Living organic soil from start through recycling CONTINUED...

[yortbogey]

Von... U'r knowledge is priceless..,and the endeavor used to carry this information to the rest of us....is GREATLY appreciated.....I long for the day we share a joint and reflect....

 

[VortexPower420]

Von- Nice bud. Propagating and growing you own nutrients. I have read in you old post about all the goodies you have around you. I am also lucky to have a great wealth of accumulator plants growing everywhere. I spend most of my time driving on roads eying the side of the road to see if there is anything I can go and wild craft.

I would be interested to find out how the horsetail works out for you. Planting by a swamp seems like a good plan. If you have it locally already relocating it another natural habitat i don't feel it would be bad.

I commend you for you diligence on not importing invasive species. It is something every organic gardener should think about. (all people for that matter)

I don't think I will be propagating my own.

I love the thrill of the hunt!

I am planing on doing the same thing as you collecting A LOT of biomass this year so this winter when I start up again and next summer I will be rolling in HIGH QUALITY worm castings and ample left over for topdressing/mulches until next spring/summer when It starts all over again.

Diversity is king.

Timbuktu

 

[VortexPower420]

HEre is a pic of some of the plants I have wild crafted Yarrow on the left, some horsetail and my favorite comfrey. The comfrey is from a small plant I have in the back of my house I use this one for teas and my wife makes medicine and creams from it.


This is a 55 gal trash can filled with dried comfrey ready for the weed wacker to be turned into mulch. This is one of about 5 trash cans I have filled. Worms love it, and plants roots love it.

When I harvest the comfrey people must think "what is this asshole cutting down from the side of the road and filling up the bed of his truck with". Lucky wild crafting in my area is smiled upon.

One truck load wet comfrey = 55 gal dry = about 3 gals chopped.

The next picture is what roots do when exposed to a comfrey mulch



Timbuktu

 

[Coba]

yea man, Von, you're a class act.

 

[Coba]

So with all these minerals available in volcanic rocks... anyone using volcanic rock dusts as fertilizer shouldn't need much of anything else, besides nitrogen huh?

is it the fungus is what breaks down these minerals in these rocks so the plants can use them?

 

[anonymousgrow]

How does Comfrey withstand the snowy mountainous winters? also how does it do being planted at the end of summer? thinking about ordering some root cuttings...

 

[vonforne]

How does Comfrey withstand the snowy mountainous winters? also how does it do being planted at the end of summer? thinking about ordering some root cuttings...

I planted mine and some are up already. I will cover my area with straw this winter and protect it from the cold. It should be rooted enough to survive. And then be up early next spring. The area I planted in gets early morning sun.

V

 

[vonforne]

So with all these minerals available in volcanic rocks... anyone using volcanic rock dusts as fertilizer shouldn't need much of anything else, besides nitrogen huh?

is it the fungus is what breaks down these minerals in these rocks so the plants can use them?

Most of the minerals we use come from volcanic rock....basalt being one of them. These rock dusts take time to be processed by both the fungi and bacteria and of course the worms in our bins. I have always use GRD in my bins so by the time it reaches the soil mixes it has been precessed and is in the ionic form for the plants.

And yes you need the other elements for the diversity in your soil. FBM which takes 3 or 4 cycles to diminish, Fish meal, alfalfa, neem and others take time also but not the length of time the rock dusts to to decompose.

I am no geologist by a very long shot´but I do understand the soil biology and what their functions are and of course I am always learning as most of you are. It is one of the things I enjoy about organic gardening is the learning experience that comes with it......it will take a life time. The more that I learn the more effective I become as a gardener.

Yort and Coba I just do what I love to do. Garden and pass on what little information I have to others so they can build on what they learn.

And if I can get someone away from the myths that surround cannabis gardening and put them on the path to true organic growing then I feel I have accomplished something.

One love gang.

 

[vonforne]

Von... U'r knowledge is priceless..,and the endeavor used to carry this information to the rest of us....is GREATLY appreciated.....I long for the day we share a joint and reflect....

Seattle..............

 

[xmobotx]

i was kind of disappointed when WSLCB nix'd the "pot-bar" concept

WA could be the new amsterdam ~lol

 

[VortexPower420]

Ganga to tomato, a no-till success story

Ganga to tomato, a no-till success story

So my last chop from my grow was in the end of June and in one of my 15 gal pot I had a rouge tomato. The tomato came from my worm casting. Normally I would let them grow a little and then mulch them. I figured seeing I was shutting down shop I thought I would let I go as it was thriving.


Here is a early shot of it. I got to about 6-8" when I put it out side right next to my other tomato in 35 gal totes with a fresh recycled mix. Well here it is today.....


It is the healthiest tomato I have ever seen Leafs as long as my arm and with almost a foot span, deep dark healthy green with not a blemish on the leafs stalk nothing.. Many fruit sites and more coming and no sign of slowing down. When the wind blows right all you can smell in my yard is tomato. Its simply amazing.

No-till recycled soil with only nutrient accumulator plant mulches, homemade worm castings and an occasional sprout tea.

Nature simply amazing.........

Timbuktu

Disclaimer.- Remember folks Cannabis needs different things to grow then the rest of the plant kingdom....

DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME.....

If mother nature confuses you, check out you local grow shop, they will tell you where mother nature was wrong and how you can fix her. They will tell you exactly how many angels dance on the head of a pin.......and then give you a bottle of chems to nuke em all...."we'll show that mother nature bitch. Us HUMANS are smarter then you. AHAHAHAHAHAHA" ........ all the way to the bank.

 

[bad gas]

There should be an award for anyone who has read this whole thread.

Thanks everyone for all the awesome info. I learned a lot. I took notes.

My plants look better than ever. Have a nice day. bg

 

[JuiceDaLeaves]

I just bubbled some dandelion leaves for 48 hours with 5 gal of water and it ended up being a little more than I needed...

Can I take the extra water with all the dandelion plant material in it and store it in a food grade jug with 2 gal of water and turn this into a FPE of some sorts?

 

[Carbon.Chains]

I just bubbled some dandelion leaves for 48 hours with 5 gal of water and it ended up being a little more than I needed...

Can I take the extra water with all the dandelion plant material in it and store it in a food grade jug with 2 gal of water and turn this into a FPE of some sorts?

Yes there still is some nutrients left in the plant material after a "bubbled extract". When the FPE is done you probably will have to dilute it less than a usual one, so try and experiment with increasing ratios.

 

[JuiceDaLeaves]

Amazing, thank you.

 

[Carbon.Chains]

You're welcome, glad I can help!
If it interests anyone the way I do FPEs that's a bit different is that I close the container. Completely sealed. I try to open it once a day, but sometimes I forget and open it after 2 or 3 days. At 3 days I was a bit scared at how "strong" the bottle was.
The pressure build up never got strong enough to explode the bottle though.
This way there is no smell (I open it outside) no risk of mold/"contaminants" and you can judge how active the microbes are; if using plastic bottles (albeit in a very vague manner). It takes 20 seconds to open 3 bottles and close them again every night.

Thought I'd share that.

 

[JuiceDaLeaves]

Okay; another question...

So its been about a week for this dandelion FPE and I just smelt it and it STINKS...

Now the fungal tea i just made also stank and my plants loved it ... but this FPE just is foul...

I guess I can always do a test on a few plants, just wondering why it smells so much (anaerobic bacteria?) and if it CAN in any way, be detrimental to my plants... THANKS!

 

[JuiceDaLeaves]

Damn, didn't see your last post C-C ... So how do you go about judging how active the microbes are?

Also I think next time I made a FPE i will use your method of opening the bottle once a night (how long do you do this for, about a month?) because man does this bottle thats been fermenting just a week STINKS!

 

[Carbon.Chains]

Damn, didn't see your last post C-C ... So how do you go about judging how active the microbes are?

Also I think next time I made a FPE i will use your method of opening the bottle once a night (how long do you do this for, about a month?) because man does this bottle thats been fermenting just a week STINKS!

Quite simply I just feel the bottle usually after a day the bottle feels like a Coca-Cola that's just been shaken like mad.
Open it slowly so it doesn't splash all over you (I talk from experience...)
I wait 3weeks+ before starting to use it, but I let it keep fermenting until nothing is left (2months or more)
And it is normal that it stinks haha worse than animal manure.
Some plants stink less. Rose petals, lavender, stuff like that, usually doesn't smell bad.

Edit: It is indeed the anaerobic bacteria/archaea that make it smell so bad. Apparently adding Lacto Bacillius reduces or eliminates the smell. Haven't tried it so I'm just repeating what I've read.
AFAIK, the only way it could be detrimental is if you don't dilute it enough when you use it.
There is some contaminants you could get (certain strains of mold?) I don't remember the exact words I read about this, but it was something about the colour of the mold?
I had white mold on a 2month+ nettle FPE of mine and plants loved it just as much.
FPEs are awesome.

Hope this helps!
Carbon-Chains

 

[bigshrimp]

I just make a pinhole in the top of the milk jugs i use.

It prevents explosive pressure and only faintly stinks.