i'm doing my first grow this next season and i'm going to be doing it organic. do i just go to the store and buy organic shit and mix it with the soil? or do i have to add certain nutrients at certain times? So my basic question is How do i organically grow
You need to browse these threads and do some homework. Read, read, read, there is a ton of info out there that will answer your questions.
it just means placing manures and meals a few weeks earlier than you plant. Compost is good too for more micro organisms. And feed with teas -not chemicals-.
I mix an organic compost. Starting with a peat substrate, I mix in horse manure and wormcasts for nutrition, sand and grit for drainage, and crushed eggshells (organic lime). During the grow I add liquid nutes, BioCanna that I buy locally, and my own Russian comfrey fert - see sticky. And Epsom salts a couple of times.
sounds like a good mix there cantharis not a newb, but amatuer, couple ?s would it be "organic" if grown in a aeroponic or dwc system using the correct nutes and all? im just thinking perliite/hydroton wouldnt be considered organic medium, but compost mix may clog pumps/sprays. Any suggestions? I read up on the USDA guidelines, but didnt go into detail on those methods. hope im not too far off..... thx for any info.
Regardless of whatever 'strata' or 'growing medium' you eventually opt for, it will have nothing to do with whether or not you're growing an 'organic' crop, per se. Having said that - I detest hydroponics. Not because it's not an effective growing system - it is. Done deal. It's also extremely taxing on your time and concentration with so many variables. Not to mention the initial set-up costs involved in any hydroponic system and those costs are involved and necessary whether or not you're using 'organic nutrients' or the mineral salts that are so popular in the indoor garden paradigm. But to answer your question directly - it's the nutrients/feeding program that determines whether or not you're growing an organic crop and it has absolutely nothing to do with the medium that you choose to grow with. HTH LumperDawgz
do you not like hydro method from a organic standpoint, or just hydro in general?? i am pondering doing 2 methods next grow, one my aeroponic setup as normal, but have a organic crop as well. Maybe ill just get organic compost and put them in regular pots an see the difference. your right on the time invested, but fun too. thx for reply & info!
Probably both. I know that it sounds like a 'smart ass' answer and that is not my intent. I'm an 'organic purist' for growing my medicine and I also make my living growing vegetables, culinary herbs for the restaurant sector. High-end sector basically. We grow 15 varieties of basil from 8 countries, 10 varieties of thyme, cilantro as well as 'culantro' from Southeast Asia, 5 types of arugula (green, red, purple, blue and yellow, i.e. chefs are a weird breed! LOL), et al. We also grow 20 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, 15 varieties of heirloom chili peppers and such. So I don't come to the discussion about hydroponics with the proverbial 'clean hands' as such. I probably do hold a definite bias towards the whole 'soil food web' concept. Don't take any of my comments to mean that you should do what I do - that's stupid. Grow your plants in the method that works best for you and your situation. Cheers
Thx for reply, Lumper it sounds like your doing what ive been considering. Id like to put my green thumb to good use, and have been considering going organic for awhile. the only good info i can come accross is on these bud forums, hahah. Ive been thinking about growing vegetables, fruits, & herbs indoors organically & target the resturants & farmers markets. If you dont mind me asking, Do you grow yours indoor, outdoor, or both? Id like to try all indoor, but worried that the flavors may not be in the fruits & veggies that should be. any special mixes to ensure full flavor? thx for the time.
To be truly organic, the medium should not be pre-nuted. Potting soil like regular Miracle-Gro contains time release, non-organic fertilizer. (Miracle Gro offers an organic mix as well) I like Promix BX for my base, then I add organic amendments and fertilizer, like bone and blood meals, worm castings, etc.
Mr.EllisDee For growing vegetables or fruit (berries are a real money-maker at Christmas and Thanksgiving - especially organically grown) a greenhouse is the best way to go and add supplement lighting (HPS) to extend the day period in the morning and late afternoon when during autumn and winter. You'll need heat as well, obviously. Culinary herbs are basically inbred weeds. And they grow like weeds - whoa! A healthy basil (the standard one most commonly grown) in a 5-gallon pot will grow at rates that will blow your mind. After about a month of growing you have to begin to harvest branches and leaves daily to keep it under some kind of control. Learn to dry herbs! Dried herbs, again organically grown, command a much higher price. There is a magazine for indoor growers with an emphasis on hydroponics called Growing Edge that you might want to peruse. There are books made up of articles that have appeared in that publication available at their web site or perhaps your local public library. HTH LumperDawgz
ProMix on the East Coast. Sunshine Mix on the West Coast. Middle of the country may have both available. Almost identical and the best way as OldPork pointed out to build your own soil. And for far less money than the so-called 'premium brands' found at indoor garden centers. Far less money - like $6.00 per cf. with you having complete control on the levels of amendments, fertilizers, et al. LumperDawgz
Use whatever you put the tomatoes in, if you have goat manure and a pile of old hay, Ive had pretty good results just mixing them together and planting the seeds in a mound, the mound helps with drainage and gives a lot more oxygen to the roots, and the loose layers of the mixture also seem to make the roots grow crazy fast, but if you can't get the goat shit, whatever you use for the tomatoes should work just fine
The Basic Clackamas Coot's soil mix recipe for growing cannabis (in his own words): "Equal parts of Sphagnum peat moss, some aeration deal (pumice, rice hulls, lava rock - whatever is sitting in the garage) and finally some mix of humus - my compost, worm castings some black leaf mold I bought from the local 'worm guy' To each 1 c.f. of this mix I add the following: 1/2 cup organic Neem meal 1/2 cup organic Kelp meal 1/2 cup Crab meal (or Crustacean meal when available - it has Shrimp meal with the Crab meal. It's a local product from the fisheries on the Oregon & Washington Coasts) * 4 cups of some minerals - rock dust After the plant is in the final container I top-dress with my worm castings at 2" or so and then I hit it with Aloe vera juice and Comfrey extract. Or Borage. Or Stinging Nettle. Or Horsetail ferns. Whatever is ready. The Rock Dust Recipe 4x - Glacial Rock Dust - Canadian Glacial (Gaia Green label) 1x - Bentonite - from the pottery supply store 1x - Oyster Shell Powder - the standard product from San Francisco Bay 1x - Basalt - from Redmond, Oregon (new product at Concentrates - about $18.00) ." I believe that this recipe allows for some substitutions and that the biggest thing is to stick to the 1/3 SPM, 1/3 aeration, 1/3 humus and the amendments at the specified ratios. I have seen people (including myself) vary the actually "rock dusts" but don't if you can help it, and certainly don't omit the oyster shell flour in place of something else. Living organic soil is very rewarding to grow in, give it a try, no one has ever looked back after going this route." * Coot highly recommends the crustacean meal. In his own words, as of 4/20/15;
Anyone in organics will tell you this guy was a master. This soil can be used over and over just by adding a little compost/ewc with each cycle. No cooking required!
Get some bricks of fox farms happy frog to supplement ur soil. Just bought some to amend my soil.. Around $20 a bag.. 1 brick is 4 bags. If u are really want a great organic grow look up making ur own compost and worms Sent from my VK810 4G using Tapatalk
Lmao. I didn't even see the date. That's cool. The guy has build a soil selling his recipe. I hope he is getting paid.