The Ranch

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RanchoDeluxe

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The ranch

Welcome to the Ranch!

The ranch 2
 
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RanchoDeluxe

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The Mindset

At it's primal level it's mimicking nature as much as possible. Understanding the value of a healthy, viable soil. No more pH meters or measuring ppms. Raised bed gardening with a Ruth Stout mulch layer. No more money spent on high priced organic nutrients from a bottle.

Dropping the bro/stoner science. Learning from your local county extension Master Gardener course. Fukouka, Sepp Holzer, Ruth Stout, Joel Salatin. Incorporating permaculture whenever possible. Reducing labor and overhead costs. Sourcing locally and free when possible.
Building systems that can be scaled up or down. Reduce any unnecessary inputs.
This is where I'm coming from. I'll explain more as time allows.

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RanchoDeluxe

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The Realization

Mother nature is perfect. Wicked, yet beautiful. Don't fight her or try to bypass her. You will lose. Work with her.
Create an entire living ecosystem. The soil mix is the most integral part. The compost or humus portion is everything. High quality vermicompost really is gold.

From here, the plant is allowed to take what it wants. Instead of being force fed nutrients via chelated bottles. Life is beautiful.

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RanchoDeluxe

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More roots...more fruits!

Seamus O' Blarney's Fine Medicinal Herbs

"Cannabis (like her cousin Nettles) is a "Bio-Dynamic Accumulator" plant. The function of “B.D.A.’s” on the Planet Earth is to move in and colonize barren, waste, and disturbed soils. Cannabis has a deep tap root up to 16’ long and miles of secondary roots, that retrieve lost minerals and nutrients from the sub-soils and returns them to the surface as humus from the rotting cannabis leaves when they fall. Hence its value in the compost pile. Its extensive root system breaks up compacted soils for the reintroduction of micro-organisms and topsoil species (like earthworms) and leaves miles of channels in the soil from its decomposed roots when they die, allowing air and water to penetrate, restoring vitality and "Tilth" to the soil!
I have many times found “volunteer” cannabis plants growing vigorously and producing excellent quality buds with absolutely no help from humans at all! Consider this when fertilizing, especially soil grown plants in raised beds or open ground. Every year at the start of the growing season, I amend with 4” of compost with a bit of rotted cow manure mixed in … that’s it! I have been known to boost flowering with molasses water and it is good to water with this when first establishing a new bed or planting hole to stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria and micro organisms. But the lady realty does all the work here and sometimes (often) a lighter hand is a kinder hand! Observe your plants everyday and you will be sensitive to their needs and ready to respond if things get out of balance. And try the “less is better” approach when fertilizing, it is my opinion that many of us spend inordinate amounts of time and money of nutrients, perhaps expecting a miracle in a bottle effect (step right up folks and see the most amazing elixir known to man, cures gout, rheumatism, rickets, fever and ague, all while strengthening the blood and restoring hair growth!!!) Funny thing here is that many of the snake oil elixirs sold by traveling medicine shows were cannabis based! But I digress! Daily attention and understanding of plant dynamics and habits will go father to yielding a bountiful crop than spending countless $$$ on nutrients!
Good luck and good grows …Seamus!"

So we are working with a biodynamic nutrient accumulator capable of putting down a 16 foot taproot and miles worth of secondary roots?

Seems logical it will grow larger and faster with the more root space it has available. Cannabis absolutely does! I have seen it too many times.
Here's a pic of one aisle in my grow. Each bed is roughly 500gallons. The other pic is of my old personal no till. It holds 150g and ran for 4 years. Recently decided to turn it into a worm bed. Great way to use leaves from my grow too.

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RanchoDeluxe

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I use an old style of a Clackamas Coot mix.

50% peat moss
25% lava rock
25% Teufels compost

1/2 cup of each per c.f.
Neem
Kelp
Crab
Oyster

1 cup per c.f. glacial rock dust

Pretty simple mix, holds more water than the newer mix which calls for 1/3 of each of the base ingredients. I do this because more aeration and overall soil tilth will increase with time. Not to mention an increase in CEC. Micro and macro life also increase with time. Life keeps getting better.
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RanchoDeluxe

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This baby is my vertical flow through worm bin. I tiled the inside and have emt pipe spaced out on the bottom for harvesting. It's currently out in the shed with a few chickens. It's been modified and has a heat lamp that serves both the worms and chickens. Topped off with a few turkey feathers!
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RanchoDeluxe

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What inputs are required?

Healthy additions of compost or vermicompost are added after transplant typically usually 1-2" deep. At this time I'll topdress w neem, alfalfa, kelp and sometimes rock dust. After a bed is running for a year or so this won't be necessary every run. Keep in mind, this is a go to at anytime should any issues arise. I'll touch more on this later on.

90% of the time my plants receive plain water.

Aloe FTW!

I absolutely love this stuff. Cloning, transplanting, foliar or soil drench she just does it all.

I also use karanja/alfalfa/kelp at a 1:1:1 ratio. Somewhere between 1-3tbs per gallon. I use 1-3 cups per 55g drum and stay under the 1tbs per gallon mark. This is pretty much it and isn't used often at all.

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View attachment the-great-aloe-book.pdf

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