Using outdoor compost and manure?

[Red Fang]

I tend to use pro-mix, and no matter how much perlite I add, I seem to water only once a week and some are too dry while others still quite wet. This problem will only be compounded by using especially cow manure. Problem is, I am not a rich guy and have plenty of compost and manure. Meanwhile, to buy the quantities I would need of all these organic ammendments would be quite pricy to say the least! The manure is well composted and doesn't seem to have visible bugs in it. The question is, how do I make this safe for indoor use without lugging in all kinds of unwanted pests? And what other ingredients do I need and in what proportion (I should have called this topic "Help me devise a safe soil formula using outdoor compost and manure"). thanks

 

[Red Fang]

btw, like 1/5 of my current mix is coarse perlite, the rest is pro-mix and ammendments. I have seen a million different formulas listed, how do I know which one to use (which one is right for me)?

 

[Red Fang]

ok well I hope someone answers at some point! I know you can put it in a black plastic bag to heat it with the sun, but that seems too imprecise and I wonder if there is a way to keep the good organisms and not the bad! thanks

 

[coldcanna]

I've read quite a few recipes in the organic soil forum, seems like anywhere from 10-20% is common for compost... my mix is very simple like yours, I mix a bail of promix with 2 40lb bags of manure and it works well. The fact of the matter is that cannabis would prob grow great on a pile of manure by itself. Have you read about compost teas at all? There's some great material in the organics section and if you are short on money like myself you can find some pretty cool ways to use all types cheap ingredients to keep your girls healthy

 

[Red Fang]

that is the problem, there are like a million recipes so how do I choose? There are many companies selling many seeds, how do I choose? How many seeds do I start and how many seeds do I grow and which technique (sog, scrog, lst, etc) do I use? Seriously, there are so many choices how does one make up their mind? Between that and my inability to concentrate/focus on anything (which makes reading or searching difficult if not impossible- it used to take me 2-4 times as long to do my homework than normal and often gave up), I don't know where to turn! I walk into a room and forgot why I went there, I often walk around half the day figuring out what I want/need to do and the other half of the day trying to do it ever so slowly, usually unsucessfully (it takes me a whole day just to trim 1/2-1 oz!) . I thank you for at least making an attempt. You don't know how much that means to me instead of telling me to search or read when it is next to impossible for me. I will try to research but I do want to use what I have readily available to me (manure, compost, and whatever other ingredients I need the cheaper the better). thanks

 

[coldcanna]

Choosing a strain is just analyzing your growing situation and picking a seed that does well in that temperature/ humidity/ photo period. If your doing indoors you control these factors so sky is the limit, I'd personally pick a commonly used strain like Ak 47 so that when you have questions down the road there are a thousand and one people on here that have grown it before and can help you out. As far as buying seeds thats a simple matter of how many plants do you want to grow.. how much space do you have, whats the legal situation in your area, ect... general rule of thumb in most places is that under 10 plants is a slap on the wrist if you get busted.

 

[Red Fang]

thanks fellow new englander!
I have done 2000-3000 W no problem, any more than that may raise eyebrows unless I find out explanations/excuses. I potentially have the whole basement but it is finished off the wiring not up to par with what I would need for this. I do have plenty of juice in a 10 by 20 unfinished area of it, and a 7 by 7 room along with a 5 by 5 tent in there. I have never exceeded a pound a light and don't know why. I tried more and smaller plants, I have tried fewer bigger plants. both yielded poorly but the edge went to more and smaller, and I prefer that anyway since I have plenty of seed and want to see what each strain can do. I suspect lockout or just not enough nutes to be the problem. But every time I water, they seem wet forever, and every time I feed they show signs of overfertilization. I have ak47 so I may try that, temps and humidity are usually ideal but a little cooler than ideal in winter and warm and humid when the outside weather is like that. I have no pest problems whatsoever, EXCEPT fungus gnats like you wouldn't believe! Mosquito dunks help for a while, but then they rally again. thanks for the insights.

 

[bigshrimp]

Yep you should be fine using it as long as its well aged/ composted. Throwing in a little local topsoil will help bring it all together.

Alfalfa pellets bound with molasses are super cheap at the feed store is you want a little N ammendment.

 

[Sat X RB]

Red Fang ... I 'm the same as you with reading Other's soil recipes.

I 've used pure aged cowshit to grow good Sativas outdoors.

best thing ... find a friendly gardener in yr street or somewhere nearby. ask her/him how he manages to grow such good tomatoes ... s/he'll give you lots of tips ... then do what s/he does for yr cannabis.

cheers from the Land of Oz.

 

[tube dude]

For fungus gnats, try diatemaceous earth. Putting a thin layer in the top of your pots should take care of them.

 

[Volga Budmen]

whoops wrong thread

 

[Red Fang]

excellent, thanks everyone!

 

[Red Fang]

so you find DE more effective than nematodes then? it is cheaper so if it works that would be the way to go.