I strained both mixes. Fed the spent alfalfa to the worms. added fresh vinegar to the leftover eggshells. I don't know if thats how you guys would've done it, but my girls need calcium asap and I didn't want to wait anymore. maybe a mistake. We'll see. When this new vinegar does it's thing, I'll marry it with the mix I just strained. Thanks for all the help guys
Why do you think your plants are calcium deficient? That's pretty rare in my experience. Lockouts seem much more common. Could you outline your cal and mag sources and amounts? MIW
Just one comment about Carandang's Calcium Phosphate recipe. It's important to remember that in this one he uses vinegar - i.e. Acetic acid. Vinegar with levels of this acid > 20% is sold and used as an organic herbicide. As a herbicide it's use is pretty limited. While it does kill the foliage completely and totally, it has very little effect on the roots as far as a herbicide. The vinegar sold in grocery stores is usually < 5% of this acid. I wouldn't think that at the correct dilution rate suggested by Carandang, that this is causing all of the problems but it might be something to factor in. Maybe diluting it down further and applying to the soil might be a better route. Keep in mind that Gil's living in the jungles of the Philippine Islands where it rains a lot meaning that teas sprayed on the outdoor plants have a much better chance of having the excess residue removed by weather than plants in a closed indoor environment. One other thing to consider, Kelp meal, Neem Seed meal, Crab meal, Comfrey, Dandelion, Stinging Nettles, Yarrow - all of these contain uber levels of Calcium. Off the chart and in the correct balance with the other elements. HTH LD
As far as being able to identify certain deficiencies from another, i got no idea. Im just going off of what I was told. Im really learning as i go here. These plants have went through some stress. I knew it would be this way so i started with bagseed. This is my learning run. Once i get things dialed in, I'll start my good genetics. In the beginning Im pretty sure i gave them nutrients too early and stunted them. So I have been gun shy about adding anything for quite a while. I transplanted and mixed in some Dr. Earth starter mix. They looked good for a few days then started showing more of the ugliness they've had the whole time. I am planning on adding some Dr. Earth veg mix soon. It has kelp in it so that may fix my problem. The eggshell solution was offered to me by Skunkpatronus when i asked her about my deficiencies. She was very helpful. Ive adding a pinch of epsom salt for mag. to my neem/silicone mix that I spray 2 times per week. I really think i just screwed up on my basic soil mix. I have learned a lot since i mixed the soil 3 months ago and Im reading about things I forgot, like oyster shell powder, rock dusts, and sul,po,mag. Thats ok though, this run is for my learning curve. The link at the bottom of my post is to my grow journal. Id love to invite everyone to look at it. Thats why i made it, so the pros would tell me where im screweing up. I'll have new pics up soon of the alfalfa tea growth
you should try TGA's line of seeds. They are solid performers and trouble free plants. I've been running 3 Ace of spades in veg for about 5 months and they are solid 1' bushes. I'm germinating a cover crop under them so things can only get better from here on. other wise mandala's safari mix is available on their website in just a few weeks here, and i've been thinking about going that route for the last few months..
LD, I know you can freeze vinegar to pull some of the water content out of it. I do that for weed killer. Forbesascent, thanks for the suggestion, I've got some seeds that I ordered from single seed center just sitting here waiting for me to get better at this. Next run will be either vanilla kush or super lemon haze
I suspect your over doing things. Magnesium would be one. Too much mag will upset the cal/mag apple cart. IOW your balance, in particular cal/mag, may be off due in part to frequent doses of mag. This may as simple as backing off adding magnesium......I'll check out you link.......MIW
I just started the Epsom this weak after I was told to buy Cal mag. Didn't want to spend the money or buy the 'bottle' so I did the epsom with the eggshell mix(hasn't been applied yet). I also felt that the reason the alfalfa did so well is because I thought I was underdoing it and they were starving.
After looking at your journal I agree with you. You might need to feed more often as your mix is a bit light in my thinking. Alfalfa meal and kelp meal in teas or top dressing could help......MIW
The epsom will tide you over kind of like dolomite lime i gues.s.. if you can find a country store where they sell feed for horses, hunting jacket, and birds, they might have 'bulk' mineral and meals available, or by the pound, maybe in the garden solution aisle... one thing about germination. having snipped away at solo cups for a while, and stapled recycled bottle fabric to make containers, I am liking this company's marketing/design it has me convinced its worth a go. that first few weeks after sprout is just indispensable...
Is anyone trying kudzu in a FPE or in teas or anything? According to wiki we might want to use it. Kudzu has been used as a form of erosion control and also to enhance the soil. As a legume, it increases the nitrogen in the soil via a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.[6] Its deep taproots also transfer valuable minerals from the subsoil to the topsoil, thereby improving the topsoil. In the deforested section of the central Amazon Basin in Brazil, it has been used for improving the soil pore-space in clay latosols, and thus freeing even more water for plants than in the soil prior to deforestation.[7]
Another boatanical source. Bulk Herbs from More Than Alive I see they have horsetail, along with the usual suspects.....MIW
Look at this blurb on millet Millet is tasty, with a mildly sweet, nut-like flavor and contains a myriad of beneficial nutrients. It is nearly 15% protein, contains high amounts of fiber, B-complex vitamins including niacin, thiamin, and riboflavin, the essential amino acid methionine, lecithin, and some vitamin E. It is particularly high in the minerals iron, magnesium, phosphorous, and potassium and is also a good source of copper and manganese. You may want to give millet a try if you are allergic to wheat. I tell ya gang, we are only scratching the surface with our botanical usage. And another thing 5 pages and no one mentioned the V word, lol. Good job everyone! MIW
I love millet seed bread. And I agree, we are only seeing the beginnings of the organic empire. LONG LIVE LIFE!!!
What do you guys think about making a FPE from 1/3 cannabis leaf (left over from hash making), 1/3 alfalfa, and 1/3 random weeds/plants? What would I do? Fill a jug or bucket half way with plant material and the rest water and let it sit for a few weeks?
You pretty much nailed it Yoc.......stir it a couple times a day if you can, and try to keep it in the sun as much as you can to speed up the fermentation (from the heat). It slows the process down quite a bit when the temps are cold. When you've finished your FPE, if there is residual plant material. put it on you compost pile or into your worm bin. I just strained out the leftovers from my comfrey FPE and put it in with the worms. It was taking it's sweet assed time breaking down compared to this summer, but most of the stems and lignin rich material was still there. chunk
yoctown Chunk told me about this link which shows the various elements and compounds that cannabis plants accumulate. The levels are listed as PPM so I don't know how that translates into percentages but it's a start. LD
Thanks. I figure what better to make an FPE out of then the plant I want to grow itself. I was thinking about changing the ratio to 1/4 cannabis leaf powder, 1/4 alfalfa, 1/4 random weeds (dandelions, tomato plant ect), and 1/4 EWC. Is it a good idea to add the EWC or a waste?
The only one that you listed that could prove problematic are the tomato plants. I can't recall the exact cite but it was something along the lines of specific anaerobic fungi that can hit tomato plants but can remain dormant. Something as well about removing tomato plants from your beds and compost them vs. letting them decompose in the beds themselves. Don't stop based on my (faulty) memory but I'll try to find the specific page(s) that made reference to this. LD