Tutorial Organics for Beginners

[The Hummus Monk]

I've found organics to be very easy and forgiving.

Maxicrop Cal-Sea-Feed is a great product that provides both calcium and magnesium along with the loveliness present in seaweed.

If you want the mix to 'compost' quickly you will need to store it in a insulated bin of some kind which has and air intake at the bottom and a hole at the top (small). The insulation prevents heat loss and the oxygen availability fuels the bacteria...which in turn creates more heat and draws more air in!

 

[LilMan72003]

In insulated bin is ideal, in a big pile covered with a tarp will get the job done also. 2nd giving it an extra week or two because of the cold temps, 2nd the watering with molasses or compost tea. Only issue I have with the mix is that though kelp meal does provide a range of micronutrients, and dolomite lime some Ca/Mg, the mineral component is lacking imo. Rock dusts are an option but take a while to break down, this stuff is the bomb http://www.sea-crop.com/history.html

 

[HatchBrew]

awesome recipes and info.
Just moved here from another site, so much to read thru.
Thanks all!

 

[JediMasterVon]

Hey Burn1, how many TBS of dolomite lime per gallon of soil again?

V

 

[pantydropper]

With this recipe, all you need to do is add plain water until harvest.

Burn1

When you say plain water does that mean any Liquid Karma? I'm using recipe 1 for soilless and recipe 1 for nutrients.

 

[JediMasterVon]

You dont need liquid Karma.

Use aloe vera from 'ingredients to die for' with either Protekt or Agsil 16h and a drop or 2 of Dr. Bonners.

J

 

[pshadey]

PLease help anyway

PLease help anyway

hey BURNone i have a question, and im sorry if this isnt the proper place for it but it does pertain to this thread. I started my grow with the idea that i was gonna do organics using your #2 soil mixture and tea , but after a couple issues i decided to not make the switch throughout my entire garden. after only one real organic feeding in a couple weeks before starting flowering and multiple flushes i returned to using DynaGro on most of my plants as i feel more comfortable ( i did keep a couple going organically so i can try to figure it out). any way my question is if i used dolomite lime in soil mixture, 1) is it still present in the soil after flushing, and 2) is it possible that 2tbsp per gallon like you suggested is too much for a non organic grow ( i know i know). Im not using a cal/mag additive in the nutrient program because i feel like the lime should be enough, and dynagro is a complete nutrient and everything in but just not in the right amounts if using R/O water. I have what appears to be a slight calcium deficiancy, or possible maganese deficiancy do to a possible abundance of magnesium from the lime.i dont expect you to answer this but if you could or someone i would be forever grateful. i still planning on making the switch just need to do it more gradually, i cant afford to let my patients down by not having a successful harvest. if it makes you feel any better i only use non organic nutes, not non organic pesticides (and shoot for non at all)

 

[pshadey]

also my ph of my run off is 6.6-6.8 and ec .9

 

[xmobotx]

after only one real organic feeding in a couple weeks before starting flowering and multiple flushes

this doesn't sound "organic" except as by the grow-store "organic" bottle idea ~which isn't

your question is in the wrong forum since you are growing chem {I was going to go "organic" but changed my mind/help me w/ my chem grow?}

 

[pshadey]

this doesn't sound "organic" except as by the grow-store "organic" bottle idea ~which isn't

your question is in the wrong forum since you are growing chem {I was going to go "organic" but changed my mind/help me w/ my chem grow?}

thanks for telling what i already know, and i said that i knew that it was in the wrong forum. but this thread is where i got the information for building my soil. im asking a question pertaining the soil that i built, and the ratio of dolomite lime used. so becuase i made the decision to switch back to a non organic grow, i cant reach out to the community for help? makes sense.

 

[pshadey]

and with the few plants that are still being grown organic, im using
..Guano Tea and Kelp: does that still sound like a grow store bottled organic grow...

 

[MileHighGuy]

Let me guess, liquid bottled seaweed and hydro store bat guano.... Yep Still does.

Dude, if you stand on the fence you're going to get hit from both sides.

Pick a side and don't half ass it, go all the way.

Organic is simple. Don't blow it up to be all weird in your mind.

Or. Go fully chemi. and if so, you can consider that very slow release dolomite lime as not part of the equation.... but just a PH adjuster and then go from there with all the entertaining guesses the normal PH grow crowd comes up with....

and watch out for purple stems.... haha

 

[pshadey]

thanks for telling what i already know, and i said that i knew that it was in the wrong forum. but this thread is where i got the information for building my soil. im asking a question pertaining the soil that i built, and the ratio of dolomite lime used. so becuase i made the decision to switch back to a non organic grow, i cant reach out to the community for help? makes sense.

Let me guess, liquid bottled seaweed and hydro store bat guano.... Yep Still does.

Dude, if you stand on the fence you're going to get hit from both sides.

Pick a side and don't half ass it, go all the way.

Organic is simple. Don't blow it up to be all weird in your mind.

Or. Go fully chemi. and if so, you can consider that very slow release dolomite lime as not part of the equation.... but just a PH adjuster and then go from there with all the entertaining guesses the normal PH grow crowd comes up with....

and watch out for purple stems.... haha

OK wow, im done here i guess. has anyone ever heard of a transition. moving from one thing to another is exactly what im doing. i obviously got ahead of myself when i thought i might do my entire grow organically and built the soil accordingly. but instead i decided it might not be the best idea to convert a entire 8k grow to organic without fully understanding. everything is "simple" once you understand it, thats what im trying to do. like i said im still growing some plants organically and there doing fine. but after re reading your post i guess you did kinda answer my question, so thank you. i will drop this then and never ask another question regarding anything to do with chemicals..

 

[pshadey]

OK wow, im done here i guess. has anyone ever heard of a transition. moving from one thing to another is exactly what im doing. i obviously got ahead of myself when i thought i might do my entire grow organically and built the soil accordingly. but instead i decided it might not be the best idea to convert a entire 8k grow to organic without fully understanding. everything is "simple" once you understand it, thats what im trying to do. like i said im still growing some plants organically and there doing fine. but after re reading your post i guess you did kinda answer my question, so thank you. i will drop this then and never ask another question regarding anything to do with chemicals..

Let me guess, liquid bottled seaweed and hydro store bat guano.... Yep Still does.

Dude, if you stand on the fence you're going to get hit from both sides.

Pick a side and don't half ass it, go all the way.

Organic is simple. Don't blow it up to be all weird in your mind.

Or. Go fully chemi. and if so, you can consider that very slow release dolomite lime as not part of the equation.... but just a PH adjuster and then go from there with all the entertaining guesses the normal PH grow crowd comes up with....

and watch out for purple stems.... haha

And as for where i got the seaweed and guana, i did get the seaweed from way to grow in denver, but the quana and worm castings i got from Paulino Gardens in Denver, where else do you recommend getting these ingredients around denver.. given you screen name you may know.

 

[xmobotx]

pshadey you can flip out & be reactive about it; I'm just responding to what you said in your post {that's why I paraphrased it in my response} if you want to learn how to grow organic; there's a whole section of the grower's forum devoted to precisely that.

your post is confusing though ~like i say it sounds more like you thought about going organic, changed your mind, then asked for advice w/ your chem grow in the organic section {becuse you were thinking about growing organic}

now I see {re-reading your post} that you mixed recipe #2 but still, the phrase "after only one real organic feeding in a couple weeks" doesn't make sense {what's to feed? the nutes are mixed in the soil}

If you flushed your organic mix & proceeded to feed from the bottle; advice from this thread won't make sense

my suggestion {if you're still receptive} would be to read through some of the info in the organic soil sub-forum & maybe run a small corner of the garden from some plan you base on that reading while continuing with what's already familiar & comfortable. Many chem growers try once, formulate a negative opinion & bash organics from then on {actually they still haven't really tried if they had no success}

 

[pshadey]

pshadey you can flip out & be reactive about it; I'm just responding to what you said in your post {that's why I paraphrased it in my response} if you want to learn how to grow organic; there's a whole section of the grower's forum devoted to precisely that.

your post is confusing though ~like i say it sounds more like you thought about going organic, changed your mind, then asked for advice w/ your chem grow in the organic section {becuse you were thinking about growing organic}

now I see {re-reading your post} that you mixed recipe #2 but still, the phrase "after only one real organic feeding in a couple weeks" doesn't make sense {what's to feed? the nutes are mixed in the soil}

If you flushed your organic mix & proceeded to feed from the bottle; advice from this thread won't make sense

my suggestion {if you're still receptive} would be to read through some of the info in the organic soil sub-forum & maybe run a small corner of the garden from some plan you base on that reading while continuing with what's already familiar & comfortable. Many chem growers try once, formulate a negative opinion & bash organics from then on {actually they still haven't really tried if they had no success}

i apologize if i came across as rash, but i got the sense you were talking down to me. because i feel like sometimes organic growers look/talk down to chem growers... believe me i want more than anything to get everything switched over to organics. I have been reading as much as possible regarding organics and creating a soil food web, and come spring im planting a full organic garden to get away from GMO

And let me clear up what i meant about the one organic feeding... i didnt actually build the soil with guana or any real "nutrients" just dolomite lime, worm castings, and perlite. i used a guana tea and and kelp that i brewed for a couple days for that "one organic feeding"

I understand the confusion and i apologize.

 

[xmobotx]

I started off growing w/ colored powders & had reasonable success w/ that then. but, I didn't like the powders & throwing away my soil {which didn't make sense to me then in contrast w/ the organic vegetable garden I had going outside} then; I had a cannabis volunteer in said organic outdoor which kind of blew me away & I decided all was going to be organic from there on out {& I wanted to apply the same tech as my outdoor}

I feel like organic is a better option for me & have kinda come to terms w/ the fact that it may not be for everyone

moreover; in recent months I have come to realize that today's chem gurus on this forum know much more about chem gardening than I do or ever did

hopefully that explains why I would steer you elsewhere w/ your specific circumstances

 

[Banefoul]

ok trying to go organic for dummies. took what i had on hand and looked over the recipes posted

1 part ffof
1 part ff happy frog potting soil
1/4 part organic free range chicken compost
1/10 part bone/blood organic
1/4 (not part) perlite
hand full of said chickens eggs shells rough ground

hoping just a bit of ffbb for watering would be at the most needed.

is this viable for good plants?

also have
h202
super thrive
quick sulfur for flowers
GH 3 part
ff big bloom liquid fert
perlite
vermiculite
mycelium
GH cal/mag
blackstrap mole asses

any info on this organic path for meds is appreciated.

 

[Chili grower]

Hi all,
Beginner here, looking for some advice. I have not yet mixed anything, besides the coir and perlite.

My first question is related to the soil mix. I am going with:

LC’s Soiless Mix #1 (using Coir):

5 parts Coir
3 parts perlite
2 parts worm castings or mushroom compost or home made compost
Powdered (NOT PELLETED) dolomite lime @ 2 tablespoons per gallon

And I will be adding:

RECIPE #2
Use all these items combined with one gallon of soil mix.
1/3C hi N Guano Mexican Bat Guano or Peruvian Seabird Guano (PSG)
1/2C hi P Guano (Jamaican or Indonesian Bat Guano)
1TBS Kelp Meal

I plan on letting it sit for 6-9 weeks. At the 6 week mark I will spread seeds of: Chickweed, Cilantro, Dutch White Clover for both a living mulch, and to trim it down to be used as mulch once it grows thick enough.

Questions:

My EWC is not totally "pure", and it still has a bunch of worms in it. I would say it is 90% broken down into worm poop, and about 10% of newspaper bedding and some mostly decomposed veggie scraps.

1) Is it OK to go ahead and add this to the soil mix, since I plan on letting the soil mix+Recipe#2 "sit" for 6-9 weeks before using the soil?

2) I'm planning on leaving most of the worms in the soil-mixture (with guano/kelp as well) and then using food-lures in a cardboard box on the top of the soil mix to get some of the worms out in the last 2-3 weeks of soil being mixed. Are there any problems with doing this? Is it OK to have worms in the soil when plants are in there? (Food lures will not get nearly all of them out.)

3) Is there anything else that I should be adding to this soil? I've read about rock dust, alfalfa meal, oyster shell meal, neem meal, etc...

4) Any suggestions/alterations to what I am looking to use as mulch? Are there any other common household herbs that are beneficial in the bottom of the pot?

My goal is to not use any bottled nutrients/fertilizers/insecticides, and do everything with aerated teas, so building the best soil from the start is my #1 priority.

Any suggestions are very welcome.

Thanks a lot.

 

[xmobotx]

I'd say your EWC will be fine & it's a great idea to have some living worms in your soil mix