Tutorial Organics for Beginners

[619Sativa]

O.K dudes and dudettes, I have a question. While reading through this thread and others, I hear more and more about adding beneficial bacteria and fungi. So when I give my plants a guano tea(as specified in recipe #3) am I adding bene's, or should I be adding something else as well? I'm a little confused about this. If I do need to be adding anything else, does anybody have any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

 

[619Sativa]

Also, does anybody know how well an outdoor fruit and veggie garden would do with any of the recipes listed in the beginning of this thread. I want to start going the organic route as I have heard great things about the taste and quality. Maybe the 3LB's recipe, adding all of my amendments and just adding plain water. That seems like a simple outdoor recipe, just wondering if any of you have experience with that. Thanks in advance.

 

[grapeman]

I can buy 30lbs of worm castings for $20 a bag. How many cubic feet would this be?

Thanks!

You're not seriously asking this are you?

Get a pan and see how many cups it holds "exactly". Measure your 30 # bag as to how many pans it is "exactly". Multiply the number of pans your EWC bag has in it by the number of cups your pan holds "exactly". Look up how many cups in a CF "exactly".

do the math "exactly". this will tell you how many (or what percent of) CF your bag has in it.... "exactly".

 

[rasputin]

BurnOne or Vonforme

I have available to me an organic coconut coir product from the Philippine Islands. It's running $7.50 for 2 c.f.

Any opinion on using this product for a LC mix vs. peat moss? Organic Peat Moss is also available out of Canada.

I'd appreciate any opinion(s) about one product over the other. If it matters I will be using pumice (locally sourced) over perlite or vermiculite.

Thanks!

CC

^^ +1
I've been wondering the same. Please correct me if I'm wrong but based on the reading I have done on coco I don't think it's as easy as swapping peat for coco and brewing the teas as usual.

 

[vonforne]

I have one question. Its about dolomitelime.
It comes wuth different mg % doses. Some are 3.5% and some ive seen have been up to 10%.

Will my plants suffer mg def if i use the 3.5% mg content dolomite lime in the same doses u guys recommend?

Thnx Pop

You want the one that is 35% mg to 55% ca

BurnOne or Vonforme

I have available to me an organic coconut coir product from the Philippine Islands. It's running $7.50 for 2 c.f.

Any opinion on using this product for a LC mix vs. peat moss? Organic Peat Moss is also available out of Canada.

I'd appreciate any opinion(s) about one product over the other. If it matters I will be using pumice (locally sourced) over perlite or vermiculite.

Thanks!

CC

Any opinion on using this product for a LC mix vs. peat moss?


VS peat.....I do not know. I mix mine with but never in place of.


I have been using coco in my mixes for a while. It seems to work well but I have a problem with the finer particle settling to the bottom of the containers.

In Florida I used an Organic composted Peat moss. I liked it..... a lot. I will just have to compost my own now.

V

I was wondering the same thing last night.While maybe/maybe not the same as what you are talking about, I was looking at Sun Gro's "just coir" and wondering if/how it could be substituted. I was planning today to look into this, and how coir is with water, mixing, etc..
Never used it before, but curious.

You can feel the difference in the texture when you squeeze it. I like the feel. And it does take loger to break down than peat and is not as acidic. So, you do not need to lime it.

Mixing?- 20 % seems good.

wateing....I would not use over 20% again. I added more compost when I recycled this round of soil. I like it better this time. Too much coco you will have to water too often.

I am still working on it .... can you tell?

 

[vonforne]

O.K dudes and dudettes, I have a question. While reading through this thread and others, I hear more and more about adding beneficial bacteria and fungi. So when I give my plants a guano tea(as specified in recipe #3) am I adding bene's, or should I be adding something else as well? I'm a little confused about this. If I do need to be adding anything else, does anybody have any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Get the soil foundation down good first. The rest will come.

Get the book "Teaming with Microbes" and also visit

http://www.soilfoodweb.com/sfi_approach1.html

it will all come together soon.

V

 

[louie]

So, I have been using LCs peat mix and recipe #1 (bone, blood, kelp) for a few rounds now. I have measured everything to a T, and the results have been pretty good besides for a cal/mag deficiency I seem to get about 35-40 days in (Im counteracting this with more lime than the recipe asks for.) My question though is: Im wondering why my pots usually take 6-7 days to dry out enough for another watering? My pots aren't very big, 2 gallons, with about three- ish foot plants in them. I have used a similar mix in the past, but with promix and with different ratios of kelp, bone, blood, and it would take about 3-4 days to dry out enough for another water. Does 6-7 days seem too long for my size pots and plants?

 

[vonforne]

So, I have been using LCs peat mix and recipe #1 (bone, blood, kelp) for a few rounds now. I have measured everything to a T, and the results have been pretty good besides for a cal/mag deficiency I seem to get about 35-40 days in (Im counteracting this with more lime than the recipe asks for.) My question though is: Im wondering why my pots usually take 6-7 days to dry out enough for another watering? My pots aren't very big, 2 gallons, with about three- ish foot plants in them. I have used a similar mix in the past, but with promix and with different ratios of kelp, bone, blood, and it would take about 3-4 days to dry out enough for another water. Does 6-7 days seem too long for my size pots and plants?

that is about right for the beginning. Is it the same through out?

V

 

[VerdantGreen]

Originally Posted by Clackamas Coot
BurnOne or Vonforme

I have available to me an organic coconut coir product from the Philippine Islands. It's running $7.50 for 2 c.f.

Any opinion on using this product for a LC mix vs. peat moss? Organic Peat Moss is also available out of Canada.

I'd appreciate any opinion(s) about one product over the other. If it matters I will be using pumice (locally sourced) over perlite or vermiculite.

Thanks!

CC

ive been using coco and peat 50/50 ish recently after using just peat and it certainly changes the phenotype of the plant which is interesting - the buds are more 'corned' with tiny foxtails. not sure if this is better or worse - but definitely different

as i understand it, coir sourced from inland areas is better for growing as it has less salt in it - but perhaps a good soaking would sort this out?

VG.

 

[stlsoldier531]

If I am using Cana coco do I have to flush before?? It says it has been treated and washed.

I was thinking of doing recipe #1

Do I have to ph it before I add the ingredients?? Or can I just add the ingredients?? By the way I use R/O water...

Thanks

 

[louie]

that is about right for the beginning. Is it the same through out?

V

Thanks for the reply Von. Yeah it is about 6-7 days for the soil to dry out enough for another watering throughout flowering. Is this normal throughout?

 

[cosmiccowboy]

from seed,how many leaves should a plant have on it before it's put into lc's mix with recipe #1 ....?....they are 14 days old and one of them has 14 leaves on it..

 

[NickMode]

Grapeman........I am running my tomatoes in 100 liter-modified LC´s mix also. The eat that mix up for sure.

V

i grew tomatoes and peppers in lc's mix #1 also w/ bat guano cottonseed meal and alfalfa meal. I had lots left over so i threw it all in my veggie pots. they loved it and they were some yummy veggies.

 

[hopefullyhappy]

So I’m going to try out LC’s soil less mix #1 and had a couple questions.
I found “ground” dolomite lime. Is that okay instead of using “powdered”?
Also, does the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss have to be “Canadian”?

 

[cosmiccowboy]

So I’m going to try out LC’s soil less mix #1 and had a couple questions.
I found “ground” dolomite lime. Is that okay instead of using “powdered”?
Also, does the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss have to be “Canadian”?

i think ground and powdered are the same thing and i think sphagnum is fine.

 

[Clackamas Coot]

Also, does the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss have to be “Canadian”?

In North America I'd suspect that all 'peat moss' sold is sourced from Canada.

In Europe it is probably Ireland where the whole peat moss issue is quite a political/environmental issue. Not germane to your question per se.

HTH

CC

 

[Batboy]

Flipping the switch

Flipping the switch

I have been vegging using LC Mix #2 and Recipe #1; each recipe was closely followed with no subsitutions or corners cut. Plants have gotten only water mixed with a bit of Liquid Karma and occassional mollasses. I have been very happy with the results so far -- thanks to the knowledgable folks on this board.

I will be flipping to 12/12 in about a week and I wanted to know if there is anything special I should be doing with respect to supplementing or boosting ferts for the stretch and flowering. The reason that I picked Recipe #1 was because I don't want to be brewing up any potions or teas, I want to keep it simple. I do have on hand dry EWC, dry Budswell (0-7-0), an unopened bottle of liquid Maxicrop and Neptune's Harvest fish/seaweed (2-3-1). I just don't know if I should be using any of these.

Should I be feeding anything extra now before flipping or shortly after flipping in preparation for the stretch and ultimate P uptake in flowering? Or am I better off waiting for the plant to 'tell' me it needs something extra?

Thanks

 

[K.J]

Should I be feeding anything extra now before flipping or shortly after flipping in preparation for the stretch and ultimate P uptake in flowering? Or am I better off waiting for the plant to 'tell' me it needs something extra?

Yes, that. Just stick with what you're doing until the plants say otherwise (for instance, this grow I had to do a high N bat guano tea a few times to slow down the yellowing after the first few weeks in flower).

 

[Wooderson]

Was in LA today and was given the full line of AGGrand organic fertilizers to evaluate.
Made in Wisconsin. Never seen or heard of the product before, but I did see a grow that used the product exclusively with "Light Warrior" soil and a bit of extra perlite. Knocked my socks off.

Seems interesting enough.
Natural Fertilizer - 4-3-3
Liquid Bonemeal - 0-12-0
Natural Kelp + Sulfate of Potash - 0-0-8
Liquid Lime - Made from Dolomite Lime

http://www.aggrand.com/

Any have any experience with these products?

Hey grapeman,How did the AGGRAND products workout? I'm very curious about the Natural Kelp + Sulfate of Potash?

 

[grapeman]

Hey grapeman,How did the AGGRAND products workout? I'm very curious about the Natural Kelp + Sulfate of Potash?

I used them a bit on my mothers since my current grow is a soil mix with all the additives. They are standing by just in case.

Hard to tell with the mothers. they are healthy, but they are not pushed like the plants in the flower room.