Rising Moon
Member
A cover crop spread sheet...?
Here you go:
http://groworganic.com/media/pdfs/CoverCropSolutionsweb2012.pdf
Here you go:
http://groworganic.com/media/pdfs/CoverCropSolutionsweb2012.pdf
-
ICMag with help from Landrace Warden and The Vault is running a NEW contest in November! You can check it here. Prizes are seeds & forum premium access. Come join in!
Mulch. Just do it.
- Thread starter Dignan
- Start date
Blue Jay
Have you done any more testing using fresh Comfrey leaves? I did a couple applications by finely chopping the leaves, mixing 1:3 with vermicompost.
Pretty much a nutrient powerhouse that provides a wide range of benefits over several weeks.
CC
Have you done any more testing using fresh Comfrey leaves? I did a couple applications by finely chopping the leaves, mixing 1:3 with vermicompost.
Pretty much a nutrient powerhouse that provides a wide range of benefits over several weeks.
CC
D
dogfishheadie
cc,
just ordered three "tall" comfrey plants from herizon herbs, should be in next tues or weds. Would you happen to know about how long it's going take to get these guys up to a usable size for mulch, compost and all that other fun stuff? for $3 a cutting, I'm going to assume they're pretty small and not going to get my hopes up, thinking sometime next spring?
Northeast here, starts to get cold nov-march, plan to use my ROLS soil and feed / water with all the misc concoctions the girls are getting. need to go dig back through the archives and find some info on your vermicompost, I remember bluejay saying you had some killer stuff.
just ordered three "tall" comfrey plants from herizon herbs, should be in next tues or weds. Would you happen to know about how long it's going take to get these guys up to a usable size for mulch, compost and all that other fun stuff? for $3 a cutting, I'm going to assume they're pretty small and not going to get my hopes up, thinking sometime next spring?
Northeast here, starts to get cold nov-march, plan to use my ROLS soil and feed / water with all the misc concoctions the girls are getting. need to go dig back through the archives and find some info on your vermicompost, I remember bluejay saying you had some killer stuff.
dogfish
I planted my first root pieces (also from Horizon Herbs) 2 years ago in April so you're only 3 or 4 weeks behind me.
I live where the winters are mild and arrive late compared to your area, i.e. fairly long season. By October that year I had pulled 3 full cuttings.
If you plant these right away, you could expect to pull a decent harvest by mid-July, another by mid-September and that's probably it for this season. When your first frost hits you want a fair amount of leaves on the crown. These will drop and breakdown in the soil around the plant thereby feeding the soil for the next season.
What you receive is a piece of root which is about 3" long. You plant this, horizontally, in a good location. You should see 3 - 5 sprouts in 12 - 14 days and probably sooner. Then it's all about keeping the soil correctly hydrated. To produce this level of biomass they need plenty of water. Once established you cannot transplant it as the roots go down over 12' and you can't kill it so pick your spot with some forethought.
HTH
CC
I planted my first root pieces (also from Horizon Herbs) 2 years ago in April so you're only 3 or 4 weeks behind me.
I live where the winters are mild and arrive late compared to your area, i.e. fairly long season. By October that year I had pulled 3 full cuttings.
If you plant these right away, you could expect to pull a decent harvest by mid-July, another by mid-September and that's probably it for this season. When your first frost hits you want a fair amount of leaves on the crown. These will drop and breakdown in the soil around the plant thereby feeding the soil for the next season.
What you receive is a piece of root which is about 3" long. You plant this, horizontally, in a good location. You should see 3 - 5 sprouts in 12 - 14 days and probably sooner. Then it's all about keeping the soil correctly hydrated. To produce this level of biomass they need plenty of water. Once established you cannot transplant it as the roots go down over 12' and you can't kill it so pick your spot with some forethought.
HTH
CC
D
dogfishheadie
much appreciated! had no clue the roots went down that far, now I see why the thing is a powerhouse being able to tap into nutrients that far underground.
any other staples you all have planted for mulching purposes? I'm sort of leaning towards getting as much planted and started this season as it will only benefit it all in the long run. yarrow and the other usual suspects are hard to come by in my area, only cost effective solution would be just to grow everything.
god I love this stuff
any other staples you all have planted for mulching purposes? I'm sort of leaning towards getting as much planted and started this season as it will only benefit it all in the long run. yarrow and the other usual suspects are hard to come by in my area, only cost effective solution would be just to grow everything.
god I love this stuff
dogfish
Check with a large nursery in your area. Many people grow Yarrow and with the hybrids there are some really beautiful colors to choose from. Or get a pack of seeds - one of the smallest seeds you'll probably ever deal with. Even smaller than carrot seeds if you're familiar with that.
With Yarrow you'll want to cut all of the flower stalks at the end of summer leaving the leaves in and around the plant's crown intact. Cover with straw before your first frost and remove after your last in the spring. You won't have any leaves left but in few weeks you'll have a huge plant with 2x the number of flowers than your first year.
Here's another option at Horizon Herbs - Lifeline Medicinal Herb Garden
This is a true medical herb collection which includes 18 packs of seeds: Astragalus, Holy Basil (Kapoor Tulsi), Gobo Burdock, Mixed Calendula, German Chamomile, Echinacea purpurea, Elecampane, Evening Primrose, Brown Flax, Lemon Balm, Marshmallow, Official Motherwort, Stinging Nettles, Cayenne Pepper, Garden Sage, Official Valerian, Wood Betony and Yarrow. The ones in BOLD probably have the most value for what you're trying to achieve.
All of this for only $29.95 - about $1.66 a pack. Beats driving around or ordering from 5 or more web sites.
HTH
CC
Check with a large nursery in your area. Many people grow Yarrow and with the hybrids there are some really beautiful colors to choose from. Or get a pack of seeds - one of the smallest seeds you'll probably ever deal with. Even smaller than carrot seeds if you're familiar with that.
With Yarrow you'll want to cut all of the flower stalks at the end of summer leaving the leaves in and around the plant's crown intact. Cover with straw before your first frost and remove after your last in the spring. You won't have any leaves left but in few weeks you'll have a huge plant with 2x the number of flowers than your first year.
Here's another option at Horizon Herbs - Lifeline Medicinal Herb Garden
This is a true medical herb collection which includes 18 packs of seeds: Astragalus, Holy Basil (Kapoor Tulsi), Gobo Burdock, Mixed Calendula, German Chamomile, Echinacea purpurea, Elecampane, Evening Primrose, Brown Flax, Lemon Balm, Marshmallow, Official Motherwort, Stinging Nettles, Cayenne Pepper, Garden Sage, Official Valerian, Wood Betony and Yarrow. The ones in BOLD probably have the most value for what you're trying to achieve.
All of this for only $29.95 - about $1.66 a pack. Beats driving around or ordering from 5 or more web sites.
HTH
CC
B
BlueJayWay
CC - have you been peering into my garden? ....I started the same process about 6 weeks ago or so and I'm really liking this as a topdress/mulch, mixing a handful of dried comfrey (ran out, now nettles or cannabis) with a few handfuls of vermicompost (SLO Worm farm, I may need to PM you on how the heck you found out about this place, I can guess and I'd probably be right, either way they use composted dairy manure as the main feed for their 2 million worms - PRIMO vermicompost, just as you suspected) and often times neem seed meal or any other 'amendment' I feel the soil could use a boost of.
self
A friend on the East Coast swears by CoM's products - compost, their potting soil mixes. He has nothing but high praise and he's an organic terrorist - makes his own thermal compost, big ol' Comfrey garden, some serious worm bins, etc. So for him to recommend their products means they're doing something right. And at a fair price!
Blue Jay Way
I read about SLO Worm Farm in Vermiculture Technology: Earthworms, Organic Wastes, and Environmental Management
This is an anthology of over 30+ post graduate entomologists from almost every continent. This is very serious science and not the usual 'worm wrangler' books out there. The primary editor, Dr. Clive Edwards, has over 60 years of study & research behind him plus two doctorate degrees, UK & the USA. The other two editors, Dr. Norman Q. Arancon & Dr. Rhonda L. Sherman are both entomologists that have specialized in the study of vermicompost methods. Dr. Edwards worked with Dan Holcombe at Oregon Soil Corporation developing Dan's first vertical flow-thru VC reactors.
Only 3 vermicompost sources were referenced in this book and SLO Worm Farm was one of them. I figured it had to be something pretty special and I'm glad it is working for you. Can't beat premium castings can you?
CC
A friend on the East Coast swears by CoM's products - compost, their potting soil mixes. He has nothing but high praise and he's an organic terrorist - makes his own thermal compost, big ol' Comfrey garden, some serious worm bins, etc. So for him to recommend their products means they're doing something right. And at a fair price!
Blue Jay Way
I read about SLO Worm Farm in Vermiculture Technology: Earthworms, Organic Wastes, and Environmental Management
This is an anthology of over 30+ post graduate entomologists from almost every continent. This is very serious science and not the usual 'worm wrangler' books out there. The primary editor, Dr. Clive Edwards, has over 60 years of study & research behind him plus two doctorate degrees, UK & the USA. The other two editors, Dr. Norman Q. Arancon & Dr. Rhonda L. Sherman are both entomologists that have specialized in the study of vermicompost methods. Dr. Edwards worked with Dan Holcombe at Oregon Soil Corporation developing Dan's first vertical flow-thru VC reactors.
Only 3 vermicompost sources were referenced in this book and SLO Worm Farm was one of them. I figured it had to be something pretty special and I'm glad it is working for you. Can't beat premium castings can you?
CC
Rising Moon
Member
Hey everyone!
I just wanted to share a photo of one of my 10 gallon ROLS totes that is currently being "re-charged"...
The previous crop was Kandy Kush, and the current crop is Crimson Clover, Oats, Bush Beans and Broccoli.
I just wanted to share a photo of one of my 10 gallon ROLS totes that is currently being "re-charged"...
The previous crop was Kandy Kush, and the current crop is Crimson Clover, Oats, Bush Beans and Broccoli.
Looks great, RM!
S
Sincerely420
Nearly 4 hours and 64 pages later, just wanted to say thanks to the OP and the rest of the gang for the abundance of info here!
Compfrey/ canna / wormcasting here maybe a little kelp and neem as needed
Timbuktu
Timbuktu
After reading this thread, i start to mulch my outdoor plants. I just mixed wormcasting, compost, some dry weed, and old canna leafs and put it there... After a week, i checked one of my plants in 30l pot, the color was much better, leafs points up to the sky and the mulch is filled with roots, they exploded everywhere. Thank you all for this great thread and precious information provided!
Elanius- Mulch is pretty amazing huh.
Timbuktu
Timbuktu
What would the best and most complete cannabis feeder mulch be?
I'm thinking along the lines of Super Soil or LC's mix, but more natural, just from a feeding mulch layer.
How thick would the layer have to be? What would it consist of?
I'm wondering if anyone has experience with feeder mulch and cannabis.
I'm thinking along the lines of Super Soil or LC's mix, but more natural, just from a feeding mulch layer.
How thick would the layer have to be? What would it consist of?
I'm wondering if anyone has experience with feeder mulch and cannabis.
I have recently had a major problem with adding mulch to my pots. I think that mulching can be a great thing if your soil is prone to moisture loss. Like if it's sitting under those hot HPS lights. Recently I've switched to a totally sealed, CO2 enriched LED lit environment. My pots were all mulched, as is standard operating procedure for my plants. When it came time for the first watering the pots still felt really heavy. I gave it a day, and nothing. Another day and they were still heavy. So now it seemed like my plants were able to hold a lot of water. Plus they didn't look so healthy and their growth seemed to slow. I think that despite the original post, plants need that wet/dry cycle. Not completely dry, like drooping plants. But enough so that the roots can breath a little. If your soil or the environment is already good at holding in moisture. Well, too much moisture is a bad thing. It leads to all sorts of anaerobic conditions. Once I had changed the environment inside my room. That mulch, which used to be pretty handy. Just started causing problems in my cooler environment. So I would avoid mulching, just for the sake of mulching. A blanket statement saying "just mulch" can be dangerous. You really need to understand why you are mulching, before you just do it.
surfguitar
Member
Honestly it sounds like you have a problem with your mix and not the mulch, I've put mulch on plants in very cold places and if anything it just provides more insulation to the root zone and healthier plants.
I use EWC and oat hay to mulch all my pots
