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Living organic soil from start through recycling

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YosemiteSam

There is a tear in my eye...Calphos 15.20 for 50 lbs in spite of being shipped entirely across the country. Stutzman's 3.20 a cubic ft. Chunk some lime and some basalt in with that and you are good to go if you built your soil right...damn.
 
Cann

Cann

Member
god damn...i was initially planning on going to seattle because thats where I'm from, but portland has been catching my attention more and more. any good apple orchards in the area? I am planning on producing and selling hard apple cider, so the closer the apples the better :) just another reason I was considering washington...
 
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ClackamasCootz

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think it's a word lol...the bedding consists of leaf litter/leaf mold, coco, perlite, and old cannabis stems/leaves. been feeding them bokashi and old avocados haha. the two bins are identical, and one of them is 100% fine, the other one there are like 20 worms at all times trying to escape. also may have to do with the fact that there is a higher concentration of worms in the big bin..maybe they are overcrowded?
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You need bulk - aged horse manure or even bagged compost from a local nursery will step thing up for you. They're called 'Compost Worms' for good reason because that what they do. If you use horse manure (or dairy) make sure that it's been aged for 4 or 5 weeks so that the livestock vermicides that are used will degrade so that it won't kill your worms.

You want aged manure for other reasons but this is a really important consideration.

HTH
 
Cann

Cann

Member
i've been looking on craigslist for free composted manure lately, but most of it is fresh and i dont want to have to deal with that....maybe I'll throw in some forest humus I have? I assume thats fairly alive with protozoa etc. for the worms to feed on. so you think theyre just hungry?
 
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ClackamasCootz

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YosemiteSam said:
There is a tear in my eye...Calphos 15.20 for 50 lbs in spite of being shipped entirely across the country. Stutzman's 3.20 a cubic ft. Chunk some lime and some basalt in with that and you are good to go if you built your soil right...damn.
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YosemiteSam

The Stutzmans' product is made a few short miles from our home and this is legitimate 'composting' with a real, honest-to-God USDA organic certification.

I use it in the raised beds especially around the Comfrey plants when it gets warmer.

I use it in the worms bins and occasionally I add some to my potting soils but you have to do some processing on your own before growing stank & dank

Take a large Ziplock and a permanent marker - print "Flightless Bird Guano" and now it's not chicken sh*t any longer - it's a special if not proprietary bird guano!

For about a dime a pound.

CC
 
C

ClackamasCootz

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Cann said:
i've been looking on craigslist for free composted manure lately, but most of it is fresh and i dont want to have to deal with that....maybe I'll throw in some forest humus I have? I assume thats fairly alive with protozoa etc. for the worms to feed on. so you think theyre just hungry?
Click to expand...
Buy bagged compost or even steer manure at a nursery. It'll work until you can find something better.

You need bulk! LOL
 
Cann

Cann

Member
got it. first sleep lol cause i've been up all night, then its off to get some bulk of sorts. thanks a ton, seriously. my worms thank you as well :dance013:
 
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ClackamasCootz

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Cann said:
god damn...i was initially planning on going to seattle because thats where I'm from, but portland has been catching my attention more and more. any good apple orchards in the area? I am planning on producing and selling hard apple cider, so the closer the apples the better :) just another reason I was considering washington...
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You don't want to move to Washington - look at photos of Aberdeen, Seneca and toss in Yakima. That'll kill that idea......

Apples are grown east of the Cascades in both states. However driving to Hood River from PDX is a nothing and not all that far. Driving from Seattle to the production regions in Eastern Washington is a weekend trip. A really horrible weekend trip at that.

Did I mention Centralia? Try that little town on a Saturday night.

Google Images - make that your friend. LOL
 
Cann

Cann

Member
lmao trust me I know how gnarly the small towns in washington can be...done my fair share of fishing and hunting around the state and been put off many times. aberdeen, centralia, lol it's all bad news. good point about the drive for apples, I just didn't know how far it was from portland. and with the amount I need I probably won't be doing the drive myself...at least for the main shipment
 
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ClackamasCootz

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Veteran
The ride around Mt Hood (US Hwy 26) and then you head north through the Hood River Valley which is promoted as 'The Fruit Loop' - ahem.

Regardless of the stupid promotion name, you can buy at least 30 varieties of apples, Asian pears, cherries (about 5 varieties), peaches, apricots, pears and many other fruits.

Then you'll hit the town of Hood River - the epicenter of kite-sailing and wind surfing. World class conditions having something to do with the wind patterns in relation to the river flow has turned this into a pretty nice place to live. Surf & kite shops everywhere, cafes, etc. Pretty nice for a town that was almost extinct when I first moved here.

Not a bad way to buy real food......
 
Microbeman

Microbeman

The Logical Gardener
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Cann said:
i've been looking on craigslist for free composted manure lately, but most of it is fresh and i dont want to have to deal with that....maybe I'll throw in some forest humus I have? I assume thats fairly alive with protozoa etc. for the worms to feed on. so you think theyre just hungry?
Click to expand...

Forest humus is not a typical environment for composting worms nor many earth worms. There will be plenty of protozoa in a wormbin or heap with manure and carbon based bedding/feed. Sphagnum peatmoss is a good ingredient to kickstart microbes and a good source of carbon. Worms (apparently) do not just 'eat' microbes but actually ingest organic matter which has been partially decomposed by microorganisms and then inside the worm microbes are digested by the worm and 'different' microbes are expelled in castings.
 
Tweetybird

Tweetybird

Member
I have a chance to go to the pottery supply store today for bulk amendments. Am thinking of getting bentonite, pyrophilite, silica placing sand, volcanic ash (pumice), potassium carbonate (pearl ash). Anything I should watch for or advice?
 
Microbeman

Microbeman

The Logical Gardener
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Cann said:
think it's a word lol...the bedding consists of leaf litter/leaf mold, coco, perlite, and old cannabis stems/leaves. been feeding them bokashi and old avocados haha. the two bins are identical, and one of them is 100% fine, the other one there are like 20 worms at all times trying to escape. also may have to do with the fact that there is a higher concentration of worms in the big bin..maybe they are overcrowded?
Click to expand...

If your bin is made of plastic, be aware that worms love to congregate on wet plastic above the food/bedding (and on the inside of lid) for the purpose of fornication. A highly populated bin results in more potential coitus partners. I like keeping my bins highly populated as this results in more offspring.

PS. This is one reason you see worms out in the rain on sidewalks and pavement.
 
O

OrganicLearner

Member
Yeah I'll ask them if it has any fillers or anything, crossing my fingers cause this is the best price I've found so far with shipping..should I ask if it comes from acadian seaplants or if it did would it say it on the bag?
 
C

CT Guy

I'm going to lean the opposite way and say this is a filler or fake somehow. It's just way too cheap.

Kelp meal from Concentrates is $58 for a 50 lb bag and that's the cheapest I've seen (they don't ship though). They're buying truckloads of the stuff at a time too, which is something I doubt this other company is able to do. I buy it locally around $65 bag for Acadian or Tidal Kelp from Nova Scotia.

It's got to be a mistake. Here they list a 50 lb salt for $7.25 (cheaper than I can buy wholesale), with $5 for UPS shipping. Not possible....

http://naturs-way.netfirms.com/estore/nfoscomm/catalog/redmond-natural-fine-mineral-salt-p-49.html
 
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