Living organic soil from start through recycling

[MrSterling]

MileHigh, you're crazy enough to buy DinaFem instead of just growing freebies? Fuck yeah, man. I've never been keen on the entire lack of transparency in their genetics. It's hard to get any info from them since they mostly run others' gear. That said their shit is awesome most of the time and for a company that is just selling a stable of staples they have better gear than most.

Also, I came across a couple different local earthworm varieties in the dirt. I need to figure out which species we have here in the Americas.

 

[MileHighGuy]

MileHigh, you're crazy enough to buy DinaFem instead of just growing freebies? Fuck yeah, man. I've never been keen on the entire lack of transparency in their genetics. It's hard to get any info from them since they mostly run others' gear. That said their shit is awesome most of the time and for a company that is just selling a stable of staples they have better gear than most.

Also, I came across a couple different local earthworm varieties in the dirt. I need to figure out which species we have here in the Americas.

Hahaha.... I did get a few freebies a long time ago. Would have never considered buying any... but the Blue hash free seed did very well and I loved the taste.... so I bought some and now this keeper is one of my absolute Favorites.

 

[MrSterling]

MileHigh, I can understand why. I've never had their Blue Hash but their California Hash Plant might be my favourite weed of all time. I've found the smell to be indescribable. It's sweet and subtle but theres something berry-like about it, and very reminiscent of hash. I wish I was better at smells. I've never thought myself poor at describing smells until I hit some of the more complex pots. I often feel its the emperors new clothes in regards to people claiming they smell certain odors, but there are some complex fucking aromas coming out of some cultivars!

 

[Gascanastan]

What you want to run is Swami Kushendez 'Kashmala Moon' (The One x BMR F2 x The One x BMR Bx1) seeds available next spring for server fund...if people find interest in them there will be more. Talk about complex aromas...this has to be one of the best smelling plants ever. TO x BMR alone is heavy shit,after selecting mothers and fathers for the final breeding she will be more refined. Once the final work is done here,you all will have the opportunity to see if I'm full of shit or not.

TO x BMR Bx1....super mega blaster play set. Looking for males to bump my TO x BMR F2 keeper mom.

I suppose I'll take a look at the females as well.....

 

[MileHighGuy]

I'd love to test how full of shit you are.... haha

Hoping you aren't of course.

Mainly because I'm about to mix up your soil mix tonight.

 

[rrog]

Gas, that sounds really great. What is the Server fund?

 

[FunTimesIndeed]

What you want to run is Swami Kushendez 'Kashmala Moon' (The One x BMR F2 x The One x BMR Bx1) seeds available next spring for server fund...if people find interest in them there will be more. Talk about complex aromas...this has to be one of the best smelling plants ever. TO x BMR alone is heavy shit,after selecting mothers and fathers for the final breeding she will be more refined. Once the final work is done here,you all will have the opportunity to see if I'm full of shit or not.

Wait a minute...where can I buy that? Swami Kushendez? Who's that?

 

[schwagg]

https://www.seedbay.com/index.php?a=5&b=119

 

[YosemiteSam]

YosemiteSam

I used your mixing ratio a couple of hours ago. The powder mixed with the water immediately as I stirred the water with a bamboo chopstick. Complete and total solubility.

At first the water was cloudy whereas Pro-TeKt is clear. After about 90 minutes the water was less cloudy and pretty close to Pro-TeKt

The big test for me was emulsifying neem oil and I went with that because it's much thicker than karanja oil. I measured out 4 tsp. of neem oil and added 2 tsp. of the AgSil mixture which is the same ratio that I use with Pro-TeKt. In this regard it is at least the same and probably better. The color change with neem is very pronounced and exact. I mixed this with water to make 1 gallon (with aloe vera) and used it to spray a mother plant that I'm getting ready to take apart this weekend.

8 oz. water + 35 grams AgSil 16H = works flawlessly

Thanks to everyone for helping me get this down. Basically 1 lb. makes 3 quarts - about 1/2 the price of Pro-TeKt with the ability to control the actual amount and the quality of the mix itself and save money - win-win

CC

You got to love it when a plan comes together and again, Avenger was the guy that did the math. Pretty cool that the neem emulsified...it must have its own saponins or something.

Make sure you keep that AgSil absolutely dry. Any water at all and you will have a big ol silica rock on your hands.

Big fan of Custom Hydro here.

 

[Gascanastan]

I'd love to test how full of shit you are.... haha

Hoping you aren't of course.

Mainly because I'm about to mix up your soil mix tonight.

...there's people out here in enter-net land running it...they can feel free to mention it or not.

Swami K....a lengend in the breeding industry. Ask MM.

 

[S4703W]

MM, i understand and appreciate your concern, thank you for the response.

I drink apple cider vinegar "with the mother" and kefir, mainly as a result of seeing the benefits of adding beneficial microbes to my soil/plants.

I have tried kombucha, I want to like it, but I don't. Taste like feet. I haven't drank alcohol in 18 months, so I got a buzz off it lol.

Good stuff lol, i too drink acv and got about 1/3 of a bottle into kombucha and just couldn't do it anymore, feet is a very adequate description of the taste. i keep telling myself i'm going to get it again and do it but it hasn't happened yet.

Do you add your butter/oily remains to the compost or worms after? i've heard of too much oil in the compost being not so favorable(don't know if its true) but i've added them anyways figuring that in smaller amounts it couldn't hurt too much and then the worms are gonna digest it again anyways.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

Pretty cool that the neem emulsified...it must have its own saponins or something.

YosemiteSam

I started out using an organic Yucca extract that contains 10% Saponins (T&J Enterprises) but it did not completely emulsify the oils as I was hoping.

On the Dyna-Gro Neem Tree Oil label they recommend using their Pro-TeKt to emulsify the oil but make no recommendation as far as a surfactant. I tried the Pro-TeKt and it was a complete and total success. The color of neem oil shifts to a creamy ochre color when it's completely emulsified (for you painters out there - Winsor & Newton Artists' Oil Gold Ochre). If the user doesn't get get this step done correctly you will find them in the chorus singing 'neem oil doesn't work' and they're off to Eagle 20 or something equally inane.

So then it was off to find a good surfactant that provided other benefits and that is how I began using Aloe vera. While it has 75% of the levels of Saponin as Yucca, it also costs 25% even buying the retail products like 'Lily of The Desert' and others. With the Aloe vera powder it's really a goofy price difference.

Not knocking Yucca extracts at all. It's just the price/benefit deal for me.

Thanks to The Avenger and everyone else. The AgSil powder will work well for my little growing deal.

CC

 

[Avenger]

what happens when you mix neem oil with potassium silicate is a crude soap making reaction or saponification. So you get potassium salts of fatty acids(soap) along with Neem(azadiractin) and silicic acid. Its a great way to use neem and potassium silicate as the combo increases the efficacy of each.

for the soap makers you can multiply the K20 content of the potassium silicate by 1.19 to get the KOH content for use as the alkalai in your soap recipes.

cheers

 

[ClackamasCootz]

what happens when you mix neem oil with potassium silicate is a crude soap making reaction or saponification. So you get potassium salts of fatty acids(soap) along with Neem(azadiractin) and silicic acid. Its a great way to use neem and potassium silicate as the combo increases the efficacy of each.

for the soap makers you can multiply the K20 content of the potassium silicate by 1.19 to get the KOH content for use as the alkalai in your soap recipes.

cheers

Avenger

Thank you for the science (explanation) on this combination. This March will mark 3 years of being completely PM free in the MMJ gardens. That started when I switched to the organic neem & karanja oils and using the best quality vermicompost that I could source and then later produce. Vermicompost has uber levels of disease suppression benefits besides the usual points of discussion.

CC

 

[Neo 420]

GAS

I am working on using my 10 gallon rez s a no till container.(gotta use that botanicare for something) You have demonstrated that it can be done in a 5 gallon container. Any pointers for me? I will run side by side with recycled/amended plants. Will be interesting seeing disturbed VS non disturbed soil growing next to each other...

 

[SilverSurfer_OG]

Vermicompost has uber levels of disease suppression benefits besides the usual points of discussion.
CC

Yes i have eliminated my spider mite population (thanks to previous post by your good self) simply by adding worm leachate to most feeds and some vermicompost in the mix. I am sure of it, no spraying necessary.

Thanks for the aloe vera link. They the source of your powder?

Cheers!

 

[gregor_mendel]

CC

What are your neem/protekt/water ratios?

And thanks to you and Avenger for the information and explanation.

 

[Gardens Keeper]

Well, I just saw GS cookies thread got stickied in the photo forum (good for it, not hating, love seeing successes and the proliferation of genes). With the amount of amazing solid information contained in this thread, perhaps we should try to get it stickied in every forum to make it more accessible if that is possible I have read this thread so many times and find it almost impossible to add anything that hasn't already be discussed thoroughly.

Props on the cuban oregano info CC and Weird.

 

[schwagg]

F gs cookies, waitin' on that swami drop!

 

[ClackamasCootz]

CC

What are your neem/protekt/water ratios?

And thanks to you and Avenger for the information and explanation.

gregor_mendel

4 tsp. of organic neem oil
2 tsp. of Pro-TeKt

I mix this in a shot glass until it's completely emulsified.

I add this to 1 gallon of tepid water - you want around 70F and stir or shake this until it's completely dispersed and then I add 1/4 cup of aloe vera extract and shake again as much as possible to activate the foaming action of the aloe vera extract's Saponins.

I spray the plant until the leaves hang like they need to be watered. Top and bottom of the leaves, all the branches and the top of the soil.

HTH

CC