Poke, check with August West too - i'm thinking that he bought some online last year so he did some homework and shopped around before ordering. I'm pretty sure it was him anyhow lol J
Ok definitely will do, thanks Jerry chunk, that company i wrote for a free sample wrote back and said they havent got a shipment in 4 months. Said the drought dropped production of rice by as much as 60%. Said it wont last forever but no ETA on the next shipment. He's offering to send me "redwood shavings" free instead. Asked if ive ever used it and said he could send a sample today. Never used redwood shavings...thoughts? Not that itll replace aeration but what would i do with it? Thanks guys. ~ poke
You think if I got some and had them in my chicken pen they would break down in about two years with enough chicken manure/urine? I plan to let their pen sit a year after removing them and then turning it into a grow area for herbs. Thanks. p.s. any of you can request a free sample from that company if you're interested.
dangit, outta likes. Btw, I wanted to add that im not dead set for or against any amendments so if youve got a better idea by all means, please, share it! Im acquiring amendments to build a complete no till setup. Want to go 40-50 gallon totes and let em be. Is that your mulch?
No, not mulch. Pots are just sitting atop the shavings. I initially did it to see if it would help with a fungas gnat issue that just kept reoccuring regardless of what I tried (I don't do chemicals...PERIOD!). It did work in that sense. I should mention that I did use cedar chavings as an aeration amendment in a mix of soil. Decayed tree stump, some clay from the yard, leaf duff, and black soil I found in the woods somewhere. Used the cedar shavings for this because someone said they weren't good for it and terpenes would harm the grow. I believe I used hardwood ash as well. But that was it for that mix, and you tell me whether it worked? ***I had my light fall on this plant a couple times by the way...BRB with the flowering pics. They're somewhere else. View attachment 1091147 View attachment 1091148 View attachment 1082872 View attachment 1091150 View attachment 1091151 Threw in a few extras with that mix, and some with cedar shavings as a mulch. Thought not cannabis, but I saw them and decided why not post'm. EDIT: Ok. Well the flowering, harvest, drying and curing pictures appear to have been with the rest of my best pictures...crashed with last years storage drive. Don't let inexperienced PC users use your PC if you have important stuff on it. Just going to certain websites can have extreme negative effects. :/ I pulled 2.5-3 ounces off it I remember. And that was with half of it being split once again later after the pics above. Once again by the light falling. Would I bank on cedar shaving as a for sure aeration replacement? Not without prior experimentation to see if it fits your soil.
That was also my second plant ever too btw. Oops. Fourth if you count my first two tomato plants, and the one cannabis before it. FWIW
This thread is a fucking life saver. Was about to spend a shitload on coast of maine shit over the web until I read this and used the where to buy button to source it locally. Thank you!
Great! Shipping big heavy stuff, especially stuff like compost isn't worth it in my opinion. It's a rare case where a gardener can't find usually most of what they need locally. i'm really glad it helped. j
This thread is very useful, especially for newbs like me looking to go organic. I'm glad it popped back up or else I wouldn't have seen it. You did it again Jerry Has anyone used dairy too? Just wondering how good of a compost it is. I went to 2 places that have them yesterday while out sourcing ingredients.
I've heard of folks using the "Dairy Doo" compost (that's what you were referring to, right) but don't have any personal experience with it. Hopefully somebody chimes in. I'm not sure how it could be a bad thing - if I remember correctly it's just composted dairy manure. You might not want to use it as 100% of your humus component but I'm sure it wouldn't hurt being part of it. j
I have used both Dairy Doo compost and there EWC when I mixed my first organic soil. Before I started my own worm bin and compost pile. Imo it was a good product made right here in Michigan. I happened to be down by Sears MI. one day and stopped in there store worth a stop if your in the area. I believe you can bye it bag or by the yard. By the yard is alot cheaper if you need a large quantity. I got a yard from a local Amish feed store for $27.00. I think they wanted 6.49 for a 1c.f bag at there store. Edit: should have looked at my bill from last spring before I posted the per bag amount
Wow Jerry, this is the most beautiful thread on GC! As someone who wants to start growing organic, this is a plethora of information. Almost too much info (but good)! So many great links for me to source local organic materials. Some places that are literally right down the road from me. This may not be the best place to ask, but is there a beginner/fool proof mix of organic soil? An easy mix to help me understand how the process works? Again, thank you for your time and knowledge.
Also, I wanted to see if the organic experts have any opinions on this soil mix. http://www.fineroutdoorliving.com/composts6.php Any information is greatly appreciated. Thanks again
"fool proof mix" 2.5 gallons ProMix 2.5 gallons 50/50 worm castings & compost mix 2.5 gallons aeration - perlite, buckwheat or rice hulls, etc to this add 1 cup kelp meal, 1/2 cup neem cake, 1/2 cup crab meal and a couple cups of basalt or granite dust. Wet thoroughly, let it sit a couple weeks and plant. Keep moist with tap water throughout the grow, harvest, dry, cure, enjoy. j
A million thanks! I want to dive right into organic gardening, but was unsure about how to start. This will at least get my foot in the door. I want to start composting and worm farming. Also just bought the book "Teaming with Microbes" Going to try to ingest all the knowledge. Again, thank you.
This is a very good place to continue an education on organic gardening - http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/1299862-no-till-gardening.html#entry19925986 tvat is Blue Jays No-Till thread - it will get you where you want to be. j