Hey all, after reading up on a bunch of different grow mediums I've decided to go with the organics. Cleaner ingredients, cleaner high, no? Haha. Anyway, I wanted to get some thoughts on my soil mix. I know, the more amendments the better, but with my budget its the best I can do. I'm basically asking, is there anything else I absolutely need to get rolling? Currently I have about one cubic foot of soil mixed, ingredients are, 1/3 perlite, 1/3 Peat moss, 1/3 EWC (couldn't find a local source for compost and diddnt like any bagged product, figured this was the best quality ingredient I could get). 1 cup epsoma garden lime 1 cup epsoma tomato tone 1 1/2 cup neptunes harvest kelp meal 4 cups azomite. Also, how long is it absolutely necessary for soil to cook before it's viable enough to grow in? I'm looking to get seeds in ASAP.
Welcome to GCO! The longer the better, but as little as 2 weeks could maybe do it. 4 weeks is better and usually the minimum I see recommended around here. And you may change your opinion on the cleaner ingredients after you smell some fermented teas haha.
Haha if I can come to love a plant that smells to most like a skunk I can come to love those teas too, especially if half the things I've read about them are true
And also on the teas, I found a recipie for a nettle tea. I knew I haddnt mowed down those 3ft tall bull nettle plants that have been massing in my yard for a good reason haha. Got a 5 gallon bucket begging to have something new and exciting in it.
I go 4 weeks just to be safe and if I'm starting from seeds I usually have a small bag of dr earth for seeds to one gallon. Then transfer to 5gallon with my personal mix. You could also make a seed mix with less nutes..
Honestly, on my last grow, I went 100% organic and didn't cook the soil at all. I must have missed the info about soil cooking and just planted the seeds. They did very well. I for one would like to know if anyone has done a test side by side between cooked soil and uncooked soil.
Same place as the "2 weeks is not enough"? Must be a secret "cook time" rule book that we don't know about. Wet
I was JUST thinking the same thing! Lol I picture a dusty, leather bound book with the words "Ancient Chinese Secret" written in English, on the front cover...and a quote below saying "...soil secrets, never revealed..." Lu
Plant your seeds in the soil following a minimum 12 hour presoak after you get them and you'll be good to go. That's what I do. And others to I reckon. You just gotta take the leap Cheeser...
its not a secret "cook time" rule book. You mustve been looking for said book in the Gardening section of the store. Its actually in the kitchen section, ironically by the other cookbooks. True story! Hate when people give misinformation so emphatically. Reminds me of what I go through each time I go to the grow/hydro stores!haha
Oh, missed you guys bitching about me on this thread. Ohio state Ag has a study specifically on this matter, its about 6 pages long and in simple english...good luck hunting Edit: Fuck it, no need for a bad attitude. Gotta be better than the haters I guess.. You guys gotta be more receptive to hearing you're wrong...its ok to be wrong...it's how you get better I know this from experience, LOL. Like the first time I mixed a soil and used it after 2 weeks, shit was whack and the plants failed so I gave a buddy the soil with what I thought was a needed disclaimer...he let it sit for another 2 months and used it with GREAT success...I kinda just put 2 and 2 together... http://ohioline.osu.edu/sag-fact/pdf/0016.pdf As you can see, most decomposition isn't in full swing until a month in. Perhaps with our general methods and aiding our microbes we get slightly faster decomp, but when you're talking about what might be thousands of dollars worth of marijuana...it's better to be patient Or even better yet, make your own compost and add your soil ammendments to the compost since you don't have the nitrogen to facillitate good decomposition in your generic 'living soil' mixing methods... Keep on keepin' on GC...
2 months minimum? Oh shit, so THAT is what I have been doing wrong all along. Kesey, oh God of Organics, how do I improve upon this wack little 4 week cook time?
Looking professional man. Damn, diddnt mean to start an argument. Anyhows, I'm growing in soil I only cooked for about a week. However the compost I bought I'm sure had been sitting much longer than that, just added my amendments. A week in and I haven't had healthier plants. I suppose it does come down to longer is better, especially if your making your own compost. Obviously you can't plant fresh cow shit, but I don't think there's necessarily a minimum cook time depending on your compost.
Actually, that's not bad for a rookie that's doing it all wrong. If you grovel properly perhaps Kesey will do a private tutoring or something. ;-))) Wet
You guys hold me to a higher light than I hold myself, trust me. I'm sorry if I come off as bad and vindictive. I've said it before and I'll say it again...I just wanna spread reputable and well founded knowledge. That's it. I can't even begin to tell you how much shit I've fucked in my relatively short career, if I can save one person the heartache I've felt...well then I guess it's worth pissing some people off...