36Gr0w's First Journal - Hi-Brix - LOS - Indoor & Out!

Great shares 36. I'm all caught up on your schooling and feeling like that was time well spent. Thanks.
 

The passages that caught my eye:

Growing With Organics
Among the 12 organic farmers who did share their nutrient regimens with us, the two most popular lines were Organicare (from Botanicare) and General Organics (from General Hydroponics); Organic FoxFarm was also rated highly. Nearly all of the organic nutrient programs were used in conjunction with soilless mixes or compost.

It's important to remember that mixing organic and synthetic fertilizers is counter-productive to the goal of organic feeding, since most synthetic fertilizers will kill the microbial organisms that help decompose minerals and nutrients in organic mediums.

Of the remaining three organic winners, one went "veganic" while two others used compost teas. Interestingly enough, the judges' score-cards also indicated that the highest scores in the "Taste/Flavor" category came from these three entries. Talk about food for thought! (emphasis mine)

And this conclusion:

How to Win
At the end of the day, the winning formula for a championship-caliber grow is not as traditional as one may have thought. (I know this writer was pleasantly surprised.) While many growers advocate starting from seed, it turns out that, among the Cup champions examined for this article, nearly 87 percent came from cloning.

While not quite as surprising, it was also interesting to learn that at least half of the winners surveyed went with organic feeding regimens over the traditionally favored synthetics. But perhaps the biggest revelation was the increase in soils and soilless mixes used in championship gardens. All told, it appears that the trend line is headed in the proper direction, with more and more growers seeking out more natural (and healthier) alternatives ... as well they should. (emphasis mine)

Keep it up 36. So much to learn.
 
Synthetics and BOTTLED Organics. Or.... Feed the soil, nature is king.


Choosing Nutrients | Northwest Leaf: The Patients voice

I really never understood the draw to bottles. From the very beginning my focus was on building that soil that only needed minimal attention by me. I started out wanting to water only, but have since included the regular enzyme tea and aloe/coconut drench every week. In truth, I'm a lazy gardener. :laughtwo:
 
The first thing I was recommended as a nute when I looked into growing was fish stuff by the Alaska company. First product I bought. The guy who told me to get it said it was going to lead me to growing organic, but that it technically was not an organic product. That just led me to look in every direction I could growing in soil.
 
The bottled organics from General Hydroponics caught my eye. They were recently purchased by Scotts, the miracle grow people, who have also been huge distributors of Round-up.- which points back to Monsanto and GMOs. Even by the simplest definition of "organic" that really should give one pause to think.

Well, that certainly made me pause. Damn.
 
Hey there 36 I've been following along here on you organic methods and have something to add for you if you're interested or you already may know. You're doing at very good job building your soil and learning about organics.

One thing that has helped the health of my plants is the addition of rock dust. You can get Azomite powder and Calcium Carbonate food grade and top dress - add to worm/compost bins and add it to your teas. Raw Supply is where I get these 2 amendments from. These are VERY inexpensive and you cannot hurt your plants with these amendments.

I feel the REAL reason for folks and companies to use and make chemical fertilizers is the fact that our soil world wide is depleted of minerals. Our earth has a natural cycle of ice age -> thawing -> ice age .. during the freeze process the ice breaks down the granite that our mountains and earth mantle is made of and mixes it back into the soil as rock dust when the earth starts to thaw again. The Earth is currently or SHOULD be at the beginning of the next ice age (soil is depleted as part of the natural process), BUT humans have changed that cycle. The issue with that change going forward will be the lack of minerals left in the top soil worldwide, causing low yields and other issues with the food supply again world wide. This has spurred the invention of chemical fertilizers. MY OPINION - chemical fertilizers are a band aid at best, at worst will bring on world wide starvation eventually. The soil with be so depleted of natural organic material it will eventually be un usable and chemical growing therefor is NON-SUSTAINABLE. Not just my opinion there's some very good science on this subject.

Might as well be part of the solution eh?
 
As I understand it, organic no-till will support the wider community of mycorrhizal fungi. Once you till you've torn apart the webbing they create. Add chemicals and they die off, removing one of the most important contributions to soil structure and stability. Now, when you add chemicals again only a small portion of what you add gets to the roots and the rest goes into the water table.

Not a plan for sustainable life.
 
Gorilla Glue #4 x Blue Dream


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It looks like it's peeking over the edge to see if it's safe to come out and play! :laughtwo::green_heart:
 
Aren't you absolutely fascinated by the way they develop at this stage? This one looks strong.
 
Aren't you absolutely fascinated by the way they develop at this stage? This one looks strong.

Funny - When I looked at the picture, my first thought was, "The force is strong in this one."
 
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