Creeks are fed by water moving through a watershed, and I think this typically involves many inputs from surface flows and subsurface flows (springs). So, I'm guessing the water has high mineral content. Easy enough to check with a TDS pen. Rainwater captured straight from the sky into a tank is much different.
No, you are right. That's right. (And if it passes over pastureland it can even have nasties in it, although ours reads zero coliforms.)
I ordered a TDS pen. I imagine it will get here right after the NPK test kits.
The only soil testing is through the local university. However, Colombia pretty much shuts down for December and the first week of January, so the NPK test kits are really the thing. Thank you,
@cbdhemp808 !
So we can do the rapid test, and that will probably get it in the ballpark, and then we can see how they go from there.
We found coco coir yesterday, and also "coco-pine", which is what the local city pot nursery gardener uses for his grows. Next time to go to the city I can ask him, and talk with him about local soils and such, and see what he does.
I know nothing about coco yet. I hope to ask him why he likes coco-pine.
In the meantime, I wanted to stick with what is cheap and local natural source as much as possible.
So, speaking of NPK,
@Azimuth 's recipes are a hit!
We got blessed with a referral for a reliable constructor.
He has not done a greenhouse before, but he is an organic gardener.
His son is helping him, and they are they are figuring it out.
We had a talk yesterday about ventilation.
Today is a welcome sunny day after a wet week, so it will get hot on the roof, and then he can see what I was talking about, about the need to ventilate both sides up high.
He seems very humble and reliable, and he suggested bamboo, because he knows a friend who sources it to him for cheap. So we say yes please!! Haha!!!!
He is an organic gardener himself, and we were talking plants.
I showed him a jar of
@Azimuth's and
@Emilya Green 's banana peel tea (I am sure there is a technical term for them, but I learned it from them, haha!)
Three banana peels (or plantains half the time, haha!) and a teaspoon of worm castings, and then top with de-chlorinated water, cover, wait three weeks, and voila!!
(Well, after only three weeks they look nasty, but this one was older, and all of the nasty furry stuff had long since fallen to the bottom....)
I told him it was organic P for bloom and he lit up and smiled.
Then he asked me what to do for organic N, for his avocado tree.
I showed him Azi's fish-and-wormcastings in water tea, 1:25 dilution, and told him it was just fish guts and a teaspoon of worm castings in water, and they were very happy.
There are trout farms here, so they can get fish guts easy.
So now I am thinking about gift jars with simple instructions plastic-taped on the lid, with maybe a quick warning that Roundup causes cancer.
Thanks for the recipes,
@Azimuth and
@Emilya Green !
I hope he tells all his friends. And I hope organic takes off in this valley. Because no one it warning them against the dangers of Roundup, etc.
(Oh, and, I was told that you can plant sugar cane in this valley, in a greenhouse. It won't grow wild, but it will grow.)
Anyway, it is great to see the temporary bamboo greenhouse frame starting to go up! Aleluyah!~~~
I would've built it differently than that, but I did not want to crowd him.
It is a father-son team, and I am sure they will figure it out.
He was a referral, I am sure he and his son can figure it out at least good enough for temporary. (And then next time I will specify the design.)
He took the small coca plant also. He likes native organic herbs and things.
Got to go. They are here.
