Tutorial Organics for Beginners

[RiddleMeThis]

Few questions... been making my way through this thread, heads spinning, trying not to over complicate.

Going to use LC soilless mix #2, and for the moment, recipe #1.

Any additions you might recommend? Preventative additives like crab meal or neem meal for bugs?

Also plan to have the ingredients for veg/bloom teas, just in case... good plan?

Any recommended brands for the various amendments?

To avoid deficiencies, I plan on repotting just prior to veg and flower...

 

[BurnOne]

Few questions... been making my way through this thread, heads spinning, trying not to over complicate.

Going to use LC soilless mix #2, and for the moment, recipe #1.

Any additions you might recommend? Preventative additives like crab meal or neem meal for bugs?

Also plan to have the ingredients for veg/bloom teas, just in case... good plan?

Any recommended brands for the various amendments?

To avoid deficiencies, I plan on repotting just prior to veg and flower...

Sounds like a plan.
Crab meal is ok to use. Neem if you expect bugs or already have them. Otherwise, leave it out.
Water with worm casting tea.
Burn1

 

[RiddleMeThis]

Sounds like a plan.
Crab meal is ok to use. Neem if you expect bugs or already have them. Otherwise, leave it out.
Water with worm casting tea.
Burn1

Thanks Burn1!

Any recommendations on EWCs? Planning on starting a worm farm, but in the mean time, ill need something readily available online.. was looking at Rocky Mountain Worm Company, and think I have seen it mentioned a few times. Considering my location, I am not sure ill be able to find any locally sourced...

 

[RiddleMeThis]

And which size perlite would you recommend? Big and chunky?

 

[BurnOne]

It doesn't matter to both questions. You need to get a couple grows completed before you get picky.
Burn1

 

[RiddleMeThis]

Perfect, exactly what I wanted to hear ��. Thanks again

 

[Weird]

I still run a variation of LCs mix and recycle it.

I use crab and neem as B1 suggests as well.

Let me suggest some castings I find are superior to the other ones I have used.

There are some ways to test castings, but I can save you the learning curve.

http://www.fertilizeronline.com/wormcast.php

They castings come with egg casings and almost 3 years into recycling my worms are established from the first amendment with them. I never bought and added worms. This means they are as clean as advertised and not processed to eliminate pets or pathogens because the castings do not contain them.

Stumbled on them at a wholesale dealer out in some agricultural country here by me on the EC

Chunkier perilte if you are recycling will serve you better, most organic growers I know that use it prefer chunky. I have grown with all types and without.

Recycling with LCs mix is so ridiculously easy, lowers costs and offers greater sustainability.

Good Luck

 

[aridbud]

LC #2 for the win! We add a little Azomite to the mix...cheap and beneficial.

Back in the day it was equal parts of manure, sand, compost, perlite....using teas to supplement.

 

[RiddleMeThis]

Question on adding minerals and the like. Would you add them to the base mix, that would be used for cuttings/seedlings, or only for the composted mix for more mature plants.

Azomite, glacial rock dust, rare earth, rock phosphates, greensand... to name the items on my list currently. Planning on using LC's soilless mix 2 exactly as described, making 12.5 cu ft of total, before amendments. Will post final recipe with amounts I plan to use, prior to purchasing everything.

 

[BurnOne]

Question on adding minerals and the like. Would you add them to the base mix, that would be used for cuttings/seedlings, or only for the composted mix for more mature plants.

Azomite, glacial rock dust, rare earth, rock phosphates, greensand... to name the items on my list currently. Planning on using LC's soilless mix 2 exactly as described, making 12.5 cu ft of total, before amendments. Will post final recipe with amounts I plan to use, prior to purchasing everything.

I'd stick with the basic mix. If you have problems you will have a mostly neutral baseline to come back to. Add the food and see what happens.
Burn1

 

[RiddleMeThis]

deal!

Dont even add the azomite....? :-\

The more i read the threads on this forum, the more I want to add

 

[RiddleMeThis]

Ok, last question.

Having a hard time figuring out how much of the bone, blood, kelp, lime, greensand ill need, as most are packaged in pounds. Any guestimates as to how much ill need to order to compost 12 cubic ft of lc soilless mix 2?

Will be ordering online, so trying to be as accurate as possible...


Thanks again for all of the help, especially BurnOne... I am so excited to start my organic journey

 

[RiddleMeThis]

This is what it looks like for the amount ill need to mix first go around.

Pro Mix HP (M + B) 7.5 cu. Ft
FF Big & Chunky 2.5 cu. Ft
RMWC EWC's 2.5 cu. Ft

Dolomite Lime 12.5 cups

Bone Meal 12.5 cups
Blood Meal 6.25 cups
Kelp Meal 6.25 cups

Jersey Greensand 6.25 cups
Azomite 6.25 cups


Again, no idea how to gage how many pounds of each amendment ill need.. Any tips on figuring that out?

 

[mexicani-ar]

Amazing info here, thanks

 

[BurnOne]

This is what it looks like for the amount ill need to mix first go around.

Pro Mix HP (M + B) 7.5 cu. Ft
FF Big & Chunky 2.5 cu. Ft
RMWC EWC's 2.5 cu. Ft

Dolomite Lime 12.5 cups

Bone Meal 12.5 cups
Blood Meal 6.25 cups
Kelp Meal 6.25 cups

Jersey Greensand 6.25 cups
Azomite 6.25 cups


Again, no idea how to gage how many pounds of each amendment ill need.. Any tips on figuring that out?

That bale of ProMix will fluff out to about 12-13 cu. ft.
I think most people who have trouble with these recipes have failed to measure properly.
Go back and read the recipe again...

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

I mix up the soil mix using the method above.
Go to a moving company like Uhaul or a packaging store like UPS and find a box that is 12"X12"X12". That will be exactly one cubic foot of mix. Then you can add to that the recommended amounts of food.
Burn1

 

[VortexPower420]

Don't use all Dolo lime. The when the Mg finally becomes available it will compact the clay you have in there.

Go for a mix of gypsum and hi Cal lime.

Flocculation is very important for soil health and areation.

I'm know I'm gonna catch flack but just have to throw it out there everyonce in a while how Mg affects the clay in your soil.

There is more then enough Mg in the green sand to get you through.

Remember the more Mg in the soil the less effective N is in the plant.

With More Mg requires more N for the same results.

 

[BurnOne]

Don't use all Dolo lime. The when the Mg finally becomes available it will compact the clay you have in there.

Go for a mix of gypsum and hi Cal lime.

Flocculation is very important for soil health and areation.

I'm know I'm gonna catch flack but just have to throw it out there everyonce in a while how Mg affects the clay in your soil.

There is more then enough Mg in the green sand to get you through.

Remember the more Mg in the soil the less effective N is in the plant.

With More Mg requires more N for the same results.

There is no clay in there.
Greensand may have magnesium but it's slow release. Magnesium hungry strains will need it faster.
Powdered dolomite lime is fast release.
I've used this recipe hundreds of times and it ALWAYS works.
This is a BEGINNERS thread. I made it to get people growing FAST. They can get more refined after they get a good supply.
Burn1

 

[RiddleMeThis]

That bale of ProMix will fluff out to about 12-13 cu. ft.
I think most people who have trouble with these recipes have failed to measure properly.
Go back and read the recipe again...

I mix up the soil mix using the method above.
Go to a moving company like Uhaul or a packaging store like UPS and find a box that is 12"X12"X12". That will be exactly one cubic foot of mix. Then you can add to that the recommended amounts of food.
Burn1

Now I'm confused...

I guess what I was trying to ask is, how much bone/blood/kelp/ lime/greensand will I need to buy to condition 12.5 cubic feet of soilless mix...

Those ratios I listed should have been consistent with your suggestions, just for 12.5 cu. ft., going to reread anyways

 

[brown_thumb]

Sorry to side-step the thread but...

Could one powderize and dissolve a calcium/magnesium/zinc dietary supplement pill in a gallon of water and use that to determine if there are those deficiencies?

 

[BurnOne]

Sorry to side-step the thread but...

Could one powderize and dissolve a calcium/magnesium/zinc dietary supplement pill in a gallon of water and use that to determine if there are those deficiencies?

No.