Im just finishing up my first grow in a dwc setup and a couple plants as well. Ive been noticing the fight for organics going on,and being in the profession that im in,i know all about keepin it local,and organic is always better. I have a couple of questions before i start this wonderful journey.. My understanding is that you build a soil to contain all the necessary nutrients,and you just water it.. do the bacteria start naturally or do i have to introduce it somehow.. Soil recipe. Do the guanos and kelp and bloodmeal have directions on them? Could someone point me in the direction of info on the ratios that the amended soils should contain? I found a thread before for organic soil amendment recipes.. cant find it now.Also, there should be d. Lime in the mix,how much? Does dlime provide magnesium. Also, at what point does the water im putting in ph matter. My tap water comes out at like 7.2 and over 500 ppm.. should i just use my ro water? Do u use molasses in organics? Any help is much appreciated. Im super excited to get this goin. Cant wait to get off the bottle..
you're best off buying 'nutrient' at your local farm supply- it's also known as animal feed- the rock dust, alfalfa and kelp meals, and then get pointed to some local compost for the bacteria. if you're not growin more than a few plants then consider just using a base nutrient like epsoma plant-tone Dr earth tomato, so you dont have to worry about quantities (though once you get the basics of each ingredient and how they work in compost mixing your own is straight forward too) Aim to buy less than you're thinking about now. you can pick most the plants in nature that are used to make some killer compost ''green manure'' and they won't sell that to you at 90% of garden stores- and 100% of hydro stores. once you have the local comost (look for worms or worm castings for sale on craigslist- some people farm worms for sale as tackle and the compost is the by-product- priced betweebn 15$-45$ a 5 gallon bucket( you wont need the RO, ph, or ppm. However the #1 consideration is how your plants look. I was hesitant about my first Nettle FPE but i've been using it along with clear water+humic acids and with a hydro fish foliar my plants are looking just dandy --- and that's our primary consideration. BTW welcome. I'll try and keep the fighting down... from here on ps my tap water runs around 9-10. When I water with the humic acid it's around 11. plants look near perfect. Go figure... and here's some mandatory reading for ya i just recently read it and felt the stupider for not doing so sooner.
Fif41 - welcome to the GC Organic Growing forum. Your first order of business will be to build an organic, living soil mix. I would suggest that you start HERE. This is the most important part, and will take time and practice. We try and put everything that our plants need into our soil mix. We do not use bottled nutrients, as everything needed is already in our mixes. Even more important than "nutrients", is to have a living soil. Our soils contain bacteria, fungi, nematodes, protozoa, etc - it is Alive. You must start with a high quality compost/humus base. We use quality earthworm castings. We also add soil life to our mixes in the form of compost teas. This is a way to ensure that there are high numbers of bacterias, fungus, etc. in our mixes. This soil life works symbiotically with our plants, feeding our plants, making them disease resisitant, and a whole manner of things that ensure vibrant plant health. You need to read. Read the Stickys. I'm serious. Read them. Get yourself a copy of Teaming with Microbes - Revised Edition. Get some knowledge of what we do going on before you jump in with both feet. There is incredible amounts of info on these boards - make use of it. I personally use the water right out of my tap, as I have an artesian well. Our microbes do not like chlorine. I do not use bloodmeal. Try and find a different source of nitrogen, such as Alfalfa Meal. I buy mine from our local feed store for around $11.00 to $12.00 for a #50 pound sack. I dont use guano either, but thats a whole other conversation. Kelp Meal is a "must have" ammendment - there is an incredibly diverse amount of nutrition in it. Get to reading. There are some fantastic people here to help you along the way. We dont want to do your reading for you, but will be very happy to steer you in the right direction. I'm glad to hear that you want to get "off the bottle". I havent used bottled nutrients in a very long time now and I couldnt be happier. I dont want them, and I dont need them. Neither do you, and once you get rolling you'll be gardening better and happier than you ever have. Once again - welcome. jerry. ps - Forbins, thanks for putting the One Straw link up!
Thanks fellas for the awesome links. Exactly what i was looking for. Ill be around,after im done readin all of this fantastic info. Thanks again.
Im seeing alot of suggestions to alternatives to bloodmeal, bonemeal,and guanos... is this because of sustainability issues or what? Inhumane practices?
you got it. While these products may be considered ;certified organic' there are some practices involved that should be questioned- factory farms, disturbing habitats, etc. if you run out of reading check out the soil and health library online- you have to save the link to view it the pdf more than once but it's some dense material.
I recommend reading the stickies here, with a note pad in hand. The information is not well organized, so you'll need to take notes and reread them a few times. As far as sustainability and such, I like to source things close to me that are healthy. Close to me just because I like to have things shipped to me and close is cheap. Also, if we have a global oil crisis, it's nice to be able to get things close to home. I also trust sources like fish over bovine for bone meal and such.
You know i started down this growing road thinking that bottled chemicals were the only way to grow mj. Boy,i was wrong. I have spent my afternoon reading the stickies posted here in this section, and have a better understanding of the project i am about to undertake. The biggest is the change of thought on feeding the plants, now im re-stocking the soil with fungai and bacteria. And feeding them. I dont have a big enough area to compost in, but im fairly confident i can source all of these soil amendments locally... im all about sustainability and humane treatment of animals. I no longer get my meat from such places,why should i get my fertilizer from there too.. Thanks to all who took the time to reply to my questions. I will be around here often,learning and asking. I hope to be showing my organic, sustainable,grow to you guys soon. Still got a question, my tapwater is over 500ppm, i dont have a problem with aerating and everything,but will that extremely hard water cause any problems? I do have ro water available too.
I am just beginning that same ride, subbed if u don't mind me traveling this path with you. Soo much to learn, so many great sources of info.
Fif31, is it city water? Is it chlorinated? If it isnt chlorinated, then I say dont worry about it. At least try it right out of your tap - again, if it isnt chlorinated. I use my (well) water right out of the tap and it works just fine for me, but thats just my two cents. Others may say differently. How are you getting on? Are you reading? Are you learning? Have you put together a list of goodies for your first organic soil mix? Wishing you the best - jerry.
Still got a question, my tapwater is over 500ppm... One more thing - Hopefully you'll be out of the ppm/ph/tds mindset soon, but it does take some time.... jerry.
Hi jerry! Yes ive read that ppm, ph are things organic gardeners rarwly have to deal with. Its strange,considering this is what i JUST learned how to do things lol. I live and die by my ph meter with my dwc lol. I was only asking about the water because my water is so extreme. Its city water. Chlorinated,very hard, and probably everything else in the book. I do have ro available... As for my soil mix... i know you should start out with quality base... gotta have perlite...sources of N and P (and everything in between.)dont use blood or bonemeal because we like animals. Dolomite lime to buffer soil and keep cal, mg available in soil. Water with molasses to help feed bacteria. Id like to do it so i can just water,and do the two teas,one for veg one for flower. They feed the bacteria and other lil guys (protazoa and etc...). High fungai profile teas help facilitate pgosphorus intake. You wanna use the bacteria tea as foliar spray too to keep mites away. Ummmmm...theres a ton more. Lol,i know im barely scratchin at the surface.. Greatwhite, i hope we can help eachother learn. These guys on here have already taught me a ton,and ive only read a lile 5 authors ' work. Thanks again guys.
Hey Fif31, I was in your shoes about 4 months ago. I read every stickie and copied off of Lumperdawgs. Im not trying to be original, Im just trying to succeed for now. Im reading and learning as I go. He has listed his soil mix for us to use and learn from, I suggest you use it. My plants are looking great. I copied his soil to a tea and use a DR. Earth feeding schedule that Chunkdadd-O gave me. I also learned about ACT, Compost, and worm castings from these same guys. These guys have all helped me figure this out. It's all here. Read every stickie and you'll be golden. Good luck. I don't know about you but Im loving this organic shit. There's so much more to know and think about. I'm going deeper and learning about how to grow plants instead of how to measure 1/4 cup per gallon and check PH.
This is why I don't think using organics in a bottle makes one an organic farmer. With organic bottles, while better than out and out chemicals, one still tends to play chemist more than gardner.
Fuck that, I drank straight out of the tit first. Seriously, I only ever used two products out of the bottle and that was fish emulsion and Maxicrop. Thank god I am past all of that now. I was always big on mixing my own soil blends and using teas I had made. I'm so happy to have found this forum as it really gives me the tools to grow the way I have always wanted to.
It takes some of us longer. I started bottled organic, went way left to synthetic. Now I see the light. I have been reading so much. I can't start my next grow for about 6 months so I plan to learn everything and build my soul my my castings then grow some dank ass nugs natures way. Man I can't wait
I see these type of posts (including mine) pop up more and more. How amazing would it be if true organic gardening became mainstream due to cultivators of cannabis? Wee & LD & Terra & Chuck. We need more training if we are to tackle the masses of bottle fed wanna be's!!! Haha