Legion Of Living Organic Soil

[Madmax]

This thread is AWESOME...

 

[crimsonecho]

Thanks P. I am actually thinking that maybe there is too much EWC type material. I have kind of.confused things and now I don't know.if I have 200 gal of.soil or 200 gal of.compost. I did 50% compost and 50% peat (+ aeration and ammendments) but a lot of worms have been in there working the lot.of.it for several months. The weak young plants look potassium deficient (claws and dead spotting). I'll add store bought EWC to the top of one of them and see what that does. Thanks for the tip.

Have you checked the roots? 1 gal is a small pot and if they are health, the roots will cover a gallon pot fairly quickly and after they run out of space these symptoms could be observed.
Another theory, it is a common belief that bigger pots work better for organic soils, because if it gets too dry the microheard dies leaving the soil barren, bigger pots hold more moisture. After the microheard dies the plant suffers.
This grow i found out that peat based organic soil mix can be used much like a coco mix. By which i mean, can be kept constantly moist. I did 5 gallon smart pots, watered every 2 days with a micro drip setup without any runoff and mulched the top of the soil with pine bark. Haven’t observed any ill effects, not in relation to overwatering at least. Plus after i de-mulched the soil was super soft, very airy and not crusty which is lovely :)
These are just some reasons i can think of.
Or maybe your soil is too hot as suggested and you are burning them. Pics would help in this case.

 

[cloudyhelads]

The mix you're describing is essentially considered a super soil type of mix. No? Yes it needs to cook, but I'm assuming a minimum of 30-60 days is sufficient. With that said, in all my research, highly amended soils should be used sparingly. New transplants can be burnt if placed directly into a hot soil. Typically the super soil is in the bottom half of the container and the transplant is surrounded by a buffer soil having no heavy amendments. This allows the transplant to strengthen and stretch into the nutrient rich mix. This has been my practice in 3-5 gal containers. I do topdress with the same mix periodically. I would say you have 200 gal of super rich soil that you should only use on the lower half of your container. My suggestion, get a garbage can and remove the upper portion of mix. Place it in the garbage can and put a lid on it. Get enough general potting mix (I use Happy Frog) to plant your ladies in the container with the lower half being the super soil mix. FFHF has been good to me straight thru a solid month of veg. This I think would alleviate the issues with your transplants. My two cents. I'm no pro, but I'm willing to try to help. Hope that helps. Happy growing.

Thank you, Smokie. I think this is probably good advice. I’m tying to kick the FF but perhaps cold turkey is not the best method. Crimson, respect as well. The 1 gal pots are unfortunately a necessary step. If I had the room in my veg I would plant right into the 20 gal fabric pots. I will take some pictures and try posting them. The affliction looks like classic potassium def from internet searches. But I think that when you “burn” plants you can lock out certain nutrients and it can look like a deficiency. This morning I planted 4 clones in jiffy pucks into soil in the manner suggested by Smokie. I top dressed one of my ailing plants with some store bought castings per Patanjali, another I repotted into FFOF after shaking off the roots of “super (jury’s still out) soil”. Thanks for the advice.

 

[OldSmokie76]

Thank you, Smokie. I think this is probably good advice. I’m tying to kick the FF but perhaps cold turkey is not the best method. Crimson, respect as well. The 1 gal pots are unfortunately a necessary step. If I had the room in my veg I would plant right into the 20 gal fabric pots. I will take some pictures and try posting them. The affliction looks like classic potassium def from internet searches. But I think that when you “burn” plants you can lock out certain nutrients and it can look like a deficiency. This morning I planted 4 clones in jiffy pucks into soil in the manner suggested by Smokie. I top dressed one of my ailing plants with some store bought castings per Patanjali, another I repotted into FFOF after shaking off the roots of “super (jury’s still out) soil”. Thanks for the advice.

Word of caution as I have heard around the farm.....FFOF is potentially hot for young plants. It itself is loaded with nutrients. I use Happy frog as it's not as harsh on small young seedlings/clones and it provides a small assortment of benficial microlife.

 

[cloudyhelads]

Word of caution as I have heard around the farm.....FFOF is potentially hot for young plants. It itself is loaded with nutrients. I use Happy frog as it's not as harsh on small young seedlings/clones and it provides a small assortment of benficial microlife.

I’ve never had any trouble with the FFOF. I’ve read that too, Smokie, but never seen it with my clones. Here’s a couple pics of affected plants/leaves. What do you guys think. Funny thing is I have 2 chocolate chunk sprouts that don’t seem to mind the stuff.

 

[cloudyhelads]

 

[cloudyhelads]

One more of a sick one. Look like burn to you guys. Logan labs will have soil report on Thursday and we will see what’s going on. Again thanks for the help.

 

[Organikz]

I have 600g worth of this stuff here. Cold composted worm castings/compost made from leaf mold. I then sieved it with 1/4 rabbit fence. This is gold right here. This stuff has been getting worked by worms for over a year now. I added the normal coot amendments in layers to enhance the quality along with aeration. This is 10x what any bagged compost or worm castings has to offer! Cold composting takes time but all of the enzymes and good organic compounds we look for survive the process. Worms make the process happen much faster and there is no need to turn the pile. I used two 300g planters. Magical! It's better than worm gold even! I'm going to catch up on this thread because I see a lot of people have joined in!

I added some malted barley flour and granite dust here and there to keep the worms chugging. Worms have a gizzard so rock dust is going to help them break down material.

 

[Farmer P]

I make worm casting tea every week using store bought castings, but last week for the first time I added some from my own worm farm. The head of foam that usually takes at least half a day with store bought was already there in a couple hours. I think I'm gonna like worm farming!

 

[Organikz]

I make worm casting tea every week using store bought castings, but last week for the first time I added some from my own worm farm. The head of foam that usually takes at least half a day with store bought was already there in a couple hours. I think I'm gonna like worm farming!

Yeah when they bag it up a lot of microbes die due to it going anaerobic. Home made worm casting are superior in every way. You can also feed them what you want to get a balanced nutrient load. If you do it right there is no need to add amendments. Basically just make a base soil with your castings and it's good to go!

 

[Organikz]

It will also be loaded with protozoa and nematodes reducing if not eliminating pest problems. Say goodbye to fungus gnats...as long as you aren't overwatering like hell.

Maybe at least add oyster shell flour and crab meal. I explained the benefit of crab meal and why it should never be overlooked. It harbors chitin loving bacteria that will gladly tackle any pest problems developing in the soil.

Any bugs that enter your soil are wandering into a mine field of nematodes at this point! They aren't going to make it through that gauntlet!

 

[FutureGrower]

I was wondering if anyone had tips for keeping root bound cuttings alive long enough to finish flowering. Can I just keep cutting back the roots or what do I need to do to keep something alive for say another 2 months. Or do I just need to throw it in a bigger pot? Trying to get this going so I dont lose genetics but this is my first time using non autoflowers:)

 

[FutureGrower]

I have 600g worth of this stuff here. Cold composted worm castings/compost made from leaf mold. I then sieved it with 1/4 rabbit fence. This is gold right here. This stuff has been getting worked by worms for over a year now. I added the normal coot amendments in layers to enhance the quality along with aeration. This is 10x what any bagged compost or worm castings has to offer! Cold composting takes time but all of the enzymes and good organic compounds we look for survive the process. Worms make the process happen much faster and there is no need to turn the pile. I used two 300g planters. Magical! It's better than worm gold even! I'm going to catch up on this thread because I see a lot of people have joined in!View attachment 838927
I added some malted barley flour and granite dust here and there to keep the worms chugging. Worms have a gizzard so rock dust is going to help them break down material.

Can you walk us through that process? I have a entire front yard and my entire street is covered in leafs. Do you just grind the leafs up and throw them in a 300g pot outside with the amendments? It's starting to get freezing out here so I doubt it would do too much over winter.

By the way that's awesome man I can't wait to see you put some of that leaf mold to good use!

 

[OldSmokie76]

I was wondering if anyone had tips for keeping root bound cuttings alive long enough to finish flowering. Can I just keep cutting back the roots or what do I need to do to keep something alive for say another 2 months. Or do I just need to throw it in a bigger pot? Trying to get this going so I dont lose genetics but this is my first time using non autoflowers:)

Search "bonsai mother" technique for cannabis. It will guide you through the process of creating a compact mother plant you can pull cuttings from for 5 or more runs easily without having a complete tree to maintain. I've had solo cups @60 days. Rootbound, stunted, deficiency nightmares. At that point, repotted fresh mix and restablished. You can maintain a plant with the root pruning or let them ride and reestablish them with minimal effort later. Guess it all depends on what you want to accomplish. Periodic cuttings every couple weeks or just let them go for a bit with no real maintenance.

 

[FutureGrower]

Search "bonsai mother" technique for cannabis. It will guide you through the process of creating a compact mother plant you can pull cuttings from for 5 or more runs easily without having a complete tree to maintain. I've had solo cups @60 days. Rootbound, stunted, deficiency nightmares. At that point, repotted fresh mix and restablished. You can maintain a plant with the root pruning or let them ride and reestablish them with minimal effort later. Guess it all depends on what you want to accomplish. Periodic cuttings every couple weeks or just let them go for a bit with no real maintenance.

Thanks smokie!

 

[OldSmokie76]

Here's a clone I let go too long in solo. I up potted to a 1 gal. Bent the stalk 90° and tied to a stake. 3 wks later transplanted to 3 gal fabric with my flower mix for the finish. Now all the small shoots are upright and providing a number of colas. This method could also be used to create a mother and leave it to veg. No root pruning here, but major LST and up potting.

 

[FutureGrower]

Here's a clone I let go too long in solo. I up potted to a 1 gal. Bent the stalk 90° and tied to a stake. 3 wks later transplanted to 3 gal fabric with my flower mix for the finish. Now all the small shoots are upright and providing a number of colas. This method could also be used to create a mother and leave it to veg. No root pruning here, but major LST and up potting.

I would love to keep moms but I think cuttings are going to be the way I have to go for awhile lol. I have some 2 gallon fabric pots I may just start them out in that and pinch often lol

 

[Organikz]

Can you walk us through that process? I have a entire front yard and my entire street is covered in leafs. Do you just grind the leafs up and throw them in a 300g pot outside with the amendments? It's starting to get freezing out here so I doubt it would do too much over winter.

By the way that's awesome man I can't wait to see you put some of that leaf mold to good use!

I start by filling the bottom 3" of a large 300g smart pot with compost that is ready and add worms. I then add a layer of leaf mold about 4" deep. I sprinkle the aeration and then a little kelp meal, neem meal, rock dust, and crab meal (maybe a little malted barley if you have a large bag). Maybe a quarter cup of each amendment and enough lava rock to partially cover the entire layer. Just keep layering it like that as if you're making lasagna. I believe some even refer to it as lasagna composting. Believe it or not being that it's a large body of soil/compost it stays warm through winter. As it sinks I add partially composted leaf mold to the top and sprinkle malted barley flour and a little rock dust on top to keep the worms working. It gets to a point when it stops sinking and that's a good indicator that its ready.

I made a compost sieve from 2x4 and nailed rabbit fence to one side with roofing racks. You can also use the large staples that are made to hammer.

I use red wrigglers to break down the upper layers and European night crawlers to finish it off as it sinks to the bottom.

Clackamas coot explains it in his KiS organics podcast. He said the guy he buys worms from starting using his tech. The worm population explodes in the presence of malted barley flour. They get the same accelerated mitosis as the plants. We're talking swarms and swarms of worms.

 

[FutureGrower]

I start by filling the bottom 3" of a large 300g smart pot with compost that is ready and add worms. I then add a layer of leaf mold about 4" deep. I sprinkle the aeration and then a little kelp meal, neem meal, rock dust, and crab meal (maybe a little malted barley if you have a large bag). Maybe a quarter cup of each amendment and enough lava rock to partially cover the entire layer. Just keep layering it like that as if you're making lasagna. I believe some even refer to it as lasagna composting. Believe it or not being that it's a large body of soil/compost it stays warm through winter. As it sinks I add partially composted leaf mold to the top and sprinkle malted barley flour and a little rock dust on top to keep the worms working. It gets to a point when it stops sinking and that's a good indicator that its ready.

I made a compost sieve from 2x4 and nailed rabbit fence to one side with roofing racks. You can also use the large staples that are made to hammer.

I use red wrigglers to break down the upper layers and European night crawlers to finish it off as it sinks to the bottom.

Clackamas coot explains it in his KiS organics podcast. He said the guy he buys worms from starting using his tech. The worm population explodes in the presence of malted barley flour. They get the same accelerated mitosis as the plants. We're talking swarms and swarms of worms.

Thank you for that detailed response man!

 

[Organikz]

Just realizing I was banned and never got to show my Bliss (Blue Orca x The Black/89NL5Haze) This stuff is killer. Smells like cherries and garlic cream cheese. Bred by Swami Organic Seed.