Tutorial Organics for Beginners

[toodles]

Sam:

This is the dolomite lime you want. This is Hi-Yield brand Agricultural Limestone (powder form). I found it in the town where my g/f lives....at a local plant shop/nursery.

You can see the front of the package in post#2 on my diary. I chopped off the bottom with the distributor's info...so here it is:

Voluntary Purchasing Group, Inc.
Hwy 56 West
Bonham Texas 75418

www.v-p-g.com

The Hi-Yield part of the site has a zip code locater for dealers. It worked in my case.



See the analysis? 21.60% Ca 13.03 Mg. That's the analysis you want. Dolomite lime analysis varies a bit from place to place and manufacturer to manufacturer. Some states like Florida have regulations governing the content percentages of Ca and Mg. But this is the stuff. The "prilled form" (little gray balls) is also OK to use. I found that locally in the Whitney Farms brand pictured below.

 

[Sam Slambam]

Toodles-


i hear you on the prep work bit. I am a very patient fellow and I'd much rather set myself up for the win on the long haul, know what I mean? I've been doing a lot of research here on the site today about reusing soil. I really like alot of what I'm reading about it. From what I gather, reusing soil sounds very similar to what goes on with the creation of the LC Mixes. I really strive to get the most bang for my buck. That said, I grow for quality not quantity, better put, quantity does matter but it takes a back seat.

So I'm beginning to look at it like this, seems to me to be no need to add any Coir or Peat to my soil. Amendments however are obviously crucial. So I think my plan will be to scour the local garden store for some blood mean and bone meal, I've got the lime coming, pick up some Guano's and maybe some greensand, EWC's, Kelp, the POM F&F seems like a welcome addition to the mix as it aids in adding mycorhyzae's to the soil, mix it all up with a healthy dose of perlite till it's just right, wet it with some of my BioBizz Heaven, ( humic and fulvic acids) and keep it stirring.


Does this sound about right? Am I neglecting anything as far as anyone can tell?
Also,

a). should I be adding the Maxicrop to the soil mix for the "cooking" process?
b). how long is the minimum "cook" time?

 

[toodles]

Does this sound about right? Am I neglecting anything as far as anyone can tell?
Also,

a). should I be adding the Maxicrop to the soil mix for the "cooking" process?

IMO..yes

b). how long is the minimum "cook" time?

Two weeks is the minimum I like.

As you probably figured out, I like doing all the work up front. It makes life and growing just soooooooooooooooo much easier and more fun later on.

The seed plants you see in my grow are now past day 30 of flower and 60 days overall. I have not had a bit of trouble with them. I have given them only water LK, and molasses. And as I said, I have reconsidered using LK every watering. My new worm tea should be here tomorrow or the next day. I'll use a homemade worm tea tomorrow morning since they looked a bit dry this afternoon.

My grow plan is to continue with worm tea/molasses every watering until I see some sign they might need something more. This is the first time I have used this particular mix, so I don't really know what I'll need to do, if anything, down the line. My plants won't finish until sometime in December....so a lot could happen.

Toodles

 

[Sam Slambam]

All I could find as far as lime goes at the nearest garden center was Espoma Garden Lime, which was pelletized but the specs were more or less on w/ what you posted toodles. Is is possible to use this stuff I wonder if I put it in bag a crush it up with a rolling pin?

Also, they only had Miracle Gro brand Blood and Bone meal, and having read an overwhelming amount of negatives on almost ALL things MG, I deferred on that as well.

 

[BurnOne]

MG blood and bone are fine to use.

 

[Sam Slambam]

Thanks for the heads up on the MG Blood and Bone Burn1. Per chance do you, ( or anyone else), happen to know the scoop on the pelletized lime? Is it just the fact that it is pelletized that makes it not as useful as powdered?

 

[toodles]

Thanks for the heads up on the MG Blood and Bone Burn1. Per chance do you, ( or anyone else), happen to know the scoop on the pelletized lime? Is it just the fact that it is pelletized that makes it not as useful as powdered?

The pellitizedwill work if

1) the contents, formula wise, are the same or ~same.

2) you crush it up.

I'd get an old towel and crush it with a hammer. I don't think a rollin pin will do it. Some use old coffee grinders. You need to get it reasonably fine so it will incorporate itself into the soil easily. In pellet form it would take too long.

Toodles

 

[Sam Slambam]

EDIT: I started my mix today. I bought a 45 gallon Rubbermaid Container ( on wheels ).

1. added what I roughly equated to be about 14 gallons of FFOF - ( 10 of which were from a fresh bag and 4 of which from an older bag),

2. added 192oz's of locally produced EWC's but I feel I need to double that number still to match the ratio of 3 to 1.

3. 4 gallons of Perlite

4. 18 tablespoons of Maxicrop Flakes

5. Still waiting to add the Blood and Bone meal, going to go with the MG brand as Burn1 gave it thumbs up.

6. Waiting to get all of my additives in before I add the Lime, but by my calculations if I have about 18 gallons of dry medium than I should be adding about 2 cups worth?


Here is what I'm missing, the Jersey Greensand. I can not seem to source any. So far everything I've mentioned I either already had on hand or found at local shops. As I've stated before, I don't care to go to the Hydro shop if I can avoid it, it's far and well, you know. Is that where most folks source their greensand though, the Hydro Shop?



you guys are the best! I actually wound up using an old mortar and pistil and it worked quite well! I have 14 gallons of medium, ( b4 adding any perlite), should I calculate the amounts of additives based upon the pre-perlite added medium or on the total gallons after the perlite has been added. I usually like about 35-40% perlite as I find it keeps me on a every 3rd to 4th day watering schedule.



((((((( nevermind, I saw the post above from Toodles stating the Lime should reflect the TOTAL volume )))))

 

[thatspoker422]

I am in my 5th week of flower. I'm using Roots Organics potting soil and

Flowering nute tea mix:
2/3 cup Peruvian Seabird Guano
2/3 cup Earth Worm Castings
2/3 cup High P Guano (Indonesian or Jamaican)
5 tsp. Maxicrop 1-0-4 powdered kelp extract
(That makes the "dry mix". You can make all you want and save it to use later.)
Mix with water @ 2 cups of dry mix into 5 gallons of water to make the tea.
To that 5 gallons of tea add:
5 tbs. Liquid Karma
5 tbs. Black Strap Molasses
Use it to water with EVERY watering

On some of my plants(the biggest ones) some of the leaves are yellowing, it looks like a N def but im thinking it's some kind of cal or mag def. Should i water with epsom salt or lime or is there any other ideas to what my problem is and what i should do? Thank you

 

[thatspoker422]

OK i guess i'll water in some epsom salt and see what happens.

 

[akuira]

quick question... i am using the DIY Ez Cloner from the DIY Link o rama, after my clones have started to show roots/nubs, is it cool to put them straight into my mix (LC's soiless mix #1 with recipe #1)? or do i need to put them into just a plain mix with no nutes (like just LC's soiless mix)? i don't want to burn the new roots or what not but i also don't really want my newly rooted clones in a mix with little/no nutrients to start showing deficiencies... any thoughts are much appreciated, thanks!

 

[BurnOne]

Put them in LC's Mix alone after the roots get about 1/2 inch long. Leave there until well rooted. Then add Recipe #1.
Burn1

 

[candamo]

Has anyone used bat guano in gel form before? thats the only sort of bat guano ive been able to find here...

 

[thatspoker422]

Flowering nute tea mix:
2/3 cup Peruvian Seabird Guano
2/3 cup Earth Worm Castings
2/3 cup High P Guano (Indonesian or Jamaican)
5 tsp. Maxicrop 1-0-4 powdered kelp extract
(That makes the "dry mix". You can make all you want and save it to use later.)
Mix with water @ 2 cups of dry mix into 5 gallons of water to make the tea.
To that 5 gallons of tea add:
5 tbs. Liquid Karma
5 tbs. Black Strap Molasses
Use it to water with EVERY watering.


Using Roots Organics soil can i use Organics Alive premium mix soil amendment instead of worm castings? The mix contains 50% worm castings, 42% vegetable compost, 5% fossilized kelp, and 3% powderd rock mineral. Should i adjust any of the amounts used?
Also i think i need more calcium should i brew the calcium with the tea or add it after the brewing process? Thanks

 

[Sam Slambam]

By NO means am I ANY sort of expert, BUT, my GUESS is that it should be good. I mean, if you do the math off of the LC Mixes on page one, and you are in the ball park then I can't see what could possibly be wrong with it. The only problem with not following those recipes to a T is that it's harder for the kind folks that roam this thread to help you should you encounter a problem as you are using a homebrewed mix of sorts. I say, try to get as CLOSE as possible to the standard and go from there. Are you adding Lime?

 

[Sam Slambam]

Now it's my turn to query the vast resources of this website and kindly ask if anyone can recommend a substitute to Jersey Greensand? I can not find any anywhere. It's really the only ingredient I am missing from the recipe. Kinda sucks. I'd rather not mail order anything I should add.



(((( EDIT ))))

I went to the local bLowes and picked up some blood and bone meal today. I also picked up a bag of Espoma BioTone Starter+. It has a 4-3-3 analysis. It lists it's ingredients as;

Feather Meal, Dehydrated Manure, Bone Meal, Alfalfa Meal, GREENSAND, Humates, Crab Meal, and Sulfate of Potash Magnesia.

It lists Ca @ 4%
and Mg @ 1%

It also claims to have Mycorrhizae. It claims to be a "starter and transplant" additive. It also lists no blood meal in it.

I suppose I'm wondering if this stuff would be a welcome addition to my mix as it has Greensand, ( at what ratio, I know not), and some other goodies. However, I am unsure wether or not I should add my blood meal still as one normally would ratio wise. I don't want to throw off my NPK values too much.

 

[BurnOne]

When you guys venture from the recipes I posted, you become an experimenter. Those questions will get a much better response in the open forum.

thatspoker442-
Those soil mixes are mostly peat. You'll need to use them as such in LC's Mix recipe.

Sam Slambam-
Greensand isn't necessary if you can't find it. Don't use the BioTone.

Burn1

 

[Sam Slambam]

B1- Point noted and agreed upon. Thanks for the heads up on the BioTone. I'll stick with the Blood and Bone.

 

[candamo]

Has anyone used bat guano in gel form before? thats the only sort of bat guano ive been able to find here...

anyone?

 

[BurnOne]

I've never heard of guano gel.