So I want to migrate over to recycling my soil in to a Just add water style of growing. But where to / How to start? Most of the threads I read people always seem to recomend starting from scratch, going off topic or show examples on a scale much larger then I ever intend to go plus those threads are also using measurements in the cubic foot and pound scales. Nobody agrees on what conversion process to use. Lets not debate that here. I would like to find some info using dry cups per gallon of medium. As far as medium and nutrients I would also like hear about working with what I already have and purchase only what I absolutely need unless I am taking one step forward and 4 steps back each step. I do have a separate Veg and Flower area and I would like to just harvest 2 plants a month. My girls (unknown indica strain) seems to hit the amber trich mark at 8 weeks from 12/12 flip, maybe 7. My flower area can fit snugly 6 of the 3 gallon equivalent air-pots. I also have been using blumats and really like the arrangement with the air-pots. My only complaint with them are cleaning the water lines after some teas go through. They sometimes gets gummed up at the valve and the lines get a funky growth in them so I would like to go with water only in the future. My water is filtered down to 0 PPM. I currently have on hand enough FFOF that has already seen a grow cycle using teas for feeding to fill all the pots and then plenty left over. More then enough used FFOF to cover me. Perlite has and or will be added as needed to the visual eye. I have an estimated 15-20 dry cups each of the following.. Espoma Tomato Tone. Dr Earth Rose and flower. Azomite. EWC. Pelletized Lime And about 4 liquid cups of Blackstrap Molasses. I played around with the NPK numbers of the ingredients on hand and found that the ratio of 2 cups tone, 1 cup Dr earth, 1 cup lime, 1 cup Azomite and 4 cups EWC would produce approximately a 15-15-14 NPK. Am I on the right track? I do also have some bat and seabird guanos remaining and a few other ingredients but not enough atm to be considered for this transition unless I need to get more. . I am looking to make a mix whereas each 3 gallon equivalent air-pot is harvested , I can amend and cook for a water only soil on the next run. The perfect world to keep it simple process would be, chop the plants and toss medium with broken root ball in a storage container, add a scoop (1-2 cups) of a pre made mix of dry amendments, Wet everything down with strong molasses tea and possibly EM1 then leave to cook for 4-8 weeks. Maybe tossing the soil around each week to aerate just so I can feel like I am doing something to help the herd. This is how my thinking is going anyway. I am opened minded to any style in the keep it simple arena of suggestions. Sooo, to go water only and stay organic, Working with what is on hand, what more would you purchase and at what ratios would you mix it all up ? Then per gallon of soil, how big of a scoop of mix would you apply?
I think if you read a couple pages of this thread (http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/1266864-help-me-build-water-only-soil.html) you will have a good idea what amendments you think you need. IMHO Kelp meal and alfalfa meal are must haves. As is some form of rock dust (you probably shouldn't use Azomite at the levels you'd want to use rock dust at). Liquid silica is a very-near must have.
And don't try to figure out NPK. There are so many other elements that are just as important, like calcium, sulfur, magnesium, etc.... that you really just want a well-diversified nutrient mix. If you use 2-3 cups of nutrient mix per cubic foot (which is approximately 7.5 gallons), you'll be doing fine.
Don't run teas through your Blumats. Top water them in and use the Blumats for clear water. Just my opinion. J
Yea, it took a bit before i learned not to run stuff through the blumat even though you can and some people do. It is a real PITA to clean. Hand watering is the way of my future for when more then just water is applied. Live and learn.. I started reading that thread posted and it is educational, I have added to the bookmarks for when I want to start from scratch, however I feel it does not fully address what I am looking to do right now. I want to use up what I currently have. I would appreciate hearing advice about how my current inventory should be mixed up What else would I need to continue till I run out of what I have? I just can not bring myself to purchase other items that would replace what I have on hand. I will read up on Liquid Silica, thanks for the pointer. Tomato Tone is made up of.... Feather Meal Pasteurized Poultry Manure Bone Meal Alfalfa Meal Greensand Humates Sulfate of Potash and Gypsum. Dr Earth Rose and Flower is put together with... Cottonseed Meal Alaskan Fish Bone Meal Alaskan Fish Meal Alfalfa Meal Kelp Meal Naturally Mined Potassium Sulfate Colloidal Soft Rock Phosphate and Seaweed Extract. I do not have the Azomite bag anymore for the ingredients but I though it was named AZomite due to it having all the trace goodness from rock you would ever need from A-Z and then some. no? Right now I think the lime will supply all the cal and mag I would need, I could be wrong. It would also help with the view that soil I have increases acidity over time as it breaks down, at least that is what I have read in other threads and the cause was the peat breaking down. I could be wrong here too, only experience will know for sure. I am not sure of the ratios in each product (that is probably a guarded secret) Would I really need to purchase more more kelp and alfalfa? If so, how much? Are there any other products that are a must have? Bringing the NPK ratios to be close to balanced just felt like a good starting point to help figure the mix ratio when I add them all in to one storage container. I could be way off for going all organic and looking to just add water. Are combining the ingredients in the ratio I mentioned be a good starting point ? or am I way off ? What else will I need to add and how much?
Info on Silica: http://www.nutri-tech.com.au/blog/2010/06/silica-the-hidden-cost-of-chemicals/ Azomite is a colloidial clay mined from volcanic deposits in Utah. It has a ton of minerals. However, as a clay, it has a high aluminum content. In small quantities, it's probably fine, but I wouldn't want to use at the rate of 4 cups per cubic foot, which is the recommended amount of rock dust. You don't have any kelp meal and alfalfa meal (other than the un-quantified amount contained in the Tomato Tone and Rose fert). That's fine. I'm sure you can get to harvest with just your Tone and Rose ferts. Just mix them equally and add 2-3 cups per cubic foot of soil (7.5 gallons). But I would want to have kelp and alfalfa meal on-hand so I could make kelp/alfalfa teas. These provide very beneficial compounds which help reduce internodal spacing, reduce heat stress, promote branching, fight PM, and on and on and on. Literally dozens of benefits. And making a Tomato Tone tea will not replicate those benefits. So can you get to harvest without them? Absolutely. Will a 10lb sack of alfalfa/kelp meal for $10-20 make your grow even better? Absolutely.