You couldn’t have said it more perfectly! Lol
Unlimited dumb questions is all I ask so I’m grateful to have someone so patient to guide me 
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Nube’s Kung Fu is the best… 
Cheers
G
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What’s Kung fu must of been sleeping 
when that was around.
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Arcane cultural reference to The Lone Gunmen… Total old nerd reference 
Cheers
G
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Today is a big day!
Later today I will be mixing together my first batch of organic soil. The idea is to use this soil forever by adding organic amendments after every round. Here is my base (shout out to @nube for helping my with the recipe)
4 cu ft Sphagnum Peat Moss
4 cu ft Oly Mountain Fish Compost
1/2 cu ft EWC
2 cu ft Perlite
2 cu ft Rice Hulls
Here are my inputs/amendments
Kelp Meal
Neem meal
Karanja meal
Malted Barley
Fish Bone Meal
Oyster Shell Flour
Glacial Rock Dust
Gypsum Powder
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Looking good. Did you get the langbeinite? You’ll want that since it’s your source of K.
Also, since your pH was 7 on the nose, you’ll want the crustacean meal to round out the nute profile (it contains N, P, and Calcium Carbonate to buffer the acidity). And, because crustaceans are basically bugs of the sea, it adds chitin which creates a hormonal pest defense response in the plants since chitin is what bug exoskeletons are made of. One of the enzymes in malted barley is chitinase, and it breaks down the chitin from the crustacean shells.
With those two additional amendments to round out your soil profile, you should be fine using water only the whole way from seed to harvest. Just make sure to keep the soil slightly moist (I see recommendations of no more than 5-10% of the pot size in the volume of water you give them per watering), don’t let it dry out completely (except maybe slightly drier in early flower, like days 0F to 21F, for plant steering) and transplant before the plants start to yellow. My progression is usually around 3-4wks from seed or rooted clone in solo cups, 2-3wks in 1/2gallon, and then 2-3wks in 7gal before flipping.
Also, you’re going to get gnats from some of those ingredients, usually the compost and/or EWC. It’s just a fact of life in organics. Buy gnatrol from www.organicbti.com - I got 1/2lb and it lasted almost 2 years because I only use it at transplant. I recently bought a full pound of it and I expect that to last quite awhile.
And don’t slack on your organic bug spray DIY recipe - once a week, top to bottom of the plants, tops and undersides of the leaves, religiously, and you’ll never have bad pest issues unless you get dirty clones or work in an infested area all day and come home to snuggle your plants without changing clothes and taking a shower. Just do the bug spray with lights raised up and turned off until the plants dry out.
Break a leg! I hope the whole thing does really well for you. There’s a learning curve, but it’s not too bad. Once you feel comfortable with organic soil, you can upgrade to SIPs for perfect, no hassle, no thought watering that rivals hydro for speed of plant growth, but with all the benefits of organics.
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First off @nube your a g. You make me want to make organic soil. Looking at the bags here off your input I’d say your prolly who helped my neighbor get his going. That’s a lot easier than making my own.
Question you mention diy bug control spray. Can you point me in direction of that or would it be better to just use gnatrol? Didn’t have problems when started mid winter starting to notice alot more as things start to heat up.
@Vagabond_Windy can’t go clogging up your thread without adding that its looking good over here! Excited to see how your soul goes as I’m looking to keep mine around by amending to!
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You need both gnatrol and an IPM spray. Gnatrol only takes care of the gnats in the soil. The IPM spray is for the plant above ground.
Here’s the DIY organic IPM spray recipe. Bodhi Testers Summer 2020 - Passionfruit Hasplant (Lush X 88G13/HP) - #57 by nube
Buy the essential oils on Amazon in 2 or 4oz bottles. The neem oil comes in 4 or 8oz bottles usually. Make sure they’re organic. Get the Dr. Bronners at your local supermarket in the health food section. It’s great soap for all around. We wash our dogs, ourselves, and mop our floors with it. The only thing I’ve changed in that recipe is I no longer recommend the optional wettable sulfur. Apparently some brands don’t work with oils.
All those ingredients will cost about $40-60 depending on the quantities you buy, and then it’ll last you for 5+ years if you spray once a week religiously. Follow the instructions on how and when to use and you’ll never see issues.
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Thank you, much appreciated! The name might just fit for you, but this nube here would be lost without words of wisdom from people as yourself! Now just to start putting it all to use over the next year and enjoy the result much sooner if ever that would have without this place!
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I had to run and get some Down To Earth Crustacean Meal and Langbeinite but yes I have 5 lbs of each. I will add according to your instructions.
I still have plenty of Gnatrol left and will probably get some sticky traps when it gets bad.
I will begin to acquire all the IPM ingredients in the next week or so to begin my weekly regimen.
Your guidance has been instrumental. Thanks 
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I skipped the pictures of the amendments being added because I was hella tired by that time
But here are a few pics of the process.
Also a great way to spend some fun family time
Amendments were used as follows(12cu.ft base)
Minerals - 1.25 cup per cuft of base
- Rock dust
- Gypsum
- Oyster Shell Flour
Food - 1/2 cup per cuft of base
- Fish bone meal
- Kelp meal
- Malted barley, powdered or milled fine
- Neem/karanja meal
- Crustacean Meal
Additive - 3 tbsp per cuft of base
- Langbeinite
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Stopped by check on Windy’s garden and happened upon a knowledge bomb. Thanks @nube and keep up the good work Windy.
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I always put it in a mixer for concrete
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Thank you for the suggestion. My back is telling me to buy one lol
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Congrats! That’s the good stuff, man! Barley and oats and neem seed meal really pump out the fungal colonies. 
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Jackpot for sure!!! You’re in the zone now, exactly what soil-builders want to see. CONGRATS!!! SS/BW…mister 
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Thanks guys. It’s exciting to say the least
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diy ?i want to see. honest
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If you have the dirt outside on the tarp still, I’d move it inside or put it in tubs asap. I forgot to mention that you’re supposed to package it up after you mix it. Don’t leave it in your yard. You don’t want it to get any bad bugs from the yard.
I put mine in those 27gal totes from Costco / Home Depot, put the lids on, and stack them in a shed or room. They weigh 150lbs+ each after you add water to help hydrate the peat, but storing them that way keeps them from getting infected with bad bugs. I also usually water in with 2gal of water+gnatrol per tote and/or put some mosquito bits on top, just in case there are fungus gnats and I know it’s going to be stored for awhile. Don’t want to create a colony of gnats! You can use the soil immediately after mixing, but it won’t hurt it to sit in tubs if necessary.
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