Living organic soil from start through recycling

[greenmatter]

have any of you gentlemen found a humidity dome that drips inside the damn starter tray instead of dripping all over the floor?

seems like such a "common sense" thing, but i have never seen one

 

[VerdantGreen]

CC, i guess they probably licensed the product over in the states.

yeah ive seen the comfrey pellets sold by Thompson and Morgan over here, i was surprised they werent listed as 'organic' because usually they are all over that as a selling point, and was going to ring up and ask ask why. T&M recently bought chempak, who i get most of my rock dusts and kelp meal etc from.

interesting what you say about Uk being more advanced than the US, from here it looks like the US is more advanced than the UK... especially in the 'new school' organics and microbe research, but yeah there are a few companies like fargro who are into that cutting edge stuff.

VG

 

[VerdantGreen]

have any of you gentlemen found a humidity dome that drips inside the damn starter tray instead of dripping all over the floor?

seems like such a "common sense" thing, but i have never seen one

look for one that has a little lip that locates on the inside of the rim as well as the flat bit that sits on top. these ones fit more snug too and dont fall off when you carry them around...


VG

 

[ClackamasCootz]

interesting what you say about Uk being more advanced than the US, from here it looks like the US is more advanced than the UK... especially in the 'new school' organics and microbe research, but yeah there are a few companies like fargro who are into that cutting edge stuff.

VG

VG

I've spent hours and hours at organic gardening & farming sites in England to learn about Comfrey, specifically the Bocking cultivars. The foundation that carries on the original work of Lawrence D. Hills (developer of the entire Bocking series) is Garden Organic - great resource for information on sustainable gardening and farming.

There is also Stinging Nettle pellets from France and I believe from a couple of companies in England. I could be wrong on that but definitely France.

CC

 

[VerdantGreen]

yeah i got my bocking 14 comfrey root cuttings from them (when they were HDRA) 10 years or so ago. interestingly ive found that they arent completely sterile... i like to let mine flower sometimes (im an ornamental gardener too and like the display) and ive had a couple of self seeded plants come up nearby..
presumably you can get the bocking russion comfrey in the states?

stinging nettle pellets i'll have to look for...

the UK is pretty old school still though,,, more crop rotation and compost than no-till and compost tea, and you wouldnt like it here as a perlite hater as i said in the other thread there arent many alternatives, no pumice, no calcined DE, just calcined clay - which i find a little wet and heavy. i now use 15% C. Clay and 15% perlite.

VG

 

[Microbeman]

look for one that has a little lip that locates on the inside of the rim as well as the flat bit that sits on top. these ones fit more snug too and dont fall off when you carry them around...


VG

That is what I use. The tray is .86 and the dome $1 (my price). I'll look up the brand if needed.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

VG

The only true (real) source for Bocking 14 in the states is Horizon Herbs in Southern Oregon. You can find other sites offering this but it doesn't take much to figure out that they're getting their root pieces from Horizon because when they're out of stock then so are another 15 web sites - LOL

Okay - here's the deal on Perlite from its real world application.

For nursery growers who do the cheap plants in the spring earn very little money and even then you have to be fully automated - from filling the plastic trays, spotting the seeds, back-filling the plastic trays, etc. No human hands are involved at all. In order to make a profit, the potting soil mixes must be as light as possible to increase load factor, i.e. Pumice is much heavier limiting the number of plants that you can stuff into a trailer.

Because of the way that Perlite moves around in the container after several waterings over a few months (not weeks like cannabis plants), you end up with a large amount of perlite on the surface of the soil. The buyers from the big DIY stores that handle the bulk of this type of nursery stock do not want to see this at all. The bulk of Perlite manufactured in the USA is used in the concrete industry. The manufacturers of Perlite even have their own association, the Perlite Institute and that is not a joke either.

In potting soils that are bagged for retail stores, the weight issues becomes an even bigger issue. There is no profit in bagging soils which explains why each and every potting soil has a 'nute program' to enhance whatever it is that it enhances - which is where the money is and not in selling you the soil. Factor in that the retail soils have to have a high level of hydration to give the customer the feeling that it's really fresh - water is heavy. Pumice is heavy. Perlite allows for more water to be used at packing and not impact the load factor.

Not a perlite 'hater' per se - I just don't get the adulation and special properties attached to it simply because it's used by Fox Farms, Roots, etc. Commercial potting soils sold here in the valley have to be special ordered if you want perlite. Plus the local perlite factory is an eyesore and puts out some really foul air pollution. Hopefully the air quality control regulators will keep the pressure on them and maybe they'll go somewhere else.

"Cali" sounds about right - right outside Arcata would be perfecto!

LOL

CC

 

[Microbeman]

This company doesn't have that type but I know that they're available. I'll look this week at the show. Pretty much everything is there for commercial nurseries and then some.....

Would you like some freeze-dried compost tea to try? LOL

CC

Absolutely. I'd love to test some of that bagged CT. I cannot remember the lady's name but she touts a masters degree, which as it turns out is in some unrelated field like philosophy(?)...CT Guy knows who it is.

Paradoxically, I'm working on a dried product myself but am not so blase as to claim it will produce instant ACT. It will require a 24 to 48 hour activation period [between you and me and the rest of the world, quite amazing really]

 

[ClackamasCootz]

MM

It's worse than that - you're thinking of "Dr." Carole Ann Rollins whose Phd is in Sociology. She's the owner/founder of a company called Nature Technologies

This is the company that a couple of years ago introduced (LMAO) a bagged AACT using some special material that allows for aeration. I know, I know.....

This operation also sells a 'license' for their AACT brewers which are made from stainless steel. When I talked with her a couple of years (at the same show) she and her marketing guru were pushing this big time. By the time that you buy the 'license' you're into this for $15,000.00+ and the '+' is to secure a physical territory. I'm not joking either.

So if that isn't bad enough (or worse enough) guess who partnered up with "Dr." Rollins for her books both as an author and in other cases writing the forward?

Hint: Shock & Awe

See Amazon.com for the gory details - that should make you go "Huh? WTF?" - it did with me anyway.

 

[greenmatter]

That is what I use. The tray is .86 and the dome $1 (my price). I'll look up the brand if needed.

could you? please

i would like to find something with vents if possible. the trade for the vents seems to be water on the floor on every one that i find. the jiffy domes keep the floor dry but i've never found one with vents

 

[MrSterling]

There was a new bag of ACT inoculate for sale at the hydro store in the sprawl, twenty bucks for a four or five ounce bag. The ingredients were cow manure, nettles, alfalfa and a couple other common herbs. Oy vey.

 

[YosemiteSam]

What is that tea where they use the way overpriced vortex mixer and just keep adding to it rather than actually using it and making more. My hydro store has one of those.

They were giving me all of these glowing reviews and I am like get the fuck out...does that even make sense to you guys. They are selling it like crazy though...maybe that swirling motion hypnotises you.

They are actually good guys...but holy moly. At least they give me the good ol boy discount.

 

[Microbeman]

could you? please

i would like to find something with vents if possible. the trade for the vents seems to be water on the floor on every one that i find. the jiffy domes keep the floor dry but i've never found one with vents

Sorry no vents, so it is probably what you are talking about. I did have one with vents before that fit the tray so it did not leak but it was expensive and got lost in the move.

I'll look up those brands tomorrow anyway.

 

[Microbeman]

Coot; Yes that's it and yes I know who the partner is. Unfortunate the lengths some will go to for the extra fifteen cents.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

There was a new bag of ACT inoculate for sale at the hydro store in the sprawl, twenty bucks for a four or five ounce bag. The ingredients were cow manure, nettles, alfalfa and a couple other common herbs. Oy vey.

Cow manure?

Simply amazing......

 

[ClackamasCootz]

What is that tea where they use the way overpriced vortex mixer and just keep adding to it rather than actually using it and making more. My hydro store has one of those.

They were giving me all of these glowing reviews and I am like get the fuck out...does that even make sense to you guys. They are selling it like crazy though...maybe that swirling motion hypnotises you.

They are actually good guys...but holy moly. At least they give me the good ol boy discount.

Hard to say, there's so many scams but here's a candidate!!

Vermi T 5/10 Extractor

$449.95 FOB

Description (drivel) at link and it's pretty amazing......

 

[heady blunts]

There was a new bag of ACT inoculate for sale at the hydro store in the sprawl, twenty bucks for a four or five ounce bag. The ingredients were cow manure, nettles, alfalfa and a couple other common herbs. Oy vey.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

Here's another candidate from Eugene, Orygun: Growing Solutions

Compost Tea System500

500 Gallons of roarin' tea brewin' power!

Available at $8,995.00 FOB

 

[shmalphy]

What would be the best way to use whole plant yucca? I have a few big ones growing in my yard, not sure which variety they are. I tried making an fpe out of them and I am drying some for a soil amendment. I was thinking of making a strong tea and using it as a surfactant to be mixed with other foliar sprays.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

Not to be outdone comes this entry from the Midwest: SunnyRidge Microbial Solutions

750 Vermecompost Extractor

$9,800.00 FOB

Output: 500 gallons of extract per hour