Aksala
Member
I personally don't like the ratio in that mix. I prefer 3.1.1
Ya but you're weird.
I personally don't like the ratio in that mix. I prefer 3.1.1
Had a couple questions for ya Heady, if you don't mind. Almost pm'd ya but figured if you were gonna share the knowledge maybe more could benefit from it to.
Since compost quality seems to be so important, I was gonna try to use EWC instead of compost. I know it would be expensive, but curious if you can think of any problems that might incur from that switch? I assume it will be ok, just pricey, and vary in quality depending on the castings as well.
Also... would you mind posting your modified recipe? Curious to see the difference.
Thanks,
Mr^^
heady's wicked lobstah mix
makes 2 yards
3 bales of peat fluffed and hydrated with aloe or yucca (one 3.8 cuft compressed bale =~6 cuft decompressed)
9 bags of coast of maine lobster compost (1 cuft each)
6 bags of benson farms "surf & turf" compost (1 cuft each)
1 bag chunky perlite (4 cuft)
1 bag super coarse perlite (4 cuft)
2 bags buckwheat hulls (2 cuft each)
4 bags royal oak lump charcoal smashed and precharged with neptune's fish and seaweed (17# each)
50 cups oyster shell meal
1 bag granite dust (50#)
1 bag "brixblend" paramagnetic basalt dust (50#)
1 bag "richmix" mineralized biochar (25#) (not necessary but I had it)
1 bag granulated azomite (44#)
1 bag neem seed meal (20#)
1 bag neptune's harvest crab shells (50#)
1 bag maine harvested kelp (50#)
Just so I am clear is X saying here that to amend at half of the rates quoted above as being beneficial and if so why?
One is either employing living soil methods or not. Living soil is simply what it is called and has enough life going on in it to generate nutrients from basic organic matter provided. It is not a certain mix with enough nutrients included to carry the plant through to harvest. It is not spikes and layers. It must be of sufficient volume and depth to support the life needed for continuance. It does not (usually) happen instantly, it builds over time and is not for the impatient. It is not for the hand wringing over perfect soil mineral ratio balances. There is no secret formula and it can function with various soil types geographically. I'm a real supporter of using your local resources. It is not always perfect. It is something I observed to work and began writing about.
I noticed my plants in coots mix, are kinda harsh to smoke.... I figure I am not watering till enough runoff mid flower. I should add this caveat: I am a perfectionist, with mild ocd; what I consider harsh, most here probably don't.
Heady; I think what the worms are bedded on is much less important than what they are fed. Most of the medeiocer worm castings are fed a mix of worm chow and cardboard.... this produces castings, however not nearly as microbrial rich as the worm power castings that are fed composted manure. Worm chow is basically corn meal IIRC.
some people are sensitive to neem. the jury's still out for me but i have reduced my use of it & i don;t foliar w/ it {just in case} mainly i like to do a light top-dress w/ it in early veg as a preventive measure for the soil
What amount would you consider to be good for a new mix per cubic foot? ( a with 1-1/2 month veg time in mind)
1 cup/cubic ft.
If you're nervous about using neem, you could substitute karanja cake instead in regards to it's pesticidal properties.
What is the suspected lifespan of neem in the soil?
I personally won't use neem oil once flowers start to set in, neem meal tea no more than a week or so past that.
Timing matters in other aspects as well, neem meal is anti-fungal and when you make a tea and use it on your soil you are effecting bacterial/fungal balance. You can use it as a foliar but I find it less effective than oil.
Neem is best as a proactive tool, it can be used to eradicate but at much higher concentrations and not always without needing time for soil to normalize again.
seed meals, as fertilizer, have an expected duration in soil mixes ranging from 6 mos to 1 yr. the aromatics in neem seed meal likely do not exceed a month. this is why i advocate very small top-dressing. these can be utilized & timed to address the limited duration of the aromatics so that repeated applications do not cause a build up of fertility & create toxic soil conditions
same here. i wouldn't advocate foliar in flower however some essential oils at light rates can be handy for continued IPM ~still not a good plan to spray once flower set begins. better to be proactive w/ adequate soil Ca combined w/ occasional Ca foliar & a k-sil foliar at the flip ~these help "harden" the plant making cell walls tougher for insects to chew
not so sure about the anti-fungal thing as chunks of neem seed meal in the compost or EWC bin will fuzz up much like oatmeal does. medicinally, neem is sued to combat fungal conditions w/ people & pets {e.g. toenail fungus} likely many have heard of combining neem & karanja oil to treat mange in dogs. it does not seem to discourage beneficial soil fungus ~quite the opposite
absolutely true. everything about any IPM component should be proactive. IPM is a totally different approach than the typical pesticide thinking ~in that it is proactive. pesticide application used proactively would be disastrous. organic controls used reactively may not be very effective particularly in low amounts {such as won;t affect the quality of your finished product}
nice contribution weird
ETA, for those who don;t already know, remember to do your foliars before lights out so the wet plants are in the dark. esp. w/ neem the light will damage your plants shining through that foliar moisture