My coco powder got moisture in it. Had my wife order me some and she got this. Is this ok? I ordered from BAD the first time. Can't remember the label but this has one other thing in the ingredients other than coconut water. If not, anyone know of a place that is a Lil cheaper than BAS to get the stuff? Thanks in advance. Buzz!
Wonderful thread. I also believe there is quite a bit of wasted energy going on in organic gardening these days. With the right ratios mixed/cooked properly theres no need to do 1,000 different things because it's covered and not only is it covered for this grow it's covered for the next one as well with little effort. I love the old timers who kept it simple. Their marijuana was tasty, potent and enjoyable. These are not new concepts by any means. Growing up on the west coast of Florida in the 70s and 80s I can tell you those Carribean Island folks, Acupulco, oxacaxa Mexicans and South/Central Americans knew their shit! Many of them grew organically and they supplied us with some truly amazing and fresh marijuana. You also cant forget the wonderful Gainesville Green that was coming in from gator country. I remember seeing plenty of frosty buds with calyxes as big as your head back in those days. My uncle had been growing since the 1960s by the time 1987 rolled around his private indoor stock was so incredible Ive yet to see, taste or smell anything like it to this day! Not kidding. He was a full time grower and breeder for over 23 years by that point. When people say the marijuana is better these days they are wrong ... dead wrong! There has always been phenomenal organic marijuana out there you just had to know the right people. There were plenty of amazing genetics floating around that didnt reach cult status simply because some master growers were humble people who preferred growing for their friends, family and close acquaintances. His genetics at that point had been being developed for over 2 decades. And those natives I mentioned earlier had been developing theirs for over 2 millennia. So those only receiving brown dirt weed low in thc etc. back then ... unfortunately didnt know the right people or live in the right region.
hello everyone, So I'm brand new to using forums so let me know if im in the wrong place. I Have 2 hydroponic grows (DWC) under my belt and want to make the switch to organic. I have every box from down to earth line. I tend to overbuy. And I would like to know if i should try cocoir in my mix or stick with moss. I plan on adding worms if that makes a difference. if someone could point me in the right direction I would much appreciate.
SPM, sphagnum peat moss is preferred to coir. SPM has a much better CEC (cation exchange capacity). If you have every dte box, I would go over to the 'no-till revisited' thread and make the soil mix on the first few pages. cheers os
Hi, first post. A few questions. I already have and plan on using Pro-mix BX with the mix on the first page. Should i adjust the ingredients like lime or is there a certain similar just water mix i should use with the pro mix? Or should i just buy straight peat moss ? Also can i add worms to this mix? I also plan on transplanting a live cover crop on top of each bucket with clover and chicken weed while my buckets cook.
It's a bit cheaper to just buy peat moss in my opinion. Plus you can buy Mykos on it's own and add it which may still be a cheaper route than promix and i would recommed cutting back on the perilite and using rice hulls if you can find them. Perilite breaks down over time and hardens your soil a bit. I'll let the big dog's comment on the worms.
I already have the pro mix and the rest of the ingredients including extra perlite and rice hulls. I garden also so i can use up what i don't need.
Promix is already PH balanced. I would use less lime something like .25 cup per cubic foot. Worms will do great in the mix feel free to add them! The cover crop will be fine as well, we have a lot of mixed opinions here on the organics forum regarding cover crops many do not feel it's worth the effort unless you plan on turning it over before planting which many will encourage and the naysayers actually recommend this route.
Just curious but wouldn't rice hulls break down faster than perlite? Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
Thanks that was what i was thinking about the pro mix and lime, thanks for a amount. . I'm mixing 1-1-1 with my pro-mix/compost/both rice hulls and perlite for the last part.. Would i still need a little more lime with my home humus? Its composted goat/chicken/leaf mold/ ewc. etc. Can you add too much lime?
You would really have to work at it to over apply lime, but you can certainly under apply it. BTW, perlite is a mineral and totally inert. It doesn't break down at all, unlike rice hulls.
For a beginner wanting to use rice hulls and perlite in the above mix I would do this. Do 33% each perlite, promix, and compost. Then add an extra 5-10% rice hulls. This will ensure good drainage for a long time, and keep the benefits from the rice hulls of adding soil organic matter and silica as they break down. Many of us are migrating toward a aeration component (rice hulls and perlite) of 40% or more. hth cheers os
Hi, thats interesting because i was thinking that exact same thing about extra aeration for roots and drainage after reading the no till recipe. It seems to have a lot of aeration. I also like the idea of the silica from the rice hulls. My plan is to do my mix tomorrow. 1/3 pro-mix bx, 1/3 perlite, 1/3 compost. add 10% rice hulls. Add 1/2 cup lime, Add 2 cups azomite rock dust and 2-1/2 cups of the amendment mix. I'm going to throw some red worms on top of each of the 5 - 7 gal nursery pots and mulch with shredded leaves. They will start being worked into my current garden one pot every month. I'm doing a perpetual 4 plant grow trying to harvest one plant every month. After each harvest i'm planning to dump each pot, lightly amend, throw worms/mulch back on top and have 6 weeks to cook again. Does my mix sound like it will work or should i tweak it.?
Seems like a lot of work. We here on the organics forum have a different philosophy, I think. We like to put the soil together one time and just amend by top dressing as needed. For this, most will probably agree that a pot of 25 gallons or more is preferred, the bigger the better. Not sure on your space restraints but I would try and put the biggest fabric pot you can in the space you have square ones work great too if your space restrained. Then just put all your plants in that one pot. The soil will get better and better and WAY less work for you.
So I'm sort of new at this whole form thing. and I know that these were pretty old posts. But I'm just wondering if I add neem meal to my soil mix it still okay to spray with a neem oil for added protection right or is that just Overkill?
Part of my thinking was if i used this mix they said on the first few pages to take the plants out and chop up all the roots, remix etc. With my pot size i also thought i wouldn't have enough room for a no till. I'm growing in a 2x4 home made cabinet for my flower room so i have space concerns on the doors / height etc. Plus i want to be able to spin my plants every day for more even light. Right now i use a baby scrogs over 5 gal buckets with about three-4 gals of soil in them so going up to seven should fill my space fine. I'm also running two fabric pots now but have decided to go with all 7 gal nursery pots next time. I might get bigger ones like you suggest in the future if i can get everything figured out better. I also like taking my plants out to trim.
Something like this should work http://a.co/hPwWGLB And that would be no till. If it is no till there is no need to take the plants and chop up roots etc. Simply when ready to harvest cut where the stem meets the soil and you can trim wherever you want leave roots where they are. However, no rotating would be too heavy. Just another option for down the road I wouldn't totally give up on no till.
I really appreciate the advice. That pot is certainly different than i was prepared for...lol That is very interesting and i see what your getting at. One more question. I only grow 4 plants at a time so I'm rotating plants one at a time approx every 4-5 weeks out of my flower area aiming for a perpetual monthly harvest. If i veg my plants in my veg area, then transplant them into the flower room no till pot, can i veg them for a month in a solo cup, and then transplant into a little bigger pot, say 2 gal for the last veg month, then transplant them right into the even larger 12/12 no till flower room soil? Will they have time in flower to grow enough extra roots to use use all that extra soil?