Not really hitting my stride yet, any suggestions how to improve?

[quiescent]

I've gotta chime in with the others as you may have talked your way into something you really can't handle. You can't fake it till you make it with growing bro. Be real about your knowledge and abilities because from reading this thread you're gonna be over your head.

I know this is a simple plant to grow but you're nowhere near master grower level with 10 grows, half of them with major issues. You're still in the learning phase on your closet growing and there's gonna be an even bigger learning curve once you start growing outdoors at scale.

Stop trying to reinvent the wheel. Follow someone's template who has verifiable success to a T for a couple of cycles and then start changing a couple of things here and there. Get a real soil analysis done once you find who you're willing to emulate. Use as many sources of Ca as possible.

I know you've got a lot of information in your head and you can regurgitate information all day but that isn't knowledge because you don't know how to apply it.

Genetics are 60% of what will determine your end result. The rest is on you and your ability to navigate bad luck/have preventative measures in place to prevent bad luck from becoming an excuse in croptober.

I'm not trying to be a dick or tear you down but I've seen many a guy who thinks they are better growers than they are disappoint themselves and anyone who might be reliant upon them outperforming their abilities. This isn't the early 2000s where retards in biker gangs could grow marginal quality herb and make more than a doctor per year; now you can grow the best of the best and make less than a nurse if you're lucky enough to unload your product at all.

Good luck out there bro.

 

[ReikoX]

Just want to throw this out there, but Coots advises not to bubble the malted barley for more than 24 hours. The barley ferments quickly and can create acetic acid. This is a known weed killer. That may, or may not, be causing you issues.

I find it easier, and just as effective, to top dress and water it in with fulvic, silica, and aloe.

 

[wvkindbud38]

This soil mix is definatly causing a lot of problems. It doesn't seem to be something beginners need to learn using. Hell grab a bag of Ocean Forest, Promix , Sunshine or something and put some dolomite and perlite in it and grow. Learn to feed and grow first, then get into a soil mix. Add you a few amendments to these soils if you are obsessed with doing a soil mix. But I promise you should be able to grow some killer weed in any of those soil without adding 10 things to it.....there's no reason if you can half grow you shouldn't be able to grow amazing plants with Ocean Forest, dolomite, perlite, Mykos/plant success....maybe some extra worm castings and grow a damn tree....very easy no bullshit soil mixes

 

[quiescent]

This soil mix is definatly causing a lot of problems. It doesn't seem to be something beginners need to learn using. Hell grab a bag of Ocean Forest, Promix , Sunshine or something and put some dolomite and perlite in it and grow. Learn to feed and grow first, then get into a soil mix. Add you a few amendments to these soils if you are obsessed with doing a soil mix. But I promise you should be able to grow some killer weed in any of those soil without adding 10 things to it.....there's no reason if you can half grow you shouldn't be able to grow amazing plants with Ocean Forest, dolomite, perlite, Mykos/plant success....maybe some extra worm castings and grow a damn tree....very easy no bullshit soil mixes

Gotta say that starting with just peat/coco - compost - aeration + amendments is the way to go. Adding more dolomite to a premade soil with the intentions of recycling and using it in perpetuity is a face palm. Way better sources of Ca/pH buffering amendments.

His problem is that he's trying to use every "trick" from multiple individuals instead of just keeping it simple. Sometimes using your brain to make what already works well enough better is a net loss and just adds unforeseen complications.

I wish this guy was here 5-7 years ago when this place was poppin with top tier growers willing to spend time smoothing out planned methods/procedures for those that need it. Of course that assistance only helps if people are willing to admit that someone else may know better. (not saying he won't/doesn't)

 

[Microbeman]

Genetics are 60% of what will determine your end result.

Ain't it the truth

there's gonna be an even bigger learning curve once you start growing outdoors at scale.

Nothing beats learning on a farm. That's where I cut my teeth.

This isn't the early 2000s where retards in biker gangs could grow marginal quality herb and make more than a doctor per year

This is funny but it belies the great weed grown (& bred) by bikers in the 80s.

 

[wvkindbud38]

His problem is over thinking/ over complicating every thing he's doing in my opinion. I'm just giving a very simple base to go with. I'm not getting into what's better coco/soil and all that. Hell he'd do better just using a straight bag of Ocean Forest/ Happy Frog/ Pro Mix one of those or similar and just learn to grow and feed. And yes like I was telling him you gotta watch who you take advice from. I'd rather take advice from a guy who's doing things and has facts than a guy who's barely grew and just giving opinion that's not facts.

There's always been top tier growers around here lol. Not sure 5-7 yrs ago that all the top tier guys left. Yea some guys have got banned....some guys take breaks from the forums for extended periods including myself. But from OG to IC all my yrs around here as a member and or guest there's always been top tier growers around here. It's kinda dis respectful saying all the top tier growers left 5-7yrs ago. Honestly I always have seen many different guys on these forums and other forums back since the late 90s that's great growers. There still around they just pick and choose who/when to give advice. I think a lot of younger guys aren't listening to the advice and getting themselves into messes just like in this thread

 

[quiescent]

His problem is over thinking/ over complicating every thing he's doing in my opinion. I'm just giving a very simple base to go with. I'm not getting into what's better coco/soil and all that. Hell he'd do better just using a straight bag of Ocean Forest/ Happy Frog/ Pro Mix one of those or similar and just learn to grow and feed.

This thread is in the organic soil forum where you feed the soil food web, not the newbies corner where you try to feed the plant which is why I'm suggesting he build his own soil following one of the many mixes I am sure he has seen other users post with verifiable results. I would suggest you read the stickies, might learn a thing or two... Not gonna bother with a TLDR on why he should build a ROLS vs using some bagged soil and adding dolomite of all the Ca/"pH buffering" amendments as it seems I'd be wasting my time with someone that thinks they have the only possible answer to help this fellow. There's a happy medium (most of the people responding to this thread) between too complex (him) and too simple (you).

And yes like I was telling him you gotta watch who you take advice from. I'd rather take advice from a guy who's doing things and has facts than a guy who's barely grew and just giving opinion that's not facts.

I don't know if you're taking a dig at me or not so I'll just leave that relatively untouched, its laughable bro. I've been around just as long as you, growing plenty of straight dank and evolving my practices/knowledge base for 12-13 years. You've got no idea what I've done or where I've been and I'd say I'm in the same boat with you. Should check that grow ego at the door on IC, this isn't grasscity or RIU. I'm sure you can grow some lovely plants with your methods but you're trying to get this guy on a Vespa in a Harley forum, of course you're gonna be met with resistance. Just because you might think you're the best grower you know doesn't make your chosen methods or suggestions superior to anyone else. You're the one that's giving out the poor advice considering the venue. If my advice were ill conceived MM would've spoken up when he responded to what I posted, he likely didn't bother chiming in on your take as I already had.

There's always been top tier growers around here lol. Not sure 5-7 yrs ago that all the top tier guys left. Yea some guys have got banned....some guys take breaks from the forums for extended periods including myself. But from OG to IC all my yrs around here as a member and or guest there's always been top tier growers around here. It's kinda dis respectful saying all the top tier growers left 5-7yrs ago. Honestly I always have seen many different guys on these forums and other forums back since the late 90s that's great growers. There still around they just pick and choose who/when to give advice. I think a lot of younger guys aren't listening to the advice and getting themselves into messes just like in this thread

A handful of the top tier growers might still be present but this place is a fuckin ghost town compared to the olden days, especially the organic soil section which is mainly what I was referencing.

There's plenty of people that have either passed on or are too busy in the legal aspect of things (running huge ops/working for huge ops/consulting smaller growers/breeding, etc.) or are getting their "grower's dick" sucked by the uneducated masses on instagram instead of getting their dicks sucked by other growers. Those variables have definitely left a void in the online mj community that has made our current exchange possible as I'm sure 5-7 years ago there would be plenty of people trying to educate you why ROLS is worth the small amount of effort and thought to pull off properly. (seriously, read this and this when you've got the time)

Hopefully you can appreciate my candor on these matters as trying to help OP is the goal of this thread. I appreciate you putting your 2 cents in as I'm sure OP does as well, we just have different viewpoints on how OP can make the monumental leap he is trying to in the end.

 

[quiescent]

This is funny but it belies the great weed grown (& bred) by bikers in the 80s.

You're totally right, it's easy to forget that there's a limestone foundation that our ever growing skyscraper is built on. I haven't forgotten nor do I have any malice towards the "pioneers", was merely a funny quip.

 

[wvkindbud38]

This thread is in the organic soil forum where you feed the soil food web, not the newbies corner where you try to feed the plant which is why I'm suggesting he build his own soil following one of the many mixes I am sure he has seen other users post with verifiable results. I would suggest you read the stickies, might learn a thing or two... Not gonna bother with a TLDR on why he should build a ROLS vs using some bagged soil and adding dolomite of all the Ca/"pH buffering" amendments as it seems I'd be wasting my time with someone that thinks they have the only possible answer to help this fellow. There's a happy medium (most of the people responding to this thread) between too complex (him) and too simple (you).




I don't know if you're taking a dig at me or not so I'll just leave that relatively untouched, its laughable bro. I've been around just as long as you, growing plenty of straight dank and evolving my practices/knowledge base for 12-13 years. You've got no idea what I've done or where I've been and I'd say I'm in the same boat with you. Should check that grow ego at the door on IC, this isn't grasscity or RIU. I'm sure you can grow some lovely plants with your methods but you're trying to get this guy on a Vespa in a Harley forum, of course you're gonna be met with resistance. Just because you might think you're the best grower you know doesn't make your chosen methods or suggestions superior to anyone else. You're the one that's giving out the poor advice considering the venue. If my advice were ill conceived MM would've spoken up when he responded to what I posted, he likely didn't bother chiming in on your take as I already had.





A handful of the top tier growers might still be present but this place is a fuckin ghost town compared to the olden days, especially the organic soil section which is mainly what I was referencing.

There's plenty of people that have either passed on or are too busy in the legal aspect of things (running huge ops/working for huge ops/consulting smaller growers/breeding, etc.) or are getting their "grower's dick" sucked by the uneducated masses on instagram instead of getting their dicks sucked by other growers. Those variables have definitely left a void in the online mj community that has made our current exchange possible as I'm sure 5-7 years ago there would be plenty of people trying to educate you why ROLS is worth the small amount of effort and thought to pull off properly. (seriously, read this and this when you've got the time)

Hopefully you can appreciate my candor on these matters as trying to help OP is the goal of this thread. I appreciate you putting your 2 cents in as I'm sure OP does as well, we just have different viewpoints on how OP can make the monumental leap he is trying to in the end.

Lol really not wasting my time....not sure what your problem is but if I'd wanted to take a dig I would've . Hey I can't help were he posted his thread. But it's obvious he can't do what he's trying to do. Don't get mad because I'm suggesting he get some soil and feed it himself and learn to grow. I'm from the OG....one of the first members over there. Back when you was probably in grade school from that bro talk...sounds like my teenager lol. But I'm just trying to help him out. I'm not here to argue around about a Vespa in a Harley forum....wtf ???? Lol but I just call it how I see it. I guarantee he'd benefit from a simple soil mix and learn to grow before all these big fanasties. I'm in noway being mean but we've all fucked up and had to start over/learn to grow. At least he knows there's a problem and he's trying to fix things. So unless were not here to try to help him out everything else is non-sense.

 

[wvkindbud38]

If there's anything I can do to help you out BBB let me know. Hang in there friend you gotta screw up a few times to learn a good way for you. These forums will eventually get you going in the right direction. It's doesn't matter what kinda soil or whatever you use. It just matters that you understand and can grow in what your using. Good luck with your endeavor !!!

 

[bigbadbiddy]

Again, I am always appreciative of any feedback.


That being said, I don't get where you guys come from with me overcomplicating stuff, trying to improve on other people's stuff and throwing suggestions from 20 different sources together instead of keeping it simple and growing some bud.


Again:
I followed coot's basic soil mix and made careful, well researched, minor alterations to it.
The only reason for doing so was me sitting in Europe and not having everything readily available to me and having to change up some things. For example, I simply cannot get HappyFrog or Promix or whatever soil mix here (not in a sustainable way at least) or I would have. I remember simply getting peat moss without any added nutrients was already a challenge.



The first change I made to coot's basic soil mix was replacing 1 part peat moss with coco. I think that can be ignored but I have eliminated that since, as well.
The second change was that I replaced one part peat moss with mycorrhizae on hydroton chips, which I believe can also be ignored but has also been eliminated since then.


The third change was the buckwheat hulls for perlite. And this was the culprit by all accounts.
Now I didn't go about that all nilly willy. I started to look into perlite replacements/alternatives because people, rightfully so, criticized perlite for several reasons and seeing as I wanted to build an organic soil, perlite didn't sit right with me either. Since I planned this to be sustainable and long term, it didn't sound right to incorporate something into the soil that will eventually turn into concrete/cement...


So I did research and it was old and experienced growers on this very board that I listened to and that suggested buckwheat hulls as a suitable alternative. They were readily and cheaply available here, pumice and rice hulls were not.


So I went with the buckwheat hulls and all the "overcomplicating" and trying out every this and that all comes from me trying to compensate for the issues created from the buckwheat hulls.
Like I said, there were voices before that told me about the buckwheat hulls being the culprit for all my woes.
But as any experienced organic grower can tell you, the big challenge with organics, unlike hydro etc., is that the source of a problem is not always as easily/readily identifiable (partially because you have a delay between cause and effect when you change something etc.).
And so I went about trying to solve my problems by tackling all other issues, except for the buckwheat hulls.


Now it wasn't like everybody on the board with experience was screaming "its the buckwheat hulls, dude!".
There were one or two people saying this is from the buckwheat hulls and 10 people suggesting other things.


So I had to decide, which sources to check first, I went through the list, without the desired success, and this all lead me to here, this thread and this discussion.
Which leads me to believe I simply had to eliminate the buckwheat hulls from the recipe from the start.
It basically hit me when I heard Jeremy from build a soil on a podcast (which happened after I had started this thread), describing how he ran into exactly the same issue as myself. That's when it hit me that I simply need to get rid of the buckwheat hulls i.e. start a new batch and avoid that stuff like the plague. Which I will do.
Buckwheat hulls could, by the way, still be a suitable perlite replacement. My experience doesn't necessarily change that. Both Jeremy and I used buckwheat hulls that were sold for filling yoga pillows. It might be that these particular buckwheat hulls were treated in some special way that causes the problems. I am not ready, even after all my struggle, to argue with the people who suggested them as a perlite replacement. Same as Jeremy, I might just have sourced them wrong.







I also don't get where you all get the impression that I have never successfully grown excellent bud.
I have lived in the Netherlands, I have a baseline to compare what I grew with (although I am aware that the dutch coffeshop scene is not the creme de la creme, necessarily). And even though there is definitely still ways to improve, even with the buckwheat hulls incorporated and being such a huge part of the soil mix, the bud was excellent by all accounts, not just my own through rose colored glasses...
Just the weight was lacking behind.


Considering the myriad of issues the buckwheat hulls caused, I am honestly more impressed by the quality I managed to get out of the 2 runs with the buckwheat hulls fresh mixed in, than I am worried about the lack of weight and close to non-existant harvests the 2 runs when the buckwheat hulls were mostly/partially broken down.




I mean to each their own opinion but I see no reason why I should be worried about my learning curve or the challenge of learning on a farm, ahead of me.


If anything, I am stoked about what I managed to achieve beside all that and that this major problem/obstacle happened in my hobby setting and won't be an issue on my farm.


I am also confident that things will run without a hitch the next few rounds because, by all accounts, without the buckwheat hulls, I should be running fine. As we also noted in this thread, aside from them, there wasn't anything inherently "wrong" with my mix and my methods.


I am sourcing my new ingredients at the moment, getting some sphagnum peat moss from Ireland/Scotland this time around and will probably just bite the bullet and get the bone meal and blood meal from two different sources and leave the krill meal aside for now.
Better to stay as close to the original recipe as possible this time and start experimenting after. Don't want another buckwheat hull situation on my hands this time around.
Just didn't expect a minor replacement like buckwheat for perlite could have such massive repercussions.



All the best


BBB

 

[quiescent]

Lol really not wasting my time....not sure what your problem is but if I'd wanted to take a dig I would've . Hey I can't help were he posted his thread. But it's obvious he can't do what he's trying to do. Don't get mad because I'm suggesting he get some soil and feed it himself and learn to grow. I'm from the OG....one of the first members over there. Back when you was probably in grade school from that bro talk...sounds like my teenager lol. But I'm just trying to help him out. I'm not here to argue around about a Vespa in a Harley forum....wtf ???? Lol but I just call it how I see it. I guarantee he'd benefit from a simple soil mix and learn to grow before all these big fanasties. I'm in noway being mean but we've all fucked up and had to start over/learn to grow. At least he knows there's a problem and he's trying to fix things. So unless were not here to try to help him out everything else is non-sense.

You're suggesting he do a 180 or take a step backwards IMO. If he were posting in the infirmary or somewhere other than this subforum I'd have no qualms with your suggestion. He's on the right path with his methods he just needs to tighten up a few things.

I joined OG like 3 months before it went down, you're again attacking me and putting out an air of superiority. You're the one being hostile. I'm done replying to posts by you, feel like I'm getting low key trolled by someone who isn't worth my time. Hopefully whatever is causing you to act like a teenager is resolved and you can act like the adult you claim to be.

I'd rather take advice from a guy who's doing things and has facts than a guy who's barely grew and just giving opinion that's not facts.

that's where I perceived a dig.

 

[wvkindbud38]

You're suggesting he do a 180 or take a step backwards IMO. If he were posting in the infirmary or somewhere other than this subforum I'd have no qualms with your suggestion. He's on the right path with his methods he just needs to tighten up a few things.

I joined OG like 3 months before it went down, you're again attacking me and putting out an air of superiority. You're the one being hostile. I'm done replying to posts by you, feel like I'm getting low key trolled by someone who isn't worth my time. Hopefully whatever is causing you to act like a teenager is resolved and you can act like the adult you claim to be.

that's where I perceived a dig.

Honestly what you perceived a dig at you wasn't. It's not at anybody in this thread. I was saying that in another thread also. Yes I know it's a big step back what I'm suggesting but I don't want anybody to get offended but it seems like maybe a step/back is needed. Nothing wrong with getting very simple to iron things out.


BBB good luck on this endeavor I'm sure your on a better path and if you need anything I'm here to help. Again don't take anything toward my suggestions I'm only trying to figure out the simplest easiest way to get you growing on a LARGE scale like you desire. Any step-up is gonna present you with more chance of problems.....even a closet grow to 10-20 plants.

 

[bigbadbiddy]

I think the step back I needed was to figure out that the buckwheat hulls need to go.


They were the only constant factor I hadn't changed through all this. I tried "stretching" the soil mix with the buckwheat hulls by adding perlite but that wasn't enough and now is the time to step back, reset and replace the buckwheat hulls and it will likely be all gucci.




While I was trying to source my blood and bone meal (everything else I know where to get), I noticed that I was treading the same waters as before and didn't like it.


Basically that stuff is "only" (I am still searching but it looks like it) available from fish bait stores.


Since I ran into so much trouble from using buckwheat hulls that were not sold for agricultural purposes, I am quite hesitant to buy even blood or bone meal that is not explicitly sold for agricultural purposes.


My line of thinking is this:
If buckwheat hulls that are sold for filling yoga pillows can cause so much trouble because they might have been treated differently than buckwheat hulls sold for agriculture, the same might hold true from nutrient amendments sold by fish bait stores, intended to use in the making of baits for fishing.


So I am currently trying to find blood and bone meal that is explicitly sold for agricultural purposes, not as bait or as an amendment for pet diets or the like.


Hope this way I will avoid more problems in the future.


I am not ready to make this a verdict but I at least now have indications that it is important to source your soil components from agricultural sources and not ignore that they are sold as animal/pet feed or fish bait or something else.


Before I figured what difference does it make but now I am beginning to question if they don't treat stuff differently, depending on the intended purpose and that this can lead to issues in our gardening setting.




I will keep the Krill meal stored away to use for experimentation in the next round and will grow basic skunk this time with very short flowering time so I can cram in another round or two in sooner.


This way I can experiment with the Krill meal on some clones in the second round or so. Topdress it and see what transpires.




Again thank you all for the feedback and wish you all the best.


Will probably update in a few months.


BBB


/EDIT WITH A QUESTION
I keep running into a mix of Fish, Blood and Bone meal. Maybe that would be a suitable alternative?


Also regarding fish meal:
Particularly with the fish bait stores, there are all kinds of fish meals available. Would be interesting to know what the differences are for this or that type of fish but again, the problem remains that these are advertised for making fish baits and not agriculture so I wouldn't know if they treated it somehow differently and that could cause issues...

 

[wvkindbud38]

I feel the buckwheat hulls outta the picture is a huge step in the right direction. You shouldn't have any problem with the blood/bone meal. Let us know how it goes without the hulls. Good luck 3xB

 

[wetdog]

I feel the buckwheat hulls outta the picture is a huge step in the right direction. You shouldn't have any problem with the blood/bone meal. Let us know how it goes without the hulls. Good luck 3xB

I happen to agree with you AFA having a simple mix that works time after time before going off the rez and experimenting. The basic peat, perlite, pine bark fines, lime, mix that I was taught back in 1972 (no internet or even written recipes back then), is amazingly like LC's #1 mix that I saw ~35 years later in 2009. We used Jack's Classic (Peters), back then, but even going to organics the basic mix hasn't changed much, just the amendments.

This is my first post here, but I've been around since 2010, mainly at GCO because of the preponderence of gardeners there and some at RIU-O. No expert by any means, but a fairly competent gardner and 45 years of learning from my mistakes. I know a bunch of "how not to do it".

BBB

I'm going to give my take on a few things from this and your other thread, mostly from experience.

Blood and Bone meal; Get them both separate rather than a mix. Makes life much more simple when you have individual amendments. That being said, I still keep a bag of complete organic fertilizer around. Espoma Tomato Tone in my case.

Dolomite lime; First off, gypsum is NOT a replacement for lime. It's the wrong form of calcium to do any pH buffering. You need calcium carbonate for buffering and gypsum is calcium sulfate. It's a great Ca source and I use it quite a bit, just not for pH buffering. I've used dolo for over 10 years since I moved from SoFl. Down there it was all calcitic lime (Ag lime), from Oolitic limestone. Anyway it's more like the higher Mg% you posted (I've never seen low Mg% like the other you listed), there have been no issues in all those years. And yes, Coot used to use dolo in his mixes. It's still there over at GCO, from when he and Tim (microbeman), both used to post regularly some years back. Use what you like, just make sure it's a calcium carbonate.

Krill meal; Should be a 1to1 replacement for the crab/crustacean meal/shrimp meal.

Buckwheat hulls; What you need to grok is, long term aeration MUST be something that's inert and won't break down. The 2 that fill the bill best are perlite and graded pumice. I use perlite because I'm on the wrong side of the country for cheap pumice. Here it's ~5x the cost of perlite, but doesn't work 5x better and I don't bother with it. And no, perlite doesn't turn into cement, sink to the bottom, work it's way out of the mix on it's own (you can blast it loose with a heavy hose), or a bunch of other stuff I've heard about but never noticed in the 45 years I've used it.

Use whatever you can source the cheapest, just nothing organic that's going to decompose and turn to mush over time. No buckwheat hulls or rice hulls. They do work well in worm bedding though, as they break down.

Google LC's#1 or #2 mix for a really nice, basic blood, bone, kelp mix. Remember, before ~1920 or so, chemical nutes did't exist and everything was organic out of necessity.

Really heed WV's caution about people passing off opinions as fact. VOE (Voice of experience), is what really counts when getting information.

Good luck!

Wet

 

[BirdManFlyHigh]

I happen to agree with you AFA having a simple mix that works time after time before going off the rez and experimenting. The basic peat, perlite, pine bark fines, lime, mix that I was taught back in 1972 (no internet or even written recipes back then), is amazingly like LC's #1 mix that I saw ~35 years later in 2009. We used Jack's Classic (Peters), back then, but even going to organics the basic mix hasn't changed much, just the amendments.

This is my first post here, but I've been around since 2010, mainly at GCO because of the preponderence of gardeners there and some at RIU-O. No expert by any means, but a fairly competent gardner and 45 years of learning from my mistakes. I know a bunch of "how not to do it".

BBB

I'm going to give my take on a few things from this and your other thread, mostly from experience.

Blood and Bone meal; Get them both separate rather than a mix. Makes life much more simple when you have individual amendments. That being said, I still keep a bag of complete organic fertilizer around. Espoma Tomato Tone in my case.

Dolomite lime; First off, gypsum is NOT a replacement for lime. It's the wrong form of calcium to do any pH buffering. You need calcium carbonate for buffering and gypsum is calcium sulfate. It's a great Ca source and I use it quite a bit, just not for pH buffering. I've used dolo for over 10 years since I moved from SoFl. Down there it was all calcitic lime (Ag lime), from Oolitic limestone. Anyway it's more like the higher Mg% you posted (I've never seen low Mg% like the other you listed), there have been no issues in all those years. And yes, Coot used to use dolo in his mixes. It's still there over at GCO, from when he and Tim (microbeman), both used to post regularly some years back. Use what you like, just make sure it's a calcium carbonate.

Krill meal; Should be a 1to1 replacement for the crab/crustacean meal/shrimp meal.

Buckwheat hulls; What you need to grok is, long term aeration MUST be something that's inert and won't break down. The 2 that fill the bill best are perlite and graded pumice. I use perlite because I'm on the wrong side of the country for cheap pumice. Here it's ~5x the cost of perlite, but doesn't work 5x better and I don't bother with it. And no, perlite doesn't turn into cement, sink to the bottom, work it's way out of the mix on it's own (you can blast it loose with a heavy hose), or a bunch of other stuff I've heard about but never noticed in the 45 years I've used it.

Use whatever you can source the cheapest, just nothing organic that's going to decompose and turn to mush over time. No buckwheat hulls or rice hulls. They do work well in worm bedding though, as they break down.

Google LC's#1 or #2 mix for a really nice, basic blood, bone, kelp mix. Remember, before ~1920 or so, chemical nutes did't exist and everything was organic out of necessity.

Really heed WV's caution about people passing off opinions as fact. VOE (Voice of experience), is what really counts when getting information.

Good luck!

Wet

Wealth of knowledge here folks.
It's about time you visited.

 

[theJointedOne]

any pictures to add to the story?

 

[Microbeman]

I think you'll find that organic matter buffers soil just as well as dolomite. I've never bought into the need to counter the acidity of peat moss because of its high CEC.

 

[Klompen]

I think you'll find that organic matter buffers soil just as well as dolomite. I've never bought into the need to counter the acidity of peat moss because of its high CEC.

Do you avoid dolomite entirely? I had pretty good luck in the past(I used to post here as MagicCannabus) after reading some of your threads and just using microbes to balance the soil. I just can't recall what your stance on lime is. I always used a bit of it but never relied heavily on it. I'm not sure how easily I'll be able to brew tea in my new setup, but hopefully I will be able to do that again because that gave me the best results I have ever had.