Living organic soil from start through recycling

[Coba]

"controlled by a HORMONE..."
...just one... and she's a bitch.

 

[Coba]

on a more serious note... CC with enzymes being proteins, will they affect the nitrogen availability in my soil.

I ask because, I have some cannabis seeds soaking right now intended for a sprout tea, but after reading the link you provided, it states most enzymes are proteins. I'm cautious now because it's mid flower for the "target" plants and I don't want to over dose them with N availability.

 

[JoeDudeGuy]

Here was my favorite gem: controlled by a HORMONE

What if his mom just isn't aroused?

I must wonder if the original "hormone spittle" poster had a marsupial handle/avatar ~ Hmmm

 

[W89]

Would adding my seeds along with alfalfa and kelp in the same mix mess up the tea? should I bubble em' separately and add them at the end of the brew time? I have done this this time but next time I could just have the 1 pump running they are noisy enough as it is... well it's more the bubbles but you get what i mean.. and is 24-30 hrs long enough?

 

[LITHOS]

Weyenot- I just looked at the Majestic Earth peat moss at my local Lowes the other night.Didn't buy it.It was very dark (I opened several bales to be sure).All the peat I've used has been light redish brown and fluffy.I think the M.E. is second rate shit.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

on a more serious note... CC with enzymes being proteins, will they affect the nitrogen availability in my soil.

I ask because, I have some cannabis seeds soaking right now intended for a sprout tea, but after reading the link you provided, it states most enzymes are proteins. I'm cautious now because it's mid flower for the "target" plants and I don't want to over dose them with N availability.

Coba

So you're of an understanding that Nitrogen is unnecessary or perhaps harmful at different stages? Like creating flowers, seeds, etc. or am I misreading what you are asking?

If that were true then we'd all be in a mess because at the core of soils and many amendments are enzymes: vermicompost, thermal compost, kelp meal, alfalfa meal, every seed meal, AACT - the universe could not exist without these catalysts.

Quality vermicompost is loaded with enzymes from the worms themselves - that's how castings are created - bacterial slime & enzymes in the worm's digestive tract. Enzymes are released through their skins as well which triggers specific microbial action for example.

"In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process, called substrates, are converted into different molecules, called products. Almost all chemical reactions in a biological cell need enzymes in order to occur at rates sufficient for life. Since enzymes are selective for their substrates and speed up only a few reactions from among many possibilities, the set of enzymes made in a cell determines which metabolic pathways occur in that cell"

Meaning that plant cells manufacture enzymes which is one of the reasons that nutritionists advocate this or that fruit or vegetable - enzymes. Papaya and pineapple come to mind but it certainly goes beyond that.

Were it not for the enzymes encoded into the seeds by the host plant germination would be impossible. From the time a seed germinates the entire growth process is controlled by enzymes - it has to because the seed has no root system to absorb or adsorb any ion and won't for several days. And even then enzymes play a major role and will for the life of the plant.

HTH

CC

 

[ClackamasCootz]

LITHOS

Which specific Sphagnum peat moss are you referencing? The reddish brown & fluffy material.

CC

 

[invocation]

@W89 Good question! I'm headed to the brew store tomorrow and going to stock up. Thanks for the info a few threads back. I have those mung beans in water and will bubble those as well. I absolutely love learning this stuff.

Thanks again for everyone's information and support!

 

[W89]

I have just done alfalfa seeds this time but next time I was thinking of a mix of broccolli mung beans and alfalfa.. would this give a more diverse enzyme population? or are all seeds the same in what enzymes they produce at the germination stage?

 

[ClackamasCootz]

W89

The 'Urban Chicken' thing is pretty big in Portland and 2 or 3 'real' garden stores cater to these folks. A popular feed mix is whole organic wheat, barley and rye berries - $.50 per lb. for the self-serve bins.

I use this mix from time to time and it works great. A full bag (50 lbs) only costs $17.00 vs. $95.00 for Tibetan purple barley. I'll use the mix this season for the outdoor gardens and the high dollar barley in the indoor garden.

CC

 

[W89]

Will go look for some bird seed then from the pet shop to give a go but do you know the answer to this Q?: are all seeds the same in what enzymes they produce at the germination stage? Or iss that why you use a mix for tha reason that they do produce diff enzymes?

 

[LITHOS]

CC-Most of the peat I've purchased over the years has been from Quebec.The Majestic Earth seemed more decomposed than what I've used in the past.In fairness this particular batch might not be typical and there is a possibility I don't know my ass
from a hole in the ground.

By the way,thanks for everything.This thread has gotten me really lit up!Reading this thread and following all the links eats up a huge amount of my time.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

W89

On the enzymes it's consistent within a plant group - grass seeds (wheat, barley, etc) or legumes. In general.

What you do have though are compounds (Secondary Metabolites) that were encoded into the seed by the host plant. Indole-acetic-acid (IAA) is a good example - it would be easier to find a plant which did not create this compound than the plants that do. And remember that while plants create hundreds of compounds and many of those are shared across a wide number of families, etc. it's also true that most plants produce compounds that are specific to that plant's group or family. Brown kelp produces compounds that are not found in red or green algae.

It's estimated that there are over 200,000 compounds made by plants and some believe that number is very low.

HTH

 

[LITHOS]

CC-Most of the peat I've purchased over the years has been from Quebec.The Majestic Earth seemed more decomposed than what I've used in the past.In fairness this particular batch might not be typical and there is a possibility I don't know my ass
from a hole in the ground.

By the way,thanks for everything.This thread has gotten me really lit up!Reading this thread and following all the links eats up a huge amount of my time.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

LITHOS

Since we get sphagnum from Northern Alberta (Premier Horticulture & Sun Gro Horticulture) I don't have much to compare it with sphagnum harvested in the east.

What one could do is first check the label and make sure that it's labeled 'Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss' and then hit producers association's web site. The web site has solid information on a wide range of subjects and I would think that color differences might be explained.

HTH

CC

 

[W89]

W89

On the enzymes it's consistent within a plant group - grass seeds (wheat, barley, etc) or legumes. In general.

What you do have though are compounds (Secondary Metabolites) that were encoded into the seed by the host plant. Indole-acetic-acid (IAA) is a good example - it would be easier to find a plant which did not create this compound than the plants that do. And remember that while plants create hundreds of compounds and many of those are shared across a wide number of families, etc. it's also true that most plants produce compounds that are specific to that plant's group or family. Brown kelp produces compounds that are not found in red or green algae.


It's estimated that there are over 200,000 compounds made by plants and some believe that number is very low.

HTH

Thanks mate now going to try find some info on Indole-acetic-acid (IAA) and see what that's all about

EDIT:
indole acetic acid



http://botanydictionary.org/indole-acetic-acid.html


(IAA) The principal *auxin of most plants. The other indole compounds that also occur in plants probably owe their auxin-like activity to conversion to IAA at, or near to, the site of action. Thus, indole pyruvic acid, indole acetaldehyde, and other compounds may act as IAA reserves. The route of IAA synthesis is from the amino acid tryptophan. Studies in vivo have shown that IAA is transported in greater quantity and inactivated or destroyed more quickly than synthetic auxins. This suggests that an important aspect in the control of auxin activity is the relative rates of synthesis, transport, and inactivation in different tissues. IAA is decomposed by light and by the enzyme IAA oxidase. It may also combine with other compounds to form an inert complex. The rapid oxidation of IAA by the plant's enzymes has limited its commercial use as a weedkiller, and synthetic auxins, e.g. 2,4-D, 2,4,5-T, and MCPA, are normally used.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

IAA - in its synthetic form it is one of the main ingredients used in rooting products.

 

[W89]

I always had good results with clonex.. i bought a cheapy which was more thick in consistency and always got stem rot- clonex is nice a runny so doesnt give me the same problems... will try your cloning process next time I take clones... couple of weeks just before when my plants go into flower i will clean the bottoms up and clone them..

 

[unclefishstick]

i had some questions about preparing my garden beds for the spring if you guys dont mind...
for this year im just starting with a 4x8 raised bed garden.im starting from basically pure sand,much of it ultra fine dust that gets blown in every spring.over the years of growing i have been adding a mish mash of different peat based mixes in the form of rootballs so there is some organic matter along with years of partially composted yard waste/leaf litter.not very well composted as this is the desert.

so i recently trenched out a 4x8x2 foot deep area,buried another 20-25 rootballs under a mixture of the local "topsoil" 4 bags of compost,a couple bags of composted cow manure,some alfalfa meal and some oyster shell flour...this week i will be building the beds and was planning on getting 100lbs of ewc,another 4 bags of compost (1 cu ft each),a few cubic feet of bagged topsoil,some kelp meal and whatever other amendments you might suggest...
the plan being to build the bed,get it filled,mulch it,get it watered with some compost teas and let it do its thing until spring....

am i even vaguely on the right track here?

 

[W89]

Hey UFS! Hows it going fella? Sounds like a good plan even tho I cant offer you any advice as I got no experience with raised beds but I am very interested in what people have got to say as I defo want to incorporate them int my garden when I move house.