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Tutorial Organics for Beginners

rasputin

rasputin

The Mad Monk
Veteran
Stoner moment grapeman or just a simple flub up? I had a stoner moment few weeks back, meant to add in the d-lime and, of course, only realized it while potting the 15th and final cut. Now why couldn't I have remembered by the 7th container? Or the 10th? Figures. :)
 
grapeman

grapeman

Active member
Veteran
Clackamas Coot said:
DO NOT TRY THIS A HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

Either grapeman or Vonforne mentioned using warm water to dissolve the K-Mag (whatever) product.

I only had the 'regular' product available - i.e. pretty large chunks. Definitely NOT granular or a powder by any stretch of the imagination.

So here was my experiment - I took 1 tablespoon of the K-Mag product and put it into a pan with about 1 quart of water. I took it to a boiling point and within a few minutes I had 'almost' a pure product - minus about .5 grams of product that did not dissolve.

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!

It will probably kill your plants thereby ruining your entire garden! It may even make your neighbor look with lust in his eyes at your pet dog. It will probably cause you to go impotent or at least uninterested in coitus.

BE AWARE!!

LOL

CC
Click to expand...

Well I got tired of trying to use sulfate of potash in my water as it's too much trouble to bring into solution.

So I just picked up today a bag of Sulfate of Potash "solution grade" at my local Ag Supply store.

"Great Salt Lake Mineral Company" brand. They buy their raw product from the K-Mag folks and further mill it to a soluble powder. 100% soluble, no boiling necessary. LOL CC

50# for $24. Should last 7 years or more.

All the grades from K-Mag are only really good as soil amendments, which should be added to the soil at mixing time. I wanted to be able to add some K at later stages of flower and this was a good way to go.

The product is 0-0-50.

Just thought I post it here in case anyone else wanted a soluble grade product without the hassle.

Oh, and for the organic nazis, see below.

 
V

vonforne

grapeman said:
Well shit. I normally clone at a 95%+ rate into soil.

I got my bins mixed up in the garage and cloned into my LC#2 mix with dry ferts, instead of straight roots organic with dolomite.

I'll have to start all over again. Yes kids, it's a bit hot. Especially since I've been cooking it out there for 8 weeks or so.
Click to expand...

What was the root development like?

V
 
V

vonforne

intotheunknown said:
now what i would like to know is how long AFTER you mix an lc's mix will it be good for? anyone know the answer to this?
Click to expand...


Turn it ever now and then and it is good forever until the soil is grown in or the nutrients are leeched out in some way.

V
 
Clackamas Coot

Clackamas Coot

Active member
Veteran
intotheunknown

Just to add to Vonforne's advice - make sure that you do NOT put your soil mix in a sealed container as it will go anaerobic on you. Big time.

I speak from stupid experience.

CC
 
grapeman

grapeman

Active member
Veteran
vonforne said:
With EWC also. It will help them recover, along with a good compost tea.

V
Click to expand...

Thanks V. If they aren't too sad, I'll make an effort to recover them. I've got plenty of new cuts I can make. My experience is such that once a plant suffers it is difficult to make a first class tree out of it.
 
grapeman

grapeman

Active member
Veteran
Clackamas Coot said:
intotheunknown

Just to add to Vonforne's advice - make sure that you do NOT put your soil mix in a sealed container as it will go anaerobic on you. Big time.

I speak from stupid experience.

CC
Click to expand...

Oh. Well maybe that was the problemo. Although I do make a habit of opening and turning the soil once a week or so. Maybe I didn't mix my bins up after all. Would I be able to tell via the nose test?

Hope so, since I've got about 5cf in the garage in sealed bins chillin.
 
Clackamas Coot

Clackamas Coot

Active member
Veteran
The batch that I screwed up had a pronounced 'sour smell' to it. The complete opposite of what my soil mix smells like when it's mixed and potted.

As soon as I popped the lid on the Rubbermade bin I knew I was screwed 10 ways to Sunday. No one ever said education is cheap.

HTH

CC
 
intotheunknown

intotheunknown

Active member
Veteran
Clackamas Coot said:
intotheunknown

Just to add to Vonforne's advice - make sure that you do NOT put your soil mix in a sealed container as it will go anaerobic on you. Big time.

I speak from stupid experience.

CC
Click to expand...

the soil is in a rubbermaid 25 gal bin, which has 2 smaller holes in the handles, think thats enough? or should i drill some more holes?
much appreciated Clackamas.
 
Clackamas Coot

Clackamas Coot

Active member
Veteran
intotheunknown

I'd keep the lid ajar based on my disaster. And I'd give the soil a good turn every couple of days or so.

Not trying to make a lot of work for you but simply trying to preclude the problems associated with an anaerobic potting soil.

HTH

CC
 
intotheunknown

intotheunknown

Active member
Veteran
Clackamas Coot said:
intotheunknown

I'd keep the lid ajar based on my disaster. And I'd give the soil a good turn every couple of days or so.

Not trying to make a lot of work for you but simply trying to preclude the problems associated with an anaerobic potting soil.

HTH

CC
Click to expand...

ok so a good amount of air flow would be ideal then. makes sense to me.
oh and dont worry about that, this is all work, and i just so happen to enjoy working.
so tell me, what are the indicators that the soil has gone anaerobic? i notice that you had mentioned the smell, any others?
 
Clackamas Coot

Clackamas Coot

Active member
Veteran
The smell was overwhelming - a very pronounced ammonia order. Almost as strong as opening a bottle of ammonia and taking a whiff. Not quite that strong but pretty close.

And off-color mold on top of the potting soil was another indicator. Based on my experience as an artisan baker and growing yeast cultures (sourdough), red and rose color molds are not good. Same with the blue colored molds.

Whether or not that translates into a potting soil I can't say - but I wasn't willing to take any chances. I eventually dumped the soil out in the front yard away from the trunks of the shrubs and trees.

HTH

CC
 
Corpsey

Corpsey

pollen dabber
ICMag Donor
Veteran
I guess i should take the lid off my rubbermaid too. haha.

I didn't know you were an artisan baker CC, i just started getting into it heavily this year. Nothing beats a bread that takes days to make.

I just got my Sul-Po-Mag and Soft Rock Phosphate in the mail. They are both granulated, do they need to be ground to a dust? or is this fine to add to the soil mix as is?

thanks in advance!
 
S

Slick.E.Boy

Member
went to 4 stores today, happy to find pretty much everything to get started but am getting hung up on "dolomite lime" (I read all 2,000+ posts forward & back, can't remember if my answer is somwhere in these anymore, also read the "virtues of DL post"). I found Hydrated lime but have learned that could be bad (especially for a newb), right? Found "Agricultural Limestone" then found this info about it from oregon extension: "Ag. Limestone contains calcium, while dolomitic lime contains both calcium and magnesium". Could I go with this and supplement some mag.? OR maybe my local Ace has this: Encap® Fast Acting Lime http://www.acehardware.com/product/...3785&kw=lime&origkw=lime&searchId=47455360064 OR am I looking in the wrong place? I live in Colorado and could probably try farm & feed supply? TIA
 
SuperSizeMe

SuperSizeMe

A foot without a sock...
Veteran
Slick.E.Boy said:
went to 4 stores today, happy to find pretty much everything to get started but am getting hung up on "dolomite lime" (I read all 2,000+ posts forward & back, can't remember if my answer is somwhere in these anymore, also read the "virtues of DL post"). I found Hydrated lime but have learned that could be bad (especially for a newb), right? Found "Agricultural Limestone" then found this info about it from oregon extension: "Ag. Limestone contains calcium, while dolomitic lime contains both calcium and magnesium". Could I go with this and supplement some mag.? OR maybe my local Ace has this: Encap® Fast Acting Lime http://www.acehardware.com/product/...3785&kw=lime&origkw=lime&searchId=47455360064 OR am I looking in the wrong place? I live in Colorado and could probably try farm & feed supply? TIA
Click to expand...

Hey Slick -

Most any garden center will have Pulverized (powder) Dolomitic Lime.
I found it at Wallyworld and then my local Agway (much cheaper)

GL :joint:

Oh hey, Von...Picked up that Shrimp & Seaweed compost today as well...




:wave:
 
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