Organic SOIL and "TEA" recipes for New Growers

[Vandenberg]

This is very good place to start to begin growing cannabis with these historically tried and trued recipes successfully used over the years by many.
This was composed by one of the outstanding teachers that used to frequent this place, "BurnOne", BRAVO! WELL DONE!
This is actually the first post of an intimidating sized thread of 294 pages the last time I Checked.
I bring this information forward in the NEW GROWERS section to hopefully steer some folks in how do it right the first time everytime in a relatively affordable manner.
Happy Future Harvests!
Vandenberg
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BurnOne' post starts here:

Here are some tried and true recipes for getting started in organic growing.
Pick one of the first two soiless mix recipes for your grow medium.
Then, choose a nutrient recipe that will work best for what you have available.

Enjoy...

Here are two very good organic soiless mixes...

Lavender Cowboy's Mix is great for any stage of growth.
You can germ seeds in it, grow mothers in it, root clones in it as well as veg and flower in it.

LC’s Soiless Mix #1:

5 parts Canadian Sphagnum Peat or Coir or Pro-Moss
3 parts perlite
2 parts worm castings or mushroom compost or home made compost
Powdered (NOT PELLETED) dolomite lime @ 2 tablespoons per gallon or 1 cup per cubic foot of the soiless mix.
...Wal-Mart now sells worm castings.

Or, if you use Pro Mix, Sunshine Mix or Fox Farm mixes...

LC's Soiless Mix #2:

6 parts Pro Mix BX or HP / Sunshine Mix (any flavor from #1 up) / Fox Farm Ocean Forest or Light Warrior
2 parts perlite
2 parts earthworm castings
Powdered (NOT PELLETED) dolomite lime @ 2 tablespoons per gallon or 1 cup per cubic foot of the soiless mix.
If you use a 3 qt. saucepan as “parts” in the amounts given above, it equals about 1 cu. ft. of soiless mix and you can just dump in a cup of powdered dolomite lime. The dolomite lime is for Ca. and Mg. not just to adjust the PH of the soil.

But, a "part" can be anything from a tablespoon to a five gallon bucket. Just use the same item for all of the "parts".

Now for the plants organic food source

Choose one of these organic plant food recipes to add to LC's Soiless Mix.

RECIPE #1

If you want to use organic nutrients like Blood meal, Bone meal and Kelp meal...

1 tablespoon Blood meal per gallon or 1/2 cup per cubic foot of soil mix
2 tablespoons Bone meal per gallon or 1 cup per cubic foot of soil mix
1-tablespoon kelp meal per gallon or 1/2 cup per cubic foot of soil mix
or Maxicrop 1-0-4 powdered kelp extract as directed
(OPTIONAL) 1 tablespoon per gallon or 1/2 cup per cubic foot of Jersey Greensand to supplement the K (potasium) in the Kelp Meal and seaweed extract.

Mix all the dry nutrients into the soiless mix well and wet it, but don't soak it. Use Liquid Karma and water @ 1 tbs./gal. Stir and mix it a few times a week for a week or two so the bacteria can get oxygen and break down the nutrients and make it available. And don't let the mix dry out, keep it moist and add water as needed. It'll also have time to get the humic acids in the Liquid Karma going and the dolomite lime will be better able to adjust the pH of a peat based mixture too.

With this recipe, all you need to do is add plain water until harvest.

When I'm working with seeds, I punch a hole in the bottom of 16 ounce cups and fill them with plain LC's Mix. Lightly wet the mix in the cups and germinate one seed in each cup. At the same time I mix enough LC's mix along with the blood/bone/kelp to fill all the 3 gallon flower pots I'm going to use for the grow. After about two weeks, the seedlings and the blood/bone/kelp mix are ready. I transplant the seedlings into the 3 gallon pots and just add water until harvest.
When you go to flower and pull up the males, save the mix in the pots. It is ready to be used again immediately. Just remove the root ball and transplant another seedling into it.

RECIPE #2

If you want to use guano in your soil mix...
Bongaloid's Guano Mix.
Use all these items combined with one gallon of soil mix.

1/3C hi N Guano Mexican Bat Guano or Peruvian Seabird Guano (PSG)
1/2C hi P Guano (Jamaican or Indonesian Bat Guano)
1TBS Kelp Meal
(OPTIONAL) 1TBS Jersey Greensand

RECIPE #3 (My favorite)
If you want to use guano tea and kelp...

Guano Tea and Kelp:

Seedlings less than 1 month old nutrient tea mix

Mix 1 cup earthworm castings into 5 gallons of water to make the tea. Add 5 tsp. Black Strap Molasses.
Use it to water your seedlings with every 2nd or 3rd watering.

Veg mix-

1/3 cup Peruvian Seabird Guano (PSG)
1/3 cup High N Bat Guano (Mexican)
1/3 cup Earth Worm Castings (EWC)

(That makes the "dry mix". You can make all you want and save it to use later.)

Mix with water @ 1 cup of dry mix into 5 gallons of water to make the tea.

To that 5 gallons of tea add:
5 tbs. Maxicrop or Neptune's Harvest liquid seaweed.
5 tsp. Black Strap Molasses

Use it to water with every 3rd watering.

Flowering nute tea mix:

2/3 cup Peruvian Seabird Guano
2/3 cup Earth Worm Castings
2/3 cup High P Guano (Indonesian or Jamaican)

(That makes the "dry mix". You can make all you want and save it to use later.)

Mix with water @ 2 cups of dry mix into 5 gallons of water to make the tea.

To that 5 gallons of tea add:
5 tbs. Maxicrop or Neptune's Harvest liquid seaweed.
5 tsp. Black Strap Molasses
Use it to water with EVERY watering.

You can use queen size knee high nylon stockings for tea bags. 3 pair for a dollar at the dollar store. Tell 'em you use them for paint strainers. Put the recommended tea in the stocking, tie a loop knot in it and hang it in your tea bucket. The tea should look like a mud puddle. Agitate the bag in the water vigorously. An aquarium pump and air stone will dissolve oxygen into the solution and keep the good bacteria (microherd) alive and thriving. Let it bubble a day or two before you use it. If you find you are making too much tea and having to throw it out, use 2 1/2 gallons of water and cut the nute amount by half.


RECIPE #4
Three Little Birds Method
40 gallons used soil
4 cups alfalfa meal
4 cups bone meal
4 cups kelp meal
4 cups powdered dolomite lime
30 pound bag of earthworm castings . . .
That’s the basic recipe . . .
However we also like to use
4 cups of Greensand
4 cups of Rock Phosphate
4 cups of diatomaceous earth


RECIPE #5
Fish and Seaweed (This is sooo easy)
1 capful is 1 TB or 15 ml.

For veg growth…
1 capful 5-1-1 Fish Emulsion
1 capful Neptune's Harvest 0-0-1 Seaweed or Maxicrop liquid
1 gallon H2O

For early flowering…
1 tbs. Neptune’s Harvest 2-3-1 Fish/Seaweed
1 gallon H2O

For mid to late flowering…
1 tbs. Neptune’s Harvest 2-4-1 Fish
1 gallon H2O


And now for some more good tips...

Seed Germination

First, you'll need some LC's Mix
I use Sunleaves Super Starter Plugs. They are pre-moistened. I drop one seed down in the hole. Gently push them to the bottom of the hole. No need to cover the hole.
I use a 5.5" X 5.5" square Kord pot or any 1 to 3 quart nursery pot and fill it full to the top with the LC's Mix. Don't pack it. Dig out enough soil mix to place one plug into one pot of mix about level with the top of the mix in the pot.
Set the seed in the plug in the mix in the pot aside in a 75 to 85 degree well lit space until the seedlings sprout.
Don't water it, sing to it, piss on it or anything else that will kill it with what you may think is kindness.

Listen up, this is important...
When the leaves of the seedlings are about one inch above the top of the plug, push the plug down into the LC's mix until the seedling leaves are just below the top of the pot. Now use some fresh LC's Mix and gently pack it around the stem of the seedling all the way up to the first leaves. When finished, the mix should be level across the top just below the bottom of the leaves a millimeter or two. Not all seeds will sprout at the same time so you will have to do this at different times. If you don't push the plugs down and support the stems with mix, they will fall over and die. If the stems continue to stretch you can push the plugs down further into the mix. These little suckers are robust below the surface of the mix. Don't be afraid of pushing them down gently.
The moisture in the mix should be plenty for several days. Don't let it completely dry out or soak it down with water. Add no nutes to the mix for about two weeks.
Your seedlings can stay in these pots for 2 to 4 weeks and then can be transplanted into a grow medium rich in organic food like blood/bone/kelp.
I hope this helps get you started. It's worked for me many hundreds of times.

Organic pH issues

I hear a lot of people asking or talking about the pH of their organic soil mix or organic nute solution and how they might correct or adjust it. pH in organics is not an issue like it is in synthetic growing.
The best place to settle the pH issues in organics is within the grow medium.
A "living" medium rich in humates (humus) is the place to start.
Humates and bacteria work to "buffer" the pH of organic mediums and the nutes you pour (or mix) into it.
Humates come from compost, worm castings and bottled humus.
If you use a peat based medum, use dolomite lime to raise the pH of the acidic peat. Dolomite should be used in any soil or soiless medium to provide magnesium and calcium.
But since we are talking about pH here, I'll mention dolomite lime's pH correction benefits.
A medium of coir has a pH near neutral (or 7.0).
But humates are still needed to allow uptake of organic nutrients that are outside a near neutral pH range.
With an active medium rich in humates you can pour in nutes like fish, Earth Juice and guano teas way outside the optimum pH range without worry.
The humus and bacteria will allow the nutes to be taken up through the roots, even at such an extreme pH reading.
So throw those pH meters away folks and enjoy the ease and safety of organic gardening.

Chlorine tap water

Just a word of caution for you organic heads out there...
If you are tapped onto a municipal water supply that uses chlorine to kill bacteria in the water, it'll do the same thing to the bacteria (microherd) in your organic food source.
Always bubble your municipal water in an open container (5 gallon bucket) for 24 hours before adding ANYTHING organic to it.

Note by Vandenberg:
Ascorbic acid, humic/fulvic acids, humates in general, (and a aquarium product called "Sea Chem" ) will very quickly deactivate the chlorine/ Chloramine in tap water by a simple basic no biggie chemical reaction.
Give it ten minutes because you can.

Chlorine/ Chloramine removal by Catalytic Carbon Filtration

SAVE THE MICROBES! Most water providers use chlorine to sanitize drinking water, which is problematic. As a result, we must dechlorinate water before utilizing it for organic gardening purposes. To remove chlorine and chloramines from water, carbon filters and reverse osmosis units are two...

www.icmag.com

Flushing

There is absolutely no reason to "flush" organic nute solutions from your soil mix. In an organic grow, the plants don't take up the organic nutes (guano, bone, blood or kelp). The bacteria eat the organic nutes and excrete food that the plant can feed off of. So the organic nutes don't need to be flushed because they never enter the plant. And besides, meals like kelp, bone and blood along with worm castings and dolomite can't be flushed from your soil mix anyway. If you use guano and seaweed, try using plain water or worm casting tea for your last watering or two so the plant can use up what's left in the soil. But drowning your soil with water isn't necessary.

Burn1
Last edited: Nov 17, 2014

Tutorial - Organics for Beginners

Here are some tried and true recipes for getting started in organic growing. Pick one of the first two soiless mix recipes for your grow medium. Then, choose a nutrient recipe that will work best for what you have available. Enjoy... Here are two very good organic soiless mixes... LC's Mix is...

www.icmag.com

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An oldie but a goodie of a thread,
Thanks BurnOne,
Vandenberg

 

[Vandenberg]

A " Monster" (in a good way) of a Rohnert park California online hydroponic supply (a family company) provides a complete bundled package of (this open source recipes) ingredients to make SubCool's ( now somewhat legendary) Super Soil Recipe as was dictated by Subbie himself to theese guyz when he was still with us.​

It is for a large 100 gallon homegrowers batch, (divide by 4 or 5 for a smaller batch). ​

Obviously all items can be easily sourced elsewhere.

SuperSoil -

SubCool's Super Soil 100 Gallon Recipe Mix Package​

The SubCool's Super Soil Recipe Mix Package comes with all the EXACT amendments from the SAME BRANDS used by TGA SubCool. In fact, he gave us the recipe!
This SuperSoil technique allows you to get maximum plant-available organic nutrients for the price of using synthetics.

When you grow with SubCool's Super Soil Recipe Mix your plants require WATER ONLY for their entire life cycle because you have taken the trouble of putting all of the organic nutrients into the potting soil.
Using pure organic nutrients in their raw forms mixed into a soil base allowing them to begin the decomposition process of breaking down into plant usable forms by letting the mixture rest for 6 to 10 weeks.

This amendments package has the food and amendments for a batch of SuperSoil but does not come with the 8 (1.5CF) bags of high-quality base soil containing Coco Coir and mycorrhizae....10 gallon (38L) = 1.5 cu. ft.

Package Includes:​

Organic Bone Meal (3-15-0), 5 lbs​

A wonderful source of phosphorus and calcium for flowering plants, trees and ornamentals, Bone Meal is recognized as the ideal organic fertilizer when planting bulbs to promote strong root development and enhance early season growth.
One of the indispensable soil amendments all organic gardeners should have on hand.

Organic Bat Guano (0-7-0), 5 lbs​

High Phosphorus - undoubtedly one of the finest organic fruiting fertilizers available, our well aged Bat Guano 0-7-0 can be mixed in soil, applied as a side dressing or, for best results, used as a tea two weeks before the bloom period of your fruiting trees, flowering vines or budding plants.

Organic Blood Meal (12-0-0), 5 lbs​

A high nitrogen source, our Blood Meal is guaranteed to promote rapid, green growth. A wonderful fertilizer for heavy feeders like corn, spinach, salad greens and garlic in the early spring, it also helps compost piles heat up and break down fast.
Place some in mesh bags and hang from tree branches for an effective deer repellent in your garden.

Natural Rock Phosphate (0-3-0), 5 lbs​

Soft rock phosphate, or colloidal phosphate, is a natural, untreated source of long-lasting phosphate and soil-building calcium.
Phosphate will remain available across a wide pH range. For best availability, soft rock phosphate should be mixed into soil or compost prior to planting.
A superb nutrient resource for all types of plants.

Epsom Salt, 1 Cup Pouch​

Promotes bloom in roses and other flowering plants.
Absorbed through the roots and foliage of plant to help the plant produce chlorophyll.

Garden Lime, 5 lbs​

Garden lime soil amendment is the finest grade of pelletized, dolomitic limestone available. Adjusts soil pH so plants can get the most from nutrients present. Fine pellets spread easily, react quickly and do not pose the hazards associated with hydrated lime.

Organic Azomite, 6 lbs​

This amazing re-mineralizing agent contains over 70 beneficial elements. Azomite is a naturally mined volcanic mineral product that is proven to increase yield, quality and overall plant growth. This ultra-fine, odorless material contains a broad spectrum of metabolically active minerals and trace elements that enhance root growth, crop yield and soil health. Azomite, the A to Z of Minerals, Including Trace Elements, is an excellent way to re-mineralize your garden soil, compost or potting blends. Available in a micronized powder or an easy to handle granule. Derived from Natural Volcanic Ash.

BioAg Ful-Humix, 300 gram​

BioAg's low heat capacity drying method provides a natural, easy to use humic concentrate with a high bio-stimulation effect.
Ful-Humix is an inexpensive plant and soil activator that increases cellular activities at all levels, increases availability of nutrients, converts raw organic matter faster and detoxifies plant cells. In the root system Ful-Humix reduces the uptake of sodium, aluminum and other metals that negatively effect plants. Ful-Humix will also buffer the soil with organic biopolymers, thus preventing tie up of nutrients and trace elements.

Worm Castings, 30lb​

Worm castings are surely Mother Nature's best kept growing secret. You need only use a small amount in or around your houseplants, vegetables and flowers. The miracles of the earthworm are easily seen in the beautiful growth and yields of your plants. The nutrients in our earthworm castings are plentiful. Most importantly, these nutrients are perfectly balanced in two forms. One form can be immediately absorbed by the plant as if it were directly injected and the other is able to provide nutrition which slowly feeds the plant for long periods of time. This soil builder is very cost effective because small amounts provide incredible results and last a long time.

Subbies Supersoil Recipe (makes 100 gallons):​

• 8 - 1.5 cubic ft bags of high-quality organic potting soil with coco fiber and mycorrhizae
• 1 - 30lb. bag of Worm Castings
• 5 lbs. Bone Meal
• 5 lbs. High Phosphorus Bat Guano
• 5 lbs. Blood Meal
  
  • 3 lbs. Rock Phosphate
  • 3/4 cup Epsom Salt
  • 1/2 cup Garden Lime
  • 1/2 cup Azomite
  • 2 TBS powdered Humic Acid
• Once amended, It is necessary that you let the soil mature over 6 to 10 weeks prior to planting.

Vandenberg

 

[SHO774]

Thanks, helpful thread!

 

[Creeperpark]

Subbies super soil is a costly and very over-amended mix that is dangerous if you breathe while mixing it. You don't discuss how to incorporate it because that part is the most overlooked part. In order for the soil mix to be complete, it must be milled for a period of time. A concrete mixer is needed to mill a mix like that. If you put mix it in a kids plastic pool you won't get it milled enough and most will wash out. You think you have super soil but the truth be known a lot of those amendments aren't even used by the end.

A high-quality organic potting soil will have over 4000 ppm to begin with and putting all the other stuff in it would raise the ppm too high. The above post is very costly and unnecessary to grow a 3-month cycle. When a newcomer goes back to the grow store and tells him all his plants turned yellow he says you didn't let it set long enough. Truth be known the soil mix is too hot when over watered.

Lastly RIP Dave Bowman (Subcool) died of lung disease, he said he was born with it but, I don't know, I do know that breathing that stuff didn't help him any. Maybe it wasn't the smoke that killed him so young it was the super soil amendments. Always use a respirator and eye protection when mixing soils.

 

[Vandenberg]

An informative response, I did not know that about this very widely promoted recipe.
Too hot when overwatered you say, an unseasoned new grower can almost be counted on to over water when they feel the need do Some-Thing in the garden to make that sucker grow.
A Inherently problematic recipe that costs too much to make.
I recommend the Lavender Cowboys original recipe as posted above to New Growers reading this. Subbies recipe ingredients need to be rethunk/reconsidered.
And yes, Please, always wear a mask ( you got one laying around still) when mixing ingredients into your soils, protect your lungs from the funky ass particulates that WILL become airborne, outside is good place for mixing.

Vandenberg

 

[budman678]

I've been using Sub's recipe for many years and have converted friends that were in hydro or using bottled nutes. Supersoil just makes it easy but make sure your plants are mature enough for the hot soil. No seedlings or small plants...wait until theyre 6week or so before getting them in supersoil

 

[pipeline]

Thanks for posting this. Helpful information about seed starting

Seed Germination
First, you'll need some LC's Mix
I use Sunleaves Super Starter Plugs. They are pre-moistened. I drop one seed down in the hole. Gently push them to the bottom of the hole. No need to cover the hole.
I use a 5.5" X 5.5" square Kord pot or any 1 to 3 quart nursery pot and fill it full to the top with the LC's Mix. Don't pack it. Dig out enough soil mix to place one plug into one pot of mix about level with the top of the mix in the pot.
Set the seed in the plug in the mix in the pot aside in a 75 to 85 degree well lit space until the seedlings sprout.
Don't water it, sing to it, piss on it or anything else that will kill it with what you may think is kindness.
Listen up, this is important...
When the leaves of the seedlings are about one inch above the top of the plug, push the plug down into the LC's mix until the seedling leaves are just below the top of the pot. Now use some fresh LC's Mix and gently pack it around the stem of the seedling all the way up to the first leaves. When finished, the mix should be level across the top just below the bottom of the leaves a millimeter or two. Not all seeds will sprout at the same time so you will have to do this at different times. If you don't push the plugs down and support the stems with mix, they will fall over and die. If the stems continue to stretch you can push the plugs down further into the mix. These little suckers are robust below the surface of the mix. Don't be afraid of pushing them down gently.
The moisture in the mix should be plenty for several days. Don't let it completely dry out or soak it down with water. Add no nutes to the mix for about two weeks.
Your seedlings can stay in these pots for 2 to 4 weeks and then can be transplanted into a grow medium rich in organic food like blood/bone/kelp.
I hope this helps get you started. It's worked for me many hundreds of times.