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Living organic soil from start through recycling

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smoooth

smoooth

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Living organic soil from start through recycling

Ain't that the truth! I have spotted a couple feed stores around the area so when I get a chance I'm going to go see what they have available and the prices.

Now I have a question about the premier peat/pro mix. I know they aren't the same thing as far as where and how they are packaged but I'm wondering about the cu. ft. I have purchased a bale of pro-mix HP before and it says 3.8 cu.ft. But once opened and dumped out it seems like it expands to about 5cu.ft. Am I correct in this train of thought? And if so does this apply to the premier peat? I'm just wondering about adding the amendments and want to get the measurements correct based on the cu.ft. Sorry if it's a dumb question
 
think_fast

think_fast

Member
Foliar Neem Oil vs. Foliar Neem Cake

Foliar Neem Oil vs. Foliar Neem Cake

I have trouble getting my res temps to a high enough temperature (72+) to adequately mix neem oil and apply as a foliar spray - it clumps up and doesn't pass through the sprayer nozzle. I have been substituting by aerating neem cake in my teas and applying this as a foliar instead.

Can anyone give input on the efficacy of this?
 
C

ClackamasCootz

Expired
Veteran
smooth

Take the numbers on a bale and toss it out the window. The 'volume' can move all over the map depending on how loose you choose to break it up before mixing. For figuring purposes I use 4 c.f. - which is close enough because a #2 nursery container isn't 2 gallons - it can range from 1.7 to 2.3 gallons depending on the manufacturer, style, etc.

If you try to measure this like you would with other processes you'll be scratching your head for months and months. It just doesn't work that way unfortunately.

But here's the biggest reason to start with straight Sphagnum peat moss - the straight bales are packed onsite. The material destined for mixes like Sunshine Mix #1 or Pro-Mix, etc. is run through a kiln to remove water thereby reducing the weight = lower shipping costs.

When it hits the packing plants the peat moss is hit with yucca root powder (surfactant/wetting agent) and then steam is injected into the mass to re-hydrate to a specific level thereby giving the customer the feeling that 'this must be really FRESH! Look at how moist it is!!!'

Uh huh......

Re-hydrate the Premier Peat yourself and save 60% and because it wasn't run through the kiln you'll have a higher level of bioactivity. Heat kills microbes and these soilless base mixes prove that over and over.

CC
 
L

lostenspace

Member
mixing neem

mixing neem

I mix 1oz neem (warm bottle under water) to 1oz protek in a shot glass and stir then add to water. I havent had a problem if sprayed within 30m
hope it helps,

think_fast said:
I have trouble getting my res temps to a high enough temperature (72+) to adequately mix neem oil and apply as a foliar spray - it clumps up and doesn't pass through the sprayer nozzle. I have been substituting by aerating neem cake in my teas and applying this as a foliar instead.

Can anyone give input on the efficacy of this?
Click to expand...
 
think_fast

think_fast

Member
lostenspace said:
I mix 1oz neem (warm bottle under water) to 1oz protek in a shot glass and stir then add to water. I havent had a problem if sprayed within 30m
hope it helps,
Click to expand...

how much water do you add this to?

I also mix neem with protekt, looks great until I mix this with the rest of the tea, then it resolidifies.

I have to aerate my water to dechlorinate it, so using straight warm water from the tap isn't an option.

I suppose I could let my final solution sit in the sprayer which sits in a larger container of warm water to get temps up in the sprayer, but if the neem cake tea works then why bother?
 
MileHighGuy

MileHighGuy

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Veteran
think_fast said:
how much water do you add this to?

I also mix neem with protekt, looks great until I mix this with the rest of the tea, then it resolidifies.

I have to aerate my water to dechlorinate it, so using straight warm water from the tap isn't an option.

I suppose I could let my final solution sit in the sprayer which sits in a larger container of warm water to get temps up in the sprayer, but if the neem cake tea works then why bother?
Click to expand...

The recipe that you want is this. Edit: Thanks to CC

2 Tsp Pro-Tekt to 4 Tsp Neem or Karanja oil. Add this to 1 Gallon water.

Adjust the recipe accordingly but I don't think you need 50/50 ratio just to emulsify.

Once I put this mix together I always use Aloe and some soap to help keep everything emulsified... but I am looking into the soap nut powder on neemresource.com

Anyone use the soap nut powder?
 
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Cann

Cann

Member
alright here is a random one - what, if any, could be the impact of a piece of raw beef (about 1lb) left on top of a soil mix for about 3 days. I have some soil maturing in a pile in my yard, and my knucklehead german shepherd decided it would be a good place to stash some of her beef...found it while turning the pile...had a nice "wtf is this??" moment.

could this cause any issues? i'm not necessarily worried...it's organic grass fed raw beef from a local farm...not full of poison like supermarket beef, so thats a good start.

anyone with opinions?
 
W89

W89

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Veteran
Now you know you dog has buried stuff in your pile it coulda been your dog pissing on your pile and creating that ammonia smell you had..
 
smoooth

smoooth

Active member
Living organic soil from start through recycling

Coot

Thank you very much for this valuable information. So based on the information from you I will consider a bale of premier peat to be 4 cf. makes things plain and simple. The way I like it.

So for equal parts I will be doing

4 cf. premier peat
4 cf. pumice/rice hull mix (if I can source both)
4 cf. compost/EWC mix

Just realized my pops has a really nice worm bin in his backyard that has been running for a few years! Gonna have to bring over a couple 5 gallon buckets to load up. Now my question on this is how many 5 gallon buckets is a cf.?
 
C

ClackamasCootz

Expired
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smoooth

1 c.f. = 7.5 gallons

Check with local landscape suppliers for 'lava rock' which you can use instead of pumice and it should be pretty inexpensive
 
W89

W89

Active member
Veteran
I added the spent comfrey from the botanical tea I made to the worm bin in a pile in the corner.. just moved the surface to find the comfrey pulp absolutely crawling with worms
 
SG1

SG1

Goblin Master
ICMag Donor
Veteran
How many gallon [US, dry] in 1 cubic foot? The answer is 6.42851162423.
How many gallon [US, liquid] in 1 cubic foot? The answer is 7.48051948052.
 
B

BlueJayWay

I don't know about all that math but my f****ing 2gal (#2) smart pots that came in are the same size or even smaller than my 1gal "grow bags!"

So much for transplanting LOL
 
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