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Living organic soil from start through recycling

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soursmoker

East Coast, All Day!
Veteran
Well I'm proud to say ive finished this whole thread, finally. It took most of my weekend but it was time well spent. Should have read this a long time agooo lol. My first shot at making an organic soil mix was completely botched because i use bagged potting soil from GH (eww) called JUST RIGHT. Supposedly had all the ammendments you would need so I figured I wouldnt have to add much. Threw in some rice hulls and a mere 1 pound of compost and EWC LOL and boy did that soil suck...

Had no idea how important the Compost/EWC part was at the time. Same deal with the aeration... This shit was based on Coco and held water like a sponge.

Anyway I started building a new soil with the help of CC and few others here in the organic section. Its pretty simple but i will be adding in new goodies as i begin recycling, im just tryna to get a quality soil started for a good price.

This is what my mix is looking like

1 cubic foot of Coast of Maine Lobster Compost (was highly reccomended by JErry and CC)
DIdn't really measure but 1-1.5 cubic feet of Lambert sphagnum peat moss
Don't have yet but will be adding 1.5 c.f. of perlite for drainage/aeration
Also dont have yet but grabbed a 8lb bag of Buffaloam and will be throwing in about half of that into the mix and keeping the remaining for making teas and such.

To keep it simple i decided to go with KIS nutrient pack to add to this mix. This product was reccomended by a few trustworthy members on here and seemed much easier then sourcing 50 lbs bags of all different ammendments or getting ripped off on the price of the 5lb boxes. This mix ammends 4 c.f of soil so it should work out great and I will have plenty extra.

Anyone see any problems with this mix?
Or any suggestions?

1 question I have...
I know we are not worried about the ph here but i have seen Gascanastan reccomend adding some oyster shell powder to seedling mixes. I did not source individual products so should i use my base mix for my seedlings or ammend it with the KIS pack and let it sit and compost for a bit longer?



Thank you! You guys rock!
 

Gascanastan

Gone but NOT forgotten...
Veteran
GAS

I am working on using my 10 gallon rez s a no till container.(gotta use that botanicare for something) You have demonstrated that it can be done in a 5 gallon container. Any pointers for me? I will run side by side with recycled/amended plants. Will be interesting seeing disturbed VS non disturbed soil growing next to each other...

Yes ....leave room for topdressing w/compost,EWC,and/or amendments. I start out with 3 to 4 inches below the top of the pot. Somewhere between transplant and mid-flower I will topdress....I like to wait until I see any lower leaves losing color,but not always....if I have to even topdress at all.
 

shmalphy

Member
Veteran
Do you add your butter/oily remains to the compost or worms after? i've heard of too much oil in the compost being not so favorable(don't know if its true) but i've added them anyways figuring that in smaller amounts it couldn't hurt too much and then the worms are gonna digest it again anyways.
I put it in the bokashi bin. I also put meat, cheese, bread, etc in there, layered with finished EWC and sprayed with Lacto B. Once it's full it sits undisturbed for 2 weeks to digest then gets dumped at the bottom of the compost pile (i dig a core sample out of the pile to fill my worm bin, throw bokashi on the bottom and cover with compost.

A friend drinks kombucha mixed in with other things. I have yet to try said concoction...
 

Gascanastan

Gone but NOT forgotten...
Veteran
F gs cookies, waitin' on that swami drop!

I can't believe that shit...I've crapped better accidents....and trashed them if they looked like that...regardless of how frosty those little popcorn buds are.

Good old Durban Poison to the rescue. Take a DP and hit any of these tired types...you'll proly have decent results.
My Durban x BMR dominates my room. Huge flowers and MANY of them....1/2 lb plants easy with that sweet Durban and BMR taking over the smell. Tastes like C99 for some reason.

What do you think of that Durban x BMR Coot?

I personally enjoy the Nigerian x BMR much better...the veterans reporting PTSD relief was the reinforcing factor. Nearly as productive plants as the Durban x BMR...and surely more productive and pleasurable than goo goo scout cookies I'm thinking.
 

shmalphy

Member
Veteran
Well I'm proud to say ive finished this whole thread, finally. It took most of my weekend but it was time well spent. Should have read this a long time agooo lol. My first shot at making an organic soil mix was completely botched because i use bagged potting soil from GH (eww) called JUST RIGHT. Supposedly had all the ammendments you would need so I figured I wouldnt have to add much. Threw in some rice hulls and a mere 1 pound of compost and EWC LOL and boy did that soil suck...

Had no idea how important the Compost/EWC part was at the time. Same deal with the aeration... This shit was based on Coco and held water like a sponge.

Anyway I started building a new soil with the help of CC and few others here in the organic section. Its pretty simple but i will be adding in new goodies as i begin recycling, im just tryna to get a quality soil started for a good price.

This is what my mix is looking like

1 cubic foot of Coast of Maine Lobster Compost (was highly reccomended by JErry and CC)
DIdn't really measure but 1-1.5 cubic feet of Lambert sphagnum peat moss
Don't have yet but will be adding 1.5 c.f. of perlite for drainage/aeration
Also dont have yet but grabbed a 8lb bag of Buffaloam and will be throwing in about half of that into the mix and keeping the remaining for making teas and such.

To keep it simple i decided to go with KIS nutrient pack to add to this mix. This product was reccomended by a few trustworthy members on here and seemed much easier then sourcing 50 lbs bags of all different ammendments or getting ripped off on the price of the 5lb boxes. This mix ammends 4 c.f of soil so it should work out great and I will have plenty extra.

Anyone see any problems with this mix?
Or any suggestions?

1 question I have...
I know we are not worried about the ph here but i have seen Gascanastan reccomend adding some oyster shell powder to seedling mixes. I did not source individual products so should i use my base mix for my seedlings or ammend it with the KIS pack and let it sit and compost for a bit longer?



Thank you! You guys rock!
Good job, and welcome!

I am not sure, but I think the coast of Maine lobster compost should have plenty of CaCO3 to buffer the whole mix. EWC contains it as well, so it should be work. Letting it sit for a bit wouldn't hurt.

If your concerned though, wood ash and/or eggshells could also be added to the peat itself as a freecycled/upcycled liming agent. I usually sprinkle a little of each on top with each recycle, for the buffering aspect and the micro-nutrients.

In a living soil, the microbes mainly take care of it anyway so don't worry too much. I would throw some native topsoil and leaf litter in the mix for the BIM, that is just me. Consider some heavy with clay...
 

MileHighGuy

Active member
Veteran
Ummmmm Durban Poison makes me smile :)

Edit: I was sitting there thinking to myself.... WTF, i think I have a Durban Stash somewhere.... Ran to the fridge.... Found a bag labeled DP.... and then it hit me! Oh Shit YEAH! I was at a friends house... he only smokes blunts and I never do (No wonder I didn't Remember)... He gave me the seeds and said it was a solid run of Durban Poison and he had some extra he could spare... 13 Nice Fat Seeds. Going into some soil very soon.
 

ClackamasCootz

Expired
Veteran
What do you think of that Durban x BMR Coot?
Probably the nicest smelling buds that I've seen in several years. The Sativa taste and aroma are off the chart. The effect is very uplifting and yet settling at the same time. I smoked a bunch this morning - definitely a keeper for geezers like me who disdain Indica lines.

Even my professional taster loves it - Mrs. Coot and I value her opinion. Between the 2 of us we have over 90 years collective experience in the cannabis arena.

CC
 

Gascanastan

Gone but NOT forgotten...
Veteran
Probably the nicest smelling buds that I've seen in several years. The Sativa taste and aroma are off the chart. The effect is very uplifting and yet settling at the same time.

I smoked a bunch this morning - definitely a keeper for geezers like me who disdain Indica lines.

Even my professional taster loves it - Mrs. Coot and I value her opinion. Between the 2 of us we have over 90 years collective experience in the cannabis arena.

CC
We like it too....seems pretty balanced..another one of those accidents I talk about.

Good description...nailed it. Not a sleeper...you can function on it...but at the same time not all zipped up like the Haze.

I love African types and crosses more than any other...easily some of the best effects in cannabis.
Not to mention the heat and drought tolerance...and THC-V.

Due to the rest of the DP x BMR females being PM susceptible I've abandoned that line,but kept the best cut. Some seed still exist...some out there in America land somewhere.

If there are hopes for a productive and trouble free African cross line with a great effect...it will be the Nigerian x BMR...between those of us who have the seed we should be able to put something together by X-mas 2013
 

DARC MIND

Member
Veteran
If there are hopes for a productive and trouble free African cross line with a great effect...it will be the Nigerian x BMR...between those of us who have the seed we should be able to put something together by X-mas 2013
:biggrin:
got pollen from 3 dif males and two females sucking up the sun..
very sat dom imo,not like most of the BMR crosses ive seen but does carry that aroma well.
really looking foward to these!
 

ClackamasCootz

Expired
Veteran
Gas

Here's a name for consideration for a new cross - The Dream

The Dream

When the white eagle of the North is flying overhead
The browns, reds and golds of autumn lie in the gutter, dead.
Remember then, that summer birds with wings of fire flaying
Came to witness springs new hope, born of leaves decaying.

Just as new life will come from death, love will come at leisure.
Love of love, love of life and giving without measure
Gives in return a wonderous yearn of a promise almost seen.
Live hand-in-hand and together you'll stand on the threshold of a dream


Justin Hayward & John Lodge
 

Gascanastan

Gone but NOT forgotten...
Veteran
Say hello to my lil' friend....Agsil16

Quite a fine powder,like baby powder....here's a 70's visual introduction/presentation of the product....

PS...That's a nice piece Coot...well written.

picture.php
 

ClackamasCootz

Expired
Veteran
Say hello to my lil' friend....Agsil 16

Quite a fine powder,like baby powder....here's a 70's visual introduction/presentation of the product....
All you need now is an antique Ohaus Quad-Beam (aka Dial-a-Gram)

Complete with the carrying case so that you look like a hit man for 'the organization' - wee! Fun times indeed! Before the dreary Reagan laws promising long prison sentences for everyone......

CC
 
So I have like 10 pages of catchup to be current in the thread, but just came across this in Bob Flowerdew's Pruning, Training and Tidying and felt it belongs here:

"A good read is A Treatize on The Culture and Management of Fruit Trees by William Forsyth (1802). Forsyth was given the task of restoring King George III's orchards, and did so way beyond expectation. Forsyth's methods include using his own special compound for healing an sealing tree wounds made from cow dung, lime mortar, wood ashes, and river sand, which were beaten to a paste with soft soap and urine. Applied to wounds, it is then dusted with wood ashes and powdered baked bones to dry it. It was claimed to have remarkable effects. I find it works near as well as modern alternatives-althought it is not so enduring, is more fussy to apply, and immensely smellier, it does seem to encourage better healing."

What are the odds we can pull this compound off with guano, oyster shell, non-pyrolisized wood ash, a couple drops of Doctor Bronner's and some good ol' piss?

I made the mistake of getting very into training before I learned responsible pruning, which has in the past or to blooms of 100-or-so 1/2 gram flowers - it looks super cool, but makes yields downright embarrassing.

EDIT: as it turns out, this method is often preferable for ornamental displays, but is obviously not handy for fruit production - this leads me to an interesting observation: though we're harvesting blooms not fruits, it seems advisable to apply methods for fruit production as we are generally looking for bigger, heavier blooms rather than more prolific displays.
 

Gascanastan

Gone but NOT forgotten...
Veteran
:biggrin:
got pollen from 3 dif males and two females sucking up the sun..
very sat dom imo,not like most of the BMR crosses ive seen but does carry that aroma well.
really looking foward to these!

Nigerian Sunshine...she's a hot rod.

http://analytical360.com/m/expired/7824

I'd like to see 3 tests on each type myself,as well as have something tested I've allowed to finish ...this was pulled at 49 days when they did the test...was in need of donations at the time. My keeper mom finishes at 56 days.
 

Gascanastan

Gone but NOT forgotten...
Veteran
All you need now is an antique Ohaus Quad-Beam (aka Dial-a-Gram)

Complete with the carrying case so that you look like a hit man for 'the organization' - wee! Fun times indeed! Before the dreary Reagan laws promising long prison sentences for everyone......

CC

As a 'stoner' youth I often admired those guys with the big shiny triple beams.....I thought that was the bee's knees.

.................snarrrrrrrffffff....man this Agsil16 burns Coot...should I try to smoke it?

....back then when I was a suburban youth of the 70-80's cocaine was 'okay' to do....they hadn't realized the final impact of the consequences yet.

Seriously though I'm stoked to have dropped the last bottle I had to buy...and it is a great product safe for use on organic food crops..so...it's not like I'm knocking Dyna-gro...just the price of the product at the rate in which I need to use it...so duh,of course I'm going to make my own for half the price.
 
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