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Tutorial Organics for Beginners

D

Deuce5

Member
Hey organic growers. I’m new to growing I have 1 soil and 2 hempy grows under my belt. The grows have been successful, though I know they can be better. I have read every post in this thread and “think” I have a good understanding. I have 3 freebie strains to start with, I don’t want to mess up on my paid genetics on my first run. Below are the details of my grow followed by several questions.


Meduim Details – Plan on using 3 gallon smart pots. Staying away from teas right now, because of space concerns. Though I did consider recipe 5 (Neptune’s Harvest)

LC’s Soiless Mix #1:

5 parts Canadian Sphagnum Peat/Coir (splitting 50/50)
3 parts perlite
2 parts worm castings or mushroom compost or home made compost
Powdered dolomite lime @ 2 tablespoons per gallon

Fert RECIPE #1

Feather Meal (Substitute for Blood meal)
Fish bone (substitute for Bone meal)
Kelp meal


Genetics – Freebies until I get a grasp on organic, I would like to pop my Kali Mist.

Dinafem – OG Kush
Dinafem – Cheese
Emerald Triangle = Grapefruit Krush

Questions

1. Will the soil be able to support these strains for their entire lifecycle? What is the best way to supplement any deficiencies that may arise?
2. Am I cool with the substitutions that I have listed above? Any fertilizer recommendations?
3. I have Protek from a previous grow, is it really needed?
 
C

canna woop!

Member
The issue with that is you don't know how much feather meal, or blood meal to add per cubic foot? It only measures per gallon? This is a bit more complicated so I converted it and it is saying about one cup of dolomite per cubic foot? Right

Well if you are adding the ingredients to straight, un amended peat moss, that may not be enough lime. Unless you add bone or fish bone meal in at one to two cups per cubic foot as well. You really need to get the figures straight before you start your mix and then, if you have a clear recipe and you have a good source of vermicom post to make compost teas with then you should be good to keep the plants healthy all through their lifespan. There would not be much of a need to fertilize if the right ingredients are in the mix at the right quantity. The key is finding a diversity of organic amendments and adding compost teas so the minerals are breaking down and getting a vailable when the plants need them, such as the flip to bloom when plants rely on a healthy soil for the "stretching" growth spurt.

like I said you need more amendments especially minerals or clays or rock dust, which I do not see that the lc mix lists. Get back to the IC on that one and i am sure you will be moving forward. One more thing, the minerals only really work if you forgo bottled nutrients and nail down the vc/ compost tea app's. You can add botanical teas throughout the bloom cycle, however it is more touch and go, based on the small things plants need at different times such as botanical compounds, pest management, or even a bit to correct mineral deficiency.

I hope this helps. Woop

Ps. Noticed I missed a couple q's

No feather meal will not substitute blood. It has more calcium and less fast release nitrogen. Blood is a greet source of nitrogen and iron. I will recommend any local fertilizers. Many different farms make their own fertilizer based on agricultural by products, that are a excellent additives such as bio char. Soaked in compost. Worth looking into local farms/feed supply
2. Protek you may as well use the rest up but plants can get all the silicon and potassium they need from mineral or rock or clay sources if they are available and you added the right amount of calcium to allow it. You don't really need Protek if you have added sufficient lime and mineral/rock/clay. I never bought Protek. My pants also get raw silicon in form of raw aloe Vera. Which I do soil drenches as well as foliage spray with.
 
D

Deuce5

Member
Woop, thanks for the feedback. Looks like need to go back to the original recipe and give that a try for my first run. I read so much stuff I may have confused myself.
 
B

Buzzichatte

New member
Hi, I'll start growing soon and i plan on using organic soil, the LC's mix #1 with the food recipe #1 but without the greensand. I was wondering if I could use my Acadian Seaweed extract that is 0.3-0.3-4 instead of the Maxicrop seaweed extract? Since it's liquid, should i add it to the water with the Liquid Karma or just use it as directed in the watering or still add it to the soil mix directly ?
 
LilMan72003

LilMan72003

Active member
http://pubs.aic.ca/doi/pdf/10.4141/cjps94-035

Interesting literature from the "research group" at Premier Peat Moss. They essentially found alfalfa meal (and plant-waste based ammendments in general) inferior to animal-waste based fertilizers in the growth of tomatoes in peat/compost based medium. In some cases alfalfa meal inhibited growth.

It is certainly possible that they applied too much alfalfa meal, which they do acknowledge. In comparison with the control, blood meal, crab meal, fish meal (perch), and dried whey sludge showed greatest increase in dried shoot weight at a rate of 57-83%.
 
PakaloloFromPNW

PakaloloFromPNW

Active member
Veteran
I've just started my organic growing adventure. I used bottled nutrients with ProMix for many, many years. In October I discovered growing my medicine using organic techniques. I mixed some soil and let it cycle, got some clones transplanted in the soil and now they're in the first week on 12/12.

I've never grown better looking plants than what I'm seeing with organics. I'm converted and this seems to be a good place to learn from.

It'll take me weeks to get through all the posts here. Thanks for providing this information for a beginner like me.
 
Bmac1

Bmac1

Well-known member
Veteran
Im in the same boat. Been using promix and chem nutes exclusively. I want to take the organic step but I have limited space and its winter here. I cant be mixing soil and letting it sit for weeks outside and I dont think filling a kiddie pool inside is gonna fly with the ol lady, lol.
 
surfguitar

surfguitar

Member
LilMan72003 said:
http://pubs.aic.ca/doi/pdf/10.4141/cjps94-035

Interesting literature from the "research group" at Premier Peat Moss. They essentially found alfalfa meal (and plant-waste based ammendments in general) inferior to animal-waste based fertilizers in the growth of tomatoes in peat/compost based medium. In some cases alfalfa meal inhibited growth.

It is certainly possible that they applied too much alfalfa meal, which they do acknowledge. In comparison with the control, blood meal, crab meal, fish meal (perch), and dried whey sludge showed greatest increase in dried shoot weight at a rate of 57-83%.
Click to expand...

If they didn't let the soil mixes compost for a bit after mixing in the fertilizers maybe it was from the alfalfa being too hot? Also they are testing with only one amendment maybe it's possible the results are very different with a variety of amendments? Just some stuff to think about.
 
bigshrimp

bigshrimp

Active member
Veteran
Yeah they are using 18 month old animal based compost vs dry organic amendments.

Peat and good compost vs peat and raw plant ammendments.

hmm... Should have made some dank plant compost to compare it too.
 
LilMan72003

LilMan72003

Active member
As stated by the literature, the control medium in which they transplanted was 3 part peat, 1 part compost. Compost composed of cow/chicken waste, peat, and bark. They were not testing compost vs ammendments.

This control was compared with a variety of both plant-waste based and animal-waste based "organic" (perhaps 'natural' is a better term) dry fertilizers. In general, tomatos grown with animal-waste based ammendents outweighed plant-waste based.

FWIW I think it useless arguing plant compost vs animal compost, they both achieve the same objective (as long as they are properly prepared) and probably even better in conjunction.
 
ptfarmer420

ptfarmer420

Member
What a awesome thread around here :tiphat:

Have a question folks ... Using RO water what should we use to give CALCIUM and MAGNESIM besides Dolomite in the dirt and Epsom Salts in the water ?

Any brand have those in a Organic way ?


Thanks people :wave:
 
InjectTruth

InjectTruth

Active member
324.Dolemite.jpg
 
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