Plant Alchemy With KNF: Korean Natural Farming And Jadam

[Azimuth]

I needed some leaf mold to add to a bed I'm prepping for the upright plantain seeds I'm going to plant after a killing frost, so I got some to screen from the barrel I've been working out of. I'm getting down to the bottom third of this barrel and I'm finding the leaf mold down there is no where near as far along as the upper two thirds was.

It looks close to the color it was when it went in, the leaves are all matted down in big thick layers and there's quite a bit more moisture (some of it even wet). There is good, what looks like mycelium fungus all through it so it must be doing its thing, but I'm going to treat it more like the upper part to see if I can speed things along.

I probably need a drainage hole at the bottom, and I used a small garden fork to mix things up and try to break up the clumps. Periodically mixing the contents and introducing some air seems to be of benefit in this process.

The good news is I hit a couple of the water barrels with the wheels of the lawnmower this summer and they no longer hold water so they'll get their chance at holding leaves in a few weeks.

 

[Azimuth]

About 4 weeks into flower and I have mites. I added my IPM mix as a topdress 14 days ago when I first noticed them and I'm going to give it another week or so to see if the topdress can work some magic since the top dressings typically take a couple weeks to start showing some effect.

The mites are active but don't seem to be spreading at least at the moment. If things don't improve by next weekend I'll start spraying them down to help knock them back.

Just another reinforcement as to why drying out my castings prior to use might be a better idea than using them straight out of the worm bin.

 

[Azimuth]

I noticed that the plant that is headed to flower, the one that this one will replace in the on-deck circle, has mites. I did notice them a month or so ago and gave my plants my IPM mix as a topdress and didn't see the problem expand, but I guess they 're still around. I'd really like to not have to spray so maybe I'll topdress twice a month and see if that helps. Maybe I just need to do it more frequently. I hate mites. And thrips.

Another week has gone by and the mite issue seems to be lessening but they're still there and I'm tired of looking at them so everyone's getting a soap shower today.

I'd have to say the first trial size of drying out the castings was a success and I think I'm going to like using them this way, so I'm drying out most of what's left of the last batch.

I dried the rest of what I had left over of the castings enough to go through a small screen, and added some at a rate of 1T per gallon of pot size to all the plants. Then I jarred up the rest with a cover. The next morning I looked at the jar to see condensation on the inside and a gazillion tiny bugs roaming the surface so I probably just inoculated all my plants with f$%@# mites!

Damn it!
So I spread it all back out on a table to dry for the week and rejarred it yesterday. So far no sign of moisture and no sign of bugs. Lesson learned. I do think I'm going to like this way of using them once I figure out all the kinks.

I must have damaged the roots of the plant at up-pot and it never really got going, so I replaced it today with another clone that was started right off in a SIP. So still probably another week before I can start testing the 'organic soil in the reservoir' thing.

The new replacement plant has taken to the SIP and now I'm trying to keep the reservoir filled, but it's harder to tell visually with soil than it is with the clay balls, but so far after 4-5 days there doesn't seem to be any ill effects (or smells). This is about the timeframe my Jadam ferments start to smell so another week or so will hopefully give me a pretty good sense if there are any early issues. Once the plant grows a bit it will drain the reservoir daily so it shouldn't even be an issue at that point.

 

[Azimuth]

So I spread it all back out on a table to dry for the week and rejarred it yesterday. So far no sign of moisture and no sign of bugs. Lesson learned. I do think I'm going to like this way of using them once I figure out all the kinks

"Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not after you." -Joseph Heller, Catch-22


So, just for good measure I left the closed container on my heat mat overnight and still no condensation on the inside and no signs of bugs.

Then, I dumped it out in a pile and scoped it. No bugs. Then I spread it out and scoped it. No bugs. Then I left it for a while and rescoped it. No bugs.

So I think I'm in the clear . Doesn't mean there aren't any eggs that will hatch but hopefully the major part of the issue is handled.

Now I can get on to what I wanted to test which is a regular and periodic application of a small amount of castings as the primary feed. 1T/gallon of pot size weekly is what I'll start with once I harvest my next round of castings. For now though it'll be more like 1t/gallon.

 

[Azimuth]

Another week has gone by and the mite issue seems to be lessening but they're still there and I'm tired of looking at them so everyone's getting a soap shower today.

The soap spray seemed to have knocked them back quite a bit as there is much less activity on the leaves now. Still some, and mostly what looks like juveniles so most likely new hatchlings from all the eggs I also saw on the leaves.

I'll give it another spray this weekend to knock back that generation, but harvest is only a couple of weeks out so that'll likely be it except for a good bud wash at harvest.

 

[Danishoes21]

Lots of work on the pest control Azi, I’m glad to read that you seem to have it under control and harvest is on the way. Keep up the good work

 

[Azimuth]

Lots of work on the pest control Azi, I’m glad to read that you seem to have it under control and harvest is on the way. Keep up the good work

Thanks, Dani. I've had pretty good luck on the pest front after adding the meals to my mix. There really does seem to be something to them.

This is my first 2G SIP plant and I had an N deficiency shortly after putting it into flower so I gave it a nice 1" thick topdressing of my fresh worm castings which is where I think the mites came from. Everytime I uppot I add castings and everytime I get either thrips or mites so I think they're related and that's why this time I'm going to try drying out the castings and see if that gets rid of the bug problem.

So, still trying to dial it in but I feel like I'm getting really close.

 

[scottreid1966]

"Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not after you." -Joseph Heller, Catch-22

I would like to read that book! There are so many references to it.

So I got this hose attachment I was telling you about. I would like to amend my soil and that of my cedar hedges. I have dandy-lion tea. Sea weed and banana juice along with egg-shell. The sprayer says that it will dilute 20 gallons of water.

Not worried about the last 3, they are water based. Wondering about how much dandy-tea I should add to this bottle which is almost a litre or 32 Oz.

I used a pumper for my cedars just after I learned of JLF and my hedges flourished.

 

[Azimuth]

So I got this hose attachment I was telling you about. I would like to amend my soil and that of my cedar hedges. I have dandy-lion tea. Sea weed and banana juice along with egg-shell. The sprayer says that it will dilute 20 gallons of water.

The one I have allows me to dial in concentration amounts, so if yours does make sure it's wide open.

And filter the extracts before adding them to the sprayer. Those things usually have their own attached to the siphon hose, but better to get rid of the big stuff beforehand.

Wondering about how much dandy-tea I should add to this bottle which is almost a litre or 32 Oz.

20 Gallons = 2,560 oz ÷ 32 oz = 80:1. Pretty good. The strongest recommended dilution is 25:1 so you are comfortably above that.

I used a pumper for my cedars just after I learned of JLF and my hedges flourished.

This  is good stuff!

 

[CBDMed]

You're working too hard. My system produces about 3 gallons (12 L) every couple of months and mine is a pretty small system.

Pretty easy project to build and will keep you from chasing snails around the yard.

Hi Azi. Do you detail this snail fertilizer factory anywhere?
Thanks.

 

[Azimuth]

Hi Azi. Do you detail this snail fertilizer factory anywhere?
Thanks.

That's @scottreid1966 's idea. I don't know anything about snail fertilizer.

 

[CBDMed]

That's @scottreid1966 's idea. I don't know anything about snail fertilizer.

(....Hmmmm....
...thought u sed u had a snail frass factory bak up there somewhere????...)

Still collecting snail shit, may have at least 1/2 teaspoon once dehydrated, maybe 1/4...it shrinks alot.

You're working too hard. My system produces about 3 gallons (12 L) every couple of months and mine is a pretty small system.

Pretty easy project to build and will keep you from chasing snails around the yard.

 

[Azimuth]

Mine is red worms, not snails.

 

[CBDMed]

Mine is red worms, not snails.

Oh, hahaha!!



Hopefully we can get some of those going, also.
I got a small tray where I hope to put eggshells, and I am not sure what else I should feed them.
What are your favorite goodies to feed the little red wrigglers?
(And you like red, not blue?)

 

[Azimuth]

Oh, hahaha!!



Hopefully we can get some of those going, also.
I got a small tray where I hope to put eggshells, and I am not sure what else I should feed them.
What are your favorite goodies to feed the little red wrigglers?
(And you like red, not blue?)

Red wigglers are the preferred worm for most castings farmers due to their high reproductive rates and their propensity to feed on organic material near and in the top layer of soils. They can be found at bait shops or on-line.

There are other types of worms that burrow deeper in the soil that are more appropriate for bigger and deeper worm bins than I have. Those include European nightcrawlers and some of the African species. The blue ones might be the European worms, not sure.

The biggest input by volume for my bins is kitchen scraps, but I'm starting to add other plants and all of the amendments I use so they get predigested by the microbes and go through the worm's gut prior to use.

 

[CBDMed]

Red wigglers are the preferred worm for most castings farmers due to their high reproductive rates and their propensity to feed on organic material near and in the top layer of soils. They can be found at bait shops or on-line.

There are other types of worms that burrow deeper in the soil that are more appropriate for bigger and deeper worm bins than I have. Those include European nightcrawlers and some of the African species. The blue ones might be the European worms, not sure.

The biggest input by volume for my bins is kitchen scraps, but I'm starting to add other plants and all of the amendments I use so they get predigested by the microbes and go through the worm's gut prior to use.

Ok, cool.
That is good to know.
Thanks!
After we get settled, I will see what I can find.
If I give them all of our eggshells and banana peels, and then backfill with kitchen scraps, will that give more P and K in the wc?

 

[Azimuth]

Being an organic gardener who uses microbes as part of the nutrient package, I don't really pay any attention to the NPK values of anything. I figure I give them a wide range of inputs and the plants can tell the microbes what they want at any given time. So, as long as there is a wide variety of inputs, there should be a broad variety of outputs when the castings are given to the plants.

If you just specialize in eggshells and banana peels, I would image your outputs will also be more specialized. Some growers are starting to use separate worm bins for veg and flower and sourcing inputs for each based upon the NPK values, but I think that's more complicated than it needs to be.

I provide a broad buffet and the plants can help themselves to whatever suits their fancy at the time.

 

[scottreid1966]

The one I have allows me to dial in concentration amounts, so if yours does make sure it's wide open.

And filter the extracts before adding them to the sprayer. Those things usually have their own attached to the siphon hose, but better to get rid of the big stuff beforehand.


20 Gallons = 2,560 oz ÷ 32 oz = 80:1. Pretty good. The strongest recommended dilution is 25:1 so you are comfortably above that.


This  is good stuff!

Thanks, Azi! So If I fill it with warm water to help mix the goo, it would be 1 teaspoon of tea per galon, according to the notes I took from you when I started here. So 20 teaspoons @ 5 ml x 20= 100 ml or 6-7 tablespoons.
Does that sound alright to you?

Ok, cool.
That is good to know.
Thanks!
After we get settled, I will see what I can find.
If I give them all of our eggshells and banana peels, and then backfill with kitchen scraps, will that give more P and K in the wc?

Hey @el gringuito > I am going to try the snail poop as a JMS microbial spray. When it rains, the snails come out onto a big wooden pallette I have leaning against the wall. I often observe them while I smoke a few hits. I'm the boss so I get away with it. They eat off of wood, moreso when it's wet. It definitly won't do any harm to try. I just need a bit of it.

 

[Azimuth]

So If I fill it with warm water to help mix the goo, it would be 1 teaspoon of tea per galon, according to the notes I took from you when I started here.

That's the ratio for a KNF sugar extract, but I thought your was a Jadam water extract. Or am I confused?

So 20 teaspoons @ 5 ml x 20= 100 ml or 6-7 tablespoons.
Does that sound alright to you?

Now I am confused. I thought the sprayer attachment for your hose diluted what was in the sprayer over 20 gallons.

 

[scottreid1966]

The dandy-lion tea is a KNF sugar extract. It's why I calculate from my notes I took. The container I bought basically says that it will take 20 gal. of water to evacuate what's in the container.

I do have the other water based extract. Banana, egg shells and sea-weed soaked in water. Can't do any harm so I thought that I would do a second hosing ( Cedars, garden and used soil from cannabis pots outside) and add them to the container to the top. 1/3 each. I still have dried sea-weed which I will grind and spread over my out door soil in the fabric bags. Will empty them onto a tarp and treat them, then cover it for the winter.
If I am wrong, please correct me, my friend.

In your thread, it said 1/4 teaspoon per litre if my notes are correct. So I just did the math for 20 galons of water.

Sorry if I am making your head swim. Just trying to learn your specialty.

Cheers!