I'm not very good at diagnosing plant problems. I don't see many with my grows. How long did you let your soil sit after mixing it? Are you spraying them with the lights on?
It sat for about 6 weeks before a plant was added. I'm not spraying them with anything but I do have a humidifier I turn on sometime. Strange that they are showing different symptoms despite same conditions in the growing tent. For Jack Diesel it kinda looks like heat or light stress but not sure. For Sensi Star it has a more sickness appearance with the symptoms just appearing on the leaves. Maybe I should increase the distance between the lamp and the plants...
I'm not an expert by any means but the last picture looks like manganese deficiency. Do you know if your pH is too high? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
You do not need to check your pH in a homemade organic soil. Period. Overall your plants look very healthy and I personally wouldn't sweat those little discolorations at all. Seriously. J
Let them continue to grow for another few weeks and keep a good eye on them, especially new growth. As long as your new growth continues to look good and healthy and the plants stay strong then I wouldn't really worry about a little discoloration. Perfect plants with no blemishes are near impossible to attain and I don't even try to. It always works out well. Many times additional problems are caused by messing with them so just continue to keep an eye on your new growth. j
So, I haven't read the whole entire thread. Idk I may have even posted here already. Anyway... My question is pretty straight forward. The biggest size pots I will be using are 5 gallon. I plan to have six plants, each in a 5 gallon pot. I can produce / obtain all of the amendments you mention; EWC, Compost, Kelp meal, alfalfa meal, Pro-Mix as a base, etc. my question is, what measurements / parts do I use of each amendment? And can I mix it up directly in the pots I plan to use, or does it need to "cook" for a while before actually planting in it? Sorry, I'm pretty new to this, and I've expressed interest before, but I've never had the ability to actually do it until now.
Let's get some volume measurements first, 7.5 gallons = 1 cubic foot. For amendments the rule of thumb is 2-3 cups of TOTAL amendments per cubic foot. When I first was learning I thought 2-3 cups of each amendment. It's total amendments. So I have 5 amendments that I use and add 1/2 cup of each to a cubic foot. For minerals the rule of thumb is 4-6 cups per cubic foot. I mix together 6 different minerals and add 4 cups per cubic foot of the mineral mixture. You could just use glacial rock dust or basalt. After I've mixed the base soil, amendments and minerals together I water with an ACT and turn it every week for 4 weeks. This is to give the micro-herd a jump start from the ACT and to provide plenty of oxygen by turning it. You could put it directly into your 5 gallon pots but you would still have to let it "cook" (I prefer using the term nutrient cycle) for 4 weeks before planting.
I'm also a newbie, I was wondering what you thought about soil after its been used a few times. Do you add nutes to it before planting with it again? I have photos of my plants if your interested, check out my blog RandiCalliburs Indoor Grow Lovers blog. I had a plant die recently and idk if it was environmental or if it lacked in nutes
If you're using bottled nutrients to grow with then you need to toss that soil because the salts will build up over time. I used to toss my ProMix after each run. Getting rid of it was a pain. Since switching to the living organic soil I just recycle it.
Great, thanks for the info that really answers a lot! So just to clarify, as far as amendments go, you can basically choose any mix of them you want and then just balance it how you want or what? And, also to clarify, minerals aren't considered amendments? They are their "own things"? Oh, and can you make compost teas with EWC? Or should you stick to traditional compost? Any advantage to one or the other? Thanks again!
When you're making your soil mix the idea I go with is to provide diversity to the micro-herd and let the symbiotic relationship between the micro-herd and the plant decide what nutrients are needed. In my mind I need these five amendments to provide that diversity: kelp meal, neem seed meal (aka neem cake), alfalfa meal, fish bone meal and crab meal. Amendments are complex molecules that need to be broken down into the nutrients that feed the plant. That is why you need to let them cycle for a minimum of 4 weeks. Minerals on the other hand are very slow in breaking down and that is why they don't need to be cycle like the amendments. I see minerals like glacial rock dust as a habitat for the micro-herd along with the minerals they provide over time. You can use either EWC or compost to make tea. I use my EWC because it is of a high quality. I know the quality of it because I make it myself via my worm bins. My thermal compost would work too because again I make my own from the maple leaves, my neighbors horse manure and straw I've been rotting over the summer. I also add amendments and minerals to both my thermal compost and EWC. To learn more about making EWC check out this definitive website: http://www.microbeorganics.com/
That link is for brewing compost teas, Pak'. Staff', try here for raising worms and creating your own EWC's, which you can use to brew your own AACT's, which it turns out is really unnecessary if you've produced quality castings. Just top dress with them or make a slurry... http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/334921-vermicomposting-make-your-own-worm-castings.html Very useful info' to be had here, as well... http://www.redwormcomposting.com/about-us/
Say old dudes, any objections about taking out my frustrations with a big rubber mallet to pulverize some crab shells for a soil amendment (would it be bio available or just filler)? I'm open to constructive criticism or ridicule, just hate throwing away something that I would ultimately wind up going to buy (plus I'm kinda looking forward to swinging that hammer).
The smaller the material is, the higher it's surface area. The higher the surface area of the particulate matter, the more accessible it is to microbial breakdown. Think DUST... Point is, reduce the size of the particulate material as much as you can. Happy mallet swingin'!
Hi Jerry..seem like u know ur stuff..I'm an absolute rookie looking for advice nd guidance ..question.. Wat organic soils nd or products would u recommend ..? I always hear people having problems with ph levels nd wat not nd you say going organic simplifies ur grow that plant basically care for them selfs so interested in maybe going organic with my first grow Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum *HuMbOldT420tReEs***
Most of us make our own soils. You might want to check out the first few pages here: http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/1116550-easy-organic-soil-mix-beginners.html Familiarize yourself with the basics and then come back and ask questions. You are correct that I don't worry about pH with my soil mix. The micro-herd will take care of that for you. Your question is a little too broad in scope and reading the beginners thread will help you along your way. You can also pop over to the organic lounge with your questions. Lots of knowledgeable and experienced growers hang out there. http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/1169188-organics-lounge.html Welcome to the organic growing community.
jerry111165 Just a quick note to give you a big Thank You. I started researching several years ago on how to indoor garden. I needed a method to grow medicinally for my wife. To make a long story short. I did the hydro thing, epic fail.....then followed the grow store advise with soil (crappy I now know) with advanced nutrients....epic fail...Then stumbled on a thread with yourself, lumperdawgz, rancho deluxe, microbeman and several others.... It seemed to make sense this whole organics, recycled/no-till thing....I read what you fine folks were doing and put that in place, yes it was some work gathering all the different materials, mixing the soil, waiting...waiting ....waiting while it all cycled, followed the advise of the no-till elders and ab-ra-ca-dab-bra....healthy, potent, lovely plants with simple inputs and excellent finished products. So now its a couple of years later, 7 or 8 runs with different strains and they all grow just fine. The only things I have done are small re-amendments after each couple of runs and water with what is the addition of aloe, coconut water, and ACT.... What could be easier. To all the lurkers out there like I was....Read, Listen, Learn and ask well thought out question....You will be rewarded. Thanks again MrBridge