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Living organic soil from start through recycling CONTINUED...

GreenVino

New member
Hey guys just thought I'll pop in and say this is the first time I've joined this forum and this is the first topic I went to haha. I'm an assistant manager of an organic vineyard and have a degree in viticulture and oenology. If anyone wants to know about wine or plant science orientated around the wine industry, I'm here. I have two girls growing here in New Zealand (BlackBerry widow x area 51) under 260w HLG quantum board. I use local organic resources as all grow shops here are plastic bottles filled with salts and pgr's. My next grow I plan to grow a Pakistani Chitral to understand the plant more being a landrace ☮
 

CannaRed

Cannabinerd
Welcome to icmag greenvino. What is the one organic method that you use in the vinyard that you think would best fit the cannabis industry?
 

GreenVino

New member
Well you will be quite surprised how parallel the two types of plants are so in saying that there are many important things to consider. Best fitting for the industry would be the use of potassium bicarbonate and or elemental sulphur for controlling powdery or botrytis. The key is the type of product. I use a line called HML32 which has been buffered with a protector (sticker/spreader) to use in spraying solutions. The combo of just those two components (which is hard to buffer) makes all the difference as opposed to potassium bicarbonate on it's own.
 

CannaRed

Cannabinerd
Well you will be quite surprised how parallel the two types of plants are so in saying that there are many important things to consider. Best fitting for the industry would be the use of potassium bicarbonate and or elemental sulphur for controlling powdery or botrytis. The key is the type of product. I use a line called HML32 which has been buffered with a protector (sticker/spreader) to use in spraying solutions. The combo of just those two components (which is hard to buffer) makes all the difference as opposed to potassium bicarbonate on it's own.

Just make sure that sticker/spreader is safe to use on a product that will be smoked, and can't be washed before consuming.
 

GreenVino

New member
Yea I made sure of that. I don't utilize my leaves at the moment and only spray when in veg. The product is certified organic and has been thoroughly looked at as residues can be on the grapes during ferment. Their new silica product I was hesitant on though as I had not used a silica powder before, but that I will experiment later. Ideally I'm gradually working towards probiotics instead of powders but they do come in handy.
 

GOT_BUD?

Weed is a gateway to gardening
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Let me start off by saying I am a long time hydro grower.

After reading this section of the forum for the last several months, as well as reading up on organic living soil and the benefits it provides, reading all about KNF and Hugelkultur, as well as listening to a myriad of podcasts devoted to the subject of organic gardening, I have committed myself to moving to organic no till soil for my indoor garden. (Also going to build Hugelkultur beds for my outdoor veggie garden for next year using the same soil recipe below. :biggrin:)

I bought 2 bales of black gold peat moss, 60 lbs of locally sourced ewc, and 2 KIS organics amendment packs. I've got 10 25 gallon smart pots on the way (going to use 8 for my grow). I'm going to reuse the medium I've been growing hydroponically with for aeration after I rinse it really, really well to get rid of any excess salts. Or I may buy new and save myself the trouble of cleaning it. Still undecided.

I still would like to source some biochar locally if I can. Otherwise I'll buy a cubic foot of Black Owl and pay the ridiculous shipping fees.

I am building carts for the bags on casters to make them easier to move about the room next weekend. Going to add a bit of plastic sheeting to the bottom to create a pseudo run off tray on the cart. Once the carts are built, I'll make the soil and start cooking it. Probably take cuttings the following weekend so they'll be ready for the soil when it's ready to be used.

Also going to build a DIY tea brewer. I've got 3 air pumps that would be collecting a whole lot of dust otherwise that I can put to good use.

That is the plan so far.
 
My first 2lbs of red wigglers should be delivered tomorrow and I've got their bed ready for them. Its filled with various things ive gathered from around the property. Many types of wild weeds and bits of various decaying forest matter that looked healthy to include some mushrooms and a few wild apples. To that i added a shredded cardboard box and a bit of well water. Also a few scoops of various sand and soil from various places and a bit of used coffee grounds and a filter. The path to local organics has begun.

Im going to begin my MJ growing journey on the organic side so i will have no comparison to the bottled nutes. But i for one am convinced its the best way to grow. Personal and family medicine only.

This is my first post in this thread and i wanted to thank all who have contributed.

I'll give a shout out to RatZilla here also. His thread "Turning 75" is an awesome read and his old school organic style is a joy to read. https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=355312 Give him a shout if you check out his thread. A Happy Birthday is in order i believe.
 

Microbeman

The Logical Gardener
ICMag Donor
Veteran
My noob advice on biochar: Make your own.

Spend the 41 bucks on some firewood if you cant cut your own for free. Have a campfire with your friends and now you have biochar. Paying to ship ashes hahaha.:laughing:

Or clean out the barbecue.

I agree with making your own but the way to make it is with low oxygen, high temperature. Read the Terra Preta thread.

Ratz is more new school than old school BTW. Still entertaining.
 

Samuel Caldwell

Well-known member
I've made my own biochar in the past (TLUD*) but last time I just bought a bag of lump hardwood charcoal. (I bought 'Cowboy' brand locally) Just need to precharge it with N, like you would if you were making your own biochar. I broke larger pieces with a hammer and then soaked it in a mix of fish hydrolysate, EWC, compost and a bit of kelp meal for a couple days.

*Top Lit Up Draft
 

PaulieWaulie

Member
Veteran
I just sift through my firepit that I burned regular fires with regular wood. The ashes suffocate some of the embers so that becomes charcoal. If it can't get oxygen it doesn't burn so it remains. So I just gather all remains.

Seeing it in my mix, knowing I had to spend not a dollar or do any extra work or build a barrel with holes in it etc. makes me happy.
 

GreenVino

New member
Charcoal is actually quite different to biochar. The process of pyrolysis is the key. Even biochar has different qualities to it (wood type, residual tar etc). A lot of the carbon is burnt off in charcoal and the structure, porosity and environment does not necessarily favor microbes. With biochar which we are still trying to research, the finished product is much more beneficial and very clean if done right. I read a paper which stated bamboo held the most microbes when it came to what fuel/food to use (campared with corn cobs and an American hardwood). Also to note, biochar is more useful for used soil or poor soil. It has more of an effect as a conditioner or remediator. Hope that helps. Best is to actually search biochar amongst podcasts as you can essentially listen to a someone explain a whole textbook that would normally cost $300 bucks (I already tried to buy one ).
 

GOT_BUD?

Weed is a gateway to gardening
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Let me start off by saying I am a long time hydro grower.

After reading this section of the forum for the last several months, as well as reading up on organic living soil and the benefits it provides, reading all about KNF and Hugelkultur, as well as listening to a myriad of podcasts devoted to the subject of organic gardening, I have committed myself to moving to organic no till soil for my indoor garden. (Also going to build Hugelkultur beds for my outdoor veggie garden for next year using the same soil recipe below. :biggrin:)

I bought 2 bales of black gold peat moss, 60 lbs of locally sourced ewc, and 2 KIS organics amendment packs. I've got 10 25 gallon smart pots on the way (going to use 8 for my grow). I'm going to reuse the medium I've been growing hydroponically with for aeration after I rinse it really, really well to get rid of any excess salts. Or I may buy new and save myself the trouble of cleaning it. Still undecided.

I still would like to source some biochar locally if I can. Otherwise I'll buy a cubic foot of Black Owl and pay the ridiculous shipping fees.

I am building carts for the bags on casters to make them easier to move about the room next weekend. Going to add a bit of plastic sheeting to the bottom to create a pseudo run off tray on the cart. Once the carts are built, I'll make the soil and start cooking it. Probably take cuttings the following weekend so they'll be ready for the soil when it's ready to be used.

Also going to build a DIY tea brewer. I've got 3 air pumps that would be collecting a whole lot of dust otherwise that I can put to good use.

That is the plan so far.
Well, life got in the way as it tends to do.

But as of tonight my soil has been "cooking" for 3 days. :woohoo: It's already starting to smell good.

Now I have some stupid questions-

Do I turn the soil at all? If yes, how often?

How often should I water it? (With plants, it's easy to tell when they need water. With dirt, not so much.)

Should I go ahead and put it into the growbags and cook it in them so I don't disturb anything when I put clones in? Or is it fine to leave it in the bin now, and bag it up right before use?
 
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