ok, so righ now i have a soil-less mix and i am using this recipe:

5x spaghnum peat
3x perlite
1x EWC
and 2tbs/gallon of powdered dolomite lime.

watering with 1tbs/gallon of blackstrap molasses in nestle bottled water. i know that the blackstrap is high in K (potassium)

can someone tell me which each of these things i listed above is in NPK and what things can i add into my transplant so i wont have to use any liquid nutrients?

[Brastaman]

crab & shrimp compost
kelp
bird shet.

anyone else have some info? i would like to know which nutrient each of my ingredient is...

[Suby]

Most of the elements you listed (peat, perlite)there qualitfy as a substrate not as nutrients, substrate are the material that will house the the beneficial bacteria, water, and oxygen they have some but so little it's not worth listing.

Worm castings have some N but very little, it is used as a source of beneficial bacteria that will propagate throughout your substrate and chew the ammendments you add into forms that the root system can absorb.

Dolomite Lime is a source of magnesium and calcium which MJ plants need lots of, it's main role however is to maintain you soil ph within a range that is beneficial for soil and thus nutrient activity.

Here is a list of some good and widely available ammendments for you girls.



Sub's

what other things should i add to my mix so i wont have to use any liquid nutrients? i want to be all organic from veg through to flower.

i am watering with mollasses in my water which is supposedly high in K and has lots of micro nutrients. do you think i should add some blood meal and bone meal into my next transplant?

[Suby]

Hey C,

Here is what I consider a base mix

60% peat based mix with added perlite (Pro-Mix HP,Sushine Mix,etc.)
30% perlite for proper drainage and oxygen to roots
10% worm castings, they provide some N, micros, and beneficial bacteria

To each gallon of this mix I add:

2 TBS/gal dolomite lime, provides a ph buffer around 7
1 TBS/gal blood meal for N
2 TBS/gal bone mean for P (flowering mix only)
1 TBS/gal kelp meal or ground seaweed for K and trace elements

The most important step is now to compost your soil mix for 2 weeks before using it, you want to wet the mix to create an environment where the beneficials in the soil start munching on the soil elements and creating a stable environment with some nutes ready to go for a well rooted clone.\

Burn1 taught me to wet my mix with LiquidKarma at 1TBS/gallon of water, you may also make your own using the following per gallon of water:

1TBS black strap molasses

it feeds the bacteria like candy and keeps them in high number in your soil, plus in contains micros

1TBS Humic and/or fulvic acids

these are an integral part of an organic food web and already occurs in the peat and worm catings, it's the result of decomposition and acts as a soil buffer

You should wet the mix until you cab barely squeeze a few drops from a fistfull of soil mix.
Let this sit 2 weeks loosely covered, stir it up to keep the mix full of oxygen.
Good bacteria :smile: need oxygen (aerobic) , bad bacteria do not (anaerobic).

At some point in veg you might need to use an organic fertilizer high in N or high N bat guano in a tea , this will depend in how long or how big you veg your plants.
About halfway through flowering you will need some additional nutes, a small boost of N with a healthy boost of P and K is good, a tea of high P guano and liquid seaweed is a good flowering mix.

If you need some tea recipies buzz me .


Suby

yeah, some tea recipes would be great. what do you mean tea though? do i put all of this stuff in a tea bag and let it steep and water my plant with it?

[Suby]

Everything I listed above you mix into your soil, the molasses and humics I listed later you mix with water to wet your soil mix.
Teas are brews of fertilizer, we call it a tea because usually we use a cloth bag and add sources of nutrients (worm castings, bat guanos, blood, bone or seaweed meal)and tie a knot to keep them inside the bag. ( a few TBS of each )
Then we drop the bag in some water and let the elements in the "teabag" seep into the water, some LiquidKarma and molasses can be added to the water ( 1TBS of each per gallon)
To encourage good bacteria to popluate the tea we put an airstone hooked to an aquarium pump to "bubble the tea.
After 24-48 hrs of brewing it's ready to water your plants and will be full of nutes and a new dose of microbes to chew on them to feed the plants.

Teas are only for later in the grow when the additives in your soil mix have depleated enough to starve the plant of much needed nutrients.

Sub's

[Brastaman]

I have always been scared of that bone meal and blood meal stuff. Especially since the whole mad cow disease craze. The hormones they feed animals now in the amounts they do are crazy body lifting status.

Should I fear the unknown?