Combining Organics and Synthetics

[Wanderlust]

Would there be any benefit to growing using compost teas for living soil, and supplementing with synthetic fertilizers? Is there a way to keep the soil alive and healthy and still push a plant to produce as much clean quality herb as possible? Could I add drip clean to prevent chemical salts from killing soil life?

For example, I want to grow in lightly amended soil, something like happy frog (its what I have laying around) with a little extra kelp meal, worm castings, dolomite lime, and guano added to it. Say I drenched with an inoculated tea once a week. In between adding tea, I would feed with say 1/4 strength to 1/2 strength grow or bloom formula, something like the Flora or Flora Nova line. Towards the middle of flowering, I might add a bit of 1/4 to 1/2 strength PK Hammerhead and add drip clean to prevent salt buildup. Maybe even one shot of 1/4 to 1/2 strength MOAB with drip clean towards the end, all while weekly adding more inoculant through a balanced fungal/bacterial tea. I would still keep a 10 day flush or more, or maybe feed with liquid guano or liquid bone meal while flushing out any leftover salts and providing more organic phosphorus while using up leftover nitrogen.

The idea would be to keep soil life healthy and provide clean smoking flavorful semi organic medicine, while keeping yields to a maximum. I'm open to criticism so any thoughts would be great.:)

 

[Jack Dupp]

Maybe use chem ferts as a foliar, and keep your micro-herd alive in soil.

I have done this once. I used AACT to get my soil going, but used FF Grow Big as a foliar in veg. then switched to PBP Bloom (foliar) for the first 3-4 weeks in flower.

My thinking is that as soon as you add chem ferts, then you need to rebuild all the bacterial, fungal, and protozoa strains, that the salts killed. It sounds like a lot of work.

Good luck in your decision.

 

[The Joker]

It's a dangerous game and experiments have caused me to lose good plants and mothers.

I've grown in GH 3part with budswel which is organic. But budswel lowers ph , so you basically use it as ph down. Earth Juice Microblast as a foliar or Kelp as well.

I'm growing full organic now and it's a lot slower than chem ferts in terms of veg growth and you have to work a lot harder to get the same yield as chems, but it's more forgiving. Longer veg time for sure and the compost tea thing is a must.

In the end , the taste difference is so minor that I am questioning going back to chem ferts with the budswel and a good cure.

I would do either or unless you can afford to lose a grow or a favorite plant.

Pick a nute program and run with it.

I modeled my grow after a few growers I asked for advise from. Both got massive yields in organic. I tried both their methods and tried combining methods and am still dialing it.

Both relied on SOG for yield. Both do compost tea. One uses Sannies tabs and bacto, the other Pura Vida nutes , diotomic humus and compost teas. The DT was the secret ingredient. I added Hygrozyme to the mix, but I am not sure if it's interchangeable with the DT yet. Just started using it.

16 or 25 plants per 1K vs. Large plants in large containers had as much effect on yield as the nute regimen. Hope that helps.

 

[bc-spud]

Hey Joker, what does DT stand for?

 

[CT Guy]

It is possible, if you don't have any hangups with using chemicals. Giant pumpkin growers all do this, you might want to research that route. The trick is to keep chemical concentrations low so as to minimize salt buildup and microbial death.

 

[Wanderlust]

It is possible, if you don't have any hangups with using chemicals. Giant pumpkin growers all do this, you might want to research that route. The trick is to keep chemical concentrations low so as to minimize salt buildup and microbial death.

This is why I was thinking about using lower concentration of chemical nutrients and combining with Drip Clean. Supposedly Drip Clean prevents salt buildup. I'll look into the giant pumpkin methods. Thanks

 

[420king-MASSES]

im a purest when it copmes to organics either do it right or do what you will you wont get rid of the chemically tinge even with a 3 week flush even if using 1/4-1/2 strenght nutes

 

[The Joker]

That is just not true. I've been doing side by sides and the difference in taste is minimal.
I think 99% of the people in the world can not tell ( or care) the difference between well grown chem fert weed and organic. And the "chemical" are the exact same salts that the bacteria produce.

Organic is just a different way of delivering mineral salts to the roots, the plant doesn't care. There are micro nutrients and things in soil that affect taste that are missing. Those can be applied as a foliar with things such as EJ microblast and Kelp extracts.

I jumped on organics for ease of use. It's much easier to screw up and or make it taste harsh. Most people think if they add more ferts they get bigger buds, but that's not true, all you get is harsh smoke.

Well grown weed is well grown.

I'm going to grow organic until I run out of supplies then make a decision.( I've got enough for another 3 or 4 grows) So far, I'm on the fence. Main differences are slower veg and growth overall, you have to veg longer and I can't automate. I want to do a drip system so I can go away for a week or two. I used to do that no problem with my hydro system. I can't imagine an organic rez not clogging up drip lines over a two week period.

But the difference is so slight in flavor that I'm just not sure if it's worth all the extra hassle of making teas every week etc. Outdoors, it's a different ball game. My entire property is organic, but only because I don't have to feed anything. About every 3 months I top dress or add some molasses and then just water. So easy it's not funny.
That's for roses, orange trees, vegetable garden , the works.


When I wrote DT , I meant DH , Diatomic Humus. Was told that was the secret of this guys large yields. He has insane organic grows. So I just copied him.

 

[500lbs Guerilla]

I just found this post by Obsoul33t in another thread:

"opps almost forgot that you can add salt based products up to 400 ppm without harming the culture .

you can add salt based ferts as high a ppm range as you like without harming the culture if using diatomic humus based liquid humate at a ratio of pouring into res until discoloring the water .

using something like supernatural bud blast with diatomic humus to start flowering is like knocking the clock ahead for flowering times .

then through mid to later flower using a product such as hammerhead will pump up and bring out the frost like nothing else all while remaining in a safe non burning form ready for plant uptake from the addition of diatomic humus .

i also believe the future of high yield indoor will be through the heavy use of compost teas . "

In my book, Obs is The Man. This has me convinced enough to at least try it out.

 

[420king-MASSES]

joker ur the shit my dude but i have to disagree with you on taste i can tell if chems were used even 1 time maybe i just have an accute sense for the taste but i can even tell by smelling the bud if chems were used//again though thisis just my opinion/////

 

[justiceman]

Would there be any benefit to growing using compost teas for living soil, and supplementing with synthetic fertilizers? Is there a way to keep the soil alive and healthy and still push a plant to produce as much clean quality herb as possible? Could I add drip clean to prevent chemical salts from killing soil life?

For example, I want to grow in lightly amended soil, something like happy frog (its what I have laying around) with a little extra kelp meal, worm castings, dolomite lime, and guano added to it. Say I drenched with an inoculated tea once a week. In between adding tea, I would feed with say 1/4 strength to 1/2 strength grow or bloom formula, something like the Flora or Flora Nova line. Towards the middle of flowering, I might add a bit of 1/4 to 1/2 strength PK Hammerhead and add drip clean to prevent salt buildup. Maybe even one shot of 1/4 to 1/2 strength MOAB with drip clean towards the end, all while weekly adding more inoculant through a balanced fungal/bacterial tea. I would still keep a 10 day flush or more, or maybe feed with liquid guano or liquid bone meal while flushing out any leftover salts and providing more organic phosphorus while using up leftover nitrogen.

The idea would be to keep soil life healthy and provide clean smoking flavorful semi organic medicine, while keeping yields to a maximum. I'm open to criticism so any thoughts would be great.:)

I think your idea can be done without much problem. I'm pretty sure that any AACT helps out with the processing of cycling of synthetic nutrients. Since you plan on using Flora Nova, Hammerhead, Moab, etc. I would definitely do AACT every week as you said. I'd say the addition of the teas might even help to work out certain salt build up's and any possible toxicity. In fact I think the teas would help to unlock the potential of your nutrients honestly.

Funny enough I actually used a nutrient line called Soul Synthetics, and it has 50/50 Organic/Chem nutrient ingredients. It worked very well and I had thriving soil biology. Believe it or not but a lot of microbes can take a pretty decent amount of salt build up. General Hydroponics Sub culture M, and B, Plant Success Great White, and Roots Organis Oregonism XL are all mychorhizae, trichoderma, and bacillus innoculants with strains particularly chosen to thrive in mediums with higher mineral concentration.

So I'm thinking your idea has more then possibility behind it. It can definitely work for you.

 

[EmDriver]

This is the best way to grow! It won't kill microbes in your soil by adding synthetic, this is a common misconception. It's the lack of organic large molecules in the soil that makes your microbes starve, (and potentially attack your plants to feed). As long as you don't add more nutes then your plants can eat, their also won't be any salts building up in the soil. Even pure organic soil can cause toxic build up if the ppm is too high and kill your plants. To know for sure what nutes to add, get the soil tested and find out the levels of everything. Otherwise just start out with small amounts and just plain water inbetween feedings. There are additives in our tap water that kill soil microbes, you can remove this by bubbling water and running through a charcoal filter. The best method is installing an RO filtration system that adds minerals back into your water after the RO process removes all the bad stuff. Good luck and happy farming!

On a side note, flushing before harvest is still up for discussion and personal preference. Ived read multiple studies where they had people smoke flushed and non flushed herb. To everyones' surprise, most people couldn't tell a difference and some even preferred the taste of non flushed herb. Do your own testing and come to your own conclusions. Things people say have a tendency to be wrong and when accepted at face value, can become contagious.