Living organic soil from start through recycling

[Gascanastan]

Recently spotted two long haired individuals gathering kelp from the ocean beaches...when I approached and discussion started,they were dodgy and evasive about what they were doing w/it....I knew they'd been reading ICmag.

It does not accumulate salt,if I remember correctly...Coot? but should maybe be rinsed.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

Correct - Sodium is a necessary element and plants accumulate this in very tiny amounts as necessary.

Rinse, let it dry, rinse again, let it dry, rinse one more time. Surf Biter harvests some interesting seaweed species and processes it correctly before letting it dry in the sun. That's how the kelp meal from ASL is processed - solar drying. No kilns are used at all.

CC

 

[bajangreen]

I for one didn't have any problems using seaweed straight from the sea, without rinseing, without problems.

 

[VortexPower420]

VortexPower420

The issue is directly related to a lack of organic material (OM) or a poor quality material was used. Often a combination of both.

3 plants that are used as soil amendments around the world are Alfalfa, Kelp and Comfrey. Not the only ones but you can find more information on these than say Orchard grass or whatever.

All of these plants are called 'nutrient accumulators' and they accumulate a total of 83 elements. There are a few differences such as Comfrey contains 2.x Potassium than Kelp meal. Alfalfa contains more Nitrogen than Kelp but is fairly equal with Comfrey and on and on.

If you use any of these in your garden soil or a potting soil mix, in the appropriate amount and form, you will cover the entire range of 'nutes' but having it 'there' doesn't translate into availability. That's where the soilfood web comes into play - without a strong humus as part of the soil all the amendments in this group will have a limited benefit.

If you used 1/2 cup of kelp meal in a soil you made vs using that in bag of dirt from the nursery, the homemade soil would have the Primary, Secondary and Micronutrients available via the microbe colonies. The bag of dirt will have far lower levels available to the plant's roots.

That's why most of the micronutrient products you find at nurseries are chelated using things like EDTA, Aqua Regia and worse. As hard as that is to believe...

CC

I know all of this like the back of my hand. I was just informing on the roles of the minerals in plants. I know Boron is present in these plant accumulators but do you reach necessary levels to be affecting the movement of nutrients in the most effective way possible or not used rapidly.

As far as I understand Aqua Regia is a Total acid test for the total nuitrients. Hugh Lovel recommends a Aqua Regia test as well as a melch3 and paste soil test so you know what is there now and what you have in reserves for later. So my understanding of that label is what is really there.

I much prefer humate cleates as well. much more effective and not harmful.

Timbuktu

 

[ClackamasCootz]

That makes sense - used as a testing method and not for extraction. The 2 biggest processors of powdered seaweed extract, Maxicrop & ASL, use Potassium Hydroxide

 

[shmalphy]

I gathered seaweed the other day, it works great fresh as a mulch. I just give it a quick rinse and cut it up with scissors. Smells just like the dried kelp meal but fresher and stronger, I love it! Lasts quite a while before it breaks down and holds a ton of moisture. I got some crab, clam, oyster, and sea snail shells while I was at it.

 

[VortexPower420]

Aura Regia one company does the test in Austurala Enviromental Analysis lab lismore NSW

ugh wrote about it in the Jan issue Acres Mag

Once again Everyone should get a subscription to Acres, what a great reference and the book order library Can not be matched.

Timbuktu

 

[W89]

So Cootz looking at my picture you see its just kelp that has been cut and dried and not processed with anything.. I would have thought that is what you want isn't it?

 

[VortexPower420]

Hugh Lovel is who wrote the article
Aqua Regia uses Nitric and Hydrochloric

Timbuktu

 

[W89]

whas Timbuktu?

 

[ClackamasCootz]

So Cootz looking at my picture you see its just kelp that has been cut and dried and not processed with anything.. I would have thought that is what you want isn't it?

It looks like what raw kelp should look like. In fact it's in a more raw form than what we buy out of Nova Scotia, Canada.

Their kelp meal has been ground to a very consistent size - somewhere between coarse salt and fresh-ground pepper. The processor really has this one down.

Not saying that's good or bad - that's just how it comes out of the bag

 

[ClackamasCootz]

W89

Back to your supplier, hit the page for their neem meal and look at the table listing a few compounds (Azadiractin, Nimbin & Salanin) and just a few of the nutrients it provides.

You'll see that the levels of some of the micronutrients being discussed are listed as well as the amount this meal contains. This is more so with the one you're using as it's cold-pressed vs. using solvents.

Of the 3 compounds listed out of 22, Nimbin & Salanin are the strongest pesticide from this tree. It's very difficult to isolate and extract which is why you don't find much information about either one and you won't find it in retail products at your local nursery.

CC

 

[YosemiteSam]

Recently spotted two long haired individuals gathering kelp from the ocean beaches...when I approached and discussion started,they were dodgy and evasive about what they were doing w/it....I knew they'd been reading ICmag.

It does not accumulate salt,if I remember correctly...Coot? but should maybe be rinsed.

Yep...the plant itself is not going to contain more than a couple % Na and that will not be a problem at all unless your total K is lower than Na (and the seaweed itself is a K accumulator so no worries at all). It will accumulate on the surface though and you definitely want to rinse that off with water...then dried as slow as possible and voila...home made nutes

 

[SilverSurfer_OG]

Even if you don't use them as a nursery container you can never have too many. They're great for storing amendments that insects like: kelp meal, seed meals, fish amendments, etc. and for storing mineral mixes you might want to mix in larger amounts to make things easier.

That's where the Odjob Cement Mixer comes in - about $25.00 and you just load the stuff into this, screw on the top and roll it around the floor with your foot - just push it away from you. Holds about 1 c.f. and keeps the dust down quite a bit - not perfect but a great deal.

View Image

That thing looks awesome i want one!

 

[vonforne]

whas Timbuktu?

it is the new `nute´ line by Big Mike at AN. Only 75.00 an ounce and he said it is certified organic. So you know it is the real deal.

 

[Seandawg]

it is the new `nute´ line by Big Mike at AN. Only 75.00 an ounce and he said it is certified organic. So you know it is the real deal.

Holy crap! He said that?
That's it, I'm ganna empty my bank account and get as much as I can. Maybe I can afford a half bottle lmao (more like half an ounce)

 

[VortexPower420]

it is the new `nute´ line by Big Mike at AN. Only 75.00 an ounce and he said it is certified organic. So you know it is the real deal.

Whatdo you mean :donno:

 

[vonforne]

Holy crap! He said that?
That's it, I'm ganna empty my bank account and get as much as I can. Maybe I can afford a half bottle lmao (more like half an ounce)

ya I am headed over to Moms and empty her purse! She just got her SS money this month. I can get 10 ozs with 750.00! That would last me a couple applications at the recommended dosage.

 

[Seandawg]

ya I am headed over to Moms and empty her purse! She just got her SS money this month. I can get 10 ozs with 750.00! That would last me a couple applications at the recommended dosage.

Damn that's a good idea!

Then I'll drop off some flowers n say thanks mom! Lol

 

[VortexPower420]

Another thing I learned. Calphos or soft rock phosphate is water soluble. Well not completely 3% is phosphate is soluble the other 17% is not and will be broken down in the soil. Total 20 % P. The calcium component 20% is in a prefixed colloid form. So what is not P or Ca is colloidal clay with trace minerals.

If you take 1Cup per gal stir and let sit over night the water will still be cloudy (colloids).

Great for P of Ca def. and can be foiliared (as I have been told, yet to try particles are small enough to be consumed by phyloplane bac and fungi) I would dilute

I have been doing 1 cup of cal phos per 5 gal with Humates, Sea minerals (Sea-crop), kelp and a little nep fish and maybe a Tlbs per gal Sul-po-mag to make a complete nutrient drench in time of need. Any combonation of this can be used based on plant needs.


Timbuktu