No Till, 100% Organic Earth Friendly Grow Aact

[Woc19]

Hello Im using liquid nutes right now and have been reading a lot about the benefits of no till "living soil". I have read about the food web and all of the types of fungi, bacteria, and organisms you need to achieve a food web. I plan on going organic on my next grow. I have an indoor 4000 watt LED grow room so I plan on just using one big 150-200 gallon smart pot. My only question about making the soil is the bugs! Ive read that you need wood lice, lady bugs, earth worms, and all sorts of critters to keep your soil happy but I have only actually seen growers use earth worms. Does anyone know what kind of bugs to add? Also how many I should add for 200 gallons of soil?

 

[Hpo777]

Hello Im using liquid nutes right now and have been reading a lot about the benefits of no till "living soil". I have read about the food web and all of the types of fungi, bacteria, and organisms you need to achieve a food web. I plan on going organic on my next grow. I have an indoor 4000 watt LED grow room so I plan on just using one big 150-200 gallon smart pot. My only question about making the soil is the bugs! Ive read that you need wood lice, lady bugs, earth worms, and all sorts of critters to keep your soil happy but I have only actually seen growers use earth worms. Does anyone know what kind of bugs to add? Also how many I should add for 200 gallons of soil?

Hey Woc! So sorry in the delay of response!

So yes and no...personally I say bugs(the good ones) are AMAZING! I fill my space with bugs and I'll go bug by bug to explain why.

1. Lady bugs I always always always use! They are pretty(I'm a squishy) and provide so many benefits. One is SPIDER MITE CONTROL! that alone will keep most people to add them. They can fit everywhere without damaging ANYTHING. I believe I read that 1 lady bug can eat up to 100 a day. I let 1,500 go in my space so thats alot of mites. Also I can't seem to tell but I believe they leave spider MITE eggs alone...they say they eat them..i haven't found that to be the case though, but when they hatch they become dinner lol they also kill aphids! So super benificial! When lady bugs reproduce they will lay their eggs near spider mites and aphids because as soon as they emerge...they get right to feeding

2. Worms are a must for me as well. They produce castings which if you don't know the amazing benefits of castings message me and I'll go into depth. I have a worm farm so EWC are not really my main point when having them just a plus. They also provide more oxygen to roots! Which prevents anaerobic pockets in your soil. They also can help get rid of bad shit in this soil! And in return poop out good stuff.

Praying mantis something you might not see alot in gardens and it's commonly debated if they even should be there...again personally I like them. I have spiders(not mites) in my indoor garden, I do where they come from but since I put "Buddha"(my mantid) into the garden I haven't seen much since lol be aware mantis eat everything...including good bugs and yes I mean lady bugs lol and when mantis are smaller they will eat spider mites but as they grow they tend to only eat larger prey. In my 32sqft garden 1 mantis is enough. So keep in mind they not be the greatest idea for everyone but for me. Yes.

There are tons of other bugs for different situations just ask away and in sure someone has used it somewhere lol hope I answered what you needed if not ask! Stoner mind keeps me one track lol

 

[Hpo777]

Hello Im using liquid nutes right now and have been reading a lot about the benefits of no till "living soil". I have read about the food web and all of the types of fungi, bacteria, and organisms you need to achieve a food web. I plan on going organic on my next grow. I have an indoor 4000 watt LED grow room so I plan on just using one big 150-200 gallon smart pot. My only question about making the soil is the bugs! Ive read that you need wood lice, lady bugs, earth worms, and all sorts of critters to keep your soil happy but I have only actually seen growers use earth worms. Does anyone know what kind of bugs to add? Also how many I should add for 200 gallons of soil?

Also...super jelly of the LEDs lol I've heard yield is a bit less...but flavor...is out of this world and for someone like me who doesn't give a dam about yield because I smoke maybe an ounce a month it's perfect! Haha

 

[Hpo777]

Here's an update with my garden I just swapped to 11/13 light. I worked for the DoD and word got out about my garden...so been busy finding a new job lol
Did one last watering with my veg tea
1.5ml fish hydroslate
2tsp kelp meal
1/4 cup castings

That's basil a great companion plant! With a cute little lady bug!

 

[Hpo777]

Today the worst thing happened...SPIDER MITES! I guess my soil diversity wasn't what I thought it was lol took 1 plant out that seemed to be patient 0. Gonna be mixing up some lemon and castor oil and hit em with that, as well as neem oil to crush these bastards! Ahh, first run in a while I've had them, I suspect a friend brought them over when he came to look at my babies

 

[Organikz]

Oh man where to begin! Lol I started reading "small space big harvest" because I started as a veggie gardener first. Then moved to CO and decided to take things from veggie garden and apply them to my herb Garden! The no till started after Elaine Ingram videos I watched. Then I started reading Teaming with microbes, fungi etc. I've been hooked ever since! I have some pics of last harvest and this is the same soil as before. I'm so impressed with all the bud I've harvested! I've still got miles of learning to do but I think I'm heading in the right direction. I'm currently in Microclimatology and Soil Ecology classes here in CO. So most of my knowledge is still being developed! I always always always! Welcome positive advice. So feel free to post your findings, collections of data or anything that might help! What's your standing on guano s? Any companies that are 100% ethically sourced? I'd really like to add some...but can't find some real OG organic guys to give a straight answer! View attachment 737360

Hey bro sorry. This didn't pop up in my alerts. Ok guanos are bad on all levels. Bad for the bats and it's just an unnecessary amendment. My amendments are not hot at all. You can mix and drop seeds in. Kelp meal, MBP, karanja/neem cake, dolo, and gypsum.

 

[Organikz]

Today the worst thing happened...SPIDER MITES! I guess my soil diversity wasn't what I thought it was lol took 1 plant out that seemed to be patient 0. Gonna be mixing up some lemon and castor oil and hit em with that, as well as neem oil to crush these bastards! Ahh, first run in a while I've had them, I suspect a friend brought them over when he came to look at my babies

You identified them? Do you do weekly IPM?

 

[NHWhites]

Hey bro sorry. This didn't pop up in my alerts. Ok guanos are bad on all levels. Bad for the bats and it's just an unnecessary amendment. My amendments are not hot at all. You can mix and drop seeds in. Kelp meal, MBP, karanja/neem cake, dolo, and gypsum.

What is MBP?

 

[Organikz]

What is MBP?

Malted barley powder

 

[NHWhites]

Malted barley powder

Thank you

 

[Organikz]

@NHWhites
I buy a bag of malted barley at the home brew store and grind it right before I top dress and water it in.

MBP can be taken up via direct uptake pathways. Peptides can be absorbed by cellular membrane. Aloe helps open these pathways. Aloe is in most medications.

 

[Hpo777]

You identified them? Do you do weekly IPM?

Yes to both. Got them under a microscope to be sure. I caught them stupid early. I'm just an insane person when it comes to spider mites, moved the patient 0 outside to finish. Girlfriend is a cliche hippy haha so essential oils are plentiful. Lemon and castor oil work best for me, and doesn't seem to disrupt the soil food web either. I press some of my bud in a rosin press, so neem cake or meal is out of the question. I've actually got a diffuser going as well with lemon oil in the tent. I used some Indonesia bat guano in this mix. Will be sure to stay away from it from now on though, thanks organiks! Considering peat moss is not nature friendly either have you tried a no till coir mix?

 

[Hpo777]

They sure do look pretty though! This is the lemon grenade!

 

[Organikz]

Yes to both. Got them under a microscope to be sure. I caught them stupid early. I'm just an insane person when it comes to spider mites, moved the patient 0 outside to finish. Girlfriend is a cliche hippy haha so essential oils are plentiful. Lemon and castor oil work best for me, and doesn't seem to disrupt the soil food web either. I press some of my bud in a rosin press, so neem cake or meal is out of the question. I've actually got a diffuser going as well with lemon oil in the tent. I used some Indonesia bat guano in this mix. Will be sure to stay away from it from now on though, thanks organiks! Considering peat moss is not nature friendly either have you tried a no till coir mix?

I don't know how to explain this. Terpenoids which is your concern with the neem cake can't be directly transferred. If a foreign terpene enters a plant it is simply digested. It basically deconstructs it. Imagine a smell being a chemical formula...crazy right?

I have flirted with the idea of coir. My only concern would be lime ratios...idk

 

[Organikz]

I think el rancho run coir in his bed. I'll ask about it.

The plant doesn't take up the smell. It takes up carbon and hydrogen which is the main factor of a smell.

 

[Hpo777]

I don't know how to explain this. Terpenoids which is your concern with the neem cake can't be directly transferred. If a foreign terpene enters a plant it is simply digested. It basically deconstructs it. Imagine a smell being a chemical formula...crazy right?

I have flirted with the idea of coir. My only concern would be lime ratios...idk

Idk we did a run with neem meal, and it was a drafty stingy taste...ill stick with crab meal for now haha.

Yes please ask if you can! I'd love to be even more eco friendly!

 

[NHWhites]

Interesting on the neem meal. Is it only when you press for rosin or does the flower taste of neem as well? Do crab meal and been essentially provide the same pest management solution?

 

[GrowGod]

Idk we did a run with neem meal, and it was a drafty stingy taste...ill stick with crab meal for now haha.

Yes please ask if you can! I'd love to be even more eco friendly!

Organicz will explain it better for you. We’re yiu spraying been on the plant?

 

[Hpo777]

Organicz will explain it better for you. We’re yiu spraying been on the plant?

It was mixed in my soil. Couldn't notice it in the flower but def had an odd taste in the rosin. @NHWhites

 

[Hpo777]

I think el rancho run coir in his bed. I'll ask about it.

The plant doesn't take up the smell. It takes up carbon and hydrogen which is the main factor of a smell.

Just realized I use mix #4 Omri cert the whole deal and it's a mix of Canadian Peat Moss and coir! Didn't know that so that's cool