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I Soiled Myself (and I took photos so you can all watch)
- Thread starter The English Cut
- Start date
The English Cut
Well-known member
The Neem will definitely go in there, it should be arriving today so too late to go in the mix this time, but I'll do some top-dressing. as for the kelp, I'll get hold of a small amount to add to the mix and do a comparison test later in the summer when I've got clones of some of these babies to play with but if i can avoid adding it, I will. Thanks.
Hi TEC.
I really like the idea of building your own soil from materials sourced from your own land. I'd love to be able to do that one day.
Looks like you have a really nice farm there with some stunning views.
Are you using light deprivation to flower outside or do the short hours make the plants flower naturally?
Peace
I really like the idea of building your own soil from materials sourced from your own land. I'd love to be able to do that one day.
Looks like you have a really nice farm there with some stunning views.
Are you using light deprivation to flower outside or do the short hours make the plants flower naturally?
Peace
The English Cut
Well-known member
HI PRJ and thanks for the encouragement. No light dep (although my dream is an automated greenhouse system - one day!). It's the shorter hours at this time of year, same as autumn except that the light period is increasing instead of reducing - this shouldn't be a problem for most of the plants, but the more sativa-leaning strains will probably be wanting to go back into veg instead of finishing flowering properly towards the end. I may have to some kind of light dep for the last few weeks on those, but we'll see when the time comes.
way to go man....yeehaw
if its working well I don't see the point of adding much more. is that the Spanish countryside? it looks a lot like the uk..
The English Cut
Well-known member
Hi all, thanks for all the kind words, I'm glad everyone's enjoying.
Granger2: Thanks, the neem cake has arrived but I haven't had time to top dress with it yet. I think I'm gonna give the kelp a miss though and instead mulch with comfrey leaves once they start coming, cheaper and homegrown too.
paulo73: Very nice to see you here, I'm actually in the process of making my first batch of Lion Balm based on the recipe you posted, big thanks for that. Also got some of those Leb Chunks on the go in the polytunnel - some really nice looking plants indeed.
siftedunity: Yeah it's a lot like parts of the uk here, limestone geology so a lot of it reminds me of the peak district. The weather ain't all that different from blighty either tbh.
Epiphyte: It's really sad to see the stone walls around here all falling down, I'd say only about 10% get repaired - sadly it's a dying art. I do what I can to keep mine serviceable but I probably have 2km or thereabouts to look after so it's a losing battle really. Can't wait for the kids to be old enough to help with that, but I'm not sure they feel the same way lol.
Bud Green Sr.: Very glad you approve. How do you use the DE? Sprinkle around the plant or in the soil mix? Don't the grasshoppers just hop over it?
Here the weather has taken a predictable turn for the worse and naturally the plants are suffering a bit. High winds blew the polytunnel door open one night and some of them got blasted by icy winds for a few hours and were pretty badly burnt. Here's the worst affected one:
I've given them some AACT to the soil and some fresh Aloe foliar in an attempt to soften the blow a little, it seems to have worked - at least they're not getting any worse now and in general seem vigorous and healthy if you ignore the burnt bits! Hopefully they'll recover but with temps averaging 10ºc in there, they're not doing much growing, so it's a waiting game right now.
On a more positive note, I dug up 2 huge comfrey crowns, split them into 20 fingers of root & shoot and replanted them around the place. So maybe not this year, but certainly next year I'll have heaps of the it to play with, it probably still won't be enough, I can't really get too much of the lovely stuff. Land kelp anyone?
I've also been given about a ton (at least that's what it felt like loading the trailer) of chicken manure from the local animal feed place (where we also buy our hens) and even though they don't use organic feed, I've checked the label on the stuff they do use and it doesn't appear to have any nasties in it - just supplementary minerals so I'm thinking it'll be fine if I compost it long enough with straw, leaves and other roughage. Whatever happens I'll have far too much of it for the garden so I guess the fruit trees are going to have the benefit of it at the end of the day. I'm thinking about making some kind of larger scale worm farm to deal with it as well but I need something simple - possibly some 1 cubic metre builders sacks, they're cheap and quick.
Anyway I think I've talked enough shit for one day. I'll update plant progress once the weather improves. Until then I'll be doing a sundance. Take it easy everyone. Peace, TEC.
Granger2: Thanks, the neem cake has arrived but I haven't had time to top dress with it yet. I think I'm gonna give the kelp a miss though and instead mulch with comfrey leaves once they start coming, cheaper and homegrown too.
paulo73: Very nice to see you here, I'm actually in the process of making my first batch of Lion Balm based on the recipe you posted, big thanks for that. Also got some of those Leb Chunks on the go in the polytunnel - some really nice looking plants indeed.
siftedunity: Yeah it's a lot like parts of the uk here, limestone geology so a lot of it reminds me of the peak district. The weather ain't all that different from blighty either tbh.
Epiphyte: It's really sad to see the stone walls around here all falling down, I'd say only about 10% get repaired - sadly it's a dying art. I do what I can to keep mine serviceable but I probably have 2km or thereabouts to look after so it's a losing battle really. Can't wait for the kids to be old enough to help with that, but I'm not sure they feel the same way lol.
Bud Green Sr.: Very glad you approve. How do you use the DE? Sprinkle around the plant or in the soil mix? Don't the grasshoppers just hop over it?
Here the weather has taken a predictable turn for the worse and naturally the plants are suffering a bit. High winds blew the polytunnel door open one night and some of them got blasted by icy winds for a few hours and were pretty badly burnt. Here's the worst affected one:
I've given them some AACT to the soil and some fresh Aloe foliar in an attempt to soften the blow a little, it seems to have worked - at least they're not getting any worse now and in general seem vigorous and healthy if you ignore the burnt bits! Hopefully they'll recover but with temps averaging 10ºc in there, they're not doing much growing, so it's a waiting game right now.
On a more positive note, I dug up 2 huge comfrey crowns, split them into 20 fingers of root & shoot and replanted them around the place. So maybe not this year, but certainly next year I'll have heaps of the it to play with, it probably still won't be enough, I can't really get too much of the lovely stuff. Land kelp anyone?
I've also been given about a ton (at least that's what it felt like loading the trailer) of chicken manure from the local animal feed place (where we also buy our hens) and even though they don't use organic feed, I've checked the label on the stuff they do use and it doesn't appear to have any nasties in it - just supplementary minerals so I'm thinking it'll be fine if I compost it long enough with straw, leaves and other roughage. Whatever happens I'll have far too much of it for the garden so I guess the fruit trees are going to have the benefit of it at the end of the day. I'm thinking about making some kind of larger scale worm farm to deal with it as well but I need something simple - possibly some 1 cubic metre builders sacks, they're cheap and quick.
Anyway I think I've talked enough shit for one day. I'll update plant progress once the weather improves. Until then I'll be doing a sundance. Take it easy everyone. Peace, TEC.
Nice one mate.
I hope the Balm works well for you, we´ve used it around here for many issues and it´s never a bad thing to have around. Now i´ve found out that it even helps on my back pain.
If you can drop us a few shots of the Leb Chunks.
Thanks for sharing
I hope the Balm works well for you, we´ve used it around here for many issues and it´s never a bad thing to have around. Now i´ve found out that it even helps on my back pain.
If you can drop us a few shots of the Leb Chunks.
Thanks for sharing
The English Cut
Well-known member
Superb news about back pain relief, for you and for me also, I'm waiting for the oil to harden right now, and once i get the beeswax etc mixed in I'm likely to be applying it warm - my back's still killing me after lugging all that chicken shit!
There are some pics of the Leb Chunks from 2 weeks ago on the first post in this thread:https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=302696
I didn't take any pics since then but they are fortunate to be in a nice sheltered spot in the polytunnel and so escaped the worst of the wind. I'll try and update that thread soon. Have yourself a good weekend, TEC.
There are some pics of the Leb Chunks from 2 weeks ago on the first post in this thread:https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=302696
I didn't take any pics since then but they are fortunate to be in a nice sheltered spot in the polytunnel and so escaped the worst of the wind. I'll try and update that thread soon. Have yourself a good weekend, TEC.
feeblebunny
Member
Very cool. I had to look up the Rudy Ray Moore reference . Thought he might have been a former enemy of yours that you'd composted 
Over the past few years, perhaps 4 cups per 50 sq. ft., of DE has been mixed into my garden soil..
Mainly, it is used a a topical, for the grasshopper control..I have found the easiest way to apply it is this:
I bought the old fashioned, red and yellow, ketchup and mustard, plastic squeeze bottles....I fill them up with DE, put cheapo paper surgical mask over my nose and mouth, and just "squirt" the powdered DE out on my garden and on my girls...
I also "squirt" it out over the surrounding areas and weeds..Just a very light powder coating... Grasshoppers and other exoskeleton bugs which land on it will die as it dries out the exoskeleton...
It does NOT seem to hurt the "assasin bugs" in my garden..(I like them, I watch them eat all kinds of bad bugs)...and it doesn't seem to hurt my ladybug population or any of my other beneficial insects....
You just need to try it and see if it works where you are....
pnwmystery
New member
Wow, I'm envious of that land you own. Especially to be right next to really old woods, that's so cool! Great thread so far.
Polishdankchron
Member
Great!
Great!
Really fantastic read - one level up from just using organic ingredients and actually producing them, using everything so efficiently... gives me things to dream about when I own a house.
I laughed at the vompost - that must be some gnarly stuff! Honestly the mole piles are genious... let the mole do the digging for you!
I'm also curious about your 16 auto mephisto plants - it's good they didn't get that ice blast that hurt some of your plants. Are you thinking about doing updates here or on Spain Adventure? =)
Thanks, pdc
Great!
Really fantastic read - one level up from just using organic ingredients and actually producing them, using everything so efficiently... gives me things to dream about when I own a house.
I laughed at the vompost - that must be some gnarly stuff! Honestly the mole piles are genious... let the mole do the digging for you!
I'm also curious about your 16 auto mephisto plants - it's good they didn't get that ice blast that hurt some of your plants. Are you thinking about doing updates here or on Spain Adventure? =)
Thanks, pdc
growingcrazy
Well-known member
Nice read thus far! I really like reading about how other farmers work on the land. Very nice mix of humic sources.
GC
GC
