@Organikz ...nice

I have my own soil mix that I have been working with...

soil base 1/3 black gold and 2/3 mix of:

peat moss
perlite
coir
worm castings
azomite
lime

this at the moment is working for me.

indicabush said:

@Organikz ...nice

I have my own soil mix that I have been working with...

soil base 1/3 black gold and 2/3 mix of:

peat moss
perlite
coir
worm castings
azomite
lime

this at the moment is working for me.

Click to expand...

Don't make the mistake I did and overload it with worm castings it will wreak havoc on your drainage and stay wet too long.

dnewsome2 said:

Don't make the mistake I did and overload it with worm castings it will wreak havoc on your drainage and stay wet too long.

Click to expand...

I have been working with this blend for 9 months...still a work in progress and no drainage issues. The blend is made with the thought of holding more moisture in the medium to eliminate watering so much.

I have a 8-16 day watering schedule at the moment depending on the growth phase.

indicabush said:

@Organikz ...nice

I have my own soil mix that I have been working with...

soil base 1/3 black gold and 2/3 mix of:

peat moss
perlite
coir
worm castings
azomite
lime

this at the moment is working for me.

Click to expand...

Your mix will work. This is my 2 cents. Take it or leave it.

Perlite breaks down and turns into concrete basically and will actually negatively impact soil tilth and cation exchange capacity. I use a mix of 1/4" hardwood lump charcoal bits and lava rock varying in size from dust to 1/2" pieces. I also line the bottom 2" of my containers with lava rock.

As long as you have enough volcanic rock dust there is no need for azomite. You've made basalt. I buy all natural flowerock.

Everything else is spot on. Dont go retillimg. You can mix it in with compost top dresses over time. It slowly sinks.

Organikz said:

Your mix will work. This is my 2 cents. Take it or leave it.

Perlite breaks down and turns into concrete basically and will actually negatively impact soil tilth and cation exchange capacity. I use a mix of 1/4" hardwood lump charcoal bits and lava rock varying in size from dust to 1/2" pieces. I also line the bottom 2" of my containers with lava rock.

As long as you have enough volcanic rock dust there is no need for azomite. You've made basalt. I buy all natural flowerock.

Everything else is spot on. Dont go retillimg. You can mix it in with compost top dresses over time. It slowly sinks.

Click to expand...

Thank you...I was utilizing what I had stored-up and I like the lump charcoal and lava rock. It's on my to-do worksheet. As I said a work in progress.

Perception said:

I feel the same way. I'm finding that True Organic soil growing is really an art, and is such a balance with nature rather than a formula. I feel like to a certain degree, you really have to become a pseudo-expert in soil.

My results are good, but lackluster as well, which is why I'm going to experiment with TLO. Even compost teas... I have some good results and some poor. And when I analyze my teas under a microscope, I'm not seeing the same kind of microbe explosions that people like Elaine Ingham or Tim Wilson do in their photos. But, still decent, and plants do seem to love it (like you are seeing).

Things got put on hold as I'm going to be traveling around labor day, but will be kicking off my TLO indoor grow in late September. I'm experimenting with some outdoor tomato plants in self watering containers (like the Rev likes to use). I just added high-N spikes to the tomatoes. Overall though, his method of lining the bottom of a self watering pot with perlite works great. My tomato plant has been wicking water up well. I'm diggin it.

Click to expand...

You can use smart pots for a SIP system. Buy a few of the totes. I don't know what size pots you use.

Put a 2" pvc pipe that reaches the bottom and fill the container with perlite. A lot of people put weed barrier over this to prevent algae.

Cut holes where you want your pots to sit about 2" less diameter around than the pot. Fill container with water about 2" feom the top.

When I ran SIP I uses an air stone in The 2" pvc peephole and refill port. Almost aeroponics.

indicabush said:

Thank you...I was utilizing what I had stored-up and I like the lump charcoal and lava rock. It's on my to-do worksheet. As I said a work in progress.

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Believe me bro me too. Lol. I'm so close but so far from getting dialed in. I just made the jump to the 150g. I try to share what I know to the best of my knowledge. @DrMcSkunkins is definitely a beast at the detailed subjects. All I am is a worm wrangling dirt farmer.

@indicabush I meant to tell you. Garden gypsum is a great source of calcium and sulfur. 1/2 cup per ft3

Organikz said:

Believe me bro me too. Lol. I'm so close but so far from getting dialed in. I just made the jump to the 150g. I try to share what I know to the best of my knowledge. @DrMcSkunkins is definitely a beast at the detailed subjects. All I am is a worm wrangling dirt farmer.

Click to expand...

I'm a noob with a tablet lol, the only thing I have going for me is I grew tomatoes and shrooms years before I started trying to grow indoor cannabis.

DrMcSkunkins said:

I'm a noob with a tablet lol, the only thing I have going for me is I grew tomatoes and shrooms years before I started trying to grow indoor cannabis.

Click to expand...

Well you have a plethora of knowledge along with a plethora of informative charts and pdf files to boot!

Also you can somehow diagnose without even knowing inputs which I'm terrible at and I give up on.

You called my phos shortage out right after I finally realized it was a large part of all deficiencies i was experiencing. I think i was running on just enough because all the other deficiencies showed and finally purplish black blottering zero' d me in.

I noticed only 1 side of my container was affected and then I realize with fans running my grow room as sucking extra a/c through the vent. My fans were blowing it to one side. Also.telling me I have a dead spot.

I use my ecig to find dead spots in circulation. Just pit my neem flavored juice in to help with IPM. I seriously do just go lay down a cloud. I use all usp grade kosher nicotine and veggie glycerine. Along with organic flavor extracts.

Organikz said:

@indicabush I meant to tell you. Garden gypsum is a great source of calcium and sulfur. 1/2 cup per ft3

Click to expand...

Thank you...added to worksheet

Organikz said:

You can use smart pots for a SIP system. Buy a few of the totes. I don't know what size pots you use.

Put a 2" pvc pipe that reaches the bottom and fill the container with perlite. A lot of people put weed barrier over this to prevent algae.

Cut holes where you want your pots to sit about 2" less diameter around than the pot. Fill container with water about 2" feom the top.

When I ran SIP I uses an air stone in The 2" pvc peephole and refill port. Almost aeroponics.

Click to expand...

Would be intrested in that sip system..never heard of it..do you have any pics of this.

D

@dilligaf ...
lots of designs on SIP's...Google

dilligaf said:

Would be intrested in that sip system..never heard of it..do you have any pics of this.

D

Click to expand...

I liked using concrete mixing pans better. The bigger...the better

No drainage? Just curious...

indicabush said:

No drainage? Just curious...

Click to expand...

no because the plant isn't being planted inside. it's only being set on top of the perlite inside of a smartie. i know some people use pumice but it's a little heavy. the water level should always stay a minimum of 1" from the surface of the perlite. it naturally wicks. Think of the tote or concrete mixing pan as your reservoir.

Wow, all awesome stuff! Let me just say why I'm going with The Rev's style TLO grow technique:

I'm just finishing my 4th indoor grow, and have been experimenting with Organic Soil techniques. I started biting off more than I could chew... trying to design my own soil, trying No-Till, living worms, compost teas... etc.. I've had a mixed bag of success and failure. There is just SOOOO much info on the web, everyone has a different technique or opinion, and I was spending countless hours reading the interwebs to gather info (you all know...). With the Rev's book True Living Organics, I was able to sit down and read it in 5 days, and there is a step by step plan. No stone left un-turned, which was a breath of fresh air. I don't believe this to be the END-ALL, but I'm hoping it will be a good jumping off point.

My plan is to use his techniques EXACTLY as he has laid out in his book, find a good homeostasis, and start working from there. I truly believe that a lot of his amendments can be cut out, but I don't want to jump ahead of myself. Yet. So we'll see how it all plays out.

@Organikz Thanks so much for all the links and notes. I had one question though... you mentioned enzyme drinks. This is something I'm very interested in, but I have not been able to figure out WHY these are added. Do you know "what" the enzymes are doing exactly?

Organikz said:

Perlite breaks down and turns into concrete basically and will actually negatively impact soil tilth and cation exchange capacity.

Click to expand...

Anyone tried using Pumice as a perlite alternative? From what I understand, it doesn't break down like perlite but performs similarly.

DrMcSkunkins said:

I'm a noob with a tablet lol, the only thing I have going for me is I grew tomatoes and shrooms years before I started trying to grow indoor cannabis.

Click to expand...

I've heard that shroom growing teaches one how to pay attention to the details ;)

Perception said:

Wow, all awesome stuff! Let me just say why I'm going with The Rev's style TLO grow technique:

I'm just finishing my 4th indoor grow, and have been experimenting with Organic Soil techniques. I started biting off more than I could chew... trying to design my own soil, trying No-Till, living worms, compost teas... etc.. I've had a mixed bag of success and failure. There is just SOOOO much info on the web, everyone has a different technique or opinion, and I was spending countless hours reading the interwebs to gather info (you all know...). With the Rev's book True Living Organics, I was able to sit down and read it in 5 days, and there is a step by step plan. No stone left un-turned, which was a breath of fresh air. I don't believe this to be the END-ALL, but I'm hoping it will be a good jumping off point.

My plan is to use his techniques EXACTLY as he has laid out in his book, find a good homeostasis, and start working from there. I truly believe that a lot of his amendments can be cut out, but I don't want to jump ahead of myself. Yet. So we'll see how it all plays out.

@Organikz Thanks so much for all the links and notes. I had one question though... you mentioned enzyme drinks. This is something I'm very interested in, but I have not been able to figure out WHY these are added. Do you know "what" the enzymes are doing exactly?


Anyone tried using Pumice as a perlite alternative? From what I understand, it doesn't break down like perlite but performs similarly.


I've heard that shroom growing teaches one how to pay attention to the details ;)

Click to expand...

The trick to all organics is a large pot! People just don't get that when growing organic the roots have to search out nutrients and end up running out of pot. I filled a 7g completely with a 3' tall plant with roots and ended up with premature leaf drop and she went hermie. I finally had a nice run besides a bit of nitro tox but i worked through it. I recommend a #15 personally if you're starting out. I feel pretty comfortable in 10g but it's pushing it.

Fulvic acid weekly. Our living soil cannot sustain the needs of a cannabis plant on it's own. Not at first at least.

I have 1 word for you and this is the most important. HUMUS. You're bag of compost isn't humus. I don't care what it says. HUMUS has been void of all minerals and is reduced to carbon. Minerals get bound up in soil. Iron is the worst. Iron oxide = rust. Kelp and fulvic acid chelate these minerals essentially releasing the ionic charge and your rust is reduced back to iron. It takes over a year for your humus layer to be half decent in a no till garden.

Ask doc...I hit the wall. People think fulvic acid's sole purpose is to feed the plant. It also feeds microbes in the soil by chelating bound up minerals along with containing a ton of immediately available {through cell wall membrane available}. It's not something you feed to perk up your plants. It has to be done religiously.

As does coots feeding schedule. You can't do it half way. All elements are essential including malted barley powder and i've even learned not to mix out of sequence. I did a malted barley flour top dress and watered in with coconut instead of fulvic/aloe/silica and it burned the hell out of my plants.

People get the idea that organic soil is actually set it and forget it. Humus is the key to a smooth ride. So until you've run 5 cycles through a no till bed it takes a little work. Soil cooking is a joke. Soil must be groomed and developed. Once you re-cook soil you're starting from scratch as far as soil life.

Yes i prefer pumice. People also use rice hulls. Some take it a step further and make rice hull biochar by putting rice hulls in a roasting pan, sealing it, and cooking until it's all turned completely black. It never breaks down if you do this. Well maybe in a 1000 yrs or so. It does however sink to the bottom so it has to be mixed in with compost top dresses from time to time.

I am doing a TLO grow 100% by the (Rev's) book (as far as the soil goes anyway). This is only my second grow. I bought the book half-way through my first grow and then ran around all the stores (in the middle of Maine winter) trying to buy all the amendments and get a soil "cooking" before I needed it. It was expensive- probably close to $200. ( Afterward, I see where I could have bought a premixed amendment package from tlosoils.com that may have been the way to go_ I haven't done the due diligence to know for sure but, it's worth a look).
My tent is one square meter (39") or 10sqft.
600w HPS with 1 300w (136w actual viparspectra led). I have 3 of these from my first grow. I am thinking about adding a second one just because I can.
I flipped to 12/12 five days ago.
I have fed them nothing but RO water from seed but plan to give them the "flower tea" in a week or so, keeping the PPM around 85ish.
These plants have showed some signs of too much nutes during veg.- twisted leaves (not too major) and "eagle" clawing with lime green tips and, on one strain, bright green/yellow new-growth.
That is all but gone now that I have flipped and they are exploding.
Unfortunately, I think I may have a male or two still. I thought I had them culled out but, I am a noob and, now that we are at the stage to know for sure, a couple of them no longer look very promising. Piss me off. It may be ok though, the tent is filling up quick with these 7 plants in 3 gallon soft pots- 5 may be just fine.

goingtoguano said:

I am doing a TLO grow 100% by the (Rev's) book (as far as the soil goes anyway). This is only my second grow. I bought the book half-way through my first grow and then ran around all the stores (in the middle of Maine winter) trying to buy all the amendments and get a soil "cooking" before I needed it. It was expensive- probably close to $200. ( Afterward, I see where I could have bought a premixed amendment package from tlosoils.com that may have been the way to go_ I haven't done the due diligence to know for sure but, it's worth a look).
My tent is one square meter (39") or 10sqft.
600w HPS with 1 300w (136w actual viparspectra led). I have 3 of these from my first grow. I am thinking about adding a second one just because I can.
I flipped to 12/12 five days ago.
I have fed them nothing but RO water from seed but plan to give them the "flower tea" in a week or so, keeping the PPM around 85ish.
These plants have showed some signs of too much nutes during veg.- twisted leaves (not too major) and "eagle" clawing with lime green tips and, on one strain, bright green/yellow new-growth.
That is all but gone now that I have flipped and they are exploding.
Unfortunately, I think I may have a male or two still. I thought I had them culled out but, I am a noob and, now that we are at the stage to know for sure, a couple of them no longer look very promising. Piss me off. It may be ok though, the tent is filling up quick with these 7 plants in 3 gallon soft pots- 5 may be just fine.

Click to expand...

Great set up. You're running organic in 3g? Is that recommended by that guy? Never seen organic in less than a 5g.