Thats what I was going to say lol, got side tracked, replace the FOFF with a good compost.
Ribosome made me chuckle.
Ya’ll are making organics too difficult. It’s as easy or complex as you want to make it. Source some high quality compost/castings and the rest will fall into place. Like @ReikoX said, 33% castings isn’t ideal. Try like 20% compost and 10% castings instead.
Gypsum doesn’t ‘lime’ peat, only oyster shell and actual lime (dolomite/calcitic/agricultural) will do that. For those are saying organics takes longer to see results - in five gallons of water, mix 1c alfalfa meal and 1/2c kelp meal. Let it sit 24 hours stirring occasionally. Water it in, and watch how fast your plants green up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfwN0X8YnWo I think some appropriate tunes on threads for all new projects on OG? Cheers@BDGrows
Ok, so this is what ive put together based off of some additional reading as well as everyones suggestions…
-----------------Base--------------------
Peat Moss (2.2 cu ft) 30%
Earth Worm Castings (1 cu ft) 15%
Perlite (2 cu ft) 30%
Compost (1.5 cu ft) 25%
Sum of Base: 6.5 cu ft (0.2ft account for potential loss)
----------------Amendments----------------
[Reicpe is based on per cubic foot of base]
Kelp Meal (1/2 cup)
Neem Meal (1/2 cup)
Crab Meal (1/2 cup)
Oyster Shell (1 cup)
Fish Bone Meal (1/2 cup)
Langbeinite (1/2 cup)
Malted Barley Powder (1 cup)
Azomite (2.5 cup)
BioChar (6 cup)
Gypsum (1 cup)
----------Beneficial’s added------------------------
[Reicpe is based on per cubic foot of base]
Root Magic (1/8 tsp)
Pondzyme (1 tbsp)
I figure I dont need to add any additional bacteria/fungi sources to the soil, but what the hell might as well cause more the merrier right? I was also wondering if I need to add any humic acid to the mix or should I just “back add” that with teas? Thanks for the help everyone! Im looking forward to trying this soil approach out!
P.S. I figure for my first run I was going to do this, get a 5 gal fabric pot, put a 6" rooted cloned in it, veg for ~2 weeks, then flip into flower. Will 5 gal be enough of a soil volume to yield decent quality flowers or shoud I up to a 7 gal? I also was going to plant a cover crop and put down some straw. Thanks again everyone!
- BD
If your peat moss is in a bale (compressed) it will likely ‘expand’ when you break it up. Not a big deal if your mix is a little peat heavy. Best if you can hydrate the peat before mixing. I might go a little light on that langbeinite like 1/4c.
Just read you’re going to put a rooted clone in it. I would suggest to ‘buffer’ your clone with some light soil like a sunshine mix - not so much ffof. By buffer I mean just add a little pocket around your clone so it can grow into that before it hits your homemade soil. I would definitely get your soil in a good moisture zone and let it ‘cook’ for 2-4 weeks minimum if all possible. That’s not always neccisary, but rooted clones might need a little extra love. My opinions anyway.
Truth here, good finished ewc wont create mud, overwatering will.
the mix i am growing in right now is 50% ewc/perlite mix, and 50% SSmix#4, and i get no mud, just green plants
Looks great @BDGrows. And thanks @Shadey for the shoutout. Looks like you pretty much have your mix on lockdown. Everyone’s mix is opinion, but here’s my 2 cents.
I’d get rid of the Azomite entirely, from what I’ve heard it has high aluminum levels and/or other stuff that make it not the greatest. I’d replace it with basalt, granite or glacial rock dust which are the best for mineralizing soil mixes. Also try to get the highest quality compost and castings you can get, this is where you don’t skimp. Also, I’d get some mycorrhizal fungi for germinating and planting cause that makes a big difference in growth rate. EDIT: that’s what root magic is.
As far as pot size, always the bigger the better. The only limiter is how much soil you have or if you can lift it. I’d cram as much soil as you can in your space.
Good luck, and happy to have another organic member on OG
I would go 7 gal of soil with that recipe. It’s basically a long term bed recipe, so more volume the better.
I would drop the Azomite to 2 cups if you plan to keep the langbenite. Langbenite is mostly water soluble so I use it as a soil drench once or twice per cycle. A teaspoon of langbenite per gallon of water. Stick an airborne in the bucket and 90% will be dissolved in 24 hours.
Without a soil test you are hunting dragons with nothing more than a pair of tubesocks
Like ReikoX said, if you can go 7 it would be better, as you will probably end up buying bigger pots later if you stay with organics, but 5 gal will get you through what you are planning with the 5 gal pots. I have a mix of 5 and 10 gal pots, the 5 gals are emergency pots, but I seem to be in an emergency all the time now lol.
Here is a month or two worth of all the soil discussion you can handle
Heres a question… I have access to some great compost (horse manure to be specific). If I were to put some of it in bins, add some worms and paper and start a compost, could I use that instead of the EWC and Compost? Do 2 cu. ft. of this stuff instead, being that its compost with worms in it creating EWC? Plus I am wanting to start a compost pile to put all of my trimmings and I figure why not make it into something productive! Thanks for the help everyone!
- BD
I agree here EWC at 33% Is way to heavy Imo I like the 10-20 % range to be honest and would think you would have better luck, your recipe is right where it needs to be Iv never have used lime in any runs before and as far as azomite goes that sounds like way to much if me I’d cut that down to 1 cup per CF. Looking forward to your grow thread and welcome to OG!
I really like that ratio stated here that @PlantShepherd has mentioned
Agree can’t forget that it also has high percentages of NPK and calcium as well the cast itself is coated in calcium as it exits the worm.
So what is true organic ?? I grow organically but in very small pots in a micro grow. Can I go until completion with water only, no, but I’m happy to feed with liquid organic fertilisers when needed. It’s still organic and very easy and simple way to grow. I think hydro is in most cases a lot of work.
I suppose if your looking for a water only grow then yes a large volume of soil with the required amendments is required. I think any system can be tweaked to max out production, but how much work do you want to put into the grow. KISS is my principal and off coarse LITFA as well.
Cheers Johnny
I think that for True Organics peeps mean when you prepare your soil with various raw ammendament and take care of soil biology with compost , teas and various inoculum and fermented stuff…Opposed to just buy a bunch of bottled nutrients that claims to be organic ?!? I donno maybe is just a game of words
Im starting to feel that Organics, living soil is the way to go outdoor for many reasons but if you run a crazy high performance indoor system then dry salts hydro or coco is gona perform better IMO. More control on the feed by the ppm, faster grow rate, waaaay less volume of growing medium, less water and bigger yelds…
I always grew organic but now Im very interested in studyng rockwool hydro for these reasons…sorry maybe i went off topic a little
Holy Guacamole!!! 50% EWC???..well i taught mine was high quality is made by a small organic company few miles from were i live…ive seen many ewc and for me the good ones looked like million mini blackballs that when they are dry are a ultra fine dust that when get moisted transform ina very heavy dense black mass… no areation whatsoever…all the good EWC ive seen were like this ive never seen anything with a texture that will resemble something fluffy or well areated… i guess thers somethin new to learn everyday
The Kelp/Alfalfa tea is a great suggestion. I get alfalfa by the 50lb bag at my local feed store.
You can also top dress with this combo (and others) if brewing teas isn’t your thing.
I have so many things to say and this thread moves so quick. I’ll log in tonight and post some other ideas I have.
Aha! The truth is, there is no standard definition of “organic” farming. By definition, in chemistry, something is organic if it contains a carbon molecule.