Can I bring the soil microorganisms back after punishing soil with NPK chemical fertilizer?

[Phillybonker]

I grew plants last season and used nitrophoska blue (NPK chemical fertilizer) which will likely kill a lot of the microbes in the soil at my grow spot, can I bring the microbes back and make the soil healthy again or is the soil going to remain a microbe deserted desert?

The time between last using the NPK fertilizer and the time when my next seedlings will go in the ground will be 8 months. Do you think that is enough time to wash away any chemicals?

 

[Emilya Green]

Just flush the old soil real good and hit it with some microbes to work on what is left. The thing that kills microbes isn't the synthetic nutes per se, it is the plant's inability to play the organic feeding cycle, which rewards the microbes with some food, except when you are feeding with readily available nutes. The plant just uses what is easiest to get to, and ends up ignoring the microbes. They, with no job to do and no rewards coming in or places to dump the food they have processed, fail to thrive in your container. Get them going and stop giving that ready to eat stuff to the plants, and they will kick right in where they left off.

 

[skirk]

Medina Soil Activator.

 

[Phillybonker]

Just flush the old soil real good and hit it with some microbes to work on what is left. The thing that kills microbes isn't the synthetic nutes per se, it is the plant's inability to play the organic feeding cycle, which rewards the microbes with some food, when you are feeding with readily available nutes. The plant just uses what is easiest to get to, and ends up ignoring the microbes. They, with no job to do and no rewards coming in or places to dump the food they have processed, fail to thrive in your container. Get them going and stop giving that ready to eat stuff to the plants, and they will kick right in where they left off.

I plant in bushland and we get plenty of heavy rain here in NZ during the off season so I guess this is the same as flushing.

Interesting about the plants ignoring the microbes, I do know the plants somehow feed the microbes which got me wondering about putting clackamas coots soil mix in the ground two months before my seedlings get put in the ground. That means for two months the microbes wont have any plants to feed them, or does the clackamas coots soil mix have ingredients in it to feed the microbes?

 

[Emilya Green]

I plant in bushland and we get plenty of heavy rain here in NZ during the off season so I guess this is the same as flushing.

Interesting about the plants ignoring the microbes, I do know the plants somehow feed the microbes which got me wondering about putting clackamas coots soil mix in the ground two months before my seedlings get put in the ground. That means for two months the microbes wont have any plants to feed them, or does the clackamas coots soil mix have ingredients in it to feed the microbes?

Nature is all about balance. Some of the microbes process raw nutrient and their excrement is the nutrient in the form that the plants need it in. Since there are no plants to take up this nutrient, it will build up in the soil. Multiply this times multiple elements being processed by multiple types of microbes and fungi, and the soil will soon be holding all that it can. When there is nowhere to put processed nutrients, the microbes stop processing. An important part of the microbe's feeding cycle comes from the plants as they exchange nutrient directly with the roots and in this exchange they get their direction to move on, to process or not process, to be active or not be active. Since there is no direction being given and nothing being exchanged, things soon stagnate. The microbes go into a dormant state, waiting for their prime directive to be activated again by a plant seeking nutrition.

 

[Phillybonker]

Nature is all about balance. Some of the microbes process raw nutrient and their excrement is the nutrient in the form that the plants need it in. Since there are no plants to take up this nutrient, it will build up in the soil. Multiply this times multiple elements being processed by multiple types of microbes and fungi, and the soil will soon be holding all that it can. When there is nowhere to put processed nutrients, the microbes stop processing. An important part of the microbe's feeding cycle comes from the plants as they exchange nutrient directly with the roots and in this exchange they get their direction to move on, to process or not process, to be active or not be active. Since there is no direction being given and nothing being exchanged, things soon stagnate. The microbes go into a dormant state, waiting for their prime directive to be activated again by a plant seeking nutrition.

Wow you've done a bit of study on this stuff I see.

Organic growing sure is more interesting than growing with synthetic fertilizers. I think I'm feeling confident enough to give it a go, organic super soil will be going in the ground this grow season. Thanks

 

[NuttyProfessor]

you can make up a microbe solution by using potato , clean water and leaf mold, add blended boiled potato to a bucket of water , rain water if possible or water that has been left out throw in some leaf mold and leave a couple of days , you will end up with billions of microbes , the better the leaf mold the better the microbes

This is how i make my own

• Mar 24, 2021 <<<<<<<<<<<<< click the date

After 2 days

 

[bobrown14]

+1 on a Compost Tea.

What NPK fertilizer did you use??

 

[Emilya Green]

Wow you've done a bit of study on this stuff I see.

Organic growing sure is more interesting than growing with synthetic fertilizers. I think I'm feeling confident enough to give it a go, organic super soil will be going in the ground this grow season. Thanks

Be sure to study up on how to apply the proper microbes. Just mixing up a mess of compost or some other persons favorite natural input and thinking it will be all you need, is a fools errand and likely to end up in failure. If it was easy to mix up a proper compost tea, organic growing would be a lot more popular than it is. A tea is not just about any old microbes that happen to be hiding about, it is about producing exactly the specific species of microbes that are needed for the job based on the stage of the grow. A brew of microbes specializing in veg would not be the same as a brew for early bloom or even late bloom, and to get those particular microbes in your tea requires providing the correct inputs in the correct order and brewing for a carefully controlled amount of time. Some microbes are predators and will quickly wipe out other microbes, so in many specific brews there is an exact order and exact amount of time that you need to brew the inputs. People have been studying how to make compost teas for decades, using microscopes to see exactly which microbes won out in a particular brew, and they have provided recipes for success. The trick of proper compost tea brewing is to know that if you are wanting microbes that process potassium, then you have to provide some potassium in the brew... not a lot, but enough so that the microbes that feast on that element will thrive, and the others will not. Again, brewing up a mess of compost or something rotting in your back yard, might accidentally create that particular microbe, but the big question is will it even survive the brewing process when stacked up against all the other microbes coming in via the rotting material? Without a good eye and a microscope, one would never know.

Rather than taking advice on the internet about this person or that person's favorite "easy" brew, believe in the science and go by recipes, not the seat of your pants, when brewing your own teas. There is a great book out there that makes all of this easy to understand, and if you are wanting to get into organic gardening, please let me recommend it to you. The author grows in small containers, usually a no-no in the organic world, using good minerally enriched supersoil in the bottom third of his containers. The rest of the soil could be just about anything... its mainly there to hold nutrients and the plants themselves. Then, using targeted teas to provide exactly what the plants need at each stage of the grow, he proves that you can bring in the "correct" microbes at the proper times, and end up with amazing grows. The author is The Rev. and his book is TLO - True Living Organics 2nd edition. Buy this book and you will no longer fear organics, and you will know a thing or two about brewing teas. Here is a preview of some of his recipes, brought to us by @StoneOtter and saved in my bookmarks for future reference:

Otterfarm Flooded! NextLight Mega Responsible!

Highya SO, Emmie, guys, Love the picture of the barrel on wheels! Such a great design! I don't envy mixing all that dirt, lol! I just set my little girls in the coldframe a couple days ago, and they're looking great. I used to use a cement mixer to mix up sheep feed. Worked great! Was fun...

www.420magazine.com

 

[Phillybonker]

you can make up a microbe solution by using potato , clean water and leaf mold, add blended boiled potato to a bucket of water , rain water if possible or water that has been left out throw in some leaf mold and leave a couple of days , you will end up with billions of microbes , the better the leaf mold the better the microbes

This is how i make my own

• Mar 24, 2021 <<<<<<<<<<<<< click the date

After 2 days

Great idea!! Thanks

So mashed potatoes, old leaves and clean water and leave for 2 days. Sounds really easy.

How much would you use for one plant, 300ml, 1 litre?

 

[Phillybonker]

+1 on a Compost Tea.

What NPK fertilizer did you use??

Nitroposkate blue. It got the job done but I need the plants to be as healthy as possible to fight off botrytis.

 

[Phillybonker]

Be sure to study up on how to apply the proper microbes. Just mixing up a mess of compost or some other persons favorite natural input and thinking it will be all you need, is a fools errand and likely to end up in failure. If it was easy to mix up a proper compost tea, organic growing would be a lot more popular than it is. A tea is not just about any old microbes that happen to be hiding about, it is about producing exactly the specific species of microbes that are needed for the job based on the stage of the grow. A brew of microbes specializing in veg would not be the same as a brew for early bloom or even late bloom, and to get those particular microbes in your tea requires providing the correct inputs in the correct order and brewing for a carefully controlled amount of time. Some microbes are predators and will quickly wipe out other microbes, so in many specific brews there is an exact order and exact amount of time that you need to brew the inputs. People have been studying how to make compost teas for decades, using microscopes to see exactly which microbes won out in a particular brew, and they have provided recipes for success. The trick of proper compost tea brewing is to know that if you are wanting microbes that process potassium, then you have to provide some potassium in the brew... not a lot, but enough so that the microbes that feast on that element will thrive, and the others will not. Again, brewing up a mess of compost or something rotting in your back yard, might accidentally create that particular microbe, but the big question is will it even survive the brewing process when stacked up against all the other microbes coming in via the rotting material? Without a good eye and a microscope, one would never know.

Rather than taking advice on the internet about this person or that person's favorite "easy" brew, believe in the science and go by recipes, not the seat of your pants, when brewing your own teas. There is a great book out there that makes all of this easy to understand, and if you are wanting to get into organic gardening, please let me recommend it to you. The author grows in small containers, usually a no-no in the organic world, using good minerally enriched supersoil in the bottom third of his containers. The rest of the soil could be just about anything... its mainly there to hold nutrients and the plants themselves. Then, using targeted teas to provide exactly what the plants need at each stage of the grow, he proves that you can bring in the "correct" microbes at the proper times, and end up with amazing grows. The author is The Rev. and his book is TLO - True Living Organics 2nd edition. Buy this book and you will no longer fear organics, and you will know a thing or two about brewing teas. Here is a preview of some of his recipes, brought to us by @StoneOtter and saved in my bookmarks for future reference:

Otterfarm Flooded! NextLight Mega Responsible!

Highya SO, Emmie, guys, Love the picture of the barrel on wheels! Such a great design! I don't envy mixing all that dirt, lol! I just set my little girls in the coldframe a couple days ago, and they're looking great. I used to use a cement mixer to mix up sheep feed. Worked great! Was fun...

www.420magazine.com

I've read about producing the right microbes at the right stage of the grow. I should have payed more attention.
I found the book in pdf version online. Will start reading it now. Thanks so much

 

[NuttyProfessor]

Great idea!! Thanks

So mashed potatoes, old leaves and clean water and leave for 2 days. Sounds really easy.

How much would you use for one plant, 300ml, 1 litre?

It is really easy thats why Mr Cho always say " wow so easy " its that easy people THINK it doesn't work

you just add about one liter to ten liter of water , in one drop you will have billions of microbes , if the leaf mold comes from trees in an old forest you will get the BEST for FREE , they have been working together for centuries
I am going by years of research
JADAM is more than a set of easy, low-cost farming principles and practices; it’s actually a group of organic farmers that was established in 1991 by a chemist and horticulturist named Youngsang Cho. The name of the group came from a Korean phrase (jayeon-eul dalm-eun salamdeul) that means “people who resemble nature.”
Its not info from people with white coats on designing things for big profit its NATURAL as can be

people are fooled by Gimmicks ,a trick or device intended to attract attention, publicity, or business.

look i even wrote it on my wall the last grow , its that easy ... wow so easy

 

[NuttyProfessor]

Nitroposkate blue. It got the job done but I need the plants to be as healthy as possible to fight off botrytis.

Crab meal can help there #
Crab meal is 100% ecologically friendly and will not damage the outdoor environment. The natural reactions caused by its chitin have a protective effect against nematodes. It defends against fungus development like botrytis and also prevents blossom end rot

 

[NuttyProfessor]

I've read about producing the right microbes at the right stage of the grow. I should have payed more attention.
I found the book in pdf version online. Will start reading it now. Thanks so much

Indigenous microorganisms (is all you need) do not read into too much or it will trip you up, too much information is what is wrong with the growing community , new growers are so overwhelmed its unreal


Indigenous microbes are defined as: “A group of innate microbial consortium that inhabits the soil and the surfaces of all living things inside and outside which have the potentiality in biodegradation, bioleaching, bio-composting, nitrogen fixation, improving soil fertility and as well in the production of plant growth hormones .”

its all i used for this grow for my autoflowers , day 64 soil and microbes , i am not complaining
Big shout out to sponsor @Weed Seeds Express their seeds are outstanding and highly recomended

and this one is 2/ 3 weeks behind

So to answer your question "

Can I bring the soil microorganisms back after punishing soil with NPK chemical fertilizer?​

the answer is yes and you can do it easily without having to have a melt down on info or hit the pocket too hard
not knocking any companies people have to make a living , but there are two ways of growing
1 you learn how to grow naturally
or
2 you become a customer and let the white coat guys grow your plants for you , but where is the fun in that if you can go a step further
Every one has their own styles and not every one can do their own microbes due to indoors , no room etc so having products do help also so i understand why its done and sold

 

[bobrown14]

Nitroposkate blue. It got the job done but I need the plants to be as healthy as possible to fight off botrytis.

Wetable sulfur is your friend here. Spray on every 10-14 days in VEG and right before you flip. Gone....

 

[Phillybonker]

It is really easy thats why Mr Cho always say " wow so easy " its that easy people THINK it doesn't work

you just add about one liter to ten liter of water , in one drop you will have billions of microbes , if the leaf mold comes from trees in an old forest you will get the BEST for FREE , they have been working together for centuries
I am going by years of research
JADAM is more than a set of easy, low-cost farming principles and practices; it’s actually a group of organic farmers that was established in 1991 by a chemist and horticulturist named Youngsang Cho. The name of the group came from a Korean phrase (jayeon-eul dalm-eun salamdeul) that means “people who resemble nature.”
Its not info from people with white coats on designing things for big profit its NATURAL as can be

people are fooled by Gimmicks ,a trick or device intended to attract attention, publicity, or business.

look i even wrote it on my wall the last grow , its that easy ... wow so easy

Okay thanks I'm going to look into this more. I've still got a bit of time before growing season. I might try doing some plants with your formula and some plants using the compost teas suggested by Emilya. A bit of experimenting and trying different things doesn't hurt.

 

[Phillybonker]

Crab meal can help there #
Crab meal is 100% ecologically friendly and will not damage the outdoor environment. The natural reactions caused by its chitin have a protective effect against nematodes. It defends against fungus development like botrytis and also prevents blossom end rot

Yeah I read that about crab meal. I wonder why the coots recipe doesn't include it. I might do coots + crab meal and using compost teas on some plants and Jadam on other plants.

 

[Phillybonker]

Wetable sulfur is your friend here. Spray on every 10-14 days in VEG and right before you flip. Gone....

idk man, that may very well work in some countries/regions but according to the advice I got sulfur doesn't work on botrytis in my country, possibly because grey mold built up a resistance to sulfur? (I really don't know) but I've been chatting with plant pathologists in my country who said sulfur has very little impact on grey mold.

 

[bobrown14]

Yeah I read that about crab meal. I wonder why the coots recipe doesn't include it. I might do coots + crab meal and using compost teas on some plants and Jadam on other plants.

There are other sources of chitin and Calcium in Coots mix. That said I amend with crab meal even add it to my soil mix as well. It's a good source off long term Ca.