Living organic soil from start through recycling

[BlueJayWay]

GC

Here's what I've devolved to on the rooting process - ain't much.

1 gallon of clear water
1 oz. of BioAg Fulvic acid
2 oz. Aloe vera extract
1 tsp. Dyna-Gro Pro-TeKt

I take the RapidRooters (the brand - not a knockoff not that it matters a single iota) and soak them for 'some period of time' which is usually when I remember that they're still sitting in the solution.

I take them and 'gently' squeeze out excess water/solution.

Take a 'glass' glass with the same solution and stick the cuttings in there and let them sit overnight. Next morning I stick them into the plugs, mist the inside of the clear dome and put them next to a sliding glass door.

That's it....

Crosseyed and Painless - Talking Heads

CC

I was already using bioAg's fulvic acid in my cloning solution and since i've picked up the Aloe I had to try this one. Showing roots in 6 days, 9 of the 21 cuttings by 7 days and today 13 of 21 @ 8 days = I'm Happy!

I had a quirky method (but worked) for cloning and this certainly simplifies it, I'm guessing it's the Aloe that keeps them "perkier" through the entire rooting process? Since that's my previous missing variable, or a combo affect I suppose.

Hats Off (again) Cootz!

 

[ClackamasCootz]

I'm guessing it's the Aloe that keeps them "perkier" through the entire rooting process?

Yes it plays an important role. The same compounds in Aloe vera that facilitated the rooting without degrading the leaves (typical complaint on garden boards) will do the same thing when you plant the rooted plugs in your soil

A couple of days before you want to plant the plugs, take 1 tablespoon of kelp meal and 2 tablespoons of Alfalfa meal and add that to 1 gallon of clear water. Bubble for 36 - 48 hours and add the same amount of Aloe vera as above as well as the same amount of Fulvic acid and liquid Silica and hydrate the area in and around the plug. You could certainly use this recipe to hydrate all of the potting soil obviously, I'm just trying to save you money!! LOL

See how this works out for getting your newly rooted cuttings up and running without the usual 2 - 4 day deal we've all dealt with at one point or another. I have anyway...

 

[DARC MIND]

just curious
whats the reason behind bubbling alfalfa and kelp for 30+hrs?

 

[Gascanastan]

just curious
whats the reason behind bubbling alfalfa and kelp for 30+hrs?

Hey D,
I'll take a stab at it....
I believe it agitates the plant material and provokes the active compounds to mix with the water at a faster rate......so it can be used sooner as compared to an unagitated brew......perhaps it also encourage the aerobic organisms to dominate over the anerobic as well??.

 

[shmalphy]

That is it, I am going out to get some alfalfa right now... I have put this off long enough lol... I am also going to get the ful humix, I used to use a product called "Black Gold Micronutrients" that had humic and fulvic acids in it, but I haven't been able to find that for years now, anyone remember that? It had a dinosaur on the bottle LOL. I got the TM7 from bioag to replace that, and it was WAY more potent as I recall, but I ran out and I feel the micronutrients may be redundant/overkill in my soil, as it is pretty rich with rock dusts, and I mainly want it for cuttings at this point.

On a side note, this thread has inspired me to learn more about organic agriculture, so rather that grab Jorge or Kyle's latest book, I volunteered at my local community farm and wildlife sanctuary. They use no chemicals at all, only compost to fertilize, and only rain and dew for irrigation. "when you have good soil, that all you need" they said. WOW. 50 different types of vegetables on 17 acres, with sheep, chickens, deer pen etc.

I am doing a full apprenticeship next year so I can learn how to operate my own organic farm. It is tough to explain to people why or how I know what I know, since my only experience is with cannabis, so I just play dumb and act like I learn quick LOL.

 

[DARC MIND]

i understand alfalfa and kelp have natural PGR's but are we sure these still hold true after 30+hrs? i remember discussing shorter soaks for extracting (terpenes?) from mint,lavender,lemon balm & longer for nutrient supplments..
& if its beneficial aerobic organisms were looking for,why not add quality compost or casting instead of Fulvic acid?

i ask because i use to do something similar back when the 3Lb's were around,the classic alfalfa tea but Jay got me hookd on fermenting,short and long so i only aerate ACT from now on

 

[ClackamasCootz]

Fermentation destroys the hydrocarbon links unless it's now going to be the new science that growers should take their buds and ferment them - however you want to get there, EM-1, BIM, natural fermentation from airborne lacto strains.

Any takers?

What does Fulvic acid have to do with microbes?

 

[ClackamasCootz]

Humic Substances Biological Activity At The Plant-Soil Interface

NCMI (National Center for Biotechnology Information)
US National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health

Humic Substances Induce Lateral Root Formation And Expression Of The Early Auxin-Responsive IAA19 Gene And Dr5 Synthetic Element In Arabidopsis

NCMI (National Center for Biotechnology Information)
US National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health

Bioactivity Of Chemically Transformed Humic Matter From Vermicompost On Plant Root Growth

 

[IncredibowlBoss]

I'll give it a crack. Fulvic Acid's important because it has 2-4 times the cation exchange capacity of humus and assists the microherd in breaking down minerals - it also chelates metallic elements. (???)

 

[DARC MIND]

Fermentation destroys the hydrocarbon links

hence the shorter soaks,so does the bubbling help extract the auxins and cytokinins,etc from plant meals or is the point to culture something?

 

[ClackamasCootz]

30 hours is a 'short soak' from my perspective. Want to do a shorter one? Great - do that.

A difference without a distinction or maybe not

 

[Microbeman]

worth adding: I also add a little kelp and alfalfa to my acts. some reasoning...



from: http://www.soilace.com/pdf/pon2004/5.Scheuerell.pdfh

see full pdf below

Please see my response to this in the Tea Sticky

 

[Microbeman]

What does Fulvic acid have to do with microbes?

^^^^^ yes

 

[shmalphy]

I use my bubble hash water on my plants, does that count as a botanical tea?

It definitely develops a rich smell that is like no other after a day or two of fermentation (if I can't use it all at once) but cannabis plants shows immediate signs of growth, ostensibly due to the high bio-availability of the compounds present. I feel it must help the microbes in the soil to feed them the plant they are growing with as would be the case in nature. That also is why I "cannamulch" all my spent leaves and stems.

 

[YosemiteSam]

So...an old scrub tree outside my grow area. Years of suffering in shitty soil on the edge of a desert and a for real drought this spring. About 3/4 dead.

My dumb ass cannot seem to figure out how much tea to make exactly so I have just been dumping the excess on this tree. A couple of gallons of aloe, a comfrey tea, an alfalfa tea and a alfalfa/sea weed tea...not really that much of any...but



The new gowth looks kinda funny.

 

[DARC MIND]

What does Fulvic acid have to do with microbes?

well arnt they produced by soil microorganisms?
this is why im asking about the logic behind aerating water,kelp & alfalfa
if its to culture from plant meals then joy but casting and or compost will have all the humic substances you need & some.... or am i mistaken?
i see growers refrain fom kelp and alfalfa late into flower because of the PGR's effect so im wondering if thats the secret behind the of certain plant meals before adding a byproduct of whats found in quality compost & casting...

will ACT with alfa,kelp & aloe added at end of brew do the same?

 

[Swayze]

CC,

Thanks for all the good info you're laying on us. I have a quick question about aloes. I have what appears to be Aloe cameronii (Red aloe) growing in my area. Could I use this in place of aloe vera? If so, are other aloes able to be used as well?

Thank you

 

[ClackamasCootz]

CC,

Thanks for all the good info you're laying on us. I have a quick question about aloes. I have what appears to be Aloe cameronii (Red aloe) growing in my area. Could I use this in place of aloe vera? If so, are other aloes able to be used as well?

Thank you

Swayze

There are over 400 Aloe vera cultivars. The ones most often grown for commercial use are those varieties which have the largest leaves (fillets) = more juice to extract.

You're good to go! I'm pretty jealous of you and Chief Big having fresh Aloe vera to work with. Live plants? Hard to beat, IMHO

Beautiful plants that are posted online!

CC

 

[chief bigsmoke]

lots of tea to be made... we have had our AV for almost 4 years now. and just realized that we could be making teas. Now I have a really big AV plant to share water and nutes for the odd tip here and there containing the precious gel.

I recommend buying one from your local nursery.

 

[Scrappy4]

well arnt they produced by soil microorganisms?
this is why im asking about the logic behind aerating water,kelp & alfalfa
if its to culture from plant meals then joy but casting and or compost will have all the humic substances you need & some.... or am i mistaken?
i see growers refrain fom kelp and alfalfa late into flower because of the PGR's effect so im wondering if thats the secret behind the of certain plant meals before adding a byproduct of whats found in quality compost & casting...

will ACT with alfa,kelp & aloe added at end of brew do the same?

I think the logic in bubbling dehydrated meals is to hydrate them and to try to infuse the water with plant compounds, but you may be stirring some microbes into life along the way.

I think most of the humic acids we buy did have microbes work on them over thousands of years. I use them to chelate or make available elements to my plants' similar to microbes but a different path up the mountain. Do we need them? Probably not, do they work? Yes. Will they inhibit microbes? MM says yes, and I trust his advice.

I don't use alfalfa much in flower, but I do use kelp in flower. I rotate a half dozens teas from late veg to late flower, but I use yarrow' kelp and comfrey more in flower for no real reason other than they work well in flower, but alfalfa in flower would still work I guess. I don't worry about growth hormones in flower, I think the plant will know what to do with them, maybe they put that energy into buds, maybe not, their choice....scrappy