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Compost is overrated, probably.

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CrustyCruz

Member
After doing some comparisons, it's obvious the common bro-forum ratio of 1/3 compost to 1/3 peat is detrimental to speed of growth. I've opted to completely leave out all compost and manure this next run. So far my peat's cooking great inoculated with nothing but some endomyco spores. ~1 cup of food per cube was steaming hot in 24hrs.

I have a trash can full of compost extract to add, and am wondering, why bother? Is there any reason whatsoever to add compost/manure products to already functioning organic systems? I'll be adding organic material, I'll be adding labs. Adding compost seems like redundancy with the added benefit of killing the mediums texture. I'd rather feed my soil fresh organic food than old organic scraps anyway, right?

"Dry on top, wet on bottom? It might be a Coots mix" - Girth Fucksworthy
 
f-e

f-e

Well-known member
Mentor
Veteran
Nothing better than a good peat based compost like Jacks Magic. I feel anything added is just watering it down. I have worked in fison's labs. It's laughable to think I could do better than the internationals. The only task is going through what's available. The Which magazine reaches out to so many gardeners to get reviews it's equally as astounding though. So choosing is actually quite easy.

I look in a lot of peoples pots and can't help them.

The only thing against high peat composts (other than the environmental damage) is that they're a bit heavy. Heavy with good stuff though. I won't change it.


The bro science is alright, in that a good compost is good, and peat is good, but mixed they unfortunately are not. Neat peat isn't good. It's just a good start. So your good compost is back to square one again, needing amendments.
 
moses wellfleet

moses wellfleet

Well-known member
Moderator
Veteran
Each season that passes I realize more and more just how valuable the composting process is to growing high quality cannabis.
 
C

CrushnYuba

Well-known member
1/3 is the most compost u can have with a decent texture. It's more about $. Compost is less then half the price then peat. Getting dump truck loads it's a huge difference. Small indoor grow, its not. NO compost and just peat is kinda too light and hydrofobic.

When i make a fresh batch of soil, i put compost in it. When i recycle my soil, i never add more compost to it or worm castings. I add food with high numbers and i add alfalfa to really get it cooking. Alfalfa isn't really high in nutrients but it will set your soil on fire.

When it shrinks down, i add more peat.

I don't do compost tea anymore either because my soil is already alive. It's just a light feeding. Fresh material is all you need.
 
Bio boy

Bio boy

Active member
Im building a new bed. So 1/3 peat 1/3 lava 1/3 ewc.

Where does the compost come in? Replaces peat?
 
moses wellfleet

moses wellfleet

Well-known member
Moderator
Veteran
CrushnYuba said:
I add food with high numbers and i add alfalfa to really get it cooking. Alfalfa isn't really high in nutrients but it will set your soil on fire.
Click to expand...

Please explain what you mean? Alfalfa like any green material will be high in nitrates, that's why it can burn your plants.
 
C

CrushnYuba

Well-known member
Its Super low in nutrients compared to other amendments. Feather meal, blood meal, bone meal, crab, fish... They are all like 15% or more nutrients.

Feather is 15% nitrogen. Alfalfa is like 3%. And a good bit is spent in the nitrogen cycle to break it down into useable nitrate.

It burns plants because the n to carbon ratio makes it compost FAST. It puts off crazy heat. It burns roots. The plant can't provide water to the foliage and the leaf dries out. That's the burn. You have to let it compost before you plant. If you add alfalfa to a large container of soil, 3 days later it's so hot u can't hold your hand in it for more then a couple seconds. If you put a plant in it, It would get burned or just die depending on how hotit gets. After a couple weeks, it breaks down and cools off. That is the Alfalfa magic.

That's the physical type of burn. Most of the time when people say burn they are talking about leafs drying out from excess salts or something like that. U won't get that type of burn from alfalfa.

Nitrogen itself doesn't "burn" plants really. Too much nitrogen makes a plant way dark green and grow slow, squat, and silly.
 
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