Building A Better Soil: Demonstrations & Discussions Of Organic Soil Recipes

bobrown14 said:
Hey Celt, the CC recipe is all you need IMHO. Guano brings composting to the mix, meaning it will heat up your soil and cook your roots if you use enough, another issue with guano is that it interacts with the plant root exudate slowing that process down, the guano feeds the same micro-organisms the root exudate does.

I'm going to question what is the "Organic Earth's Catalyst"?? Is this really necessary and why?

Not saying to NOT use it but you should be able to answer those 2 questions with something other than marketing speak.

Guano is just manure - manure should be put thru the composting process then into the soil with one or 2 exceptions (rabbit poop is one).
Click to expand...

It's basically wash from worm castings. It feeds the soil. There are a couple of journals here on 420 going into depth about it. I'm trying to fill up my knowledge gaps at a fast pace. I've used for 2 years now & my roots were crazy healthy. I'll educate myself why before I add it to Coots stuff.
I've got enough questions about the guano that y'all have convinced me. I'm not going to use it. I understand what you mean about it being a compost element, but I don't understand enough about LOS to start off improvising.

Thank you.

Y'all all fire off potential crop savers like this... please. :)
 
I feel the need to reduce PH in my tap water before watering, at least for the next couple of harvests,

I have been using PH Down, but someone I respect, Doc Bud? pointed out it has salts that are not healthy for the soil food web.

My nightly routine has been to fill one or two buckets of tap water, PH Down them, and let this sit out for one or more nights to outgas chlorine.

I was thinking of switching a commercial lemon juice concentrate similar to "Real Lemon"

Do I need to refrigerate the lemon juice bottle?
( I'd very much prefer not to be carrying a lemon juice bottle back and forth to the kitchen every night.)
 
What does you water PH at out of the tap?

With this CC soil mix you shouldn't need to worry about PH. I know you had those problems in the past, but if my memory serves me that was before you were using the CC mix. I think you'd be just fine without the ph-ing. Maybe try one of your SWICKS sans PHing. If you notice a difference you can switch it back right away. Might be worth a shot, possibly save you some effort and a little change in the future.

As for the lemon juice... Yes you should keep it in the fridge. Normal room temperature will cause lemon juice to go bad quite quickly. While it is super acidic, oxidation will cause the juice to turn. Well, you shouldn't consume it once it's turned so I assume it's probably not good for the plants either. Looks like you'll have to make the trek to the kitchen. :)
 
SweetLeef said:
What does you water PH at out of the tap?

With this CC soil mix you shouldn't need to worry about PH. I know you had those problems in the past, but if my memory serves me that was before you were using the CC mix. I think you'd be just fine without the ph-ing. Maybe try one of your SWICKS sans PHing. If you notice a difference you can switch it back right away. Might be worth a shot, possibly save you some effort and a little change in the future.

As for the lemon juice... Yes you should keep it in the fridge. Normal room temperature will cause lemon juice to go bad quite quickly. While it is super acidic, oxidation will cause the juice to turn. Well, you shouldn't consume it once it's turned so I assume it's probably not good for the plants either. Looks like you'll have to make the trek to the kitchen. :)
Click to expand...

My tap PH is 6.5-7.0, chlorine free with TDS around 60-80.

I'll PH some water before and after running through one of my CC mix pots.

Nothing motivates me to make a rational decision like the thought of eliminating extra work in the future :)

Thanks for the kick in the logic circuits !
 
You could also get yourself a larger tub for off gassing. That way you need walk to the fridge three times a week instead of 7....

I just aquired a 20gallon tub. I will have 45 gallon available now!
 
SweetLeef said:
As for the lemon juice... Yes you should keep it in the fridge. Normal room temperature will cause lemon juice to go bad quite quickly. While it is super acidic, oxidation will cause the juice to turn. Well, you shouldn't consume it once it's turned so I assume it's probably not good for the plants either. Looks like you'll have to make the trek to the kitchen. :)
Click to expand...
As for lemon juice I've been using it for PH down for over 2yrs now stored in the cabinet but we do go through a bottle of it about every two weeks. We use it for cooking as well as lemonade, something we always keep a pitcher of in the fridge.
 
B A R said:
As for lemon juice I've been using it for PH down for over 2yrs now stored in the cabinet but we do go through a bottle of it about every two weeks. We use it for cooking as well as lemonade, something we always keep a pitcher of in the fridge.
Click to expand...
Great to know!-

I will plan on pouring a couple of ounces from the refrigerator into a small jar stored in the grow area and dispensing from there for 10-20 days. Thank you + reps
 
Make sure you don't use too much Rad, it takes a lot less than PH Down does to lower your ph level.
 
I am intrigued by this informative thread. But...

I live in a very hot and humid region. I grow in a small enclosed space under my house. Can I have living Soil without having bugs and mold?

What do you do to the soil to prevent unwanted life, I guess is my question?
 
GhettoGro said:
I am intrigued by this informative thread. But...

I live in a very hot and humid region. I grow in a small enclosed space under my house. Can I have living Soil without having bugs and mold?

What do you do to the soil to prevent unwanted life, I guess is my question?
Click to expand...

First off, not all insect life is undesirable. Part of organic gardening is accepting that there are many other earthlings than we think in a healthy soil. A healthy soil will repel problematic species, and though it may take a few tries to find the balance that achieves this goal, it is attainable.

The issue of mold is tied to poorly draining soil. The recipe mixes most of us use don't have any problem with adequate aeration. The soil stays evenly hydrated and drains easily. If you have air movement that supports the garden mold should be a non-issue with a balanced soil mix.

The keys here are a healthy soil with an active soil food web and a balance of soil components to assure good drainage.
 
when do you "mow" your cover crop?

Just curious ;)
 
SweetLeef said:
when do you "mow" your cover crop?

Just curious ;)
Click to expand...
I trim and drop whenever it begins to overrun the pot SweetLeef. I try to keep it clear inside or under the cannabis, but there's really no particular time. My waiting pot has a massive clover crop going because I haven't done anything with it for a while. I was just looking at it and thinking I need to cut it all back. There's too much in there to just chop and drop. I'll probably toss it into the soil tote and let it incorporate while that soil waits for me to be ready for that 15 gallon pot I bought.
 
SweetSue said:
First off, not all insect life is undesirable. Part of organic gardening is accepting that there are many other earthlings than we think in a healthy soil. A healthy soil will repel problematic species, and though it may take a few tries to find the balance that achieves this goal, it is attainable.

The issue of mold is tied to poorly draining soil. The recipe mixes most of us use don't have any problem with adequate aeration. The soil stays evenly hydrated and drains easily. If you have air movement that supports the garden mold should be a non-issue with a balanced soil mix.

The keys here are a healthy soil with an active soil food web and a balance of soil components to assure good drainage.
Click to expand...

Great explanation Sue. I do have a big red spider living in my grow area and he is my pet. Whenever I catch a ladybug (tiger-beetle) in my house, I toss them in the grow room. I think I get it now. Keep good guys in the soil and you will not have to worry about the bad guys.

...Always a student,

~GG
 
GhettoGro said:
Great explanation Sue. I do have a big red spider living in my grow area and he is my pet. Whenever I catch a ladybug (tiger-beetle) in my house, I toss them in the grow room. I think I get it now. Keep good guys in the soil and you will not have to worry about the bad guys.

...Always a student,

~GG
Click to expand...

As are we all GG. :high-five:
 
Sue, this soil is beginning to stink. The odor is like the 2nd week of following when ya get that cat piss smell with some strains.

Thoughts?
I'm kinda freaking out cause I'm unfamiliar with this type of media & all my seedlings are in this mix.
 
How long ago did you mix it Cajun? It has a strong odor for about the first week or so and then it begins to go sweet. If it's been longer than that, is it a sour smell that might mean it's too wet? If you mixed the recipe as posted, or a close equivalent of it, you have nothing to be concerned with, but let's see if we can nail down the smell.

How long did it sit before you planted in it? I'm just curious, because I've recently discovered you don't have to let the Clackamas Coot's recipe cook at all before use, although I'd be more comfortable with at least a week.

Lastly, how are the seedlings taking to the soil? I should check out your journal. Be there in a minute.
 
So I jumped back and according to your timeline you would have planted the seedlings on the 16th. Are they already in the soil? If so, unless the smell you're getting is a sour or fermenting one and the seedlings are happy, I'd roll with it for a while and watch. This soil recipe is pretty foolproof. You're building a soil food web there, which I suppose is very different from your other grows. It's going to feel strange at first.

Rad, didn't you have something like this happen with one of your pots and it straightened itself out?

Also, Cajun, is it the entire batch that smells or only certain pots?
 
SweetSue said:
So I jumped back and according to your timeline you would have planted the seedlings on the 16th. Are they already in the soil? If so, unless the smell you're getting is a sour or fermenting one and the seedlings are happy, I'd roll with it for a while and watch. This soil recipe is pretty foolproof. You're building a soil food web there, which I suppose is very different from your other grows. It's going to feel strange at first.

Rad, didn't you have something like this happen with one of your pots and it straightened itself out?

Also, Cajun, is it the entire batch that smells or only certain pots?
Click to expand...

With my first five 10-gal pots, I mixed soil in the fabric pots to 'cook.' I folded the sides and stacked the pots in a plastic tray and let them sit.
As I recall, one of the five pots stank. It was either the bottom pot, or the next to bottom pot, They both dripped a little water when I picked it up.
I set the pot on a rack with the top open and the smell went away.
I transplanted into the pots a week later, lost track of which pot had been stinky, and all plants thrived until they went into the flower room and I culled the males.

Geez SweetSue, you have a good memory :angel:
 
It's this passion I have for the soil Rad. It seems to have taken over my life, in a good way, mind you. :green_heart:
 
Back
Top Bottom