DuckDuckGoose
Member
^^^^come on Shmalphy!!!! Eat that shit!!!! i double dare you!!!
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Living organic soil from start through recycling
- Thread starter Gascanastan
- Start date
- Status
How often does one hear of needing a source for fresh EWC?
We are all at the mercy of local retailers, which for the most part have stacks of pallets of old nasty bagged anaerobic EWC.
I saw the need mostly for myself, but eventually will have enough for 10 big grows, besides my own.
I care for old folks for a living, and have ample fruit/veggie scraps.
Real effort? Hell ya, but if your OCD, may as well put it to good use.
SG1
It's a challenge to find well-made EWC - no doubt about that. There's no money in it - that's the problem plus it takes awhile to produce castings. Patience is required as you already know but the rewards are well worth the wait.
CC
It's a challenge to find well-made EWC - no doubt about that. There's no money in it - that's the problem plus it takes awhile to produce castings. Patience is required as you already know but the rewards are well worth the wait.
CC
As growers, if we knew where to get high grade fresh EWC(besides making it), we would spend more money for it.
Just like home made soil, labor intensive and amendments costly.
But you can't buy the same quality, nor do you really know whats in it if you could.
This is the reason for me to make it.
I'm learning so much here and elsewhere, but quality products are non existant.
Thanks again for the knowledge.
i think the basic organic practices go back a good while in the UK.. but 'new school' stuff like compost tea is yet to be widely used - i guess thats why i think its 'new school' lol
we tend to have compost heaps rather than worm bins. i guess our composting is partly thermal and mostly by worms and critters in the heaps.
but yes, proper worm castings, the dark granular ones, are quite specialist. i never quite know if what you call EWC is what i would just call 'compost'
Thought i would post up some pics of happenings around here
This is the beach and seaweed i collected and half dragged, half lugged back to the car. Next time i need some kind of wheels...
The kelp i collected was mostly nice and dry and easy to smash up. I found dancing a jig on a plastic bag a good way as well as pounding with a sledge hammer vertically.
My Kashmala Moon in the laundry tub 'airbin' is doing very well. Happy with the new soil mix and flowering as commenced.
This is the beach and seaweed i collected and half dragged, half lugged back to the car. Next time i need some kind of wheels...
The kelp i collected was mostly nice and dry and easy to smash up. I found dancing a jig on a plastic bag a good way as well as pounding with a sledge hammer vertically.
My Kashmala Moon in the laundry tub 'airbin' is doing very well. Happy with the new soil mix and flowering as commenced.
hey SSOG!
i really like to wild-harvest as much as i can source locally
we even gathered the milfoil left exposed when the river's level was dropped for winter {dams} <i ran that stuff through my compost pile
its cool that you can source kelp like that
i really like to wild-harvest as much as i can source locally
we even gathered the milfoil left exposed when the river's level was dropped for winter {dams} <i ran that stuff through my compost pile
its cool that you can source kelp like that
Yes its the first time i have collected kelp. Got enough for compost, liquid soak, mulch and still 2 buckets left! 
Also filled a big garden bag with fresh comfrey and added that to my compost heap. My comfrey liquid soak is almost ready and stinks to high heaven!
Also filled a big garden bag with fresh comfrey and added that to my compost heap. My comfrey liquid soak is almost ready and stinks to high heaven!
I get mine at a local grocery store/deli. They throw them out back into a large recycling bin and told me to help myself. Various sizes and shapes, just gotta wash them out and drill some drainage holes.
I keep my tote of soil in my garage where it's around 40ºF this time of year. I went out to mix it up and add a bit of water a few days ago and found some nice white wispy mold here and there! I wish I would have taken some pix before I mixed it up but I was happy to see it.
And on another happy note, my first issue of Acres showed up today! Can't wait to dig into it.
And on another happy note, my first issue of Acres showed up today! Can't wait to dig into it.
JD
The lead article this month, Urban Farming, is interesting & well written. I finished it this morning and I would recommend it to anyone that's interested in this subject.
Check out the commercial ads in the back - these themselves are worth the subscription price.
CC
The lead article this month, Urban Farming, is interesting & well written. I finished it this morning and I would recommend it to anyone that's interested in this subject.
Check out the commercial ads in the back - these themselves are worth the subscription price.
CC
D
Durdy
Found a source for cascade mineral products in my area!
The rep asked what I was looking for, I said the fines screened at 200 microns. He asked what I was using it for and I said agricultural purposes. He then said they have recently done some studies that show plants receive more of a benefit with the course product they sell. The course product being more a mix of sizes from the very fine dust to bigger pieces.
Is there something to what he's saying? Or does he have a bunch of extra course he's trying to unload on me?
Also, finally subscribed to acres! Is there anyway to get back issues?
The rep asked what I was looking for, I said the fines screened at 200 microns. He asked what I was using it for and I said agricultural purposes. He then said they have recently done some studies that show plants receive more of a benefit with the course product they sell. The course product being more a mix of sizes from the very fine dust to bigger pieces.
Is there something to what he's saying? Or does he have a bunch of extra course he's trying to unload on me?
Also, finally subscribed to acres! Is there anyway to get back issues?
O
OKD
Nice SSurfer! I was wondering about using 'kelp' from the Yellowstoned River...I guess as soon as it thaws I will....
http://remineralize.org/de/a-rock-dust-primer
The more finely ground the rock, the more readily microorganisms will have access to the minerals_John Hamaker
The more finely ground the rock, the more readily microorganisms will have access to the minerals_John Hamaker
Hth
B
BlueJayWay
I was just gonna say exactly that - having mixed sized dust/gravel will allow for more immediate availability plus long term with the larger sizes breaking down slowly. I would probably get both, a bag of the 200 and a bag of the mixed
he is referencing outdoor amending where the breakdown over the course of years can be considered
you wouldnt want much 'gravel' in your container mix
of course that kinda sounds like 'pit run' which is basically like they swept up around the quarry more or less and tends to form up hard {kinda like cement}
Cann
Member
I got two 44lb bags from him the other day - both of the "coarse" product (didn't know this till I opened the bag...) either way, it is a good mix of diameters ranging in size from .2mm (200 micron) to 2mm (2000 micron).
definitely a nice addition for a no-till setup..the question is how long will it take for it to break down and become readily available to microbes vs. the canadian glacial product (or anything 200 micron)? I imagine maybe adding 6 cups per cuft or so might be roughly equivalent to 4 cups of fine dust...? I'll let those who know more than me figure this one out...
Here is a c/p from the info packet the CM rep sent me:
Review of basalt powder uses in agriculture.
a. Rock forming minerals contain most of the nutrients required by plants for growth and development. The relationship between release rates of minerals and plant uptake will determine the effectiveness of rock powder applied to agricultural soils (Harley and Gilkes, 2000). Basalt weathers relatively quickly compared to other volcanic rocks, which are often high in quartz. This makes basalt a good fit for use in remineralization, because it will readily breakdown or solubilize in the soil. Leonardos et al. (1987) discuss the solubility of rocks as follows, “contrary to the current opinion among agronomists that rock-forming minerals have a soil life-time far beyond a crop cycle, rocks do have large solubility rates both in water and in weak organic acids, promptly releasing nutrients in a matter of minutes and increasing the pH of solution until the system is saturated...Common rock-forming minerals such as feldspar and micas were
early shown experimentally as efficient source of K, Ca and micronutrients for a variety of plants; nutrient availability considerably enhanced by micro-organisms.”
Does this sound right to y'all...?
well; the reality is that some of the bigger pieces will function as drainage/habitat
2mm and down is going to be fine ~for our purposes; the bigger pieces in that mix will "never" break down
{i.e. few of us will recycle mix long enough ~outdoors would be different}
2mm and down is going to be fine ~for our purposes; the bigger pieces in that mix will "never" break down
{i.e. few of us will recycle mix long enough ~outdoors would be different}
Cann
Member
lol yeah I couldn't tell the rep I was planning on using it for indoor gardening...he assumes I am building outdoor no-till beds - definitely a good candidate for coarse basalt.
Good point about the aeration - In one of their studies they grew tomatoes hydroponically using 5mm basalt as a medium. Those tomatoes did much better than the ones grown in sawdust (apparently the industry standard? according to them...)
"Hydroponic tomatoes grown in a single size –5mm quarry fines growing medium on the right hand side shows significantly improved root development when compared to sawdust as used by industry as a growing medium."
Good point about the aeration - In one of their studies they grew tomatoes hydroponically using 5mm basalt as a medium. Those tomatoes did much better than the ones grown in sawdust (apparently the industry standard? according to them...)
"Hydroponic tomatoes grown in a single size –5mm quarry fines growing medium on the right hand side shows significantly improved root development when compared to sawdust as used by industry as a growing medium."
Yes
Just factor in this - the quality of humus that we are able to use is a foreign concept to a farmer of any size. Imagine what would be involved to top-dress even 50 acres which is more of a hobby farm.
Meaning that their information, while accurate, doesn't speak entirely to your situation.
CC
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