Living organic soil from start through recycling

[DuckDuckGoose]

The EM the Gardner's pantry carry is from SCD but I would buy only the EM original stock and ferment it yourself, not 'activated' by someone else.

I use the 1:1:20, 1:1:18 and 1:1:14 ratios depending on what the use is. I've been doing variations since 1999(?). I was doing fermentations and plant concoctions before starting down the ACT path. It was my friend who was involved with EM who first turned me on to ACT.

EDIT: I just noticed they have their initial temperature and pH wrong in their recipe. I would not use it over 3.5 (3.6 in a pinch)

MM,

i think your idea about including some information on your website about EM is a great idea. it seems like every time i turn around you're trumping another expert, it's actually amazing at times. so why don't you own a hydro store???? just kidding!!!

i noticed that you use the EM between plantings to condition the soil so to speak, and the ACT during plant growth. the yin to the yang thing... but would you consider foliar application of EM and ACT as a soil drench? are there any advantages of spraying the PNSB on the leaves?

and i bought the mother culture concentrate product so i could activate my own stuff... gonna mess around with those ratios that you posted and make several different batches, thanks for the pH tip.

DDG

 

[SilverSurfer_OG]

I would love to read a MM guide to EM1 fermentation!

I make the odd one every now and again. But mostly after i have harvested some flowers to make a soak. I add the EM1 in the hope it works some magic! It sure ferments anyhoos...

 

[Microbeman]

MM,

i think your idea about including some information on your website about EM is a great idea. it seems like every time i turn around you're trumping another expert, it's actually amazing at times. so why don't you own a hydro store???? just kidding!!!

i noticed that you use the EM between plantings to condition the soil so to speak, and the ACT during plant growth. the yin to the yang thing... but would you consider foliar application of EM and ACT as a soil drench? are there any advantages of spraying the PNSB on the leaves?

and i bought the mother culture concentrate product so i could activate my own stuff... gonna mess around with those ratios that you posted and make several different batches, thanks for the pH tip.

DDG

I did post some info on at least one EM thread in here.

I've really got no idea on the foliar thing. I did make an EM fermetation for PM once which was medium effective.

 

[ColorGRo]

Quick growers and that's cool how you can get so many cuttings from 1. I'm hoping to grow enough and save enough leaves to store during winter when i wony be able to grow them.

 

[ColorGRo]

And i will contact you when I order them. Save me from buying more. Thank you

 

[rrog]

Surfer- You're inspirational.

 

[Weyenot]

You kind of need to be creative in your search depending on your location and what you need. CO is bigger than most european states so specific location is everything if you have to drive far. There aren't very many places on the west slope that I am aware of. I've hit up IFA, all the nurseries, grocery stores, health food stores and said screw the grow stores! Any grain mills nearby may have hulls of some sort, there's one near me and wheat hulls are free for the taking. One of the nurseries will give me free used containers. The news paper shop gives me free old papers (for the worm bins, compost, mulch and fire starter). If you are near any forested ares go wild-crafting for weeds and forest duff.

Try and find similar stores as are listed for other parts of the country. I know there has to be a pottery supply store somewhere nearby but I can't seem to find one. Some things (comfrey roots) will need to be ordered. If you can't order it yourself maybe you could have a friend do it for you




Yes I used CCs recipe, diluted, and 13 yr old "Ramin" rye seed (purchased for making Scotch) with near 100% germination. Plants prayed, sort of, they raised their paws for a couple days but not like in some of the pics I've seen.

Cool, thanks for the clarification on your method; you didnt specify so I was curious. Cant say Ive heard of Ramin but it must be hardy if youre getting those germ rates after that long! I will be making a stop into the local brew store soon to hopefully score a nicely priced bag of rye with the highest enzyme content. Until then Im sprouting wheat and right now I have batch of mung beans soaking.

I like your mentality about foraging; get creative with it!! I need to look around to see what the local grain mills might have to offer. I did find an organic rice farm a few hrs away that is letting me pick up a load of hulls, which is mighty nice of them

Happy hunting!

 

[Weyenot]

It's called the Bocking 14

If you'll let me know the length of the root pieces you receive I can show you how to turn 2 pieces into 4 or even 6 depending on what you have to start with.

By next year you'll be able to take slew of root cuttings from the plants you start this spring. Dozens from 1 plant - you cannot kill this plant. Ever.

HTH

EDIT: watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khax_h0bBYs

That would be a good idea if the roots were big enough to chop into a few smaller pieces; is that what you mean CC?
I probably could have done that with mine but Ill just wait till next year and divide the ones I planted a while back. I noticed that out of the 12 planted(6xtrue and 6xB14) the first ones up out of the ground are three of the true comfrey; I wonder if there is a particular reason for this or just how it turned out. All the roots had healthy new white ones coming out of them and the B14s all had a shoot forming on top, so I thought they would have been first. Any thoughts?

 

[ClackamasCootz]

List Your Favorite Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss thread

 

[LITHOS]

List Your Favorite Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss thread

CC-Thanks for this link.If I had just searched IC first I could have saved a lot of time.Hadn't noticed this thread.Trying to get through about half a dozen others right now and keep up with this one.So much to learn,so little time.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

LITHOS

There's some 'wheat' among the 'chaff' like any thread so take away from it what you feel is helpful.

CC

 

[VortexPower420]

I posted this on the mulch thread a few days ago, i guess it does not get enough traffic and got no response yet so I figured i would re post it over here on the highway of the pros and see what you guys think.

So i picked up at the pet store the other day a bag of alfalfa feed hay, I was planing on using as a mulch well i did use it as a mulch on a bunch of transplants. I have been using all my plant clipping from cloning and such, but they diapered very quickly and i was hopping to improve the soil at the same time, but i was thinking about what CC said about "going quietly into that dark night" or something like that and I was just curious if it would be to much?
Thanks
Timbuktu

 

[xmobotx]

idk about a bag of alfalfa feed hay from the pet store but from a bale of hay it would seem like you want it to be dry {yellow} so it wont want to compost and tie up N ~same as for mulching w green grass clippings or straight green alfalfa

some green is no big deal {as hay should have a good 30 percent + of green}

i guess you could rake it back off if need be

i like finished compost or EWC for mulch

 

[MrSterling]

CC, I wad wondering about going through and separating the wheat from the chaff for this thread, but the sheer page numbers arw too daunting.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

CC, I wad wondering about going through and separating the wheat from the chaff for this thread, but the sheer page numbers arw too daunting.

Here's the Readers Digest version:

Buy straight Sphagnum Peat Moss vs. Sunshine mixes or Pro-Mix and their product lines.

Sphagnum from Northern Alberta has been tested by Microbeman (Premier Peat and Alaska Peat) to have high bioactivity. These could be products limited to the western states. Check the location where it was packed which is required by regulations to appear somewhere on the plastic wrap.

Ordering from companies like Ace Hardware's web site and having it dropped at one of their stores near you is cheap & easy.

That's about it......

HTH

 

[ClackamasCootz]

That would be a good idea if the roots were big enough to chop into a few smaller pieces; is that what you mean CC?

I probably could have done that with mine but Ill just wait till next year and divide the ones I planted a while back. I noticed that out of the 12 planted(6xtrue and 6xB14) the first ones up out of the ground are three of the true comfrey; I wonder if there is a particular reason for this or just how it turned out. All the roots had healthy new white ones coming out of them and the B14s all had a shoot forming on top, so I thought they would have been first. Any thoughts?

I'm not quite understanding what you wrote, i.e. are you saying that the Bocking 14 root pieces were producing leaves before the seeds germinated?

 

[VortexPower420]

idk about a bag of alfalfa feed hay from the pet store but from a bale of hay it would seem like you want it to be dry {yellow} so it wont want to compost and tie up N ~same as for mulching w green grass clippings or straight green alfalfa

some green is no big deal {as hay should have a good 30 percent + of green}

i guess you could rake it back off if need be

i like finished compost or EWC for mulch

So I was under the assumption even thought it is alfalfa hay it is still the same stuff we all are using for various reasons, just not ground down. I know you can use alfalfa a a green source in compost piles regardless if it is dry or not. I top dress with compost/ewc and the mulch with alfalfa to keep the soil surface moist. My plants are raging and the mulch is covered in mold and starting to break down on the soil surface (lots of shredder mites), I am hopping it will provide some extra nutrition for my soil mix. I made a abridged (no strong N sources, Just kelp, calcium blend, rock dusts, neem meal, sul po mag,greensand, crab shell, cal phos and lots of ewc) So far so good just wondering if anyone else used alfalfa hay as mulch.
thanks
Timbuktu

 

[ClackamasCootz]

just wondering if anyone else used alfalfa hay as mulch

Vortex

I haven't but alfalfa meal is chopped or whatever alfalfa hay.

I use organic barley and oat straw as a mulch in the beds - does that count? LOL

 

[Scrappy4]

Vortex, it might be handy to mention alfalfa meal is simply dehydrated and ground alfalfa. As a meal it works well in alfalfa teas and for fermented plant extracts. But as a top dress or mulch it can be rather hot and can burn plants. That same hotness helps in composting providing N or fuel to microbes. So if you use the meal in soil give it some time before using to compost.

The hay or straw will take longer to break down since its bigger and would make for better mulch than the meal would I recon. I know in tomatoes grown in old alfalfa hay will grow very tall but produce little in the way of tomatoes. So like everything else I guess diversity is best, but alfalfa is a good component either in hay or meal form, and your on the right track by adding other organic feeds.....scrappy

 

[Cann]

just called a landscape supply company in the area

me: "do you guys carry pumice?"

lady: "ummm......what?"

me: "pumice - its a volcanic rock"

lady: "I have no idea what that is..."


I'm living in a sea of ignorance...


also: do crab meal, neem meal, or kelp meal need to "cook" in the soil? I know there are varying opinions on this. just wondering if they could heat up and potentially cause root damage. anyone done this before?