Im hoping to get into vermicompost bit im really not get most of what you guys post so ill probably just stick to thermocomposting... Itty Bitty Canna Committee - "Our Cup Runneth Over".
Vermicomposting is easy....take your finished thermocompost and feed it to a crapload of worms in a box.
thought it had to be a specific type of worm??? If not hell I can get earthworms and chuck them in my compost bin... Itty Bitty Canna Committee - "Our Cup Runneth Over".
Red Wiggler worms. Try a Uncle Jim's, it's where I get mine from. I have a Sunleaves earth worm farm, composting my dried fan leaves, dirt, coffee grounds, egg shells, etc. making tea out of it along with my own EWC. Check out my grow! http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-grow-journals/1318542-freedom-35.htmlk
Ok guys give me about an hour or so and I'll post what the compost looks like after its screened, but I'm going to use a smaller screen size to get smaller particles. ... Itty Bitty Canna Committee - "Our Cup Runneth Over".
Working in the confines of an urban yard I don't have the luxury of building a compost pile that wouldn't be a pile of pure lawn clippings as that is about all the waste debris that gets generated.. So off I went in search of bagged off the shelf compost or something from a landscaping supply.. What I usually found was the same loads of shredded tree debris over and over.. Being 50% or better recognizable chopped wood isn't compost in anybody's book.. After a couple of very disappointing buys I started tearing a hole in the bags and seeing what was inside before shelling out any more cash for crap.. Surprisingly enough Home Depot carries a usable product at a fair price you just have to track it down.. Eco Scraps.. Made from store veggies this stuff is the best I've found.. Not all stores stock it so I had to drive a bit but very worth it.. http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/1277064-sourcing-organic-soil-mix-components.html#entry19391792 I always like to post jerrys sourcing thread about now... http://www.google.com/shopping/product/1?lsf=seller:8740,store:3547698635392429804&prds=pid:13358741422078095280&hl=en&cm_mmc=shoppinggoogleadspla203182734&ci_sku=203182734&ci_gpa=pla&ci_src=17588969&gclid=COuMvfG1wMACFUiPfgodjqgAXQ Good compost will make or break your soil..
Heres what I composted in a bin in the yard...so what do you think is it ready for a base mix.... and will running ffof instead of spagnum peat moss be ok for the base as well... Itty Bitty Canna Committee - "Our Cup Runneth Over".
That stuff looks awesome!!! If I was to use ffof as a base, I would probably do something like this: 50% ffof 30% compost/ewc 20% aeration Those are just guesses.. just make sure that it has plenty of aeration and it drains well. You probably wouldn't have to add much in the way of amendments either since the ffof is already amended. TJ
hey guys....here's some soil I have cooking...I noticed these small patches of white stuff growing... Does it look beneficial ?
My only concern, I see a lot of lil bugs in there and I'm almost postive I saw a few spider mites when I was using my camera and zoomed all the way in.... Itty Bitty Canna Committee - "Our Cup Runneth Over".
from what I'm learning that means you have a good healthy soil.... Itty Bitty Canna Committee - "Our Cup Runneth Over".
How long does it take compost mites to leave my compost???? Itty Bitty Canna Committee - "Our Cup Runneth Over".
Or are they ok to throw in my mixing bin??? Will they attack my plants or die after they do their jobs break on down the additives. .. see I'm researching just havent found the damn answer... lol Itty Bitty Canna Committee - "Our Cup Runneth Over".
I'm guessing that they are soil mites or something of the sort and not an issue. Pics? There is a lot of good info in this thread: http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/1275083-beneficial-insects.html TJ
Ive tried I cant get the bastards to stay above the soil long enough for me to find it focus my phone then snap the pic they immediately run down ggggrrrrr I took so many pics my battery died and not a single useful pic..... epic sad face Itty Bitty Canna Committee - "Our Cup Runneth Over".
One of the most useful tools you can get for pests is a jewler's loupe or a magnifying glass. I've sat and looked through that thing at my plants, leaves, and buds, for hours. You can use it to check out damage sites to see what's up, to check the color of your trichromes, to spot eggs on the underside of a leaf, and just to stare at the bugs/mites and watch them. edit: Identification is paramount. If you know what you have, you're better equipped to manage it.
What do you think it just needs to cook for the 4 weeks.. Itty Bitty Canna Committee - "Our Cup Runneth Over".
Heres what I did around 5 gallons of ffof probably a lil more then 4.5 gallons of perlite and 3 gallons of the compost I just pulled and 2.5 gallons of EWC then I put 2 cups of lime in the base For my amendments I used 2 cups kelp 3 cups garden tone 1/2 cup rainbow mix grow 1/2 cup rainbow mix bloom 4 cups alfalfa 3 cups rock dust 1/2 cup blood meal 1/2 cup bone meal then mixed it all up in a big ziplock then added 6 cups of the total amendments to the 2 cubic foot Im picking up the neem meal tonight and will mix it in then.... I'm forgoing the crab because of the rainbow mix its loaded with it in both bloom and grow as well as went a lil lighter on the rock dust because of the rainbow mix as well and I went ape shit on the perlite to make sure there is plenty of aeration. ... Itty Bitty Canna Committee - "Our Cup Runneth Over".
Some are recommending not adding your Neem meal till after the cook down phase to preserve the secondary metabolites if I understand it correctly..