Soil, water, and tea questions

[h.h.]

Acid rain.

Sulfur is taken up from the soil in the form of sulfate ions (S04=). Sulfur may also be absorbed as sulfur dioxide (S02) from the air through leaves in areas where the atmosphere has been enriched with sulfur compounds from industrial sources.

Western Plant Health Association. Western Fertilizer Handbook (Page 99). Waveland Pr Inc. Kindle Edition.

Dissolved oxygen.

Turned out to be a small wildfire. Twelve o'clock at night, it looked like the neighbor's house.

 

[moose eater]

Better an out-of-control camp fire than a house gone. A distant neighbor's home burned to a crisp a couple years ago.

Walked through a home, a teepee, and a wall tent after they went up. Always a moving time, kicking in the ashes, and unearthing old family heirlooms; photo frames, etc.

Somber times.

Discovered the relatively benign properties of large volumes of burning rifle ammunition, as well as the disappointingly limited capacity of the average commercial-size fire extinguisher... And the irritation generated when discovering that some of the extinguishers were played with by youngsters who "meant no harm." Vivid memories.

I'm a safety Nazi when it comes to cruising the house, looking for even a compressed or half-attached electrical cord. I smell ozone, or anything unusually hot, and my heart-rate goes way up.

Yep, acid rain's been an issue for many years now. That and poorly-treated industrial waste.

I can remember when public places had signs posted stating the water was not safe for swimming.. Not drinking.... Swimming. Presque Isle State Park in/near Erie, Pa. Hitch-hiking through Cleveland,. along the lake shore, and someone in the 70s had painted, "Help Me! I'm Dying! on the break wall/pier that ran out into the lake there. Something to that effect.

I should order some zeolite and pumice tomorrow if it's going to get here in time.

 

[h.h.]

I mixed sand size zeolite with some of that PittMoss and sphagnum peat moss and a little pumice and I thought it made a pretty good mix for a throw together. Only made about a gallon, no nutes. I'll top feed til transplant.
For all my worms, I don't have any vermacompost to speak of.

Kelp4Less was pretty fast with my order.
I got pumice through Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008YSVPHW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A bit dusty. I thought good for the price. The first review is a good description.

I'm liking the PittMoss. Price is a bit high. It holds water nice and really doesn't need aeration material. I don't know how long it would last reusing my soil, but for seedlings, it works good.

And we were too young to be hippies
Missed out on the love
Turned to a teen in the late 70's
In the summer of the drugs

 

[h.h.]

Mammoth P:

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Pseudomonas putida 20,000,000 CFU/ml[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Tests have shown that P. putida can break down all manner of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. The only substances that it cannot break down are Teflon, Styrofoam, and organic products containing a single Hydrogen. This has caused microbiologists and environmentalists all around the globe to take notice. P. putida has been shown to have the ability to break down many organic toxins including Atrazine, the worlds most widely used herbicide, into carbon dioxide and water. Atrazine is toxic to wildlife and is also thought to be a carcinogen. Until recently the only way to rid the environment of Atrazine laced earth was to relocate the poisoned dirt to a landfill. Now scientists are developing a system to inoculate the contaminated ground with high concentrations of P. putida in order to rid it of the toxic chemical. P. putida is so effective that it lessens the half-life of Atrazine (8 years) to just 5 ½ hours. [/FONT]

https://web.mst.edu/~microbio/BIO221_2007/P_putida.ht

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4911952/

 

[moose eater]

By pit moss, I assume you mean wholesale trucked top soil?

Your mix doesn't suffer excess compaction due to the amount of loam in the pit moss?

The Mammoth P reads as an impressive addition. Gotta' wonder when the other shoe will drop on such a miracle myco? Yesterday's sliced bread sometimes becomes tomorrow's grim reaper.

But what the hell, it's worth a throw or two..

 

[h.h.]

By pit moss, I assume you mean wholesale trucked top soil?

Your mix doesn't suffer excess compaction due to the amount of loam in the pit moss?

The Mammoth P reads as an impressive addition. Gotta' wonder when the other shoe will drop on such a miracle myco? Yesterday's sliced bread sometimes becomes tomorrow's grim reaper.

But what the hell, it's worth a throw or two..

PittMoss is proprietary recycled cellulose. (newspaper.)
Brought to my attention on another thread.
$37 per 2 cubic feet.
My first bag was shit. A big wad. I probably could have fluffed it up, It just went in the worm mix.
I complained and they sent me a really nice bag.
I really don't think that you'd need perlite or anything with it other than ewc and some nutes. It holds water well.it doesn't pack.
Seeds start well in it.
I don't know if I can reuse it. If it breaks down, it's just cellulose. If it doesn't...
Just as a seed starter mix, I'll get my money's worth. A bag will go a long ways.

https://pittmoss.com/pages/superior-results-1

 

[h.h.]

The Mammoth P is used weekly. For a 15 week grow a total of 25 ml (rounded up) is used per gallon of soil.
I.E. if you have 10 gallon pots; 10 x 25ml or 250ml per plant. Based on the price of a 500ml bottle, it'd be $50 per plant.
KIS was brewing it with some visual evidence of success through the microscope.

 

[moose eater]

The Mammoth P is used weekly. For a 15 week grow a total of 25 ml (rounded up) is used per gallon of soil.
I.E. if you have 10 gallon pots; 10 x 25ml or 250ml per plant. Based on the price of a 500ml bottle, it'd be $50 per plant.
KIS was brewing it with some visual evidence of success through the microscope.

Without looking anything up on-line, I'd guess that my Classic 2000s are about 4-1/2 to 5 gallons. Even then, to do the application rate you outlined, that's some spendy root amendments.

The PitMoss initially sounds less than desirable to me, now that I have some idea what it is..

When we built our home, I made the mistake of spraying ~6" of cellulose bead insulation feathered over the R-38 in my trusses. Had I understood the rate of break-down, I'd have gone with the fiberglass bead alternative, for sure. May still have to screw around with that.

The pumice, if I can get it here for a reasonable price, would be a welcome addition toward replacing at least some of the perlite. but I've been getting 4 cu. ft. of perlite for between $14 and $25 over the last 20 years. Currently at just below the $25 line.

Eventually, if I continue to put more stable and expensive amendments into the mix, then I may have to start looking at re-generating my mixes. I hate to do that, due to the salts, re-balancing nutrients, etc., but at that point, I'd probably also hesitate to throw that kind of value to the potato field, too.

Shop's now returned to being exclusively MY space, gifts all gone, and returning to normal. Tomorrow's the day to begin the clean-up maybe, and preparations for cuttings.

 

[h.h.]

KIS tried to brew the Mammoth P with perhaps some success. The cost would have to be justified. Something to watch.

Rice hulls may suit your need.
https://www.amleo.com/rice-hull-bal...Qft3g4citrsxhiJhnJW5L0Xer0QVIzfAaAlA_EALw_wcB

I'm undecided on the PittMoss. If it could cut down on the aeration amendments? Initially, I like it better than peat. The price has to come down and it needs to be proven out long term.

 

[h.h.]

Aluminum, constituting 50% of the elemental content of mineral soils, when brought into solution can be toxic to plants. Aluminum availability is defined by its concentration in the soil solution, increasing with decreasing soil pH. The ability of Al to be adsorbed by plant roots increases under anaerobic soil conditions and as a result of physical injury to the root. High Al concentrations found in leaf tissue, that not due to soil contamination (see page 132), can be a good indicator of the aeration status in the soil, and/or whether plant roots have been injured mechanically or by the activity of soil microorganisms. Aluminum is easily root absorbed and translocated within the plant at the initial stages of plant growth, but then sharply declines with advancing maturity. The absorption of Al by the plant root is also affected by the concentration of other elements in the rhizosphere (see page 35), such as P and Ca, their presence reducing Al root absorption. Aluminum toxicity is easily controlled by maintaining the soil pH within the optimum range (see page 57), thereby minimizing the occurrence of anaerobic soil conditions and thus preventing root injury.

Jones Jr., J. Benton. Plant Nutrition and Soil Fertility Manual, Second Edition (Page 111). CRC Press. Kindle Edition.

 

[moose eater]

Good to know. it seems that ca levels are key to a number of things. And Al provides another reason to increase aeration, as well.

Never worked with rice hulls. I'd imagine they have an even shorter lifespan than the perlite, re. composting/break-down, but I don't know that.

Like I wrote earlier, I used vermiculite years ago in all sorts of stuff, especially the primary grow and bloom mixes, a bit heavier in cloning mixes, and mushroom media/substrate, for both inoculation and growth/fruiting. But determined that anything stored dry, in tubs/totes, that can wick water from the humidity in the air, past a fitted (but not air-tight) lid, then delay at venting that moisture off/out, poses a risk of contamination, in my view. But when in good shape, vermiculite functioned the way it was/is supposed to.

Recovering from the holiday, and in neutral, when I should be in high gear. Maybe after this cup'a joe.

Wholesale store's out of bulk maple syrup and nitrile exam gloves. This could develop into a crisis if not properly handled.

 

[hyposomniac]

The Mammoth P is used weekly. For a 15 week grow a total of 25 ml (rounded up) is used per gallon of soil.
I.E. if you have 10 gallon pots; 10 x 25ml or 250ml per plant. Based on the price of a 500ml bottle, it'd be $50 per plant.
KIS was brewing it with some visual evidence of success through the microscope.

Howdy hh,
How did you decide on that application rate for mammoth p?
Seems rather high compared to mammoth's suggestions.
They recommend applying .6ml per gallon of drench water, not soil.
So for a 10gal pot, let's say 'about' 2gallons of water to soak it. So 2gal x .6 = 1.2ml per pot per week (if 1x per week) x 15 weeks = 18ml per plant.

 

[h.h.]

Howdy hh,
How did you decide on that application rate for mammoth p?
Seems rather high compared to mammoth's suggestions.
They recommend applying .6ml per gallon of drench water, not soil.
So for a 10gal pot, let's say 'about' 2gallons of water to soak it. So 2gal x .6 = 1.2ml per pot per week (if 1x per week) x 15 weeks = 18ml per plant.

Thank you. You're right. I read it wrong.

For soil, the suggested dosage goes up during flower. It ends up 24.3ml total for 15 weeks. I just rounded up to 25. Multiplied by 2 instead of 10 and I feel a whole lot better about the price. 50ml per plant, not 250.
About $10 a plant based on 500ml/$100.

It seems odd that I have to keep re applying it. It should multiply in the soil. Maybe to get the high count.

 

[moose eater]

A bunch more tolerable, price-wise. Thanks both.

 

[h.h.]

For fifty a plant, I figured it was magic. I'd have to gain an ounce or a 5% jump in terpenes. I'd also want a cartoon character on the bottle. Judge Roy Moore in a Yosemite Sam outfit. I don't know why.
One of the main reasons I post. It's not because the world wants to know what I say, it's because I know that I make mistakes that often need correction.
You never sail straight, you'd never get there. You zigzag and constantly correct yourself. The wind is in control.
There I go, getting religious.

Question now is if it works or not. Claims of increasing P, we're back to feeding the plant. the microbes are starving and they want me to keep replacing them.
Internet videos shows evidence going in both directions. Claims made from far and wide of improper testing. Nobody wanting to be corrected.

Rice hulls are compared favorably with perlite. They provide silica as they break down. I've had them in store bought mix where they lasted at least a couple seasons. That mix went into my permanent soil at the time. Had it been perlite, I would have tossed it. Online the price is comparable with the parboiled ones being touted as superior. About a buck a pound with shipping, shipping being the main cost. Shipping expediency is not yet known. A big man riding a tiny horse waving a pea shooter.
Sorry, i got that vision in my head. Ronald Reagan on drugs.

 

[h.h.]

Found a local source for worms and worm castings.
https://rockymountainwormcompany.com/castings/
Guaranteed live worm delivery to continental U.S. . Shipping is USPS or FedEx.
African night crawlers as opposed to more common European night crawlers or red wigglers.

Castings are 15# @ $30 plus shipping.
The feed consists of grains, alfalfa meal, glacial rock dust, and kelp additives.

Picture from their website.

 

[slownickel]

Get an analysis of ewc before buying folks. Some are made from manures that are from feed lots, resulting in a huge amount of Fe and Al in worm castings.

Pretty hard to find good stuff. Currently sourcing for S. California and are analyzing several sources.

 

[h.h.]

Rocky Mountain claims no food waste or animal byproducts. Uses [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]grains, alfalfa meal, glacial rock dust, and kelp additives.[/FONT]

Black Diamond Vermicompost in the San Luis Obispo area has a good reputation. A little north...

 

[moose eater]

There's some folks for whom I've reconsidered the safety of the world, should they have dropped Sydney. Reagan, Roy Moore, and (as Grace Slick had contemplated doing when he invited her to the White House) Nixon. Good medicine for some, might be the ticket to destruction all around for others. One man's trash..... is another's ....

None of those three giggling manically gives me a warm fuzzy feeling of a better tomorrow. Maybe if they were put in straight-jackets before the first hour passed after dropping. Then there'd be a 'wait and see' period, to find out if there'd been any benefit had at all.

The feed on the castings sounds good, h.h. The price is up there with premium castings I've encountered in Anchorage, or at least close. 1 cu. ft. (?) for $60 of premium castings at the organic outlet. I winced when I was told that. Still haven't gone all-in on them for the price issues. That was where we began the discussion of reduced area worm bins/farming.

I'd read re. what slownickel is cautioning about in the 'best ewc' thread. Another eye-opener. Like buying dog chow imported from China.

Silica as a result/by-product of rice hulls in place of perlite adds an attraction worth a whirl. Another call to the organic outlet in Anchorage. I still need to get down that way to see friends, deliver Christmas, etc.

Tacking on a sailboat elongates the path of getting from here to there. A compromise with the wind. We've trolled for lake trout under wind power a time or three, in deeper, northern, long & narrow lakes. Cool in concept, and if patient and relaxed, not a bad thing. Lots of retrieving of line as shallows approach, before coming about.

Once hooked the keel board on another boat with what was then a favorite rattle trap when the other boat was travelling and tacking parallel to us, operated by an acquaintance. Embarrassing stuff; especially when I considered the 'what ifs' of his potentially heading into the inlet to moor at the end of the afternoon, and envisioned him trying to retract his keel board, only to have it bind on the lure, thus grinding his 26' boat to fragments on rocks there.

None of that ended up happening, but it looked devastatingly embarrassing in my mind's eye.

Straight lines prevent situational/circumstantial discoveries, but sometimes seem so much more convenient.

I've had story-book crops that left me proud, and miserable failures, -sometimes- facilitated by incomplete instructions left in my absence, where the obvious wasn't properly outlined, and the end result was so clear in cause & effect it was mind-boggling.

I like learning, but often prefer for it to be had at a minimal cost. On the other hand, those lessons learned at greater cost seem to last longer in the memory. It's all Yin & Yang.

I post to share ideas, to socialize, to fill a void, to get specific answers, to learn, to instruct in those few areas I deserve such status, to engage in the dopamine release brought by the anticipated exchange, and probably some other reasons too, like finding kindred spirits in a world where I have typically isolated myself for numerous reasons; safety of a variety of sorts. More Yin & Yang..

 

[moose eater]

Thanks for the heads-up, hyposomniac. I'm out of rep again. I'll try to catch it later today when I reload.