At least one reason in an organic grow is that the microbes that break it down also work on hard insect bodies, so pest deterrent as well!
DeeCee’s Living Organics Garden: No Tillin’
- Thread starter DeeCee112
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- #62
Thanks Azi good to know! I’ve updated the write up for others!
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- #64
Gooood morning 420!
Let’s get right into it today - yesterday was a busy morning in the garden top dressing, pruning and training. When top dressing we want to teach the plants, worms and microbes to learn that they can be fed at the surface. If your properly protecting your soil with mulch and top dressing with amendments and high quality compost this is what it will start to look like on top:
The plant will put out feeder roots, making your top dresses more effective and the worms will rise to feed and pull nutrients down into your soil and aerate it. The microbial population will be thriving from top to bottom of the pot thereby breaking down the nutrients faster and more effectively and maintaining a healthy soil. Happy soil happy plant!
Step One
I carefully pulled up most of the mulch. Some of it was embedded in the soil and cover crop so I just left it, it will break down. I snipped my cover crop to leave behind as well for some nitrogen. Next time I will plant it sooner.
Step Two
I sprinkled half a cup of my base nutrients and half a cup of alfalfa meal around for my homemade Veg Top Dress! Why half a cup of each? No idea I’m winging it and it seemed to be enough to coat most of the top!
Step Three
I threw down a good solid inch or so of high quality worm castings. Compost can also be used here. Avoid the bagged box store stuff if you can. I got a few bags of worm castings from a local worm farmer. I’ve started my own bin though, more on this later! On top of the worm castings I sprinkled around 3/4cup of bokashi bran. More on this later as well but the bran is inoculated with microbes for bokashi fermentation. I’m not sure how or if it will help as I believe they are anaerobic microbes but we will see! I lightly worked it into the castings.
Step Four
I replaced my mulch layer, making sure I can see the castings through it. I just want a light layer here to protect from the sun and help retain moisture but also allow lots of air in. The pure castings on top will hold moisture well.
Step Five
Watered in my top dressing with a fresh batch of compost tea to send out a new army of microbe warriors to feed on all that goodness! I think the jury is out on compost teas effectiveness but at minimum I am convinced that it will help inoculate my castings that may have been sitting around too long or not kept moist enough! This layer of inoculated castings will quickly get to breaking down the amendments, mulch and cover crop!
Enjoy your Sunday everyone! Next update will go through another important facet of my system - my worm bin!
Fresh castings from my bin for compost tea
I also found a very unwanted guest in the soil I will show, and explain how I’m going to deal with it!
Let’s get right into it today - yesterday was a busy morning in the garden top dressing, pruning and training. When top dressing we want to teach the plants, worms and microbes to learn that they can be fed at the surface. If your properly protecting your soil with mulch and top dressing with amendments and high quality compost this is what it will start to look like on top:
The plant will put out feeder roots, making your top dresses more effective and the worms will rise to feed and pull nutrients down into your soil and aerate it. The microbial population will be thriving from top to bottom of the pot thereby breaking down the nutrients faster and more effectively and maintaining a healthy soil. Happy soil happy plant!
Step One
I carefully pulled up most of the mulch. Some of it was embedded in the soil and cover crop so I just left it, it will break down. I snipped my cover crop to leave behind as well for some nitrogen. Next time I will plant it sooner.
Step Two
I sprinkled half a cup of my base nutrients and half a cup of alfalfa meal around for my homemade Veg Top Dress! Why half a cup of each? No idea I’m winging it and it seemed to be enough to coat most of the top!
Step Three
I threw down a good solid inch or so of high quality worm castings. Compost can also be used here. Avoid the bagged box store stuff if you can. I got a few bags of worm castings from a local worm farmer. I’ve started my own bin though, more on this later! On top of the worm castings I sprinkled around 3/4cup of bokashi bran. More on this later as well but the bran is inoculated with microbes for bokashi fermentation. I’m not sure how or if it will help as I believe they are anaerobic microbes but we will see! I lightly worked it into the castings.
Step Four
I replaced my mulch layer, making sure I can see the castings through it. I just want a light layer here to protect from the sun and help retain moisture but also allow lots of air in. The pure castings on top will hold moisture well.
Step Five
Watered in my top dressing with a fresh batch of compost tea to send out a new army of microbe warriors to feed on all that goodness! I think the jury is out on compost teas effectiveness but at minimum I am convinced that it will help inoculate my castings that may have been sitting around too long or not kept moist enough! This layer of inoculated castings will quickly get to breaking down the amendments, mulch and cover crop!
Enjoy your Sunday everyone! Next update will go through another important facet of my system - my worm bin!
Fresh castings from my bin for compost tea
I also found a very unwanted guest in the soil I will show, and explain how I’m going to deal with it!
Looking good there, DeeCee. Your plants must be loving this treatment.
You're supposed to bury the bokashi output in the garden and the worms go wild for it, but I like to run everything through my worm bin first and it's not big enough to handle 5 gal buckets of stuff all at one time, so I abandoned the bokaski method and went back to just running stuff through the worm bin.
But if you have a big enough bin, that bokashi is supposed to be pretty good stuff.
You're supposed to bury the bokashi output in the garden and the worms go wild for it, but I like to run everything through my worm bin first and it's not big enough to handle 5 gal buckets of stuff all at one time, so I abandoned the bokaski method and went back to just running stuff through the worm bin.
But if you have a big enough bin, that bokashi is supposed to be pretty good stuff.
Love seeing those top feeders DeeCee! 
Nunyabiz
Well-Known Member
Thats what roots and soil is supposed to look like, very nice.
Everyone that dries out their soil loses all those feeder roots.
Everyone that dries out their soil loses all those feeder roots.
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- #68
Yeah I’m thinking of throwing together a couple bokashi 5gal pails for composting all my kitchen scraps, either going to use it to speed up a traditional compost pile or bury it in my raised beds. My worm bin can’t keep up with my leftovers and I’d love to be able to compost all the things you can’t put in the bin like meat and dairy.
I have seen people use the bran like I did though to speed up microbial and fungi activity, like I said though may be a feel good thing as I’m pretty sure the EM microbes are an anaerobic.
Thanks SO! Going good so far!Love seeing those top feeders DeeCee!
Thanks man means a lot coming from a no till Jedi master! I owe you for getting me onto this!
I used LAB in sawdust for mine. I imagine it depends on what you use for microbes but the LAB I used are apparently switch hitters in that they can work in either environment.
I don't think it matters much though after whatever microbes you use are done with their process. The post fermentation remnants are what's loved by the worms (and I presume the rest of the Microbial Herd).
Nunyabiz
Well-Known Member
EM microbes are BOTH anaerobic and aerobic and work to kinda supercharge the beneficial microbes.
They also fight soil pathogens because they grow so quickly that they become the dominate kind of like the Delta Variant in covid.
The dominant will always take over.
EM is beneficial and works synergistically with the mycorrhazae and other beneficials.
So gets rid of pathogens.
There are also photosynthetic bacteria that can use the heat in the soil to break down hydrogen sulfate in the soil and turn it into oxygen in the soil.
It also speeds up decomposition breaking down the soil to plant available nutrients.
And they secrete amino acids which mycorrhazae feed on.
Probably a good reason that Higa called them "Effective Microorganisms"
They also fight soil pathogens because they grow so quickly that they become the dominate kind of like the Delta Variant in covid.
The dominant will always take over.
EM is beneficial and works synergistically with the mycorrhazae and other beneficials.
So gets rid of pathogens.
There are also photosynthetic bacteria that can use the heat in the soil to break down hydrogen sulfate in the soil and turn it into oxygen in the soil.
It also speeds up decomposition breaking down the soil to plant available nutrients.
And they secrete amino acids which mycorrhazae feed on.
Probably a good reason that Higa called them "Effective Microorganisms"
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- #71
Well then I’m gonna keep sprinkling that shit everywhere lol!
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- #72
Fighting Bugs with…More Bugs
As promised here is an update on what I found in one of the pots during top dressing:
I am thinking it is either a root weevil or Japanese beetle larvae.
I did see a Japanese beetle hanging about so that may be it. Either way the two I found I got rid of, did a quick look through each pot and did not find anymore. Regardless of what it is, they would likely be destructive to my root systems.
I pulled the trigger on an order of 5million nematodes as part of a speciality cannabis guardian product:
contains Steinernema feltiae and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, a specific beneficial nematode blend for quick control of fungus gnats, the pre pupae of thrip, root aphids and root weevils. These nematodes attack soil pest larva by entering through their natural body openings. Once inside, the nematodes release a symbiotic bacterium that quickly kills the pest. Reproduction inside the dead larvae results in a new generation of nematodes that disperse to find more prey.
I tacked on 1000 hypoaspis miles predator mites to really round out my team of killers. These guys will eat the larvae of a wide variety of pests such as spider mites, thrips and fungus gnats. They also showed some effectiveness against root weevils in a 2011 study linked by the company I purchased them from.
Pests will not be an issue this year in my garden….
except maybe if this guy decides to get high
As promised here is an update on what I found in one of the pots during top dressing:
I am thinking it is either a root weevil or Japanese beetle larvae.
I did see a Japanese beetle hanging about so that may be it. Either way the two I found I got rid of, did a quick look through each pot and did not find anymore. Regardless of what it is, they would likely be destructive to my root systems.
I pulled the trigger on an order of 5million nematodes as part of a speciality cannabis guardian product:
contains Steinernema feltiae and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, a specific beneficial nematode blend for quick control of fungus gnats, the pre pupae of thrip, root aphids and root weevils. These nematodes attack soil pest larva by entering through their natural body openings. Once inside, the nematodes release a symbiotic bacterium that quickly kills the pest. Reproduction inside the dead larvae results in a new generation of nematodes that disperse to find more prey.
I tacked on 1000 hypoaspis miles predator mites to really round out my team of killers. These guys will eat the larvae of a wide variety of pests such as spider mites, thrips and fungus gnats. They also showed some effectiveness against root weevils in a 2011 study linked by the company I purchased them from.
Pests will not be an issue this year in my garden….
except maybe if this guy decides to get high
Love the updates DC! I feel like I'm in ag school.
Oh damn I was sure it was bubble hash!
He won't get high but I hear there are a lot of health benefits to raw cannabis leaves. Healthy rabbits are the tastiest.
True Dat. If interested, ask Mr. Google to search for Dr. William Courtney. He advocates using the raw flower for the acidic version of the goodies (thc-a, cbd-a, etc.).He won't get high but I hear there are a lot of health benefits to raw cannabis leaves. Healthy rabbits are the tastiest.
Because you don't get the psychoactive effects, you can take more and get more of the heath benefits like anti-inflammatory, etc.
I've been doing it primarily that way for years. The doctor suggests making smoothies with it, but I primarily put it in olive oil and use it on salads and stuff. The trichomes are not water soluble but they do dissolve in fats and oils.
Good for daytime meds if you need your head clear!
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- #75
Thanks Shed, my goal is to compile a basic guide for starting a No Till Grow that anyone on 420 can grab and within a few hours or so get started with enough understanding and then also be able to easily reference in one spot. I know for myself at least it was a little overwhelming and a lot of information that was counter intuitive to what I had previously learned about growing cannabis. I spent months compiling all of this from many sources before I even mixed my soil, hopefully I can save someone else some of that time!Love the updates DC! I feel like I'm in ag school.
I did just sight my .22 in on SundayHe won't get high but I hear there are a lot of health benefits to raw cannabis leaves. Healthy rabbits are the tastiest.
I’ve heard of people throwing them into their smoothies every morning. Recently I grew a cbd 1:1 strain and I’ve really enjoyed the mellow high without the anxiety that can come from heavier hitters. I also found a 10mg CBD carbonated drink at a local dispensary that worked wonders on my heartburn and indigestion. I wonder if supplementing with some cannabis leaves would help.
How do they taste in a salad!?
Interesting idea Azimuth! I never considered infusing it raw. I might give that a try, for science!
Not great. Unless you really like the taste of the stuff. This is where a water cure really shines. You lose a lot of the terpines that carry much of the smell and tastes with a water cure, and probably also some of the medical benies, but I think it's worth it for the improved taste.
It is science. You can look it up!
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- #78
Hey guys here’s a quick update from today! These girls are easily the healthiest, biggest and most vibrant plants I’ve grown to date! I am extremely satisfied with the larger pots and Coots recipe LOS soil!
I haven’t had time to put together a step by step on a worm bin yet but it’s coming! For now here’s some pics of them winding down after a hot day of full sun today:
Pineapple Express
She carries a slightly lime green shade with very thick stems and tight nodes. Amazing structure and has taken extremely well to extensive training. Huge healthy fan leaves! I am very excited for this famous fast finisher this season. Hopefully I enjoy her as much as Seth Rogen and James Franco did!
Blue Gelato
This girl ha a stunning blue undertone to her colour that may have led to her name! Her structure has taken well to heavy training as well, and given me a nice “bowl” structure which would’ve been super efficient if grown indoors, allowing the lower middle to get the most light. She also rocks a good node spacing and solid stems structure.
Trainwreck
This strain is a funny one to grow. The colour is always a lighter green than most other strains, even when happy and well fed. She has the wispier growth and thin fingered fan leaves that is common of Sativa leaning genetics however the node spacing is extremely tight, almost obnoxiously so due to the absolute mass of leaves that it creates. Pruning is a requirement to keep a tidy plant and prevent moist microclimates for mold and mildew. All that being said it has turned into an absolutely favourite day time smoke.
I may just take a moment to brag about the flat and level canopies here. Although less of a requirement for outdoor growing as the sun penetrates better than electric lights and moves quite a bit more, this type of training also opens them up for a more productive bud growth, less chance of mild and mildew and more airflow through the central structures. I manage this with only one topping, so less plant stress, however its a fair bit more work to attach and continually adjust the tie downs and forces you to be a little more careful while watering. All worth it in the end product though and I actually enjoy it!
I haven’t had time to put together a step by step on a worm bin yet but it’s coming! For now here’s some pics of them winding down after a hot day of full sun today:
Pineapple Express
She carries a slightly lime green shade with very thick stems and tight nodes. Amazing structure and has taken extremely well to extensive training. Huge healthy fan leaves! I am very excited for this famous fast finisher this season. Hopefully I enjoy her as much as Seth Rogen and James Franco did!
Blue Gelato
This girl ha a stunning blue undertone to her colour that may have led to her name! Her structure has taken well to heavy training as well, and given me a nice “bowl” structure which would’ve been super efficient if grown indoors, allowing the lower middle to get the most light. She also rocks a good node spacing and solid stems structure.
Trainwreck
This strain is a funny one to grow. The colour is always a lighter green than most other strains, even when happy and well fed. She has the wispier growth and thin fingered fan leaves that is common of Sativa leaning genetics however the node spacing is extremely tight, almost obnoxiously so due to the absolute mass of leaves that it creates. Pruning is a requirement to keep a tidy plant and prevent moist microclimates for mold and mildew. All that being said it has turned into an absolutely favourite day time smoke.
I may just take a moment to brag about the flat and level canopies here. Although less of a requirement for outdoor growing as the sun penetrates better than electric lights and moves quite a bit more, this type of training also opens them up for a more productive bud growth, less chance of mild and mildew and more airflow through the central structures. I manage this with only one topping, so less plant stress, however its a fair bit more work to attach and continually adjust the tie downs and forces you to be a little more careful while watering. All worth it in the end product though and I actually enjoy it!
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- #79
Northern Lights
I really want to highlight the different here. This is a healthy plant with no deficiencies of the same age, but grown in a 5 gallon pot using the same peat/compost/perlite mixture however amending with Gaia Green 4-4-4 nutrients only instead of my home made soil. The differences are clear. Although a little less effort and work on my end she does not hold a candle to the 20gallon LOS stunners.
Is it just me or does she looks like she is thinking about going into flower any day
That’s all for tonight!
I really want to highlight the different here. This is a healthy plant with no deficiencies of the same age, but grown in a 5 gallon pot using the same peat/compost/perlite mixture however amending with Gaia Green 4-4-4 nutrients only instead of my home made soil. The differences are clear. Although a little less effort and work on my end she does not hold a candle to the 20gallon LOS stunners.
Is it just me or does she looks like she is thinking about going into flower any day
That’s all for tonight!
Nunyabiz
Well-Known Member
Been trying to beat this into peoples heads for years.Northern Lights
I really want to highlight the different here. This is a healthy plant with no deficiencies of the same age, but grown in a 5 gallon pot using the same peat/compost/perlite mixture however amending with Gaia Green 4-4-4 nutrients only instead of my home made soil. The differences are clear. Although a little less effort and work on my end she does not hold a candle to the 20gallon LOS stunners.
Is it just me or does she looks like she is thinking about going into flower any day
That’s all for tonight!
Pot size makes a huge difference in several ways.
I did pretty much the same my last grow.
I tried squeezing in a 7 gal pot on the side of my two 20 gal pots.
The plant looked great but was way smaller than either of the other two and the yield was less than 1/2.
For an outdoor plant 20 gal is actually pretty small, for an optimum grow thats easy and carefree id recommend 30 gal fabric pots for indoor and for outdoor, if it were even remotely possible for me to grow outdoor I don't think I would go any smaller than 100 gal fabric and that would have to be in a greenhouse.
I can't even imagine growing a money tree just out in the open, thats the things nightmares are made of to me.
Just the thought of it makes me shudder.
I don't know how you do it, but they look great.
Excellent job
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