Sweetners

[Pat Puffer]

Ya know what? I did a dusting of Dolomite Lime that year as well to pH the Sphagnum Peat Moss. That is considered a "soil sweetener" upon a little research/Google I just did.

The molasses I used was sulfur free/organic.

you got me thinking though.

Peat moss drifts negative pH annually and I saw my harvest diminish slightly, so I dusted and it was right back where it should've been.

The CBD planters weren't as affected as the THC planters. Does Dolomite Lime have sulfur in it? I am a touch color blind, but I swear the stuff had a yellow tint to it.

 

[InTheShed]

It shouldn't! Still, getting the pH of the medium right could have improved the uptake of micronutrients, including sulfur.

 

[SmokingWings]

There are charts listing the C to N ratios of different plants, leaves, barks and woods Back from soil science class, I remember there’s a formula to determine how much ammonium nitrate fertilizer you needed to add to different vegetations to get the 15 to 1 C to N ratio. With a 300 to 1 C to N ratio, there is almost no point at which enough N is released from the wood chip/sawdust to keep the reaction going, without additional N from another source. Now, that could be grass clippings (5 to 1 C to N ratio), dead leaves, etc., that have more N in them than is needed to decompose the material. The place I buy bulk soil from always add 15-15-15 to the compost mix when they make it.

The one that caught my attention is "With a 300 to 1 C to N ratio, there is almost no point at which enough N is released from the wood chip/sawdust to keep the reaction going, without additional N from another source."

I would think that as the wood decomposes the ratio drops enough that the pile has produced enough N to supply what is needed; the ratio is no longer 300 to 1.

 

[Phytoplankton]

The one that caught my attention is "With a 300 to 1 C to N ratio, there is almost no point at which enough N is released from the wood chip/sawdust to keep the reaction going, without additional N from another source."

I would think that as the wood decomposes the ratio drops enough that the pile has produced enough N to supply what is needed; the ratio is no longer 300 to 1.

It will eventually, but it becomes an anaerobic reaction, and literally will take years. If you dump a pile of sawdust or wood chips on the ground, and just keep it wet, that pile will take years to decompose. If you add nitrate fertilizer it will take months. Turning the pile often will help keep the decomp aerobic, but it will still be a very slow process. If my math is right, (which it may not be) say you have 100 lbs of 300 to 1 sawdust, you’d need to add 15 lbs of nitrate fertilizer to get the fastest decomp and get a plant friendly product.

 

[safeman]

Could it be that your soil was lacking sulfur, which is supposed to be related to terpene development and shows up in some molasseseseses? Just a tho

If you want a 'sulfur" product consider "Silver Bullet" (Key to Life) some commercial cultivators use this to increase trichome production.

 

[InTheShed]

If you want a 'sulfur" product consider "Silver Bullet" (Key to Life) some commercial cultivators use this to increase trichome production.

I would say go with a long time sponsor like Tepiinator.

 

[safeman]

I would say go with a long time sponsor like Tepiinator.

have used that in the past - works great ! Purpinator ii good also for color, ect Humbolt County's Own's "Snow Storm Ultra" is like terpinator and their Purple Max" is like Purpinator

 

[SmokingWings]

It will eventually, but it becomes an anaerobic reaction, and literally will take years. If you dump a pile of sawdust or wood chips on the ground, and just keep it wet, that pile will take years to decompose. If you add nitrate fertilizer it will take months. Turning the pile often will help keep the decomp aerobic, but it will still be a very slow process. If my math is right, (which it may not be) say you have 100 lbs of 300 to 1 sawdust, you’d need to add 15 lbs of nitrate fertilizer to get the fastest decomp and get a plant friendly product.

All valid and I have to believe that the people using wood chips as the major source of organic material are not doing it in an extreme way like that. On a commercial basis spending 5 or more years to produce a decent compost is not worthwhile when even a half way decent wood bases compost can take two years or less.

I am hoping to get new growers from being afraid or worried because they see a stick or small piece of wood in the bag of "soil mix". Instead of complaining they should see it as another small bit of nutrients waiting for the soil micro-organisms to turn it into something to feed their plants.

 

[Phytoplankton]

I am hoping to get new growers from being afraid or worried because they see a stick or small piece of wood in the bag of "soil mix". Instead of complaining they should see it as another small bit of nutrients waiting for the soil micro-organisms to turn it into something to feed their plants.

Absolutely, thats why other plant material is added to help the decomp. By the time its consumer ready it should be fine. The article suggested just ADDING raw wood chips to existing mixes, that's a recipe for trouble.

 

[Mitchell Florn]

It will eventually, but it becomes an anaerobic reaction, and literally will take years. If you dump a pile of sawdust or wood chips on the ground, and just keep it wet, that pile will take years to decompose. If you add nitrate fertilizer it will take months. Turning the pile often will help keep the decomp aerobic, but it will still be a very slow process. If my math is right, (which it may not be) say you have 100 lbs of 300 to 1 sawdust, you’d need to add 15 lbs of nitrate fertilizer to get the fastest decomp and get a plant friendly product.

BE CAREFUL OF MIXING NITRATES WITH "WOOD" CHIPS ETC.....CAN BECOME VERY COMBUSTIBLE

 

[Phytoplankton]

BE CAREFUL OF MIXING NITRATES WITH "WOOD" CHIPS ETC.....CAN BECOME VERY COMBUSTIBLE

It's done all the time, standard industry practice, not a problem if you have a clue to what you're doing. You're making compost, not ANFO.

 

[Wastei]

Sweeteners are for feeding microbes, not plants. A healthy plant produce enough carbohydrates to feed the microbes by itself.

It's not needed and do practically nothing if you're running salts. It may even be contra productive if overused.

It's better to focus on organic sulfurs and amino acids from animal waste products if you're after increasing flavour IMO. Cheers!

 

[Mitchell Florn]

I UNDERSTAND VERY MUCH! I'M A BIOPHARMACEUTICAL SCIENTIST.....MY COMMENT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANFO.....THE COMMENT IS TO BE PRO-ACTIVE AND PRUDENT WHEN DEALING WITH SUBSTANCES THAT ARE EXOTHERMIC.....NOT ALL PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE DANGERS WHEN USED INCORRECTLY....
THAT'S ALL I'M SUGGESTING....

 

[InTheShed]

I UNDERSTAND VERY MUCH! I'M A BIOPHARMACEUTICAL SCIENTIST.....MY COMMENT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANFO.....THE COMMENT IS TO BE PRO-ACTIVE AND PRUDENT WHEN DEALING WITH SUBSTANCES THAT ARE EXOTHERMIC.....NOT ALL PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE DANGERS WHEN USED INCORRECTLY....
THAT'S ALL I'M SUGGESTING....

Hey Mitch, any chance we can get you to turn off your caps lock on every post? Makes your contributions to the site harder to read.

 

[Mitchell Florn]

Sweeteners are for feeding microbes, not plants. A healthy plant produce enough carbohydrates to feed the microbes by itself.

It's not needed and do practically nothing if you're running salts. It may even be contra productive if overused.

It's better to focus on organic sulfurs and amino acids from animal waste products if you're after increasing flavour IMO. Cheers!

Hey Mitch, any chance we can get you to turn off your caps lock on every post? Makes your contributions to the site harder to read.

I TYPE IN ALL CAPS DUE TO MY DYSLEXIA....NOT YELLING. I POSTED AN EXPLANATION AS TO WHY I TYPE I ALL CAPS....THANKS FOR UNDERSTANDING

 

[Danishoes21]

I TYPE IN ALL CAPS DUE TO MY DYSLEXIA....NOT YELLING. I POSTED AN EXPLANATION AS TO WHY I TYPE I ALL CAPS....THANKS FOR UNDERSTANDING

I think he got a condition he needs to type uppercase. I believe he mention dyslexia.

 

[InTheShed]

I TYPE IN ALL CAPS DUE TO MY DYSLEXIA....NOT YELLING. I POSTED AN EXPLANATION AS TO WHY I TYPE I ALL CAPS....THANKS FOR UNDERSTANDING

Funny what makes it easier for you to type makes it harder for us to read. Thanks for letting me know.

 

[Mitchell Florn]

Funny what makes it easier for you to type makes it harder for us to read. Thanks for letting me know.

A CLIP ABOUT DYSLEXIA....


People with dyslexia have the ability to see how things connect to form complex systems, and to identify similarities among multiple things. Such strengths are likely to be of particular significance for fields like science and mathematics, where pictures are key.

 

[Phytoplankton]

BE CAREFUL OF MIXING NITRATES WITH "WOOD" CHIPS ETC.....CAN BECOME VERY COMBUSTIBLE

Nitrate fertilizers are strong oxidizers, which is part of the reason they work so well in supplying O2 and N to microrganisms that break down lignin/organic matter. Stand alone, nitrate fertilizers are not flammable. Again, their use in composting is pretty benign, since water/humidity are present and the fertilizer breaks down quickly in those conditions.

If mixed with the wrong chemicals it can be explosive. I've used ANFO for blowing nesting ponds for waterfowl, but even then you need a blasting cap to initiate the reaction, and it doesn't work when wet. Edit, even then you need a specific Nitrate percentage and grain size.

 

[Mitchell Florn]

LOL....STRONG OXIDIZERS!! READ WHAT YOU JUST WROTE.... A CLIP FROM A GOV. WEBSITE



https://www.google.com/search?hl=en...ms-android-verizon&source=and.gsa.widget.mic#

Strong oxidizing agents often react vigorously with other compounds, generating heat and possibly gaseous products, which can pressurize a closed container, and which may go on to participate in further reactions. An example of a commonly-known oxidation-reduction (or redox) reaction is combustion. Commercial fertilizer typically contains ammonium nitrate, a compound that helps absorb moisture from the atmosphere. While it remains solid at room temperature, it can become extremely volatile if ignited or even heated, causing explosions or fires.