Living soil question?
When it comes to growing pot in my back yard I'm what you could say blessed. A cop on one side and the other is a hermit.
Any way I have been composting for years and have great kitchen wast worm castings. Lets say a large trash can full. Created over many years of leaves Maple and oak, lawn clippings, kitchen scraps. I don't know how many thousands of worms live in these bins but they quietly go about there daily lives making me this wonderful growing medium.
I thought I'd love to have a go at a living soil grow next year. I can legally grow 4 plants.
1 - Bub-Ba Kush.
2 - Error 404.
3 - Black Gorilla.
4 - Tweed Baker street.
I have purchased the seed and the mail man has arrived. Anyone that lives in Canada and buys seed on line knows that $65.00 for 5 seeds turns into $120.00 buy the time you pay in US currency and add shipping. 5 of each of these 4 types of seed cost about $500.00 and that is no joke. So I'd like to make the best of them.
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I emptied out one of my compost / worm bins.
I added some store bought black soil a couple of bags of sheep dung, Leaves, Grass Clippings a big bag of hardwood mulch. Added LAB (Lactic Acid Bacteria) hen shit, about 1/2 a pound of Gypsum and the same Epsom salts. I am now growing trillions of bacteria from many Large coffee cup size soil samples collected form local wetlands in a 20L bucket with rice starch and water. I will be adding this mix to the pile with a few more greens and browns then let it work until spring. Early May.
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I have been watching many videos on the art of keeping mother plants, Main Lining and low stress training. So I will be starting next years plants pretty soon 14 - 8 as I'd like to have a something to play with over the winter. This pic is last winter. A 2' x 2' closet space with Leds on a timer. a muffin fan and a watering can. Nothing fancy but it gets the job done.
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I will transfer my over the winter mothers into 30 gallon grow bags in the spring when the sun is close to 16 and 8 so the plants just pick up and go with the sun and rest of the spring flowers . I even have cover crop seed tucked away for topping off my bags as soon as the frost is out of the ground and I can get the cover crop planted.
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This compost pile is many years in the making from the best natural ingredients from my kitchen and back yard.
I have watched many videos that say. Feed your living soil and the microscopic life will take care of the nutrients your growing plant needs to grow big and strong plants.
So what do you guys that are growing in real living soil feed your soil throughout your growing season.
Anyone water with Rice water to feed existing bacteria?
How about adding a little brown sugar or molasses and water once in a while to feed existing bacteria?
Do any of you add Lactic Acid Bacteria during the grow to replenish the soil.
How do you guys tend to the your soil once your grow is under way.
How about folier spraying with Cucumber skins water?
With Epsom salts?
Calcium water from boiled egg shells?
Tea water?
Anything else you can think of, What ever you can share.
I have had 2 fantastic years growing legal. First year straight Miracle Grow.
The second year Veg = Pro Mix 12- 6 - 6 and flowering Pro Mix 5 - 15 - 5.
Both with fantastic results! But next year, I'd like to do it all natural living soil. No store bought fertilizer or additives.
Rain water!
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The plants under the lights in my closet turned into these. So it's going to be hard to out do. This year my plants where a little smaller than last year but the bud is incredible.
I don't care about volume. This year alone I grew 8 lbs of the finest flower I have ever seen, way more than I could possibly smoke. Really. But I'm out to grow some of the finest bud I can imagine. 4 super nice plants that I can spend a year fussing over. Meticulously trim, dry, cure. Maybe even pass a little along to my friends on special occasions.
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So what's your live soil grow tip. Not only for me but for anyone else that wants to go the living soil rout.
If you have watched or know of a great youtube video on the subject. Please share it with us. .
I'm looking for advice on no til living soil maintenance once the plants are in the ground and growing mid summer threw the fall flowering stage.
Thanks for sharing any information, Secrets.
Ron
