Which plants, flowers, weeds and other garden finds do you use

[big ballin 88]

since i've come back on this site, i've noticied that some of you are using plants from around the house as sources of nutrients. Before now i was only aware of Russian comfrey. I to would like to practice this since its cost effective and i like working/learning off my own land. I wish i could use my soil also, however there's no difference between sand and soil in my part.

So what would you guys recommend, i live in a tropical climate so some plants just wouldn't work. How are dandelions, pennywort, broadleaf plantain, spurge and crabgrass?

Just looking for some opinions since i don't live anywhere near farm land so organic amendments are hard to come by(seed meals and such) Seaweed is very easy for me to come by so i can always go to the beach for that

Anyone have any recommendations?

 

[jaykush]

you should really concentrate on what you have locally to fit your needs. we all live in different places, and all have different resources and materials we can use.

if you live in a tropical place you have a big advantage compared to people who live where it gets cold.

if you need some guidance shoot me a pm

 

[daydreamer]

well you can always go to the garden center and get bags of steer manure. typically it's been heated to kill organisms, so it's main benefit is to add humous to the sand.

 

[secondtry]

Hey daydreamer,

I don't think I would say steer manure is humus rich, it's is often left fallow in big piles and turner every so often, not composted, BlackKow is an example of what I mean. For humus rich OM go for fresh and good vermicast (EWC) and/or good compost; they both should have more humus than manure. GL.

 

[mad librettist]

Jay why not help in public so I can watch?

big ballin, Jay pointed me to this book, and it has me so fascinated, I have decided to get good at weed ID. So I got a copy of a manual for ID in my area, and I am gonna learn.

Good luck to you, this seems like it will be fun.

 

[secondtry]

@ big ballin,

Soil isn't idea, better to use soilless mix; most are far better than soil, even if one had access to good "chernozem" (a Russian term describing humus rich and healthy dark soil, literally "black soil"), although the humus in chernozme is something to hope for in soilless. Ideally one makes their own soilless mix with aged pine bark fines, but if not than Pro-Mix BX or SunShine mix #4 are good soilless mixes; but I really like the Sunshine Organic mix verses those other two mixes.

GL.

 

[guest2012y]

I use a large variety of herbs and plants in my overall life,but it wasn't until I saw Jay with his Comfrey tea that a light went on. I guess I knew that these things were possible,but I think I was more concerned about the possible side effects of experimenting on such a valuable crop as ours. Plants have powerful properties,some compounds,acids,oils,etc. from some plants that we use to benefit us also have compounds that can harm us. I look at it as relationship between me and whatever plant I use,can it be a part of my function as a human being?,how symbiotic is it? St.Johns Wort for example has the ability to release more seretonin in your brain(or mimics the chemicals that match those receptor sites,can't remember),yet may be harmful to your liver and kidneys. That's why I choose to be skeptical whenever I discover something new,Thanks to Jaykush for bringing me into the light when it comes to the benefits of using plants for plants.(that kind of flows with the permaculture concept right?) I'm glad other people did the experimenting,that way I can feel secure experimenting with it myself after seeing the results. Sort of like when you take LSD for the first time.

 

[DARC MIND]

I guess I knew that these things were possible,but I think I was more concerned about the possible side effects of experimenting on such a valuable crop as ours

this is why i think becoming gardeners or farmers is far more better, in the gaining experience/green thumb, then just being a grower.
You have the benefit to experiment with many different plants, soil, nutrients etc etc and things like tomatoes IMO grow just like weed. diversity is were its @ and many growers here i respect like to mix things up and advise too aswell.
some like to keep it simple but I find it important, as an organic gardener to value and learn of the many natural resources surrounding us. especially in todays environmental damaging lifestyles, experimenting with less harmful, less expensive, easily available resources is why i chose to grow organic.

here's some links that may help with identifying common weeds in america and you can then do more research to find out what nutritional value they may have
http://www.weedalert.com/
and this one that gots some good info on edible, medicinal and lots of other uses for plants
http://www.pfaf.org/leaflets/edible_uses.php
navigation bar is to the left

also culturing microorganisms is another great way to benefit off what is already ther, lots of threads here on culturing many microbes from the air, compost, too culturing indigenous microbes from rich ecosystems

 

[Mr. Greengenes]

I think soil nutrition is sort of similar to human nutrition in the sense that there is no one secret ingredient. The best diet for plants or people is a wide and varied list of ingredients. The more complex, the better. One of the reasons kelp and oyster shells are so good is because the ocean has everything in it.

 

[guest2012y]

Darc, I have also gardened with food crops just as much as this one,BUT it seems this one gets all of my attention. I grow kick ass veggies with basically the same concept. I actually have taken my used indoor mixes and added them to my outdoor garden. I have 12 20x5 raised beds at my place,which is way too much to deal with for just me and the Mrs. so I don't use all of them.

 

[mad librettist]

Darc, I have also gardened with food crops just as much as this one,BUT it seems this one gets all of my attention.

well that's pure economics. If every potato could buy you an ounce of weed, those would get real interesting.

 

[jaykush]

Jay why not help in public so I can watch?

patience, in due time. i have to figure out how to explain it right or i will sound like a nut job lol.

I guess I knew that these things were possible,but I think I was more concerned about the possible side effects of experimenting on such a valuable crop as ours.

think about it this way, in nature, plants eat plants on a daily basis. or at least the remains of each other. certain plants are good at "collecting" certain nutrients and minerals than others. were just finding and using the right ones for the job we need and incorporating it into our living system.

That's why I choose to be skeptical whenever I discover something new,Thanks to Jaykush for bringing me into the light when it comes to the benefits of using plants for plants.(that kind of flows with the permaculture concept right?)

its ok i was skeptical at first too. before i was a die hard guano fan. i used it religiously. but one day it just hit me while walking through the forest( which is the best teacher there could be on the subject of organics) that there is a better way. only thing is i didnt even know how much better it was until some time later. and yea it does tie into permaculture beliefs and ways. i actually came up with a system for this before i ever heard of permaculture, then one day someone asked if it was a permaculturist and i said whats that? lol.

I'm glad other people did the experimenting,that way I can feel secure experimenting with it myself after seeing the results. Sort of like when you take LSD for the first time.

im glad i did it too, it was sure damn fun and is still going, i learn new things on a daily basis. ive had a few people tag along and help me with experimenting in different areas. so far people all over the globe use it successfully.

 

[big ballin 88]

Hey guys thanks for the info. Its nice to see how this thread grew overnight. The reason i mentioned my natural soil is i would've like to added it to my mix, but its 70-80% sand in the good parts. Its not that i want to use soil in particular, i just know that why manipulate nature when you can just try some of it.

I already know how to make a good soil mix with the stuff i have available in stores. The thing is i would like to start making myself independent from buying bags upon bags when i can use stuff found round me. I always use a mostly soilless mix, the only soil i use is recycled. I have always been a big fan of coco and vermiculite(from growing mushrooms) and just want to expand my knowledge of the sources around me.

Currently I run a coco/vermiculite/perlite/soil mix with sea kelp, bone meal, milled flax seeds, epsoma starter plus(good stuff for price) and some rainbow mix bloom. I than supplement with liquid organics if necessary.

As with Jay i started realizing all the plants around me and how garden scraps can be used for compost. Than i saw Darc Mind using different plants in his tea's and it made me think. I like using a variety of nutrients to do the job instead of just one mega mix.

When i was in Ireland, everyone knew the different plants around them, but in my homestate i know non of the natural vegetation, but than again they have destroyed most of the natural vegeation so were stuck with weeds. So before i go out and pick all these weeds and throw them away, i want to know if they have any uses.

Thanks ML for that book recommendation, that's exactly what i was looking for. Its hard for me to try and search for the plants around me an come up with an assumption of what nutrients are plentiful within it.

Darc Mind- Thanks a lot for getting me into this and for the information provided. You jump started me into this. I think as being an organic gardener we should learn to be able to make the most of everything around us. Also that website is awesome!! That was exactly what i was looking for so i can identify weeds around me!!

One more question, what are some of the signs to tell what nutrition weeds hold in the garden?

 

[jaykush]

Hey guys thanks for the info. Its nice to see how this thread grew overnight. The reason i mentioned my natural soil is i would've like to added it to my mix, but its 70-80% sand in the good parts. Its not that i want to use soil in particular, i just know that why manipulate nature when you can just try some of it.

I already know how to make a good soil mix with the stuff i have available in stores. The thing is i would like to start making myself independent from buying bags upon bags when i can use stuff found round me. I always use a mostly soilless mix, the only soil i use is recycled. I have always been a big fan of coco and vermiculite(from growing mushrooms) and just want to expand my knowledge of the sources around me.

if your soil is basically sand. start composting, aim for high quality and base your soil mix on compost mixed with your local sand. that will be a well draining microbial rich soil. from there you can amend with other things. its really nice not having to depend on anyone for soil or fertilizers.

As with Jay i started realizing all the plants around me and how garden scraps can be used for compost. Than i saw Darc Mind using different plants in his tea's and it made me think. I like using a variety of nutrients to do the job instead of just one mega mix.

the amount of fine tuning you can do to your plants with plant extracts and natural materials is incomparable. which in turn gives you the highest quality smoke in the end.

When i was in Ireland, everyone knew the different plants around them, but in my homestate i know non of the natural vegetation, but than again they have destroyed most of the natural vegeation so were stuck with weeds. So before i go out and pick all these weeds and throw them away, i want to know if they have any uses.

its sad isnt it, specially when so many of them can help not only your garden, but you. dandelion for example is HATED in this country. but, its edible, medicinal and beneficial to you and your soil. identifying your local plants is the best start. just so you know, if you dont know if it can be used as a plant extract. compost it. weeds add great diversity to compost piles, i actually let weeds grow here and even grow my own weeds( yes people think im nuts for planting weeds) so i can harvest them for composting/garden use.

One more question, what are some of the signs to tell what nutrition weeds hold in the garden?

as far as i know there is no way to just tell which plant has which nutrients. best to identify and learn as much as possible about the plant before going beyond composting it.

 

[mad librettist]

So Jay, you basically are saying you associate certain plants with certain states of being in your soil and your crop?

 

[jaykush]

kinda stoned here, i dont get it?

are you talking about me growing them or using wild plants?

 

[mad librettist]

Well many people you meet associate specific nutrient values with the state they want for their plant. When you mentioned you don't know the nutrient values, I figured you mean the wild plant you have does this or that to soil and plants.

In other words a system for managing soil "nutrition" that is not based on reducing things to their elements.

 

[big ballin 88]

if your soil is basically sand. start composting, aim for high quality and base your soil mix on compost mixed with your local sand. that will be a well draining microbial rich soil. from there you can amend with other things. its really nice not having to depend on anyone for soil or fertilizers.



the amount of fine tuning you can do to your plants with plant extracts and natural materials is incomparable. which in turn gives you the highest quality smoke in the end.



its sad isnt it, specially when so many of them can help not only your garden, but you. dandelion for example is HATED in this country. but, its edible, medicinal and beneficial to you and your soil. identifying your local plants is the best start. just so you know, if you dont know if it can be used as a plant extract. compost it. weeds add great diversity to compost piles, i actually let weeds grow here and even grow my own weeds( yes people think im nuts for planting weeds) so i can harvest them for composting/garden use.



as far as i know there is no way to just tell which plant has which nutrients. best to identify and learn as much as possible about the plant before going beyond composting it.

Thanks!!

I'm going to start composting with this area of my garden where i throw all my garden trash. Also when i used to grow mushrooms i threw all the left over coco-verm.-wild bird seeds cakes over there.
Not only that but there was also a boar head & cape i buried under the ground about eight months ago(undug skull three months later). This area is has the most activity in my yard because its also cool and teaming with worm castings, since its one of the few spots not in full sun and holds moisture.

That is the only spot in my yard like that, we have top soil but thats only about 4 inches than limestone, sand and rock. That corner is dark black soil, probably because the earth worms and years of garden waste.

Can i just take a good portion of that smash it up to get smaller rocks and powder and mix it with the corner that has nice structure?

Also what do i do when i want to use it? Recently i had a problem with symphillids and definitely don't want those in my grow anymore.


The great thing is quite recently we've been getting lot's of rain which gathered ton' of dandelions(i think) all around my yard. So i will also mix a whole bunch of those into my corner to keep up with organic matter.

I really do appreciate all the help as I do want to break the cycle of buying soil from the store that really isn't that great to begin with. I also forgot about that corner for a while and how it always has earthworm holes running from the top.

One more question, I have freezer burnt fish from a year or two ago that no ones eating lol and i would like to know if i can break it up and bury that also? Or does it pose a problem from bad bacteria?

 

[jaykush]

Well many people you meet associate specific nutrient values with the state they want for their plant. When you mentioned you don't know the nutrient values, I figured you mean the wild plant you have does this or that to soil and plants.

In other words a system for managing soil "nutrition" that is not based on reducing things to their elements.

ok well i know the nutrient values of a few of them, but when it comes to finding some random weed, its really hard to find information on whats inside. as far as the plants we do know like comfrey, nettles, alfalfa, dandelion, chamomile, etc... we have the nutrient values and when to use them( ex. nettles and and alfalfa for veg)

 

[mad librettist]

yes but the tradition of using nettles and comfrey, etc... predates NPK, no?