I ground up my lime pellets yesterday. I had about a cup and a half in my soil I think, so I ground that up to see what the "actual" amount was, then added the remainder. There was barely any difference. I think 1 ground cup turned into like 3/4-7/8 cup haha, so really wasn't even worth it.. just threw in another 1/8th of a cup of that ground up lime and dumped the rest in my lime bag.
Good to know, thanks Either way no biggie... super super cheap and easy to make a batch, I'm not too worried. Once I get more houseplants it will be a non-issue anyway, and at that point I can make more than a gallon at a time
One thing I did notice was that my EWC is dry.. Obviously not as good as fresh EWC, but that should still be ok right? It's not wiggle worm, I forget the brand, I would have to check when I get home, but something I've been wondering about.
Hey guys! I know in the example mix it says 4 cups of rock dust for every cubic foot (7.5gallons) and didn't even think when I ordered my glacial rock dust off ebay, I only got 9 cups; would this be sufficient for 3 cubic feet? The mix calls for 12 and I know that would be ideal but I'm a dumbass -.- It should be alright....right?
Hey guys, I've got a couple of plants in flower since 5th of June, but for some reason they are growing super slowly. I really need to harvest before going overseas for holidays 2nd week of Sept. Just wonering if there is anything I can give them to stimulate growth without messing up the nutrient balance in my organic soil mix. Someone suggested molasses and ewc. Any other suggestions from the experienced growers on this thread? Hey guys, I've got a couple of plants in flower since 5th of June, but for some reason they are growing super slowly. I really need to harvest before going overseas for holidays 2nd week of Sept. Just wonering if there is anything I can give them to stimulate growth without messing up the nutrient balance in my organic soil mix. Someone suggested molasses and ewc. Any other suggestions from the experienced growers on this thread?
Im getting ready to mix my first batch of soil from scratch, 3.8 cf canadian spagnum peat moss, 2 cf of local compost, 40 lb bag of worm power, cc nutrient pack from bas, rice hulls and malted barley grain from local brew supply store, my question is do i have to pre wet the peat moss or mix it right in? Also can i plant cover crops into the soil while it cooks? I plan on running 7 or 8 7gal smart pots in a 4x4 tent is it feasible to add worms to the pot while the soil cooks? Sent from my N861 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
The 3.8 cf bale probably expands to close to 6 cf. What I do is shred the stuff by rubbing it between my hands. Then I'll moisten it by spraying with my handy chapin sprayer... mix a little, spray a little, mix a little, spray a little until it is evenly moist. If it gets too wet, it will get kinda clumpy.... you'll see what I mean lol. Just play around with it and you will get a feel for it.. kind of a hands-on type of thing... I personally wet it down prior to mixing with the other ingredients to avoid having any dry pockets of peat moss in the final mixture. And yeah, you can plant your cover crop immediately after mixing. I'm sure they'll germinate. I might suggest placing an empty pot in the middle to hold everything in place while it is composting. When the time comes to transplant into the pot, pull out your empty pot and drop the plant in. I've put worms in before too... they typically hang out in the mulch layer IME..
thank you tj2 i found a chapin sprayer but no nozzles, i appreciate the advice on the peat moss, the learning curve is pretty big for me and i really dont want to fuck my shit up Sent from my N861 using Grasscity Forum mobile app
I'm a self proclaimed idiot and I made the best soil in the whole wide world and I was so worried about it then I planted in it and OMG... I guarantee that you will be happy aswell. smoke em if you've got em
If you've added enough nitrogen rich items to make the soil go thermal there is no point in adding worms till it cooks and cools off.. They will either bail or fry.. Just plunge your hand in and see how hot it feels.. I use a lot of composted chicken manure and alfalfa pellets when I re-amend and it only takes a few hours to get smoking hot.. The other thing to keep in mind it this isn't something to keep searching for if you can't track down a item.. I did an initial pilot batch where I had everything on the list and then some.. And my much larger production batch where I needed bigger amounts then the 5 lb boxes from the hydro store.. So the production run was a far simpler mix using just what I can buy local in large bags.. Peat, manure, alfalfa, rock dust, perlite, compost, EWC.. While I did measure out the initial mixes now I just start layering as I dump the bags let it set a day or 2 then flip the pile to mix it.. Meanwhile I keep looking for local sources of things I'd like to add,, Convincing the wife that yes I really do need that 50 lb sack of whatever I've ordered online is getting harder all the time..
dczaster It sure makes it easier if you get the Sphagnum peat moss wet first before mixing. I use a 30-gallon Rubbermaid tub and fill that to about 2/3 full and dump 5 gallons of water into the tub and stir it around. You might have to let it sit for as much as 24 hours. Using a stick to stab the chunks into smaller pieces will move the process forward much quicker. If you try and mix your potting soil without doing this I can promise you that you will not be happy with the results because you will have permanent dry-pockets for the entire grow. At soil mixing plants they basically do the same thing as far as wetting the SPM first by using high-pressure water lines and only then do they add the other materials. HTH CC
Just a couple of new's from my first organic tub o spuds that was three min or so time to harvest... smoke em if you've got em
If my weeds love this soil half this much I'll be a happy man harvest complete, freed up a whole bunch if my soil...bag is also full of soil! smoke em if you've got em
Forgive me if this is a nooby question but can seedlings/rooted cuttings be started in this mix as well or should they be started in another mix? http://forum.grasscity.com/index.php?/topic/1314378-Mr.-Green-Thumbs-T5-&-400W-Mh/hps-Dwc-Grow!
If it is fully cooked put em in they will love you for it (if its fully cooked) smoke em if you've got em