Round Infinity

[who dat is]

i'm not too sure about using DE or floor dry solely for aeration... i know it does provide some air pockets... but nothing like the gaping caverns of lava rock, cunky perlite. it seems to me that even pumice has larger pores, more physical capabilities for providing aeration in a soil (that may become compacted over time from repeated watering) than DE. the floor dry pelets do have some more structure to them, but generally very small pores; or is there a form of DE that isn't just a dust? Are you familiar with the product I'm talking about? It's Diatomaceous Earth but not in powder form, it looks really similar to kitty litter (bentonite clay) I'm more apt to use DE as a calcium source than aeration, personally. and i wonder how much porosity/aeration that material would supply when/if the soil got really really wet (which is when you need the aeration the most, imo)
i don't think the DE/floor dry would do you any favors on the weight situation, as it also absorbs and holds water.
perlite really is great for making your soils weigh less wet or dry. lava rock is heavy stuff, so every gallon of it comes with the cost of lifting that extra weight everytime you touch a pot of soil. rice hulls are nice and light, which is a reason i use them.... i like it also because the rice hulls break down over time, giving you a lil bit of a barometer on your microbial activity and other soil borne decomposers. the sooner you need more rice hulls the more active decomposition is going on in the soil by bugs & microbes. rice hulls do not provide that large scale "cavernous" aeration like the chunky perlite and lava rock. how beneficial those larger pores are in soil.... i can't really say, i just like to have it in my mix, something larger sized with larger sized pores in my soil primarily for aeration.

rove beetles; i need to do more research about them, i suppose i could just ask all my questions here and get the answers... but im gonna do some reading first

I'm definitely getting down with some Rove Beetles this coming summer on the outdoor after hearing Heady And Seaf0ur go on about them. Do they stick around your plot or will they peace out if they feel like it though? Guess I need to read up some too

 

[Seaf0ur]

yeahhhh rove beetles are my homies!

microbe man suggested them way back, saying they stuck around in his no till indoor and were voracious predators.

ours have completely established in the garden and they can be seen hunting like helicopter-equipped jungle cats many many months since they were initially released. i love them.

IME perlite is perlite. the quality of the bag is more about how it was handled between being made and ending up on the shelf in front of you. the stuff that is sold by miracle grow or black gold is a fine screen to start with and then gets totally smashed by the time it gets to the consumer. still good for cloning tho!

the coarser grades like #3 and #4 usually only come in 4 cu ft. bags and seem to get less destroyed in the handling process ime.

i used to hate on perlite but now that i've got a bad back i'm grateful for the weight saved over pumice and lava rock.

I like to think of them as tiny predaceous flying seahorses

 

[heady blunts]

aww i love that c4! seahorses are rad.

hmm i've only used them in my indoor garden WDI so i couldn't tell you if they'd stick around an open air plot.

miles---

the pest defense DE products are all powdered.

but the napa product (item #8822, they change the name sometimes) is like a 1/4" screen.

they make a decent aeration amendment as they are incredibly porous, although because of their small size and uniform shape i would probably include some other aeration materials.

 

[Seaf0ur]

once my wife made that reference... I've not been able to stop thinking of seahorses because of how they look when fly...
it'll stick for you too I'm sure....

especially with their sluggish way of flying...

long as they're happy, they'll stick around, but I'd release a lot in an outdoor setting as they will wander around a bit...

 

[Avinash.miles]

goddamn replacement worms came dead, took twice as long to receive the replacement as the original package (6days this time 3 last time).
that's what i get for ordering in winter, not just buying bait worms when they were locally available... wont be ordering from uncle jims anymore nonetheless.

 

[who dat is]

What about Rocky Mountain Worm Company? highyieldorganics.net I guess you ruled them out because I think I've heard you mention them before...?

 

[Avinash.miles]

i haven't ruled any source out yet - except uncle jims.... they are big guy in the industry, who i had sourced when i was considering buying last year.
moving forward i'll be looking into other sources of live worms, specifically red wigglers, since i can get nightcrawlers locally as bait.

my local vermiculture place also told me they shipped worms, didn't sell them from their location. so i opted out of that back in summer.... did the trap instead.

 

[heady blunts]

give northwest redworms a shot. they're way closer to you than jim's.

 

[Stoney Johnson]

The urbanwormdirectory.com shows two worm farmers in Colorado.

Looks like there is one in Liberty Maine too.

 

[Stoney Johnson]

Urbanwormcompany.com

 

[Shooter350]

I could have brought you some of my wigglers while I was out there. Dang it. I made a big batch of vermicompost for this year. I'm stoked to use it.

 

[Seaf0ur]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/worm_exchange/

its done by this guy...

http://www.cowormman.org/

 

[Guest]

Avi,

Given the number of Colorado growers following your thread, I thought it might be the place to post this subject, but also for anyone who lives where the snow falls often. Like many growers starting out, I began a process of discovery with what these plants liked and needed, stumbling along the learning curve with most common mistakes and adjusting when necessary.

One common frustration for soil grows revolve around tap water ph and the problems resulting particularly from high ph levels. If all things are right with your soil, the ph of your water has he greatest potential for upsetting your balance, it would seem to me. My tap water where I live is pretty high, maybe like 7.8-8.0 and early on at some point I began to have problems. I've learned since that there's several fairly simple remedies; lime, adjusting tap water for proper ph...ect.

Before learning these things, it occurred to me that for several months of the year after each frequent snow fall, the sun pops out and many of gallons of perfectly balanced plant water was available to direct into a container and use to eliminate the tap water ph problem. I can fill this up in about half a day usually.



I placed a 30 gal container down into the window well and mounted a spigot at the bottom. Used a simple means to divert melt water from a nearby down spout into the barrel. I know now that I can eliminate the ph problem by simpler means, but this worked so well that I never changed and continue to this day.

I was wondering if any other growers who have the snow fall to make it possible are doing this, and does the snow water contain good things for the plants, maybe like nitrogen and other elements. Also would like to hear any opinions about possible downsides to this practice. Seems like it would fit well in general with the concept of organic growing. Did a thread search about this and nothing returned.

thanks, KS

 

[Avinash.miles]

genius status, keifstoned! best use of window well ever (especially here in CO) thanks for the input.
i have used snow, actually recently, for "root icing" i just filled a couple 5 gallon buckets of snow and put the snow directly on the mulch layer, let it melt in, also the "last" watering was done with very cold water (left outside).
also concerning high pH tap water... I've recently been using ascorbic acid (vitamin C) powder to accelerate de-chlorination, i'm sure this must serve to lower the pH of the water, however slightly.
previously i had been concerned about slightly high pH tap water, but then considered that many additive to the water are acidic, like fermented plant extracts, em1/lacto, quantum vsc/lite. i've since decided that adding things to the water would not only be good for plants but also to help slightly lower pH of the solution before putting it on the soil.

thanks for all the good worm advice, y'all

fixing to start harvesting here soon, veg is super overgrown, I've been transplanting alot lately, all seedlings went into 1gallons, all prime plants in 1gallons went into 3gallons, all that up-potting-jazz.
shuffling thru a sea of clones in cups...

 

[Eighths-n-Aces]

Avi,

Given the number of Colorado growers following your thread, I thought it might be the place to post this subject, but also for anyone who lives where the snow falls often. Like many growers starting out, I began a process of discovery with what these plants liked and needed, stumbling along the learning curve with most common mistakes and adjusting when necessary.

One common frustration for soil grows revolve around tap water ph and the problems resulting particularly from high ph levels. If all things are right with your soil, the ph of your water has he greatest potential for upsetting your balance, it would seem to me. My tap water where I live is pretty high, maybe like 7.8-8.0 and early on at some point I began to have problems. I've learned since that there's several fairly simple remedies; lime, adjusting tap water for proper ph...ect.

Before learning these things, it occurred to me that for several months of the year after each frequent snow fall, the sun pops out and many of gallons of perfectly balanced plant water was available to direct into a container and use to eliminate the tap water ph problem. I can fill this up in about half a day usually.

[URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=64621&pictureid=1551122&thumb=1]View Image[/URL]

I placed a 30 gal container down into the window well and mounted a spigot at the bottom. Used a simple means to divert melt water from a nearby down spout into the barrel. I know now that I can eliminate the ph problem by simpler means, but this worked so well that I never changed and continue to this day.

I was wondering if any other growers who have the snow fall to make it possible are doing this, and does the snow water contain good things for the plants, maybe like nitrogen and other elements. Also would like to hear any opinions about possible downsides to this practice. Seems like it would fit well in general with the concept of organic growing. Did a thread search about this and nothing returned.

thanks, KS

better make sure that trash can never freezes with any water in it Keif. i've had 2 different ones split at the bottom because i let that happen. i switched to the 55 gallon barrels after the second one and they can handle some ice.

yours might never freeze solid in the window well ...... could be bad if it does though

 

[Ganoderma]

Avi,

Given the number of Colorado growers following your thread, I thought it might be the place to post this subject, but also for anyone who lives where the snow falls often. Like many growers starting out, I began a process of discovery with what these plants liked and needed, stumbling along the learning curve with most common mistakes and adjusting when necessary.

One common frustration for soil grows revolve around tap water ph and the problems resulting particularly from high ph levels. If all things are right with your soil, the ph of your water has he greatest potential for upsetting your balance, it would seem to me. My tap water where I live is pretty high, maybe like 7.8-8.0 and early on at some point I began to have problems. I've learned since that there's several fairly simple remedies; lime, adjusting tap water for proper ph...ect.

Before learning these things, it occurred to me that for several months of the year after each frequent snow fall, the sun pops out and many of gallons of perfectly balanced plant water was available to direct into a container and use to eliminate the tap water ph problem. I can fill this up in about half a day usually.

[URL=https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=64621&pictureid=1551122&thumb=1]View Image[/URL]

I placed a 30 gal container down into the window well and mounted a spigot at the bottom. Used a simple means to divert melt water from a nearby down spout into the barrel. I know now that I can eliminate the ph problem by simpler means, but this worked so well that I never changed and continue to this day.

I was wondering if any other growers who have the snow fall to make it possible are doing this, and does the snow water contain good things for the plants, maybe like nitrogen and other elements. Also would like to hear any opinions about possible downsides to this practice. Seems like it would fit well in general with the concept of organic growing. Did a thread search about this and nothing returned.

thanks, KS

It is illegal to collect run off water from your roof in Colorado

Reps. Jessie Danielson, D-Wheat Ridge, and Daneya Esgar, D-Pueblo, introduced the first piece of legislation on the subject Wednesday, the first day of the new legislative session.

The measure is written similar to legislation last year, which died on the second-to-last day of the session after it never received a Senate floor vote.

The bill would allow people to capture rain from their roof in up to two 55-gallon barrels for use in their garden or on their lawn.

Colorado is the only state in the nation that prohibits rain barrels.

 

[Avinash.miles]

part of me thinks it's fucked up that you can't collect rain water
another part of me knows that much of the american west depends on water that runs off and out of the colorado rockies.

and yet another small part of me wonders how many people, if any, have been caught and charged with that crime of collecting rainwater in recent years....

and i like how the collection barrel is nicely hidden down in the window well.... even less likely it will ever cause problems.

 

[who dat is]

part of me thinks it's fucked up that you can't collect rain water
another part of me knows that much of the american west depends on water that runs off and out of the colorado rockies.

and yet another small part of me wonders how many people, if any, have been caught and charged with that crime of collecting rainwater in recent years....

All valid points. What's the logic here though? You can crank water out of your spigot on the side of your house but get right the fuck out of here if you DARE to collect it? Get fuct. If people are watering their yards during the day in the middle of summer I would collect rain water with zero fucks given. If you want to Miles, I'd say go for it.

 

[yocs]

shit, in my state the law is all newly built houses have to have rain barrels collecting the run off from there gutters. A bunch of other things as well like you have to plant x amount of trees on your property and so on.

 

[Avinash.miles]

All valid points. What's the logic here though? You can crank water out of your spigot on the side of your house but get right the fuck out of here if you DARE to collect it? Get fuct. If people are watering their yards during the day in the middle of summer I would collect rain water with zero fucks given. If you want to Miles, I'd say go for it.

point is if ENOUGH people collected ENOUGH runoff (and trust me overtime it WOULD HAPPEN imo) then certain tributaries would diminish and the water flowing OUT of the state would also diminish, impacting agriculture and growth potential of a large portion of the west. you pay for water from the spigot ("domestic" water) according to how much you use. ditch right water is much more complicated, but you don't pay depending how much you use, you get an allotment per your payment.
i don't think that 110 gallons per home would make a difference (as the recent bills would allow, if passed) but in a dry year, several dry years in a row.... might could make a difference in the quantity of water not only available in CO, but leaving the state as well.
there is a famous saying in the arid american west: whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting

when looking at properties in agricultural areas you realize how complicated the water rights are, every ditch, every canal, every creek and river and "live" water is heavily regulated. what accounts for a "water right" from one ditch is different from another ditch. some are measured in cu. ft. of water per minute, some are measured in standing water depth per acre, some are measured other ways, im no expert; but i'm rapidly becoming aware of HOW intense the situation concerning water rights in colorado and beyond actually is.

at my last location i had a pond that filled from the canal half the year, used alot of water from it during that time. also dug alot of pond muck from it for the soil