Hello all, it's nice to meet you, i've been growing for about 3 yrs now using the BioBizz range, i've always tried to learn new things along the way, then 1 day quite recently, while doing unlimited hours of research i came across the organic section in this forum, and so now i take the plunge into ORGANICS, i have always had a decent yield, and not to many problems while using my old range of nutes, because i was always someone who followed 100% to the theory less is more, but i felt wrong and disgusted for doing it this way for so long, and had not relised that the path i had picked was leading me to no where fast. So here i begin a new QUEST with which has greater values, and a common sense which for some reason kept passing me by for so long, it should of been crystal clear and apparent to me from the start, and anyone who wishes to grow any form of plant THAT ORGANIC IS THE HOLY GRAIL. Right 1st off is my peat, ive choosen this 1 because from my neck of the woods, it's a little difficult to get the exact same products, as you good knowledgable people from over the pond can get. BASE Westland Irish Moss Peat, (7th bale down on site) Products - The Compost Centre EWC, Mr Worms' Pure Worm Cast Gold. Mr Worms' Pure Worm Cast Gold, Mr Worms South West Wormery also they do this, would this aid with the 2 above products for a base ? Mr Worms' Multi-Purpose Worm Cast Compost. Mr Worms' Multi-Purpose Worm Cast Compost, Mr Worms South West Wormery Pumice, i can get this one real easy, so no problems there, would love rice hulls but hard to source from where i live. Kelp Meal, already have. Dolomite Lime, i have. could i use Rock Phosphate aswell ? Rock Dust, i have this one Seers rock dust. SEER Centre home of ROCKDUST ADDITIONAL'S Dengie Alfalfa Pellets, i plan to crush up as fine as i can get to make a meal. Dengie Alfalfa Pellets Flax Seed Meal. (Which one any tips from the site ?) Ground Flaxseed/Linseed Meal | Flax Farm Bokashi Bran. Bran :: Bokashi Direct Comfrey pellets, again crushed to make a meal. http://www.organiccatalogue.com/p2338/COMFREY-PELLETS-1-litre/product_info.html Neem Seed Meal, i'm finding hard to get, can i use Pure Powders Raw Organic Neem Powder instead ? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Organic-F...ural_AlternativeTherapies&hash=item19d7a52fdd Raw Organic Neem Powder http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEEM-LEAF...212?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item564ac0517c Crab Meal. i plan to make my own from the shells of the crabs that i will get, is there a method to this, or is it as simple as cleaning the inside of the shells, then smashing the life out of them so to speak. Seaweed Meal. http://www.organiccatalogue.com/Soi...53/CHASE-SEAWEED-MEAL-2.5kg/product_info.html Blood Fish & Bone Meal. http://www.gardendirect.co.uk/garde...ange/organic-fertilizers/blood-fish-bone-meal Greenvale Organic Chicken Manure, (Bottom of page) http://www.organiccatalogue.com/Soil-Preparation-and-Feeding-Fertilisers/c60_167/index.html?page=3 also i have 2 packets of Mycorrhizal Fungi on it's way. http://www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk/rootgrow-mycorrhizal-fungi-360g-pid3720.html yucca root powder, can this also go in ? http://www.bristolbotanicals.co.uk/pr-7061 I think it's a toned down version of Lumperdawgz recipe if i'm not mistaken, so any feedback and information will be soaked up like a dry sponge, and i am always open like a book for anyone's expert advice. After my RECOMMENDED mix get's approved, from the Guru's in here, i will start my organic grow journal's for all to see. As i stated above i come from across the pond, and i understand our gallons are slightly different from your's, but i know the conversion rates of all measurements. I shall be growing in an 8 x 6 space, with 2 600w raining down from above onto my organic grow, i shall be applying the tea's from which i've researched on this site, (fucking truely amazing info) with normal tapwater of which is 7.6ph straight from the tap, which will be stored in 1 5 gallon bucket to sit for a couple of days, with another 5 gallon bucket beside so i never end up short. (again learnt from here) Finally if any of you could be as kind and give me a friendly dosage line for all my mixtures, it would be gladly appreciated, and if im missing anything, hopefully you could help me out and point me in the right direction, and you will let me a keen and eager learner join your ranks. Thank You.
I'm looking forward to learning the GC organics method for bashing the shit out of crabs. Oh, and, welcome aboard!
Douglas, you should read about the Seer Center where your rock dust came from - these folks are the real deal when it comes to this subject over in Scotland. You hit the nail on the head with your rock dust - big time. SEER Centre: Scotland About SEER http://remineralize.org/tag/seer-centre J
Thanks Jerry, i knew it was good but did not no it was that good, any info on the ammendments, are they ok to use, and if how much should i use of each. Thank you Douglas.
Also i love this paragraph at the start, Well-nourished microorganisms are the vital link between organic matter and high-quality humus, and humus is the very foundation of soil fertility. A humus-rich, remineralized soil is truly fertile; such a soil makes healthy plants, which make healthy food, which makes healthy people.
The rest of my ingredients turned up today so iv'e made my mix, To make 1 cubic foot (7.5 gallons) of base, (BASE) 1/2 part peat moss. 1/2 part ewc. 1/2 part pumice. 1 cup lime, (per cubic foot.) 4 cups seer's rock dust. (AMENDMENTS) 2 cups of kelp meal 1 cup crab and prawn meal. (homemade from the shell and claw of the crab and just the back shell from the prawns, rinsed, washed then a final clean placed in the oven and once done crushed and placed into a container.) 1 cup of organic Poultry Manure. 1 cup comfrey meal. 1 cup alfalfa meal. 1 cup fish blood and bone. 1 cup bokashi bran. 1 cup of 100% neem leaf powder, (can't get neem meal or cake where i live.) 1 cup linseed meal. 1 cup of Mycorrhizal Fungi. 1/2 cup of seaweed meal. i've gone for 2 cup's ONLY of the amendments to the cubic foot of the BASE soil. I'll get a few pics up after a week or so to see how it is going, and once cooked i'll throw up a diary on my first organic grow. PS, Jerry does this seem ok, as you said you would give me a few pointers here and there. MANY THANKS Douglas.
Douglas - Since you have kelp meal don't waste $ on seaweed meal anymore. From now on use the mycorrhizal fungi to dust roots directly at transplant. Don't add directly to your mix, and you only need to do this once during your plants lifetime. Cool beans making your own crab/shrimp meal. Your mix looks excellent - you've done some homework, and it will work very well for you - don't ever throw it out; recycle it. You should have this for many years. Wet thoroughly and see if you can find a warm place to store for a month while it nutrient cycles. J
Thank you Jerry for the useful pointers, is it considered a waste for putting 1 cup of Mycorrhizal Fungi in the mix, instead of sprinkling the root's lightly ? also thank's for the tip on the kelp/seaweed meal, but it's no biggy cost me like £5 i can always dig the seaweed meal into my veggie patch for the coming season.
Just an update, soil is coming along very nicely, smells real clean and the texture is sexual, i can't wait to use it and have a fun time gardening, I will post some pics up of it. (as if it has'ent been done like a million times) also just for my own personal satisfaction im going to try the exact same mix as above in a seperate bin but add a mushroom compost to it aswell. What diverse effect would this have on the overall quality of the medium. (Turns and look's towards Jerry, ITG, W89, Chunks, etc) Many Thanks Douglas.
So it's just been over a month now and my mix has been cooking along nicely and still is, i had started my mix 2 week's before i flipped my 9 cheese, 2 nl's and 1 skunk, these plant's were going to be fed my last ever bottled nutrients before all of my next and future grows are to be 100% pure organic with a simple mix which i decided to run after reading several hundred pages of pure and delightful information on this site. So to cut a long story short i thought to myself that if i filled my pot's with my girls in just under 3/4 full which are in (5 gal pot's) of John inne's no2 (with added amendments of ewc,rockdust,kelp and pumice mixed into the soil before i done my final transplant into these pot's) that at some stage in my 12/12 schedule about 2-3 week's in i could add a top dressing of my 1 month old cooking organic soil, and that i would not need to use my bottled nutrient's ever again. SO I BINNED THEM (the bottled nutrient's that is) and went ahead and added the thick layer to the top of the pot's about 3 inch's deep and left an inch for a final top dress later down the line if they need it, after just feeding them only up to that point with a few comfrey and dandelion tea's and a couple of handful's of ewc here and there from time to time and a odd sprinkle of kelp and rockdust per pot before i placed my organic soil into the 3/4 full pots. Now here's a few pics of the girls 3 week's in on this day. Also first pic is of the ammendment's before they were mixed into my soil,i think it look's sweet and tasty and i love the effect it has on my soil while it is doing it's thing.
Just an update im on day 50 of my 9 cheese's and day 40 on my 2 nl's and 1 skunk these have only been fed comfrey tea's plus 2 alfalfa tea's from switch with daily watering's consisting of aloe vera and silica and a little dash of kelp here and there, also a top dress of my cooked soil or nutrient cycled soil as it is or should be classified as and ewc's ill post some pics up later on to show the progress. On another note had a bit of time at work spare so i built myself a worm bin which just exceed's a sq metre it measure's in at 1.5m long by 1m wide by 700mm high, looking forward to getting this thing up and running as i said pic's will be up shortly and on a final note my 40l conical is on route and we all know where these idea's come from thank's guy's for all the information on this website my spare time is now taking up with great project's and the wife is looking pissed, but as i explained to here this is also for our garden, veggie patch and a better way of life. Anyway's i'll get some pictures up later for all to enjoy. Douglas
Thank's Possuum, Sorry about the delay on the picture's but i've been real busy at work anyways, first up is the pic's of the girl's the smell stemming from the cheese's is potent and dirty finding it hard to keep it down even with the filter, i think 2 should be done in about 5 day's and the rest hopefully by the look's of thing's about 10 to 14 day's.
Second batch of photo's are the rest of the pic's from the girl's and my homemade worm bin as you can see, also the second from last picture of the 4 square frame's are for my 3 tier compost bin and the last shot is obviously my conical happy viewing.
Next grow Jerry my friend and THANK YOU, it's been nutrient cycling nicely and the web formed on the top is all over the top layer in my drum's, as i said this grow was intended to be bottle nutrient grown UNTIL i found you lot (Praise the lord) so the soil they are in is just John Innes NO2 with my added airation BEFORE i topped dressed with ewc and a little of the homemade organic soil and of course a little kelp meal, apart from my daily dose's of watering's consisting of silica, aloe vera, fish emulsion and of course a couple of alfalfa teas over the grow with comfrey tea's every other week.