Hey, Ive had successful harvests but would appreciate some help with my plunge into organics. Im going to list everything I have going on and hopefully get a discussion going. Just want some suggestions. I was about to build a compost tea brewer, but the majority of people I follow dont use teas anymore. I wonder if thats because their soil is ALREADY established? Im going to list everything Im working with, see if I can figure out what to do next. Veg: 4ft 8 bulb T5HO Flower: 600W HPS in 4x4 tent Worm bin: Fed frozen/thawed strawberries & bananas but now spotted some bugs so havnt fed in about 2weeks. Bugs are very discouraging, read theyre beneficial but also read they're bad. Are they still harvestable? Soil Components on hand Sphagnum peat moss Purple Cow Compost(No manure, High quality) EWC Red lava rock/perlite/Vermiculite Kelp meal Alfalfa meal Fish bone meal Crab shell meal Oyster shell meal Glacial rock dust Peruvian seabird guano (topdress) Diameticous Earth Miscellaneous Items: 200x Aloe Powder Coconut Powder Protekt (silica) Barley SST/Barley Mulch My plan WAS to harvest my VCompost to use in my soil mix, wet mix with Compost tea and let it cycle. Then do a "water only" grow, with SST/Aloe/comfrey and such. The bugs in my worm bin are causing me to question whether or not to use it, especially due to the mixed thoughts on the bugs being beneficial or not. All in all, I need to add some items to my soil recipe but besides that what should my first step be?
I have a 15gal fabric in veg currently, and it seems easier to grow with big pots but its just hard to move.
"Bugs are very discouraging, read theyre beneficial but also read they're bad. Are they still harvestable?" I don't think that there is a bug on the planet that could make a worm bin unusable. 99.999% of the time the insects that you will see in a worm bin are there for the exact same reason your worms are in there - to break down OM. They are all part of the Nutrient Cycling process which breaks organic matter into usable forms which plants can use. You need to identify your bugs. Folks will help if you provide decent pictures. J
Bugs that chow down on decaying OM generally don't bother living plants and the nasties that attack plants don't bother with 'dead' stuff. Quit stressing over the bugs in the bin. Jerry is 420% right. The tea bit and getting the soil right to no longer bother with tea's depends a lot on the fresh VC you got going. The VC, bugs and all add SO much to the life of a soil. Not just the NPK, or just the microbes, but the enzymes to help everything break down and feed everybody. How long has the bin been going? Have you harvested any yet? Even small amounts will have a positive effect on the soil. *I* would put neem cake as the #1 priority for available funds. Your list is looking good otherwise. Wet
Its been going since early-mid november. I have not harvested any yet, it seems about time to harvest soon. I want to start a fresh bin with more bedding this time, Ill get it going tomorrow so it can sit for a bit first. I understand what you mean about the Teas, I think itd be helpful until I get vermicompost situation settled. Buying 570+ GPH pump so the tea will have more than enough movement.
Always a good idea to get new bedding started in advance, almost like cooking soil. Be sure to add some of the bedding from the current bin to inoculate the new bedding. Saves a LOT of time and makes life easier for the worms. Wet