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Organic Wetting Agent..
- Thread starter Aksala
- Start date
softyellowlight
Active member
castille soap (plain old soap like Dr. Bronner's, not detergent) worked for me to get the soil absorbing and draining well. I think the use of kelp is supposed to help, as well.
Seismic
Member
I
IE2KS_KUSH
What about just plain old yellow dawn dish soap?
S
Stankie
Aloe vera juice
Aksala
3 or 4 drops per gallon of water should be enough. Shaking up the tank after adding the soap will activate the saponins in the soap which will give you a better 'surfactant quality' when you spray. It's almost like flocking a Christmas tree as it comes out of the spray tip. Almost..........
Maybe a better analogy is that it's like watching the drool and spittle from the corner of Sarah Palin's mouth when she's explaining how to see Russia from Anchorage. Something like that.
HTH
CC
Dignan
How much of the Yucca powder do you use for 1 gallon of liquid? A local company has a Yucca root powder for about $10.00 per pound - is that a fair price compared to the product that you're using?
The supplier was not able to give me much help on an application rate as they sell this product to manufacturers of HABA (health and beauty aids) companies so it's going into pills and capsules.
Thanks for any input!
CC
How much of the Yucca powder do you use for 1 gallon of liquid? A local company has a Yucca root powder for about $10.00 per pound - is that a fair price compared to the product that you're using?
The supplier was not able to give me much help on an application rate as they sell this product to manufacturers of HABA (health and beauty aids) companies so it's going into pills and capsules.
Thanks for any input!
CC
I didn't need any last mix I made, because I replaced perlite with calcined DE (napa auto parts #8822). The DE chunks are really good at taking and giving water, and the peat has no choice. I just mixed up the soil using wet DE chunks, then watered it a bit later.
Hey CC-
I use 1/2-1 TBSP per gallon. The tub I have is 1 lb and I think it usually sells for like $7-8.
As far as I can tell, this Humes product is not the root. The label just says it's soluble yucca. My hunch is that the root is the part of the plant with therapeutic uses for humans and surely more difficult/expensive to produce than just the blades of the yucca plant, so perhaps that's why it's a bit more expensive.
HTH
Scratch that! TSP, not TBSP. 1-2 teaspoons per gallon, Clack.
Sorry for the typo. Rookie mistake.
Peace-
Dig
Dignan
Well that settles it. Once I finish up the liquid Yucca extract I'll switch over to the Yucca powder. It's certainly far, far more cost effective. The landed cost for the organic (no preservatives) Yucca extract liquid is right around $32.00 per quart/liter and the suggest application rate is 1 - 2 ounces per gallon of water, i.e between $1.00 and $2.00 per gallon.
Even at $10.00 per lb. for the product that's available down the road a bit, the powder is a far better deal. I mean we're talking about a desert plant. LOL
Thanks for the application rate info.
CC
Well that settles it. Once I finish up the liquid Yucca extract I'll switch over to the Yucca powder. It's certainly far, far more cost effective. The landed cost for the organic (no preservatives) Yucca extract liquid is right around $32.00 per quart/liter and the suggest application rate is 1 - 2 ounces per gallon of water, i.e between $1.00 and $2.00 per gallon.
Even at $10.00 per lb. for the product that's available down the road a bit, the powder is a far better deal. I mean we're talking about a desert plant. LOL
Thanks for the application rate info.
CC
S
Stankie
CC, Do the antiseptic properties of aloe vera juice concern you when used in a organic grow?
Stankie
In Jeff L.'s book, Teaming With Microbes, is where I first read about using aloe vera and Yucca extract as a fungal food when brewing an AACT. As a matter of fact, aloe vera is mentioned first in this - before fish hydrolysate is discussed. Not that this means anything specifically.
I just went back and checked the information to make sure I had it correct.
HTH
CC
Just wanted to do a 7 year bump on this bad boy. Is yucca extract still the best? I would prefer adding something to my soil mix as opposed to into the water feeding everytime.
I don't like to mulch as I do like to see when the plant is dry and needs water. Can't find any yucca source here in canada either. My soil mix isn't super bad where I need this. But I would like the best water absorption and spread as possible so even when its really dry and crusty on the top inch I can water quick and it soaks it like a spunge. Also my organic matter is really high incase anyone is going to suggest that.
I don't like to mulch as I do like to see when the plant is dry and needs water. Can't find any yucca source here in canada either. My soil mix isn't super bad where I need this. But I would like the best water absorption and spread as possible so even when its really dry and crusty on the top inch I can water quick and it soaks it like a spunge. Also my organic matter is really high incase anyone is going to suggest that.
Switcher56
Comfortably numb!
That is a lot, no? 1 tbs = 15ml Therefore 1-2oz = 2-4 tbs/gal
What actually triggered this was I did a compost mulch layer on a few plants and it is this layer that is 100% hydrophobic and after 5 mins of slow watering it is bone dry. All literature has said that organic matter and humic matter absorbs and holds water and helps the medium do so, so I am confused why 100% compost would act this way.
I would like to add that my soil mix as a whole is not hydrophic at all and soaks water like a spunge immediately while having amazing drainage.
Here is the mix.
NPK MACRO MEALS
[]1 Cup Kelp (1-0-2)
[]1/2 Cup Bone (4-10-0)
[]1/2 Cup Fishbone (4-18-0)
[]1/2 Cup Neem (4-3-2)
[]1/2 Cup Insect Frass (3-1-3)
[]1/3 Cup Alfalfa (3-1-2)
[]1/3 Cup Soymeal (7-2-2)
MINERAL
[]2 Cup Granite Grit (0-0-3)
[]1 Cup Diatomaceous Earth
[]1 Cup Glacial Rock Dust (0-0-1)
[]1/8 Cup Basalt (0-0-1)
[]1/8 Cup Azomite
CALCIUM
[]1/3 Cup Gypsum
[]1/3 Cup Dolomite
OTHER
[]1 Cup Dehydrated Molasses
BASE
1 CF = 8 LOOSE FILLED GALLON
5 Gallon Recycled Soil Mix
(33% Peat, 33% Organic Matter, 33% Perlite)
+
.5 Gallon EWC
.5 Gallon Compost
.5 Gallon Guinea/Horse Manure
.5 Gallon Vermiculite
.5 Gallon Expanded Clay
.5 Gallon Perlite
I would like to add that my soil mix as a whole is not hydrophic at all and soaks water like a spunge immediately while having amazing drainage.
Here is the mix.
NPK MACRO MEALS
[]1 Cup Kelp (1-0-2)
[]1/2 Cup Bone (4-10-0)
[]1/2 Cup Fishbone (4-18-0)
[]1/2 Cup Neem (4-3-2)
[]1/2 Cup Insect Frass (3-1-3)
[]1/3 Cup Alfalfa (3-1-2)
[]1/3 Cup Soymeal (7-2-2)
MINERAL
[]2 Cup Granite Grit (0-0-3)
[]1 Cup Diatomaceous Earth
[]1 Cup Glacial Rock Dust (0-0-1)
[]1/8 Cup Basalt (0-0-1)
[]1/8 Cup Azomite
CALCIUM
[]1/3 Cup Gypsum
[]1/3 Cup Dolomite
OTHER
[]1 Cup Dehydrated Molasses
BASE
1 CF = 8 LOOSE FILLED GALLON
5 Gallon Recycled Soil Mix
(33% Peat, 33% Organic Matter, 33% Perlite)
+
.5 Gallon EWC
.5 Gallon Compost
.5 Gallon Guinea/Horse Manure
.5 Gallon Vermiculite
.5 Gallon Expanded Clay
.5 Gallon Perlite
