When I first became interested in growing organically I asked a few questions because I had (and still have) trouble sourcing ingredients for a mix, and needed a good basic, small scale 'recipe' if you will on which to build. I took the step and asked in a 'big boys' thread and was pretty much immediately slammed as being lazy because really, just look around and you'll find this stuff. Not around here you don't, and not online without paying ridiculous shipping charges! It put me off the organic section (and its peeps) for awhile but eventually I came back and just read, and read.... To be fair, I think I caught someone on a bad day with my question, and I got snapped at. Forums are hard. First off, it's a forum full of stoners that want to help...whether their help is helpful or not I include myself in this. Also a lot of stuff just strikes us as funny....we can't help it, nature of the beast. It is hard to feel you're being laughed AT though. I guess what I'm trying to say is a certain amount of what's posted if it isn't 'useable' or even agreeable to you just needs to be ignored. I've also found personally if you're looking for an answer to a specific question from one person in particular a pm might be best. And nobody really asked me either did they? There ya go...just ignore this one
On the note of using poop, "Lumperdawgz" says he's completely eliminated animal byproducts including poo from his soil all together and relies 100% on plant based amendments. Something about animals not containing a whole lot of benefits to plants, whereas plant sources have all sorts of benefits to plant; auxins, hormones, enzymes, secondary metabolites etc etc...
..your post is a lot funnier to me today. not to "blame it on the weather" so to speak but yesterday was a bit trying for me, and i was evidently in a far worse mood than i realized. i read your post in a manner i don't think it was intended. ..and then i spazzed out a bit. sorry bout that dude :/. also, sorry for the brainfart, good folks of gc.
I wasnt trying to piss anyone off bro. Its just this has already been discussed in great length elsewhere. Like I said people much smarter than you or I have recomended to stear clear.
Say NO to any shit grown in shit... Personally I can't fathom inhaling shit grown in shit.. My lungs feel like pukin' just thinking about it.. urrrrrrrrrrrgh..
I do use horse manure in my own outdoor large compost heaps - lots of horse manure and black leaf mold. To me, between these two items I've got a perfect compost base. It helps that my wife has a horse manure factory out in the barn lol While some may not like manures, I do. At least herbivore. These animals take plants and break them down for us - what could be easier? Between the broken down leaves and the horse manure I now have an excellent compost base. To this I also add lots of alfalfa, fish meal, kelp meal, rock dust, kitchen produce scraps and whatever else I have laying around in my big 50 pound sacks. This, after turning it and mixing it all up over time makes the most excellent compost I could ask for! I use it everywhere - outdoor veggie garden, indoor cannabis garden, my comfrey patches, worm bedding/food - everything. Making your own compost is very satisfying and cost effective. J
The PO's of my house had a small square garden outdoors, and also left a black composter bin next to it for us. I have never used it before but would love to make my own compost. Our cities web has some info on making and starting a pile. I have about 5 bags of leaves i collected from fall, and maybe 1/3 of it filled with those leaves so far. A neighbor by my mom not far has two horses...would using this manure in the bin be good to get? She usually scraps and throws a lot of it out i guess, they are both show horses so i know theyre fed decently...not sure what though
Adding the manure won't hurt but thoes composters are more meant for speeding up the breakdown of "raw" ingredients like leaves and veggie waste. It would be more beneficial to just compsot the manure in a pile sperate so u can dedicate more space to slower decomposing materials
i don't doubt for a second LD has good reasons, but it seems odd to eliminate manures completely from a worm bin at least.. the worms folks typically use live and feed in manure naturally, right? personally i can never turn down a fresh bag of rabbit shit, and i think my worms are happy for it. (<- true statement, but mostly that sentence just gave me the chuckles ) or do you mean he just doesnt add any manure directly to his soil/regular compost heap?
Gilboyto - this would work excellent - get the horse manure! Leaves and horse manure and your kitchen scraps in this contraption will give you an excellent compost. I'd also add some kelp, alfalfa, etc. Compost Happens. J
Thanks for this Jerry! Ill be stopping in and askig her for a pile once i get a bucket or tarp to load in my jeep! I know her horse is older now but she has a miniature horse for shows too. Hello compost pile! Also Merry Christmas everyone!
Jerry, you'd add the kitchen sink if you thought i'd help. I used your soil mix and am going on day 65 and the plant is mite free(something I have been struggling with) thanks to neem seed meal I am assuming, and one of the most healthiest plants I have grown. Put it in a 20 gallon and looks like I will get about 4-5 ounces. could not be happier.
Abraham, it is indeed the neem seed meal that is helping out with your mite issues. I love it. LD turned me onto this a few years ago and I use it faithfully; as a matter of fact I used it yesterday in a simple botanical tea made with both neem and karanja because I saw a few fungus gnats flying around. They don't ever bother me much but I like to keep them in check. Neem cake is most helpful to us as an insecticide due to its "anti-feedant" properties, effectively starving spider mites and fungus gnats - Neem cake is effective in the management of insects and pests. The bitter principles of the soil and cake have been reported to have seven types of activities (a) antifeedant (b) attractant (c) repellent (d) insecticide (e) nematicide (f) growth disruptor and (g) antimicrobial. The cake contains salannin, nimbin, azadirachtin and azadiradione as the major components. Neem Azadirachta indica (and karanja) are not only excellent as insecticides/pesticides (Azadirachtin) but are also very good fertilizers, containing mucho nitrogen. From Wiki: Neem Cake has an adequate quantity of NPK in organic form for plant growth. Being a totally botanical product it contains 100% natural NPK content and other essential micro nutrients as N(Nitrogen 2.0% to 5.0%), P(Phosphorus 0.5% to 1.0%), K(Potassium 1.0% to 2.0%), Ca(Calcium 0.5% to 3.0%), Mg(Magnesium 0.3% to 1.0%), S(Sulphur 0.2% to 3.0%), Zn(Zinc 15 ppm to 60 ppm), Cu(Copper 4 ppm to 20 ppm), Fe (Iron 500 ppm to 1200 ppm), Mn (Manganese 20 ppm to 60 ppm). It is rich in both sulphur compounds and bitter limonoids. Neem seed cake also reduce alkalinity in soil, as it produces organic acids on decomposition. Being totally natural, it is compatible with soil microbes, improves and rhizosphere microflora and hence ensures fertility of the soil. Neem Cake improves the organic matter content of the soil, helping improve soil texture, water holding capacity, and soil aeration for better root development. If there was ever a more magical plant for organic gardening, besides, perhaps Kelp or Alfalfa then I don't know about it! Neem is indeed a staple in my garden. I'm not sure if I've ever even posted any pictures in here but this is a Northern Lights gal getting ready to leave the veg room nest and take a spot in the maternity ward flower room as soon as a spot opens up, which, unfortunately won't be for a week or probably two - she will be pretty big by then but that just means adjusting the training strings a bit. Remember - NO BOTTLED NUTRIENTS NEEDED! Happy New Year folks! J