future...as well a a couple of good comfortable "smoking" chairs.
I noticed you adhere to the "no pictures" policy. I thought I was just being paranoid and "weird". Old habits die hard....especially the "staying out jail" habit!
Very cool about the board shaping...good for you for sobering up brother. You've added years to your life, for sure. I'm learning to shape wood over a Palomar College right now...eventually into the shape of guitars, but I'm still a newbie. Great program and I love working with my hands. I also see grow cabs, planter boxes, stash boxes, etc in my future...as well a a couple of good comfortable "smoking" chairs.
I noticed you adhere to the "no pictures" policy. I thought I was just being paranoid and "weird". Old habits die hard....especially the "staying out jail" habit!
C
CT Guy
CT Guy
Hey thanks for that brother. I already put down $15 on a couple of bags, and even though it's not the best, I still want to use it. I already have the real good Agro EWC, and use it religiously for tea and ammending. What percentage of the Denali in the mix you think?
I hoping to see San Fran for the first time this year sometime. I hear the north side of CA is a whole different world than down here.
ITs funny, I though about worm farming, but I'll let the Agrowinn guys (read: pros) take care of me for now, and when I feel sufficently motivated, I may do a small hobby farm for my teas.
Thanks again guys for your insights and sound advice.
Vince
Can you post your ratios again for the soil mix? (don't need the added nutrients, just the base stuff)
