Check it out! this is an accumulation knowledge and research i've gathered for a long time here. Its a coir based mix with plenty of organic matter to go along. I'm also considering adding beneficial nematodes but i'd like to hear more about it before i drop the dollars for em. I'm posting this for critique so please make any suggestions or even laugh at this if i'm making any absurd measurements, etc. Without further ado... edit: FINAL DRAFT: 7/13 6:00 p.m. http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-...ipe-other-goodies-need-work.html#post11317335
Caz, that is a great piece of work man! +rep to ya. I haven't noodled through it all but at first glance it's an awesome reference. Just MHO to offer ya; definitely include the Sul-Po-Mag. And I do appreciate that everyone's needs are different but it's been my experience that mixing huge volumes of this-an-that not done well will result in an uneven mix in the end. As such and again this is just me but I mix each container individually to overcome this potential problem. So, for a #3 smart pot that equates to approximately ~30 cups and for a 4 gal plastic container approximately ~42 cups. If it's short on volume I top it off with additional plain potting soil. The other thing, again for me, is approximately 30% perlite/pumice to increase the porosity of the mix. I like mine really light and fluffy to encourage root growth and to increase the air spaces. This is a bang up job man! I'm gonna study it some more. If it has the 13 essential nutrients in there, you're good to go! Great job!
You my friend, are one organized grower. Good job, this could be a well used refference for others. Sticky worthy and plus rep for you......MIW
Man that is awesome. One thing I would add to AACT's is a little azomite for the fungi. Mulch would be yes. Might just be question marks there because you haven't decided what. May want to add neem oil to your list for pest control somewhere. I might be crazy but I am going to top dress some EWC right when I hit flower but it is a long season outdoors. Overall great list already +REP'd.
Caz, definitely a well thought out plan. I can't imagine what it would be like to be home every night to see my girls through to harvest. I travel a lot and I am gone a couple weeks every month. I am going to do the best I can to line out my wife on what to do while I am gone. 2 weeks away a lot can happen. Again, great job on your planning. Simply mahvelous! Hope you and everyone is enjoying there saturday. Been partaking in the pool and a couple vodka/cranberries. Life is beautiful! JaK
Nice work, looks like a lot of research went into that recipe. Curious to see how it grows. Peace, Mud
Guys thanks for the love, but i couldnt have made any of this possible without your ridiculously informative board here. I think its really important to point out in particular that people like Lump, OldPork, Corto, Possom, trichome, MIW, jak, etc. made a good portion of these recipes (at least a significant portion of em), so thanks for helping me get this shit straight in my head ;]. Anyways, I'll update it soon with your contributions. I can bring this down scale to the range of per gallon and per cubic foot instead of per 40 gallons lol. This could always be solved with a cement mixer though. I agree with the azomite. I might add a very small amount in the seedling tea as well as a good amount in the flower tea. I also wish to add a seedling medium mix, hopefully based on coir and ewc and perhaps some other sugar coatings. The same goes for a pest mix as i have outdoor ambitions. I still think i have much more to read before i get a serious grow together. Thanks anyways for the lovin.
One more thing, as a side note, as I was planning this in the last couple of days, i've had the ambition of diversity, which many have pointed out, and i agree with, is a valid goal. The potential for real science to be made with close-nit boards like this is ever expanding, so experimentation with diversity becomes increasingly important. edit: FINAL DRAFT: 7/13 6:00 p.m. http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-...ipe-other-goodies-need-work.html#post11317335
Ok, this shit sparkles now... edit: FINAL DRAFT: 7/13 6:00 p.m. http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-...ipe-other-goodies-need-work.html#post11317335
For anyone interested, feel free to use anything on my organic recipe menu, but just know that its anything but ideal. Despite it being nice and neat and stuffed with ingredients, it really doesn't entirely make sense to use all of these products together like this as the price can really rack up. I would like to try and make a simplified, more ideal recipe menu in the future, but for now, an update! edit: FINAL DRAFT: 7/13 6:00 p.m. http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-...ipe-other-goodies-need-work.html#post11317335
Couple of quick notes the Agricultural sulfur that we talked about is for use only on high PH soils. It is not to be used in potting mixes of any kind, it will kill plants. Mulches, you want to ideally use wood chips, not wood bark. Bark does not absorb water, it has a natural wax coating that prevents water from entering. You could also use news paper, cardboard, leaves, grass clippings, saw dust. Rock phosphate, Oyster shell meal, crab meal, shrimp meal, Dolomite lime all are high PH materials and can cause Ph swings. Rock Dust and Azomite is a redundant and could cause micro nutrient toxicity. Things like Zinc, Boron, Molybdenum can become very toxic if excess amounts are found in the soil. Sol-Po Mag and Epsom salt will add a lot of Sodium which is lethal to plants, if it exceeded 500ppm. Also most city tap water contains up to 175ppm of sodium; something to consider. Mucipalitys add sodium bicarbonate, and sodium chloride to the drinking water. IF you ever notice that the very tips of your plants are slightly yellow or necrotic that is the early signs of sodium toxicity. Also add to the pesticide/fungicide list, horticultural oil, liquid copper, dish soap, and Baking soda. You may be recommending to much compost tea, special if this is a "water only" recipe. I use two compost teas in my 7-9 month growing season with out standing results. In addition to your plants for fertility list, add Yarrow, Alfalfa, Bird foot, acacia, any legume in general. Last, bit of food for thought, container growing is vastly different from in soil growing. When growing in soil you have a buffering effect, which potting mixes have none to little of. The over all CEC of a well managed soil will be better then a lot of your bagged potting mix.
I included teas under the label of water in that i think teas can be very distinguished from fertilizers. I believe if one chooses soil, the benefits of teas should not be ignored under any circumstance as they provide the soil with the necessary soil cultures to thrive. I suppose the name could use some work too
caz, don't sweat the semantics. You have a well organized grow going and probably getting some good advice, but one person's advice is food for thought, not the answer. I am intrigued by what Viper said. The reason, I really want to cut back to the minimum and save some money. His advice on redundancy and overuse could resolve some of my issues. Anyway, kep your grow going and learn from it. As far as your teas, you are correct, as far as I know. Teas are for the minerals, not fertilization. Again, it's only what I read, so don't believe me either. Remember the old saying, opinions are like ass - - - es, everyones got one. Get us some pics when you get a chance, I would love to see how things are going. BTW, that spreadsheet is a work of art. I wish I kept a log of what I did. I said I would this time, but dod I? Phuk no. And here I am kicking myself in the ass once again wishing I knew what I did when. Peace JaK
This is true, but constant application won't increase the population more. Roots of the plants produce sugar and organic matter that they deposit into the soil. The micro biology populations can only grow as big as the plant can support. Compost tea are liquid fertilizers for organics, lets not kid ourselfs. Compost teas just move soluble nutrients in the form of free floating cations or anions or in the form of bacteria cells. Either way its not really necessary to use it if you have mix your soils correctly, you prevent run off while watering and keep the soil cool. If you have mixed your soils, with manures, compost, castings, general plant material, thick layer of mulch and then let the compost (ferment) for a two weeks or so. Your microbiology will be going strong and the teas wont be need till the after majority of the nitrogen has mineralized. You have seen my grow, that is only soil prep and one compost tea on July 2. Rely more on your soil mix and a lot less on your compost tea. Getting a soil mix right is a lot harder then getting a compost tea right.