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anyone ever give a "zero cost" grow a shot? looking for guidance

R

Rysam

Craigslist. I've found more cheap supplies on there. Yards and yards of free horse manure, some sheep manure, horse stall hay, leftover rotten alfalfa bales, I spent 2 weeks at the end of last summer collecting for this season and now have about 4 finished yards of some primo compost. My biggest expense this year will be buying the pump for a brewer.

Look at pet stores too, lots of bedding and poo. Ive been offered all the hay and sawdust from the bird and reptile house more than once. good compost materials.

Im building on last years holes that were built on the cheap too with city compost and a couple bags of soil and amendments.
 
Manitoid

Manitoid

Member
Rock Phosphate is the least important addition to you tea, so you are good to go!

I do not know how long it would have gone on water, because as soon as i noticed flowering i started brewing tea.

What i DO know is that if you are making a lasagne, even highly varied, the Veg side of things is what is most covered.

I do however grow very fat red tomatoes and stuff in lasagne stacks that never see compost tea...

So maybe!

and as far as cost, Ive found that making tea with thte purchased ingredients uses less than following the spec on the product. I still havent bought more flower tea nutes since beginning of flower outdoor 2010, and been going indoor for 6 months since harvested OD 2010... tea IS economical.

I do want to step it up to Vegan weed, and like the looks of that fermenting mega thread JayKush
 
TACOE

TACOE

Member
Rock phosphate S pretty important for in the mix. As are all rock dusts IMO. For teas you are only going to use it for late fung teas so don't worr. I think they provide environment in the teas. Like kelp meal
 
Manitoid

Manitoid

Member
TACOE said:
Rock phosphate S pretty important for in the mix. As are all rock dusts IMO. For teas you are only going to use it for late fung teas so don't worr. I think they provide environment in the teas. Like kelp meal
Click to expand...


Yep, in the tea rock dust is something for the fungi to hold on to, 1/4 tsp per gallon

In the holes, if OP would end up using something like compost piles for holes then rock or lime less a deal.

holes composed of manure, grass, straw, leaves, needles, etc will not require anything bought from the store for hole composition. If you build it in light thick layers, then it will have enough air in it.

YOU CAN GROW ANNUALS IN COMPOST PILES... Thats what lasagne is doing, but by layering rather than stirring it allows for better water / air penetration in the long run.
 
Microbeman

Microbeman

The Logical Gardener
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Rock dusts are also a form of food for microbes. The best thing for fungi to cling to are sphagnum leaves because they float.
 
M

MrFista

Active member
Veteran
Haven't spent any money on gardening for a long time (exception, plant and seed stock). Get plants in the ground add compost tea and a good mulch. Put up a T bar for birds to perch on (and crap off of) and there's some free ferts to add to the mulching efforts. Collect the neighbours yard waste and compost it. Get rock dust from yard sweepings at stores that sell rocks for landscaping. Get coffee grounds and paper cups etc from cafes, this added to leaves makes a wonderful compost full of earthworms over time. Collect seaweed from the ocean, algae from ponds.

A favourite trick now is using a trough of water. I dump paper scraps and leaves, a bit of manure in there then leave it for several days. Then I use it for mulch. Algae and cyanobateria along with many bacteria all use the paper etc for real estate and the nutritional content raises to about ten times that of the original within a few days.
 
Microbeman

Microbeman

The Logical Gardener
ICMag Donor
Veteran
MrFista said:
Haven't spent any money on gardening for a long time (exception, plant and seed stock). Get plants in the ground add compost tea and a good mulch. Put up a T bar for birds to perch on (and crap off of) and there's some free ferts to add to the mulching efforts. Collect the neighbours yard waste and compost it. Get rock dust from yard sweepings at stores that sell rocks for landscaping. Get coffee grounds and paper cups etc from cafes, this added to leaves makes a wonderful compost full of earthworms over time. Collect seaweed from the ocean, algae from ponds.

A favourite trick now is using a trough of water. I dump paper scraps and leaves, a bit of manure in there then leave it for several days. Then I use it for mulch. Algae and cyanobateria along with many bacteria all use the paper etc for real estate and the nutritional content raises to about ten times that of the original within a few days.
Click to expand...

Words from the master! Up the revolution!
 
GanjaPharma

GanjaPharma

Member
i saw someone on icmag doing lasagna beds (but they were buried in pits) i think it was nothing but that and some teas all grow through.
 
3rdEye

3rdEye

Alchemical Botanist
Veteran
Sweet thread and i am a fan of this type of thinking mostnonymouse. I'm watching. :)
 
ijim

ijim

Member
If there are plants growing vigorously in an area then the soil already contains microbes and base nutrients for cannabis. Go to the grocery store meat department and ask them for bones. Dry the bones grind and pulverise them. Dig a 3'x3'x2' hole. Mix the bone meal in with the soil when you back fill. With the natural microbes the meal will be breaking down by fall and flowering. Break up all the clumps when back filling. Save some rocks or stones for on top. Leave the rest of the rocks in the soil. They contain micro nutrients and create places to store oxygen. You will find if you dig up the root ball your roots will be hugging them.You now have loose aerated soil and the rocks on top will help to keep the soil from compacting when it rains. Once a week during veg piss in a gallon jug fill it with water and water around your plant in the same diameter as your canopy. That is where most of your young fuzzy roots are and will take up the high nitrogen urine. Reduce the urine to every other week during flower and none for the last two weeks. Save a male and selectively pollinate the lower branches of your females and you have free seeds for next year. I don't like using composted manure in the fields because critters smell it and dig looking for food.
 
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