Living organic soil from start through recycling

[Budwhyser]

This is basically the same as mine (but not branded 'KindStack') - for $3.00, it's hard to say no: http://www.amazon.com/Apple-iPhone-Magnify-Microscope-Light/dp/B0055V5PEA

Just downloaded the Camera+ app - gonna have to check out this 645 pro thing...

Thanks for this link. Been looking for something easier than pulling out my laptop and plugging in my usb microscope...

 

[Neo 420]

Below is the mix I will go with.

2 cups crab meal per 10 gallons recycled soil
2 cups neem meal per 10 gallon recycled soil
1 cup langbeinite per 10 gallon recycled soil
3 cups EWC per 10 gallon recycled soil
.5 cup alfalfa meal per 10 gallon recycled soil
1 cup kelp meal per 10 gallon recycled soil
5 cups of mineral rock dust per 10 gallon recycled soil

Hit with basic EWC tea (EWC+molasses) and let cook till needed (2 or 3 weeks)
Once plants are tucked in, hit with a aloe vera, neem, silicon foilar.

I am wondering with the above amendments, when would it be a good time to hit with a lavandar top feed?

 

[shmalphy]

I noticed that almost everything in my medicine cabinet contains aloe, about 8 different things that I counted.. CaCo3 is another big one, and lavender. Looks like what's good for the goose is good for the gander...

 

[BlueJayWay]

I don't even think I can list what's, cumulatively, in my soil I'm toning it down on the re-amends though, it's certainly "beefed" up enough to last awhile.

I had posted these on 1st day of flower when they were transplanted into this 50gal smartpot, this was @ 19 days. It's almost too easy at times - set & forget

An 18gal no till, this is/was one of my finicky strains, she loves this setup, a couple others in 5gal are not so happy :/ I was going to scrap the mom, well this one is the mom but depending on her final performance here, i may keep her around...

 

[40AmpstoFreedom]

Curious what are some of you using to screen your soil?

 

[Gascanastan]

Curious what are some of you using to screen your soil?

1/4 inch wire mesh stretched over a 2x4 frame.

 

[all natural]

this is probably a real dumb question: but why do you screen your soil?

 

[all natural]

I also have a question about pro tekt for those who use it, Ive been using it at 1/2 teaspoon per gallon. I was wondering how long do you give your plants pro tekt? for the whole life cycle or do you stop at some point.

I also have a question about bioag's ful power for those who use it: how often do you foliar spray ? I have been once a week and how long into the plants life do you spray? Im always afraid to foliar feed during flowering.

 

[DARC MIND]

this is probably a real dumb question: but why do you screen your soil?

not dumb as its not needed unless one is adding top soil that may have large rocks,grubs or other unwants..
other then that,i feel screening is counter productive to the diversity of fungi

 

[40AmpstoFreedom]

Yup ^ that would be the reason for my question as well. The top soil I picked up this time is loaded with big stuff normally I can hand pick but this absolutely has to be screened.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

I also have a question about pro tekt for those who use it, Ive been using it at 1/2 teaspoon per gallon. I was wondering how long do you give your plants pro tekt? for the whole life cycle or do you stop at some point.

I run 1 tsp. per gallon from rooting through harvest - throwing caution to the wind and such from what I read......

I also have a question about bioag's ful power for those who use it: how often do you foliar spray ? I have been once a week and how long into the plants life do you spray? Im always afraid to foliar feed during flowering.

I spray 'something' 1x per week and add the fulvic acid. I discontinue spraying the plants at around Day 28 or so. But that's with a specific hybrid which has its flowering cycle so that will differ from the strains you are working with. This one is fairly 'slow to the party' and picks up steam at around Day 44 or so, i.e. sativa dominant.

HTH

CC

 

[all natural]

Thanks CC for that clarification.

I was wondering also if you ever water with the ful power? it says it is microbially active so I think it would be beneficial to water with this stuff. So far Im just spraying it and watering with the ful humix.

 

[Budwhyser]

Well, the old stalk's have never had to be dug out, a couple weeks down time and the stump just pulls right up within a 1/2" from under the soil, so i just dig a little hole with my hands to the size of the 1gal (or whatever) going in and the excess soil from the hole is pushed back in around it, like i'd be doing outside

I am pretty good @ diggin' hoes, I mean holes hehe

So you're still watering the soil in the pot after the plant has been harvested to keep it moist?

 

[Budwhyser]

The strongest smell is wintergreen even though the percentage of that is minimal compared to the percentage of rosemary. Rosemary comes in behind the wintergreen as more of a base note....even though the percentage of rosemary is the highest compared to the others such as thyme.

Were you using this for mites? If so, how'd it work. I let an infestation get ahead of me and now I've got most of my veg room in trouble. Lots of leaf dropping, yellowing

 

[ClackamasCootz]

Thanks CC for that clarification.

I was wondering also if you ever water with the ful power? it says it is microbially active so I think it would be beneficial to water with this stuff. So far Im just spraying it and watering with the ful humix.

all natural

The best advice is to follow the application instructions on the label and you can reference their web pages for each product where more information is provided.

It's important to remember that their products are legitimate and well researched, documented, tested and retested. Over application can cause severe problems resulting in your plants looking like something out of Jurassic Park - seriously.

Don't high-dose - these products are not fertilizers in any sense of the word. Stay within their guidelines and you'll benefit from your investment. That I can confirm as a user of their products for over 5 years.

CC

 

[ClackamasCootz]

I got my first compost pile up and running this week - 2 c.y. and for the Carbon there was organic oat, wheat & rye straw. I used the massive Borage problem I had this year for Nitrogen and added some organic Alfalfa pellets.

Then I added about 20 lbs. of Basalt rock dust, cleaned up some bags of things like fish meal (non-organic), rice bran, wheat bran and some really aged horse manure (9 months).

I hit the correct temps yesterday, had it turned today, wet it down and things are moving along rather well. First time having certified organic hay to work with at a fair price.

CC

 

[Budwhyser]

Finally reached the end of this thread! Wow! What a read. I originally started semi-organic, got lost along the way to the hydro store, bought a PH meter, Cal-Mag (cures lockout every time) and other essential and necessary snake oils along the way only to find my way back home somewhere around page 50 of this thread. Thank you all.

Incidentally, Where can I pick up my diploma?

Bud

 

[MrSterling]

Just discovered the remnants of my wood mulch heap in the garden weeds yesterday. Most of it got used this year spread around the garden, but what's left was breaking down, covered in that white hyphae.

 

[bajangreen]

I went to the beach extra early yesterday i came across the beach cleaners, i was told that every morning they pile up the Sargasso sea weed and leave it to decompose. When i took a look at on of the piles It looks like a brown version of the white beach sand because of the sea weed broken down in the pile, i was wondering if this was any use as a soil amendment or in my aquaponic system?

 

[ClackamasCootz]

i was wondering if this was any use as a soil amendment?

This is a brown kelp and in the world of marine algae the order of preference is 1) brown, 2) green and 3) red - as it relates to growing plants.

The best way to use this is to gather it and dry it - don't compost it. Once it's dried then chop it up as fine as possible and add that to potting soils, around fruit & nut trees and in the soils in your vegetable gardens.

CC