PlanetJ
Well-Known Member
It contains, amongst heaps of info, this:
How to get started growing indoors organically - No bottles
- Thread starter COorganics
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PJ -
Clays and other soils may or may not contain what the plant needs. The only way I know of to tell if the soil contains what it needs is via soil testing. State land grant colleges in US typically run a good soil test program, there are commercial outfits that also do it. Their instructions should include information on how to take and submit samples. They should supply recommendations for amending your soil with the report. A really good one will recommend soil amendments based on your crop and growing style (organic or chemical) and be aware of local problems as well as local sources of organic amendments.
Clay soils are capable of holding nutrients, and plants with strong tap roots can access these nutrients. But clay would not be my first choice when filling a pot with designer dirt, good friable loamy soil is easier for the plant and soil critters to work with. It's also easier for the grower.
I see that my local state lab also tests compost, that looks like a good idea for those of us who make and use composts.
Figuring out which tests to have run and how to act on the results is a learning experience for me. My current thinking is that I'd like to know:
15 "elements" (Ca, Mg, K, P Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, B, Al, Cd, Cr, Pb Na, Ni)
% organic matter
pH
Alkalinity
CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity)
There are a bunch of other tests available, but these look like a good start to me. I've been reading Lowenfels' books Teaming with Microbes (with Lewis) and Teaming with Nutrients which are very enlightening on this subject.
Sorry that I've gone on so long, but this subject has opened my can of worms.
PlanetJ
Well-Known Member
The clay is to substitute the unobtainable glacial rock dust, not make up the soil. There will be 4 liters of clay powder in ~200 liters of soil that way. Unless I find a better substitute for it, or really get angry at some local rocks 
Conradino23
Well-Known Member
Yeah I mean I said it somewhere else that if you really wanted to go High Brix or just pinpoint nutrient levels in your soil, you have to test it, and then you can decide what to do next. I'm really starting to rethink my whole approach as too strong although I never in my life pushed nutrients. For example studies show that phosphorus level in soil for cannabis is good when it reaches 50-85 ppm, which is very little. If we put next to it what HB camp says out loud, that potassium should be reduced to the same level in order to keep micronutrient absorbtion at maximum, we go back to the real basics. You just need to have some organic matter on top of it that is rich in nitrogen for our plant to flourish and good microbial life + CEC. If that's really what it takes to jump on another level I'm gonna closely examine it. In the end what I'm thinking is that cannabis evolved as weed and had to survive in soils very often lacking in nutrients, which is why it's not fit to respond very well for their abundance. Obviously it's also a strong plant immune to PH variations, low temps, high temps, competitive flora etc., but we're trying to hit sweet spot here, which is to find perfect or almost perfect balance.
Also .. this makes me rather wanna crush rocks with a hammer ... those prices suck. Even tho it will last me a lifetime
Keep this pertinent point on the front of your brain. Yes the prices suck. You will only have to make that investment once in a blue moon - the first time to build the soil and after that just to use in additives, should you go to a no-till set up.
Sorry that I've gone on so long, but this subject has opened my can of worms.
Please Fat Rob, do go on all you want. We're all trying to learn here.
PlanetJ
Well-Known Member
This might be of interest, nothing new I think, but still interesting. BBC - Earth - Plants talk to each other using an internet of fungus
- Thread starter
- #328
An internet of fungus. Sounds funny. I'm sure I'll get a chance to check out link later.
PlanetJ
Well-Known Member
How mycelium in the root zone becomes mycorrhiza. The later being the total of the plants, the mycelium and the interactions. Plants seem to communicate to each other through this network, and even exchange food. Science demonstrated this in a number of controlled and wild test scenarios.
They will even warn neighbours of upcoming pests through this network, thus increasing it's survival chance. How plants should not be viewed in isolation, but as a group and a system. How some plants can even make life a bitch for other plants, even negatively influencing their growth, and a bit more I can not remember from the top of my head
Consider this the TLDR version
They will even warn neighbours of upcoming pests through this network, thus increasing it's survival chance. How plants should not be viewed in isolation, but as a group and a system. How some plants can even make life a bitch for other plants, even negatively influencing their growth, and a bit more I can not remember from the top of my head
Consider this the TLDR version
Catching up here kids so don't be sad... Probably not fruit flies - WAY more likely they are ....wait for it..... FUNGUS GNATS! They are the ones that love decaying matter anyone that does compost knows them well! They kinda remind me of fruit flies but there's no fruit in compost or very little comparo to fungus anyways. I always thought they were fruit flies until I started with ACT and compost as my main ingredient and realized those dang buggers aren't eating fruit since all that fruit scraps are long gone/composted but I still have gnats?
Solution - 1/2 cup of water mixed with 1 shot of Hydrogen Peroxide from the RX - in a spray bottle and spray the shit out of everything every where in the grow room.... I even spray the floor... oh and REPEAT as needed!! hahahahaha there's tons of other treatments too but I found that that they like diseased plants best so cull the herd if need be. My experience YMMV.
Cheers
BB
Oh yeah its true... grow mushrooms, what you see as a "mushroom" is just the fruit, same as a orange on an orange tree - pick the orange and there's a huge tree there to support that one small fruit. Mycelium is the tree ... and it can grow in the forest floor for hundreds of years and grow literally for MILES in every direction as long as there's enough water and organic matter. You have it on your skin too... lives in a symbiotic relationship with all living things. Once the living things die off, the mycelium recycle the organic matter. Circle of life! Its a beautiful thing. The coolest part is we can actually put them to use to benefit humans growing food or cannabis, whatever you want. No need for unsustainable agricultural practices, it's here and has been for billions of years. I believe its the building blocks for life as we know it.
Live long and proper, keeping it green!
PlanetJ
Well-Known Member
If they are fungus gnats, they are not impressing me. I moved an unsanitized basil into the veg area months ago .. since them I have these buggers. I keep them in check with a pool of water with dish soap in it ..
I do NOTHING other then the dislike treatment due to an aphid infestation due to another unsanitized plant. There is nothing for them to eat .. and thats why they hatch, reproduce and die without causing any issues, except being annoying. Gonna solve the issue with sand on top of the dirt.
I do NOTHING other then the dislike treatment due to an aphid infestation due to another unsanitized plant. There is nothing for them to eat .. and thats why they hatch, reproduce and die without causing any issues, except being annoying. Gonna solve the issue with sand on top of the dirt.
Conradino23
Well-Known Member
Stick a clove of garlic in the pot and let it grow. Works great for aphids, thrips etc.
Sand on top of dirt has the potential to smother your top layer of the soil community. I would try the garlic approach. Much sounder from and organic and scientific standpoint.
PlanetJ
Well-Known Member
Thanks for cluing me in there! ATM not in LOS tho .. so rignht now, to get rid of thema, it wint Hurt I guess?
PlanetJ
Well-Known Member
I hate phones
About the only thing that will effectively get rid of fungus gnats is biologicals. You have to break that cycle. Then you have the reality that if you're growing in dirt they will likely re establish themselves somewhere down the road. Doc Bud claims to have found success with mineralization beyond what LOS deals with, something I want to explore further. Clackamas Coots claimed that regular applications of neem meal and neem oil eventually eliminates them from a no till. Gnats are part of the composting paradigm and may be something we learn to live with. CO and I have figured they aren't doing our plants any harm, so they're just an annoyance. I'll be interested in seeing if I can get rid of them during my second run.
As far as aphids go, you really can't beat Conradino's suggestion about planting garlic in the pot. Works every time.
As far as aphids go, you really can't beat Conradino's suggestion about planting garlic in the pot. Works every time.
I do this all the time.My daughter keeps trying to train me to copy on a regular basis and particularly when I get ready to preview or post, and I usually do. Every once in a while I slip up, and that's usually when it glitches.
You've seen my posts. That's a lot to re type.
Tomtos, you won't regret that decision to go with LOS. This is the type of reaction CO and I hoped to inspire. It's nice when a plan works.
That journal of CO's is the one that inspired me to go with LOS. The results speak for themselves.
You're exactly right Sue. Inspiring!
Sorry for the late reply. It was my boy's 4th Bday last week. Lot's of planning and playing
I got all of soil mix components together and have them "cooking" now in two thirty gallon tubs. The only hiccup was that the SPM that I got was a mix with up to 25% perlite and some dolomitic lime. I had a 1/2cu' of humus leftover so I just mixed it all in. The mix was slightly over the 7cu' but not so much that I'm worried that the CC nutrient kit might be diluted.
After a couple of days I put down a cover crop of crimson clover. I also started some clover seeds germinating in an attempt to make some SST later this week just as practice. I guess I can feed it to my cover crop.
Most excitingly though is that I stumbled across a pile of red wigglers doing some yard work this week so I stopped everything I was doing and immediately started my worm farm too!
I have the tubs in my garage loosely covered, I was thinking of just letting them sit outside in the rain. Is there anything else I can do for the soil right now?
Thanks everyone for all of the great ideas!
- Thread starter
- #339
Good start! I would advise you not to leave your worm bin out in the elements. Rain can flood it, bad. Sun can overheat it, bad. Cold weather can freeze it, bad. Anywhere indoors or a garage you can put it is much better. I keep mine inside and it stays around 65 degrees which is ideal.
I rarely water mine, too much water is not great for the worm bin. I have been keeping moisture up in there simply by adding raw veggie scraps occasionally (I REALLY like carrot peels for this purpose). Also I add the sludgy end stuff from teas. I haven't actually watered my worm bin in well over 6 months.
I rarely water mine, too much water is not great for the worm bin. I have been keeping moisture up in there simply by adding raw veggie scraps occasionally (I REALLY like carrot peels for this purpose). Also I add the sludgy end stuff from teas. I haven't actually watered my worm bin in well over 6 months.
PlanetJ
Well-Known Member
I have a question regarding worm bins .. google will give a ton of different interior makeups .. some have bedding on top, others at the bottom, some in between a layer of moisture absorbing material and the food layer, topped off with more paper ...
I'm a bit at a loss what to do .. I shredded a couple of egg cartons in fairly big chunks, on top of that went some last autumns leaves, on top of that some compost and sand, topped off with more leaves and wood chips, lid placed loosely on top, to make ventilation possible. No drainage holes in the bottom yet ..
Any topic here people can point me to to fix my bin ?
I'm a bit at a loss what to do .. I shredded a couple of egg cartons in fairly big chunks, on top of that went some last autumns leaves, on top of that some compost and sand, topped off with more leaves and wood chips, lid placed loosely on top, to make ventilation possible. No drainage holes in the bottom yet ..
Any topic here people can point me to to fix my bin ?
