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Living organic soil from start through recycling

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rrog

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Acidic solutions release the Ca+. Got it. Interesting, in that on another water hardness thread here, it was recommended to acidify the water to keep the problem from building. In fact, it seems the opposite is the case.
 

ClackamasCootz

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Acidic solutions release the Ca+. Got it. Interesting, in that on another water hardness thread here, it was recommended to acidify the water to keep the problem from building. In fact, it seems the opposite is the case.

Correct and that's but a small role that Sulfur plays in the soil chemistry when it's converted to Sulphuric acid.

See how easy that was? LOL

CC
 

Scrappy4

senior member
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That's what it always comes down to - quality humus.

Trying to amend one's way to a successful garden is basically an attempt to apply the concepts of hydroponics to soil.

Pointless as usual......

That is a good way to put it Cootz. We might need re-educating after hydro store encounters......scrappy
 

Gascanastan

Gone but NOT forgotten...
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That is a good way to put it Cootz. We might need re-educating after hydro store encounters......scrappy


Back from a festival...Talked to MANY gardeners and what do the kidz want...This kush that kush....DMT,X,Goo Goo scout this..lemon OG that...nothing organically decent or super rare I found. But did find a few kidz who were on the right path to organic gardening....other than that its all Chemi grown kush....it's the rave.



The one name brand I heard most...'Botanicare'..."yeah dude I use botanicare and all the compost teas and stuff"

Oh and dabs dabs dabs...super trending ATM.....the latest round of kids and that trip. Does anyone still smoke some beautiful living soil organic sativa that they grew for the third eye experience and being able to walk around???.....only me I guess.

So many people still think ACT is like a bottled fertilizer....doooood. Very few understand that it contains actual organisms.

The hydro store is winning the sales with mythological based gardening bottles at a fast rate my brotherz.
 
Y

YosemiteSam

Humic substances and clay will hold Calcium++ ions where they can be exchanged with other cations for uptake by the roots.

That's how humic substances and clay play the role that they do in maintaining the pH (too many free Hydrogen ions without a home to land at)

CC

So humus and clay can tie up a bunch of cations...and I agree that gives you a whole lot of latitude.

So my understanding is that if you get those on the humus, cec and clay sites and stay out of the way with chems the plant sends sugars at night to the microbes and sorta picks and chooses what it wants (needs) to eat. Is that way off? (obviously a lot more compley...but in general)

I am curious about the anions though...the ates, sulfate, carbonate, silicate...no nitrates involved in this type of grow until nitrification takes place.

Do they remain in the aqueous layers? Are they easily leachable. Is there anything that keeps them tied up?

My hydro store guy gave me aloe cuttings this morning and a few big blades to filet...so not all of them are bad guys

And the question about what they make...my experience is their mark up on basic chem nutes is about 4x what it cost me to put together the same thing. But then the additives are where it gets stupid...with some companies leaving out basic stuff so you have to buy them
 

Neo 420

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....other than that its all Chemi grown kush....it's the rave.

Sheeple..


The one name brand I heard most...'Botanicare'..."yeah dude I use botanicare and all the compost teas and stuff"

I'm sick of growers using GH Organics and thinking they are 100% organics.....They need to study

Oh and dabs dabs dabs...super trending ATM.....the latest round of kids and that trip.

Oh boy..and they are spending big bucks on dab pipes...Its all about creating markets...
 

Scrappy4

senior member
Veteran
So humus and clay can tie up a bunch of cations..

But it is also true they are like sailers on pay day, they are more than happy to give them up in exchange for what they desire......scrappy
 

DARC MIND

Member
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I am curious about the anions though...the ates, sulfate, carbonate, silicate...no nitrates involved in this type of grow until nitrification takes place.

Do they remain in the aqueous layers? Are they easily leachable. Is there anything that keeps them tied up?
anions are the major building blocks of proteins and carbohydrates,so huge reserves of anion nutrients are held in the life of soil and are released/cycled to plants through the decay of organic matter & or air and water.

like all life,the soil community need food, water, and air to carry on & do ther thing.so we the grower provide a basic diet of plenty of organic matter, moisture, and well aerated soil to keep their populations thriving.
carbon, in the form of carbohydrates, is the ultimate fuel for all soil biological activity and therefore of humus formation and productivity. a balance supply of mineral nutrients is also essential for soil organisms, and micronutrients are important to the many bacterial enzymes involved in their biochemical transformations.

the life of the soil performs the critical function of bringing the basic chemical nutrients full circle - from consumers back to producers;the soils metabolism.

hth
 

rrog

Active member
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Excellent post! Obviously SOM = dead microlife in large part, so a living soil would have endless supply. That is just so cool.
 

ClackamasCootz

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Carbon, in the form of carbohydrates, is the ultimate fuel for all soil biological activity and therefore of humus formation and productivity

So which would I want to use then - Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3) or elemental Calcium (Ca) in a soil? Taking into account that a major player in the soil food web, earthworms, form castings covered in a slime made of Calcium Carbonate?

Oh yeah - don't forget to toss in the Oxyten (O3) into the equation - we are trying to maintain aerobic root zones, right?

Good explanation, DM
 

ClackamasCootz

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GC

Botanicare is owned by the grow store supply company NGW (aka Sun Light Mfg. and a couple of other regional names) which explains the 'how & why' this product line gets the front-facing racks and end caps in stores - with the store planning service by the same supplier.

Doesn't always work though - at least in Oregon and to explain, American Agritech is another sub-corporation that includes the Botanicare product line.

Anyone got a hanky?
 
Great info here. ive been a lurker for a while but this post has inspired me to comment.

I have a few questions about the clay, comfrey and aloe vera.

I am in the Portland area so I am going to go look for a pottery store. i was wondering at what ratio do I add the clay to my soil? And what is the best way to mix it in?

About the aloe vera, I was at whole foods and saw pure aloe vera juice and gel, they also have whole leaf aloe vera juice. It is organic and is 99% aloe vera juice/gel and 1% lemon juice. Would this work?

For those that are in Portland , is there anywhere locally that one can get comfrey? I had never heard of it til this thread but did some research and would like to add some to my recycling soil.

I have been growing for over a year and basically did one grow with FF nutes , but always wanted to go organic but had no idea how. I stumbled upon the rev's soil mix and started using that with only ok results. Since reading this post and others on icmag I have since added washed sand, pumice, rice hulls and charcoal to the soil to loosen it up. I added Naomi's mineral mix to it as well. I am hoping this will improve its performance.
 

DARC MIND

Member
Veteran
keepin it real

keepin it real

Oh and dabs dabs dabs...super trending ATM.....the latest round of kids and that trip. Does anyone still smoke some beautiful living soil organic sativa that they grew for the third eye experience and being able to walk around???.....only me I guess.
you would hate socal friend
thers alot of phony people in LA, trust, I counted thers
alot..
we only breaking it down cuz fools be breakin the rules,
i love the satty hazes, from the old school
straight from the west compound bringing you the break down
 

ClackamasCootz

Expired
Veteran
all natural

Portland Pottery - oldest and largest pottery supply in Portland and one of the first in the PNW. Clays, Bentonite, etc. Good folks and easy to do business with. Their customer supply base are professionals and serious students. Their equipment list is extensive - kilns, wheels, controllers, etc.

Concentrates NW - everything you could possibly need for organic gardening whatever the plant. Sphagnum peat moss, organic Coir (from Sri Lanka), rock dusts (last year they did over 220 tons on just the Glacial Rock Dust out of British Canada). Act like a stoner and you'll be ignored. This is not a grow store and they couldn't give a sh*t less about someones 'tomatoes' - they will be more than a little rude.

Their mycorrhizal products are direct from Mycorrhizal Applications in Grants Pass, Oregon. This is the same product that appears in the grow store products - White Shark and the rest of the gunk. Here it's only about $11.00 per pound and they have different mixes to choose from. Get the "Endo" only product.

The now have 12 or so products available in bulk so look at the price list and see if you can make something happen without buying full bags. On some things it's pointless to buy smaller units - like Glacial Rock Dust - it's $11.80 for 50 lbs. and since it's already been around for a few million years a couple of years in your garage probably won't hurt anything.

Horizon Herbs - supplier of organic seeds and root starts for Stinging Nettle, Dandelion, Comfrey (Bocking 14 and the invasive varieties), and about any medical plant you could possibly come up with. You order the Bocking 14 root starts which run about $3.00 each. This a certified organic farm in Southern Oregon and they are the real deal

RE: Aloe vera juice - I've not seen that product but if the only other ingredient is Lemon Juice (preservative) than I would definitely use that over most of the other 'non-preservative' products which is a blatant lie.

Portland Nursery (both locations) - as good as it gets and they understand that by showing their pride in their pricing. Still - it's Sunday afternoon and you need a couple of cups of this or that to finish mixing up a soil - they're there. Great plant selection for your vegetable gardens. Over 5 acres of plants at the SE Stark Avenue store (the original).

BioAg - out of the mid-Willamete Valley. Pure Humic acids, VAM and pure Fulvic acids. The gold standard.

HTH

CC
 
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