Living organic soil from start through recycling

[ClackamasCootz]

Majestic Earth = Fafard which is harvested in New Brunswick. I'd use it if I lived in the part of the US that they ship to.

CC

 

[Weyenot]

No lid on the jar for me...could be one of the seed types I used, but who knows. There were probably 8-10 types of wild bird seed and 4 types of rice. Still worked seemingly well after drenching the plants (praying leaves and all), even with the possible slight fermentation, but will still bubble in the future.

Thank you for sharing LL

Several others have mentioned using bird seed mixes with success, as well as rice; as far as price goes the bird seed sounds like a good option so I might just try it soon and the rice too, I will be sure to share what I experience. It seems as if we have had similar results using pretty much the same methods and those results have been good, so it will be interesting to see what changes occur!

 

[SilverSurfer_OG]

Yeah thats something i have noted that makes me wonder for a few secs... why does alfalfa (lucerne) straw, pellets whatever always dry down to a nice green colour when most other things turn goldeny brown to off white...?

Must be all that there goodness!!



Also i wouldnt see why aloe, kelp or barley etc wouldnt benefit any plant no matter how or where/what its grown in. Those hormones, enzymes are mighty powerful! Just not sure their NPK values...

 

[ClackamasCootz]

Just not sure their NPK values...

That's certainly been a concern of mine!

 

[W89]

W89

You posted a photo of the Alfalfa product in Post #5395 and I wondered if you could do me a favor and post any pertinent information on what is included with their Alfalfa pellets. The color is really throwing me off because every pelletized Alfalfa that I'm familiar with is very green shown in the photo I posted as a follow-up.

There's something else in the Alfalfa product that you're using. Which isn't necessarily good, bad or indifferent, just puzzling.

CC

Made from 100% sun dried alfalfa hay, these delicious bales are a highly nutritious treat high in fiber and protein making them a great suplement to any pets diet and are perfect as a tasty reward...

Sun dried Alfalfa hay(100%) the way nature intended. You cant improve on nature so we dont add any preservatives colors and flavors ..

Analitical Constituants Protein16% crude fiber 29% oils and fats 1% crude ash 9% moisture 13%

Seems like the real deal to me!

 

[OrganicLearner]

OrganicL: The feed and ag kelpmeal are the same. If you are in certain states shipping is in the price.

On the other one, I still worry about the word 'granules' Plus in the photo it looks light colored like bran, My kelp is really dark. You could ask them to mail you a sample baggy.

That is a good idea to get a sample first but I never bought kelp meal before so I don't know good kelp from bad..

On another note does anyone know if the hormones from kelp,alfalfa, barley teas etc. will cause hermaphrodites if given in flower to some unstable or landrace genes?

I read a grow thread were someone added sugars to a plant in flower and the plant hermied and someone came to the conclusion that the only logical reason why this was is because of the added unneeded sugars screwed with the hormones of the plant some how..

 

[think_fast]

Wheatgrass like other grasses has alot of indigestible fiber so I would definitely suggest going the juice route; carrot, apple, celery and beet are good choices for adding nutrition and better taste to stronger tasting green juices, an example would be apple,celery, ginger and wheatgrass. I recommend checking out Dr Norman Walker for some great info on juicing and the nutritional benefits of many veggies. Due to the high fiber content it requires a special juicer that can be found for around 30 bucks or so, some cost more but a simple one works fine; as far as juicers for pretty much any other veggie goes, vitamix is as good reliable brand and you usually can find a used one for under a couple hundred. I suggest you check out Ann Wigmore's writing for more specific info on wheatgrass. I could go on for a while about this but I dont want to divert the thread; you are more than welcome to PM me when I reach the number of posts needed.

What you are doing is awesome, go for it brother!!

Geez thanks! You've given me plenty to work with here.

 

[Weyenot]

from soilquality.org

Sources of soil enzymes include living and dead microbes, plant roots and residues, and soil animals. Enzymes
stabilized in the soil matrix accumulate or form complexes with organic matter (humus), clay, and humus-clay
complexes, but are no longer associated with viable cells. It is thought that 40 to 60% of enzyme activity can come from stabilized enzymes, so activity does not necessarily correlate highly with microbial biomass or respiration. Therefore, enzyme activity is the cumulative effect of long term microbial activity and activity of the viable population at sampling. However, an example of an enzyme that only reflects activity of viable cells is
dehydrogenase, which in theory can only occur in viable cells and not in stabilized soil complexes.

An interesting tidbit, thank you DDG!

This seems to suggest that around half of all the enzymes in soil are held in place in a similar manner to the way nutrients are by CEC, or thats what Im interpreting it as at least. Also, its suggesting that the total enzyme "load" is a result of what is currently being produced and what has been "stored" in the soil. I hadnt made a connection between enzymes and nutrients before but Im thinking differently now.

Interesting concepts!! Im curious to see what the more knowledgeable have to say

 

[Weyenot]

have a look at this mineral amendment guys...i don't see it being used by anybody and i ran by cootz but didn't have the exact info so here it is...click on it to read it. lemmie know whatchu guys think about it, would you use it? how would you use it and how much of it would you use? or maybe you wouldn't use it and why...looks like something new to evaluate any ways.
i heard advanced nutrients is putting it in bottles of tap water at a ratio of 1:2billion and calling it "super mega crop duster"... just kidding about that last part! but seriously don't tell them about it...
https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?albumid=41887&pictureid=999217View Image

From my limited experience this looks like a good product; although I wonder if the ratio of Ca to Mg might tighten the soil up too much if used alot?

 

[Weyenot]

OrganicL: The feed and ag kelpmeal are the same. If you are in certain states shipping is in the price.

On the other one, I still worry about the word 'granules' Plus in the photo it looks light colored like bran, My kelp is really dark. You could ask them to mail you a sample baggy.

MM- this seems to be a quality product and I am interested but I havent been able to determine if the listed cost includes shipping, it changes from state to state so it would seem that this is the case. I tried to start an order to see if another fee got added in but the site wouldnt process my info. Could you offer any other info?

 

[Weyenot]

Weyenot

The Tibetan Purple Barley (almost heirloom) is what I'm using after I found an organic farmer in Idaho who grows this Barley. It looks more like a sweet rice variety than the barley we find at feed stores and home brew stores.

The bragging rights were enough to cause me to look for it! LOL

F*ck Science - Let's Dance!

TBP, now that is a bit of a fancy mouthful! I remember you mentioning it before but wrote it off as being just that, fancy and unnecessary and therefore probably expensive.....but I now I feel like I should at least give it a looksee.
If anything maybe it can compete with my buddies chem/kushie purple something-something-somethings on the hypo-meter of awesomeness hehe

your humor, cleverly blended with knowledge and experience is refreshing and inspiring, many thanks and lots of love CC!!

 

[ColorGRo]

Honestly, I would complete your cycle with the botanicare but start working on getting proper soil built up to use for the next cycle. Jot down what you items you purchased and lets see what we can make happen.


Thank you. A straight answer. I picked up the Premier Spaghnum Peat Moss, got some nice compost and worm castings. Got some new aloe vera plants today. And a few amendments. Not worried about putting it together as ive read thru this whole thread. Just didn't know if itd be worth it to use organics in a salt based soil. This year my garden will have comfrey amd everything else mentioned in this thread that i can grow back there.

 

[Weyenot]

Majestic Earth = Fafard which is harvested in New Brunswick. I'd use it if I lived in the part of the US that they ship to.

CC

That sounds encouraging!
Im not really familiar with Fafard but Ill look into them some more while I keep playing around with majestic mix, since Im the curious type The consistency of the ME is nice and fine with the odd stick of peat plant in there but not much and after two bags that Ive gotten its consistent on that note. Now I need to get a microscope and have some fun checking out the life in it which could be interesting and help fill in the picture more, of course that requires some practice first as far as the scope is concerned; MM's writeup on his experiments with the different peat products got me thinking about that, thank you MM!

 

[ColorGRo]

So I just read something that says grapefruit skins have a NPK of about 0/3.6/30.6.
Is this true? If so how can we use these?

 

[ClackamasCootz]

On another note does anyone know if the hormones from kelp,alfalfa, barley teas etc. will cause hermaphrodites if given in flower to some unstable or landrace genes?

I read a grow thread were someone added sugars to a plant in flower and the plant hermied and someone came to the conclusion that the only logical reason why this was is because of the added unneeded sugars screwed with the hormones of the plant some how...

OrganicLearner

You know what's really sad? Someone telling you that which exposes their lack of education, their inability to form a cogent thought or even remember how to wipe their ass from one bowel movement to the next without spending a few minutes at YouTube.

To find solutions for the many problems that challenge this country, perhaps implementing an application & review process before a couple is allowed to procreate and then establishing a process to limit the number of children they would be allowed to produce if necessary.

Heck - in some states cases are pending review by appellate courts to determine if a married couple gets a divorce are they still brother & sister? (Bodine vs. Clampett, ex 1963 Missouri)

cull the herd

 

[ClackamasCootz]

That sounds encouraging!
Im not really familiar with Fafard but Ill look into them some more while I keep playing around with majestic mix, since Im the curious type The consistency of the ME is nice and fine with the odd stick of peat plant in there but not much and after two bags that Ive gotten its consistent on that note. Now I need to get a microscope and have some fun checking out the life in it which could be interesting and help fill in the picture more, of course that requires some practice first as far as the scope is concerned; MM's writeup on his experiments with the different peat products got me thinking about that, thank you MM!

In this sub-forum, Organic Soil, is a semi-recent thread about Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss (SPM) and there's a fair amount of info that will explain the odd stick and other plant materials that you might want to remove. That is a good sign - consistency means nothing and in this case will often mean lower bioactivity.

The thread explains that....

CC

 

[ClackamasCootz]

Seems like the real deal to me!

It is - just interesting on the color deal.

No big deal......

CC

 

[think_fast]

(Bodine vs. Clampett, ex 1963 Missouri)

cull the herd

That's a typo. It's Bovine vs. Clampett.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

LMAO

 

[ClackamasCootz]

"The answer is never the answer. What's really interesting is the mystery. If you seek the mystery instead of the answer, you'll always be seeking. I've never seen anybody really find the answer - they think they have, so they stop thinking. But the job is to seek mystery, evoke mystery, plant a garden in which strange plants grow and mysteries bloom.

The need for mystery is greater than the need for an answer"

Ken Kesey