Living organic soil from start through recycling

[think_fast]

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

I wanted to see if your 1gal "grow bags" were closer to 2gal or if your #2 SmartPot was closer to 1gal. Yup, the #2 is actually only about 1.25gal. High Caliper advertises their #2 SmartPot at 1.8 or 1.9gal can't remember which exactly, but they're off by a long shot either way. Why not just say the #2 is 2gal even if it's only 1.25? Why use a number that reads like someone measured the damn thing (1.9) when in fact this is just an arbitrary figure?

They're material engineers, and not mathematicians?

I don't get it.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

think fast

With the exception of Alfalfa meal and it is not a seed meal, almost every seed meal that I can think of is the bulk after the oil is pressed - soybean meal (sometimes called 'de-fatted'), linseed (aka Flaxseed) meal, canola (aka Rape) meal, neem meal, karanja meal and cottonseed meal (definitely not recommending this one).

With neem & karanja meals, the company that controls the organic segment (Parker Group India) says that approximately 5% of the original oils (and therefore compounds) remain if it's a cold-pressed extraction. Many of the eBay 'deals' are extracted using solvents. There's 2 other processes that are actually worse than using solvents.

Horse Chestnut Powder - $8.00 per lb. from Mountain Rose Herbs with smaller amounts available

 

[think_fast]

With neem & karanja meals, the company that controls the organic segment (Parker Group India) says that approximately 5% of the original oils (and therefore compounds) remain if it's a cold-pressed extraction.

Thanks! I seem to be one step closer to verifying the efficacy of using the neem cake as a foliar substitution to the oil.

Off to buy some horse chestnut powder! God bless online shopping.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

I wanted to see if your 1gal "grow bags" were closer to 2gal or if your #2 SmartPot was closer to 1gal. Yup, the #2 is actually only about 1.25gal. High Caliper advertises their #2 SmartPot at 1.8 or 1.9gal can't remember which exactly, but they're off by a long shot either way. Why not just say the #2 is 2gal even if it's only 1.25? Why use a number that reads like someone measured the damn thing (1.9) when in fact this is just an arbitrary figure?

They're material engineers, and not mathematicians?

I don't get it.

The history on this goes back at least 75 years and it's goofier than anything you could possibly dream up and it has nothing to do with this or that company. It's industry-wide.

When you buy pots in bulk from the supply houses you are handed a laminated 'fill sheet' from the manufacturer on the specific pot style you're going to be using. They're what I call a 'dream sheet' - a wild-assed guess (WAG)

You order your base materials to be delivered to a mixing shed or in most cases they have every brand, product, etc. that you could possibly be using. You pay to have your pots filled after mixing vs. having it bagged or loaded into 1 yard totes. The fill is only partial so that the seedling or sapling can be placed and then filled - a machine does that as well back at your nursery.

If you really want to know what the fill specs are on a brand of nursery pot then you ask the guy who runs the mixing crew. That's your best hope.

CC

 

[think_fast]

Whoa, that goes deep into a world I dare not venture into CC.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

I seem to be one step closer to verifying the efficacy of using the neem cake as a foliar substitution to the oil

I have been able to 'almost retire' the Spinosad & oils unless it's August, it's hot and the humidity is hovering around 85% - lab conditions for breeding Spider Mites and the myriad forms of Powdery Mildew - but by spraying a neem (or karanja) meal tea with kelp meal added, I can keep the plants free from these problems.

Prevention is much easier than eradication. Way easier.

Adding one of the liquid silica products and legitimate Aloe vera and you'll be in good shape. Keep neem oil on hand - just because.

 

[think_fast]

by spraying a neem (or karanja) meal tea with kelp meal added, I can keep the plants free from these problems.

This is welcome news! One less inconvenience to be fearful of lol!

 

[ClackamasCootz]

think fast

For this spring's garden consider growing the Holy Basil (Tulsi), Peppermint and Lemon Balm plants.

Making a tea from these materials, diluting that to the correct ratio and using that for your water when you make your neem & kelp meal tea will almost guarantee you'll be problem free. Especially the Tulsi plant.

CC

 

[W89]

I have been able to 'almost retire' the Spinosad & oils unless it's August, it's hot and the humidity is hovering around 85% - lab conditions for breeding Spider Mites and the myriad forms of Powdery Mildew - but by spraying a neem (or karanja) meal tea with kelp meal added, I can keep the plants free from these problems.

Prevention is much easier than eradication. Way easier.

Adding one of the liquid silica products and legitimate Aloe vera and you'll be in good shape. Keep neem oil on hand - just because.

I've been using Neem/kelp/alfalfa mix too seems to be working great

 

[BlueJayWay]

The history on this goes back at least 75 years and it's goofier than anything you could possibly dream up and it has nothing to do with this or that company. It's industry-wide.

When you buy pots in bulk from the supply houses you are handed a laminated 'fill sheet' from the manufacturer on the specific pot style you're going to be using. They're what I call a 'dream sheet' - a wild-assed guess (WAG)

You order your base materials to be delivered to a mixing shed or in most cases they have every brand, product, etc. that you could possibly be using. You pay to have your pots filled after mixing vs. having it bagged or loaded into 1 yard totes. The fill is only partial so that the seedling or sapling can be placed and then filled - a machine does that as well back at your nursery.

If you really want to know what the fill specs are on a brand of nursery pot then you ask the guy who runs the mixing crew. That's your best hope.

CC

It sure is whacky! You shoulda saw the look in my face when I placed the #2 smartie inside a 2gal paint bucket, dwarfed!

Thanks for looking that up think fast! Crazy isn't it?- what this means for me, in the long run (and its not a bad thing) is that I'll simply be buying a lot more #2 smarties and they will replace the bags at that stage. I kind of hate the bags anyways....in the short term I had to transplant into big ass 3gal bags instead ggrrrrr.....

Durdy - nice cover crop! When I have downtime in notill containers I do the same thing - pile of compost on top and toss some seeds down. Gets watered with leftover teas etc too - pre charged! Or something like that...

 

[W89]

when I move or my grow flat gets re-wired what ever comes first I will be doing some big-assed No-till pots

 

[ColorGRo]

Found some local compost by my area. This is what it says on their website. What do you think (CC, Gas, Microbemen, etc,).?

We make this special compost by combining enzyme rich animal feed, baby poultry bird bedding, and high-quality horse bedding that contains flailed wood shavings, alfalfa, and straw. After all these ingredients have been mixed, composted, and cured we end up with premium compost diverse in healthy micro-live.

 

[Durdy]

There's a brand of "soil building" compost at the local nursery that says it has a bunch of goodies in it. It doesn't, it's pretty much all filler (wood shavings) that's been dusted with EWC to give it that "hummus" look...

On another note there's a local EWC made that talks about it being 'alive with microbes' and it is, stuff works great.

I never trust a bag though, I wish everything came in a burlap sac sans advertising

ColoGro - open a bag and see what it's like. Dig your hands in, take a smell

 

[DuckDuckGoose]

I wanted to see if your 1gal "grow bags" were closer to 2gal or if your #2 SmartPot was closer to 1gal. Yup, the #2 is actually only about 1.25gal. High Caliper advertises their #2 SmartPot at 1.8 or 1.9gal can't remember which exactly, but they're off by a long shot either way. Why not just say the #2 is 2gal even if it's only 1.25? Why use a number that reads like someone measured the damn thing (1.9) when in fact this is just an arbitrary figure?

They're material engineers, and not mathematicians?

I don't get it.

here is some next level idiocy from the makers of root pouch. a product of Portland Oregon. must be something in the water there...either that or their abacus is missing a few beads.




#5 gallon 16 liters
#7 gallon 30 liters
#10 gallon 39 liters

stoner math is worse than stoner science.

 

[wingdings]

Fungal hyphae in 5 gal dirt pots

 

[BlueJayWay]

I didn't know 39 is twice as much as 16 - learn something new everyday! LOL

 

[W89]

I didn't know 39 is twice as much as 16 - learn something new everyday! LOL

Funny stuff init

 

[ClackamasCootz]

here is some next level idiocy from the makers of root pouch. a product of Portland Oregon. must be something in the water there...either that or their abacus is missing a few beads.

You can lay that one on China - not Portland. LOL

When these guys first showed up 3 years ago they were promoting a number of nursery pots made from 'fabric' and some of them were made from recycled denim which worked really well - for about 6 months before the material degraded and busted open all around the seams - ya couldn't use nylon for the stitching?

The company fell apart but not to worry - Aurora Innovations (Roots Organic and their other crap) bought their inventory and import company and now everything is 'fixed' - un huh.

Buy with confidence!

CC

 

[ClackamasCootz]

ColoGro - open a bag and see what it's like. Dig your hands in, take a smell

What Durdy sez......

 

[ClackamasCootz]

I didn't know 39 is twice as much as 16 - learn something new everyday! LOL

Blue Jay Way

This chart on can sizes used to package food is a similar confusing paradigm.

Let me know if you can figure it out! LOL