damn id be happy too...those plants are beautiful! fuckin huge too...love how it looks like a professional orchard those are some trees!
Butte's Bounty - 2011
- Thread starter Butte
- Start date
Butte, would you mind explaining your use of the bark mulch? I think you said it's pine bark. What kinds of benefits does that offer?
mapinguari - the use of the bark is threefold. First, the emitter tubing we used needed to be covered from the sunlight or it gets all squirrelly and degrades in the UV. Second, the new soil mix came from the worm factory a bit too fine and homogenous. At the end of the season, the bark will be folded into this new soil to improve the structure and tilth. Along these same lines, the bark will provide a wonderful fungal substrate for future crops. Lastly, it looks awesome. 
Heading out to watch the sun rise over the ladies. Happy gardening everyone - Butte
Heading out to watch the sun rise over the ladies. Happy gardening everyone - Butte
Green Fields
Member
Lookin perfect Butte. Huge ups.
XxShibbyxX
Member
Love the bark mulch butte! I was thinking of going the same route for cover in my containers. I got some cyans that would go crazy in that stuff :lol:
Y
YosemiteSam
mapinguari - the use of the bark is threefold. First, the emitter tubing we used needed to be covered from the sunlight or it gets all squirrelly and degrades in the UV. Second, the new soil mix came from the worm factory a bit too fine and homogenous. At the end of the season, the bark will be folded into this new soil to improve the structure and tilth. Along these same lines, the bark will provide a wonderful fungal substrate for future crops. Lastly, it looks awesome.
Heading out to watch the sun rise over the ladies. Happy gardening everyone - Butte
First of all I love your garden, have nothing but respect and honestly admire that you are even considering no till (so obviously i am fixing to say something you might not like). And I am no expert so just an opinion.
If you fold the wood chips in you are going to risk changing the C:N ratio in your soil to higher C. I am thinking somewhere around 30:1 is where the microbe balance is going to work best for crops like mj.
If you get that balance out of whack you will fuel a feeding frenzy of the microbes to break down the carbon. The exploding microbe population will feed on the N in the soil (before plants) to power that breakdown process.
It could lead to soil lacking in N for next years crop unless you also fold in some high N source.
My understanding is that no till operations experience loss of yield the first year of maybe even 20% but then quickly gain that back as organic matter from roots and roots of cover crops break down and improve the tilth/balance of the soil.
Maybe something to think about...certainly not trying to tell you what to do or represent myself as an expert. I wish you nothing but the best in your quest no matter which way you go
My intent was to layer in a large amount of manure to offset the carbon. There is a farm near us that raises Kobe-standard beef exclusively for export and they have super nice organic manure. Also, I wouldn't exactly call my gig "no-till" anymore. Thanks for looking out, though!
Will try to shoot some pics tomorrow...
Happy gardening everyone!
greengoldylox
Member
beautiful work and precise spacing, incredible forethought. animals in the soil staying away hopefully 
Very interesting! Learned a lot and really appreciate what you're doing. Thanks a grip because I want my trees to love me as much as i love them!
any of you butte county guys been hearing about raids in magalia?
FreedomFighter
New member
Well, just read your whole journal Butte, and some of the older ones, and I have come to the conclusion that you are a 10th degree Cannabis Master, lol, guess you already knew that, damn you make me feel like a newbie nothing, do you have a degree in Botany or just chalk it up to experience? You and TomHill are the two best outdoor growers I have ever seen, ya'll really show the absolute maximum potential a plant can reach.
