Tutorial Organics for Beginners

[BurnOne]

seventynine-
If you see a magnesium deficiency, it'll look like the leaves are pointing up. It's described as "praying for magnesium". You can dissolve a tablespoon of Epsom salts in a gallon or two of water and water with it. Cal-Mag Plus is another option. Next time, try the dolomite.
Burn1

 

[Merfolk]

ty ty

 

[seventynine]

Thanks Burn1...Ill try dolomite on my next mix. I'll actually try to use on the mixes earlier in this thread.

I do have a bit of dolomite in my soil mix and hard water...so hopefully that will cover me for cal-mag lol. They're doing great so far and just starting their 2nd day of 12/12. Having ventilation issues and only running half my light...but that's a different issue altogether.

79

 

[Guest]

BurnOne- could you break your soil mix down in to how much should be put into a 2 gal pot,4 gal pot......if your on a small scale

 

[BurnOne]

SILVER BACK-
Use a 1 quart coffee can as a "part" in the recipe. That will make ten quarts. Or 2 1/2 gallons of mix.
Remember, a "part" can be whatever you want to use. From a teaspoon to a dump truck.
Burn1

 

[Jare]

Very helpful

 

[NickMode]

Implanning on using the soilless mix #1. Since its soilless, do i add that mix with my native soil? Or just drop it in the 2'x2' hole in thr ground.

And also ill have 10 plants at each grow spot, how much tea do i feed each plant?
Ill have to carry it out to the woods. and if i have to brew it myself at home, i dont want to be carrying 10 gallons out into the forest.

Thanks

 

[BurnOne]

NickMode-
Growing outdoors can be a completely different thing than growing indoors. Outdoor grows can require a lot more feeding than indoor plants.
It's best to prepare early. Till in compost, perlite and organic matter in late winter so they can break down and not be as attractive to pests and animals.
If you have a water source close to your plants you can make teas there. But, it can take 24 hours for the teas to be ready. You can make a mix and till it into the native soil with peat, dolomite, compost and perlite. You can mix guano into that and supplement later in the grow with teas if you like.
Bongaloid has a mix with guano that may be helpful to you...

Bongaloid's Guano Mix.
Use all these items combined with one gallon of soil mix.
1/3C hi N Guano (Mexican Bat Guano)
1/2C hi P Guano (Jamaican or Indonesian Bat Guano)
1TBS Jersey Greensand
1TBS Kelp Meal

...and there are other ways too. You can use blood/bone/kelp but it will attract dogs and other animals. Let us know what you have on hand and maybe we can figure something out.
Burn1

 

[NickMode]

NickMode-
Growing outdoors can be a completely different thing than growing indoors. Outdoor grows can require a lot more feeding than indoor plants.
It's best to prepare early. Till in compost, perlite and organic matter in late winter so they can break down and not be as attractive to pests and animals.
If you have a water source close to your plants you can make teas there. But, it can take 24 hours for the teas to be ready. You can make a mix and till it into the native soil with peat, dolomite, compost and perlite. You can mix guano into that and supplement later in the grow with teas if you like.
Bongaloid has a mix with guano that may be helpful to you...

Bongaloid's Guano Mix.
Use all these items combined with one gallon of soil mix.
1/3C hi N Guano (Mexican Bat Guano)
1/2C hi P Guano (Jamaican or Indonesian Bat Guano)
1TBS Jersey Greensand
1TBS Kelp Meal

...and there are other ways too. You can use blood/bone/kelp but it will attract dogs and other animals. Let us know what you have on hand and maybe we can figure something out.
Burn1

Well right now i dont have anything on hand. I can get most things at my local stores. bone meal blood meal kelp meal. i have premier peat moss, worm castings from walmart, and perite for my original. The greensand isnt availiable for me locally, but i read around and found it wasnt really that important if i wasnt planning on reusing my soil, so i decided not to get it. Not sure what liquid karma is but ill look for it locally tomorrow. Is this available at local home depot or lowes?

I am worried about the bone meal and blood meal attracting animals, but i am going to have 2.5 ft. fences around all my plants. Will these stop a hungry racoon?

I also was going to put the soil in the ground 5 weeks before i put my plants in the gorund. Will that count for anything either? Or should i just not use blood and bone meal?

I can order bat guano off ebay if i need that substituted for bone and blood meal.

I am not to worried about dogs at my plot either, unless they can smell the bone and blood meal from 100 yards away and go for it.

Thanks

 

[BurnOne]

NickMode-
Well now, it looks like you're ready with that fencing.
Since you have that, I'd use the blood/bone/kelp program. Don't worry about the greensand and Liquid Karma.
Digging a hole and pouring in a soil mix may create a "pond" that would hold water if you got a lot of rain for a long time. That could cause root rot.
I'd use your native soil and LC's mix together. Try to make your soil mixture a total mix of 20% perlite, 30% worm castings and 25% native soil and 25% peat. Till them together using about a four cubic foot total area. Use four cups of dolomite lime, two cups blood, four cups bone and two cups kelp. Keep the area good and damp for the five week period you're talking about. Turn the soil a couple times a week if you can to give the bacteria some oxygen.
Now don't plant your seeds there. The nitrogen in that mix will kill your seedlings. Go ahead and germinate your seeds in plain LC's mix (no blood/bone/kelp). Water them with a worm casting tea of 1 cup worm castings to five gallons of water. In five weeks, they should be strong enough to be transplanted into your outdoor plot.
If you are using clones/cuttings, you should let them root very well before transplanting them into your plot.
I hope that helps you Man. Let me know and keep us posted on your progress.
Burn1

 

[NickMode]

Burn1 Thanks.

I was hoping to still be able to use blood/bone/kelp with fences.

I went to a plant food shop and they had tons of stuff. I asked he they had bat guano and the guy showed me some "earth juice grow". So i picked up a bottle. It says its 100% organic and it is 2 - 1 - 1. Is this necessary? If so, how should i use it?

Also it seems like all the dolomite lime is in like rock form. If i throw this in my blender will it fuck shit up?

You also said that outdoor plants need alot more feeding. does that mean like teas and such?

I also got this big ass bad of perlite. Brand is schundler horticulture perlite. 1.5 bushels

But thanks for the help. everything i need is on hand and ill be making my soil soon.

 

[BurnOne]

Take the time to find powdered (or pulverized) dolomite lime. Use your phone book to call around so you don't spend your money on gas. I have found it at Home DePOT, Lowes, local hardware stores, lawn and garden shops and Farm & Agriculture houses. A 50 pound bag is less than $10. Don't try to grind it up, you'll be wasting your time. Many have tried. This time of year, people are looking for it for their vegetable and flower gardens.
The EJ Grow can be used as a supplement during veg if the plants need it. Jamaican bat guano can be used in a tea if your plants need it during flowering.
You should be good to go. Stay in touch.
Burn1

 

[HeresTheDank]

thanks, burn1 took the advice, read the thread, decided pure pro is the best for me. something organic, and ready to be used.

 

[yeknomssa]

hey burn1, GREAT thread, lots of info for the new-to-organics (like myself). in fact, this is my first organic grow (well 99.9% organic as i used a drop of superthrive when i expanded my peat pucks). the question i have is about the amount of lime i put in my soil. i honestly can't remember if i put 1 or 2 tbsp/gal into my mix. i got the recipe from your first post, so i would like to think i followed it correctly, but that was over a month ago and well, you know how stoner memory is lol. here's what my soil consists of (a slight deviation from the first mix):
6 Parts Peat Moss
3 Parts Pearlite
2 Parts Worm Castings
1 Part Vermiculite (unnecessary, i know, but i had some left from my last grow)

nutes mixed in:
1 tbsp/gal blood meal
2 tbsp/gal bone meal
(1 or 2?) tbsp/gal dolomite lime

so i guess my question is should i just leave well enough alone or should i add some more lime to be safe?

by the way, i use that pebbled garden lime and it worked really well in my last grow, as it dissolves the instant it touches water. also, in case it matters, my water source is a local spring with a TDS of 132 and pH of 6.5

and of course, thanks for helping all the n00bs go organic!

 

[BurnOne]

You need some potassium (K) in there. Use Maxicrop since you have already mixed your soil.
Leave well enough alone. Look around for powdered dolomite lime next time. Or better yet, use your local Yellow Pages to call around first.
Good work.
Burn1

 

[yeknomssa]

thanks for the quick reply. i did forget to mention that i'm picking up some maxicrop pretty quick here, though looking back, i should have mixed kelp meal in from the start. about the lime, i agree, i probably should have looked better, but this stuff was from my last grow as well, so i figured i might as well use it.

i did have another question that you may be able to clear up. i can't readily find liquid karma in my area and i don't like ordering things over the internet (especially for grows). so i used a little molasses (1 tsp/gal) to feed the microbes while the mix sat. however am i missing a huge component without having the humic/fluvic (sp?) acids that are in Liquid Karma?

by the way if you want to drop by my current grow and give any suggestions, they'd be greatly appreciated (link's in my sig)

 

[BurnOne]

Worm castings will provide plenty of humic acids. Fulvic acids are mostly for foliar feeding. You're fine.

 

[yeknomssa]

thanks for the help man K+ indeed.

as for foliar feeding, i really haven't done it before, but i have been thinking about incorporating it into this grow (using 1/4 tsp/gal molasses and maxicrop). i guess my only issue with foliar feeding is that i really don't understand why its important. or maybe its not lol

 

[BurnOne]

Foliar feeding is only needed for emergency feeding for a nutrient deficiency or to feed new cuttings until they root.
Burn1

 

[yeknomssa]

Ah, that makes a bunch of sense. thanks for all the advise, i'm positive that it'll make my grow go much more smoothly