Hey whats going on guys, I just wanted to clarify a few things before I dive into my first organic grow. I currently have 2 separate soils cooking (Both have been cooking for 2 months now); 1 Bale of ProMix BX 2.5 Cups AgLime 1 Cup Magnesium Sulfate 30 lbs. EWC 1 'Bag' Alaskan Forest Humus 10 Gallons par-boiled rice hulls 4 Cups Trace Elements (Glacial Rockdust + Charred earth) 1 Bag Mushroom Compost 2 lbs. Mykos I used this as a base soil and then ammend two seperate piles (1/2 Bale of Promix) Veg: 3 Cups Mexican Guano 3 Cups Alfalfa Meal 3 Cups Kelp Meal 1/2 Cup Greensand (1 Bale of Promix) Flower: 3 Cups Indonesian Guano 3 Cups Kelp Meal 2 Cups Alfalfa Meal 1 Cup Greensand In theory what I was attempting to achieve was a water-only soil, seeing as I can transplant I figured each cycle wouldn't exaust its supply. I also kinda wanted some clarity on that very fact...when I transplant I TP the whole pot into another one, bringing with its soil ammendments and all...so the plant will still be using whats available in the veg soil during flower...right? I prepared some guano teas just in case; Veg Tea: 2 tbs. Mexican Guano 1 cup Earth Worm Castings (EWC) 1/4 cup Humic Soil 2 tbs alfalfa meal 2 tbs kelp meal 1 tsp Seaweed Powder Flowering Tea: 1 tbs. alfalfa meal 2 tbs. kelp meal 1 cup Earth Worm Castings 3 tbs. Indonesian Guano 3 tbs. Peruvian Guano 2 tbs Seaweed Powder NOW FOR MY ACTUAL QUESTION!! Sorry, just wanted you guys to know the full background of what I've got goin on. Compost teas! I have a compost mix; 1 tsp. alaskan humus 1/2 cup EWC 1 tsp. kelp meal 1 tsp. seaweed powder 2 tsp. molasses This mix is with the understanding that I'm feeding the soil...not the plant. Would it be ok to use this when transplanting into veg as LD advised? I wasn't sure of his situation when he posted that, was he using a 'super soil'? Would I be inadvertantly burning them by using a tea like this upon transplanting into a veg soil like the one above? Any help is greatly appreciated!
That tea will be fine. EWC and kelp meal (or seaweed powder) will not burn your plants, ever. It's important to realize that organic amendments, guanos especially, take a long time to break down. You definitely do not need to worry about exhausting the supply of amendments over a single grow, you can run 2-3 grows in that same soil before the guano even starts to fully kick in. Another thing is that you don't need a separate soil for veg and flower. This isn't the same as using chemical nutrients, where you have to have separate ferts for each stage. In a organic soil, it's best to have everything the plant needs already in the soil, since the plant will only use what it needs and will leave the rest. Next time try mixing everything into the same soil, using 1/2 the amount of each guano.
Hi Kesey. Great to see you jumping into organics. You need to forget your old hydro mentality. You do not need different soils for veg or flower stages. You do not need different teas for veg or flower stages. The old "N for veg & P for flower" way of thinking is a myth. With organics, we try and make a diverse soil mix. Our mixes contain everything needed to bring our plants from little seedlings or clones right through the end of flower. If I make a tea, they all get it. Don't differentiate between vegging or flowering - its simply not necessary. Our soil life and our plants decide what the plants need and when they need it. Pretty slick huh? It all takes time. J
Awesome advice guys and gals. Seeing as I've still got the 2 soils...should I just go ahead and mix em? The ratios wouldnt be that far off and sadly if anything, I think they would be short. My babies got rooted in rapid rooters and I transplanted in a peat, ewc, pbh mixture of solo cups. They're growing just fine so I can even let the new 'mixture' cook for a couple weeks. It's going to fill 14 - 5 gallon pots so it should use it all up...
If you're thinking it's a bit light then take half, bump it up a little and let it sit a little longer - unless you need it all at once. The nice thing about organics is not only how absolutely fantastic it eorks, but also the sheer easiness of it - set it and forget it. LITFA. Make a tea and just water everything with it. Top dress all stages with whatever - no separating the two stages. Can't do that with hydro, huh? Lol It's our microbe buddies, alongside the plants themselves, working with each other and making all of the heavy lifting decisions for us. They want something, they take it. They don't want something else, they leave it alone. It's all about the microbes Kesey. Make sure you have a happy environment below the surface. Do that by using GOOD compost, good castings. You can use all the fancy amendments in the world, and they're not going to do squat without high bacteria levels. See if you can come up with some granite meal or glacial rock dust and amend some of your soil with it - 4 or so cups per cf. J
I already have glacial rock added and in abundance, in specific I used GreenGro EarthShine 1lb :: Organic Fertilizer :: Plant Fertilizers :: Horizen Hydroponics - Hydroponic Systems Equipment Supplies, plant grow lights, Digital Electronic ballasts, Organic Fertilizers for indoor hydroponic gardening The whole bag for both soils. It doesnt say it on the front, but the label on the back says the trace minerals are from glacial rock dust. Its the best I could get at the time, but not to say its crap, heard rave reviews locally so we'll see how it goes. I've been watering my soils with molasses and various mycorizhal products every 2 weeks. So 4 times this far, I've also done my best to keep it warm, around 80-85F.