BioChar at local store + dry nutes = trees?

[Funkadelic]

Hey all,
Currently considering mixing dry base elements (soil, biochar, rice or nut hulls, myco granules, Caps og biowar teas, blood / kelp / various meals

The plan is to automate short irrigations and only supement booster at the end, other than tea.

Committed to organic soil for now, 1st time personally doing verts / trees, trying to keep media slight wet regularly and avoid Nectar of the Gods type expensive liquid foods

Aiming for cheaper and dry....
Thoughts?

 

[Seamaiden]

Have you worked with char before? Haven't done trees except outdoors, and what you've outlined is how I like to do it--short bursts of irrigation that keep the soil moisture up without being saturated, very few feeds during their life, all comes from the soil. I also cover crop, and that went a LONG way towards keeping soil moisture levels even and where I wanted them. Made top-dressing a bit difficult, but I also did the chop & drop with the cover crops.

 

[HookedonPonics]

Bio char and mycos are a good addition to your mix along with the rice hulls for aeration. Id recommend atleast 15 percent of your mix to be a rich living compost. That will keep your beneficials at a nice population in the rhizosphere. Another good addition to your soil would be earthworm castings, atleast 10 percent. Granular humic acids are nice and help your plants uptake slightly hotter mixes. Also look into Epsom salts for some extra magnesium.

 

[Funkadelic]

Seamaiden - what cover crops did you use? Chop and drop method... explain plz?

 

[Funkadelic]

Thanks also, HoP. Glad to know I'm on the right track. I will use this thread to work out my final mix and will use your advice, as my girls are overdue to get into new homes. Killing thrips, too.

 

[HookedonPonics]

If you want to run your mix by me, give me a shout. Always happy to help people get back into organics.

 

[Seamaiden]

Seamaiden - what cover crops did you use? Chop and drop method... explain plz?

I use a mix of amaranth, fenugreek, clovers and beans/peas, honestly, anything I can get my hands on in bulk. I use the amaranth and fenugreek because they're cheap and easy to find, I pick up the amaranth at the local market, sold for consumption, but it grows just fine!

Chop & drop is when you let the plants get several inches to a foot high, then chop them back down. Not so much that they're killed, but enough to keep them from penetrating into the cannabis canopy.

 

[Funkadelic]

Thanks for info!
Do you buy as seeds or sprouts"

 

[Funkadelic]

HoP - I've been using Nectar of the Gods nute line but its $$$ compared to dry additives in bulk, wasteful, soaks the girls heavily, and is an all around PITA

I'm finalizing the mix asap....

 

[Seamaiden]

Thanks for info!
Do you buy as seeds or sprouts"

Seeds. The fenugreek we bought in bulk, the amaranth comes from Raley's, the other stuff from Peaceful Valley, other stuff from my cupboard, etc, etc, etc.

 

[Funkadelic]

What do you guys think of mushroom compost?
Jorge Cervantes seems to be quite a fan, but its hard to find.

That said, I just found a local source yesterday and am considering using it in this mix....
Thoughts?

 

[Seamaiden]

Never used it so I can't really speak to it.

 

[tweedy]

What do you guys think of mushroom compost?
Jorge Cervantes seems to be quite a fan, but its hard to find.

That said, I just found a local source yesterday and am considering using it in this mix....
Thoughts?

The mushroom compost we get up here is pretty decent. I attribute this to their starting materials which I am fortunate enough to know. That I think is the ticket, knowing the starting compost ingredients and knowing the time it has been breaking down. The only thing holding the stuff I've used from being organic is the urea but it's never too hot like other mushroom compost can be (and why it gets a bad rep in general) as its been composting for at least a year.

 

[Funkadelic]

SM and Tweedy - thanks for that info.

Perhaps I should cook some mushroom compost into my next soil batch, and give it a couple months to settle in.

 

[Oregon Panda]

"mushroom compost" is a pretty loose term.
Always check it out before you buy any amount of it. If it doesn't look like good dark earth, its rubbish.

Trees are a concept. Defined by size and space. Give them space and they will fill it. As above so below, see before sight, predict mass before mass.

 

[Funkadelic]

Hey OP - good point, but I mean a product specifically labeled "mushroom compost" in a bag. Really strong suggestion to check its consistency.

Trees, also agreed. In this case, an indoor orchard with a high light: plant site ratio for the express purpose of large plants and yields...

 

[surfguitar]

From what I've read commercial mushroom compost should be avoided, unless you know the farmers opt for something else. Bu biodynamic, coast of maine, oily fish, buffalo loam are all good ones offhand or find a local worm guy on craigslist.