Would this soil be okay to use?

[MICHGANDER9]

I respectfully disagree here. All organic matter is fine in a compost pile. Depending on your inputs you will have to monitor the pile for changes requiring more flipping or more nitrogen or carbon based inputs. The cardboard is a good idea since it will breathe beter than the tarp. Felt is still then optimal option.

In regards to freezing winters, this is the time to leave the pile alone and allow an insulating crust to form on the pile as well as whatever cover you choose to use. Bacteria will go dormant from outside tempretures but will enliven again when spring arrives. A feeding of molasses or other simple carbohydrate will give bacteria the food necessary to restart the reproduction process.

You can mix in whatever soil you want for propagation, it just won't have a lot of nutrient inputs to carry the plant for a long time.

The worms dont like some of tgat stuff it fluctuates the ph to much for a healthy environment trust me i raise them in my pile and its more of a BIGGER picture than just bacteria anf fungi read Teaming with microbes by Jeff Lowenfel and YouTube Dr Elaine Ingraham she is it when it comes to compost not to say i disagree with what you said because i do agree just not all of your post✌

 

[Michigan.Out.Of.Doors]

Well man you only get out of it what you put in it not saying break the bank just saying there is a minimum requirement of investment in this so good luck my friend and remember a plant is a living thing and NEEDS LOVE to! Ron from Michigan ✌

Last year was a 0$ grow(first grow)and I got 2 pbs of 3 plants

 

[MICHGANDER9]

Last year was a 0$ grow(first grow)and I got 2 pbs of 3 plants

Ok but yeild doesn't necessarily mean QUALITY

 

[MICHGANDER9]

Ok but yeild doesn't necessarily mean QUALITY

Ok but yeild doesn't necessarily mean QUALITY

Do you happen to know what powdery mildew or Bud rot looks like?

 

[lvstealth]

I suppose that makes sense,I'll be keeping this in mind,do you have freezing winters where you live?because I think cold might be an issue

yes it freezes a bit, im in the northeast part of tennessee. but the compost, done right (actually, it is pretty forgiving, mother earth decays lots of things left to her own devices) will get really hot! compost is not an instant fix for this plant, but it will be great for the next grow and for earth in general. if you look online, you can find things that you can add to make it faster or better, but basically it just works.

for this grow, use what you have to, but with your top soil, your friend the farmer's manure, a bit of ash and ... hmmm... im sure someone here can tell you other stuff you probably have that you can make a dirt out of that will work while you "grow your own" dirt. keep in mind you need to add something like those little white things in potting soil, because most of what you have on hand is going to need something. but you can find lots of things, wont be perfect, but you can make a decent soil for what you want

EDIT:

heres an idea, if you live near a forest or woods, you might be able to scrape away the almost rotted leaves and the dirt right below that is a good add to what you have. and btw, with the manure, get the more rotted decayed stuff - it will burn anything it touches otherwise.

 

[lvstealth]

we keep a compost on the farm, maybe your farmer friend does too? i cant remember a time there wasnt one there. every year we would add stuff till the leaves turned, then we rake, mulch and piled the leaves on it and left it till it steamed again in the early spring. we turned it about 3 or 4 times a year (with a tractor) granddaddy used egg flats over it the rest of the time, they rot fast. i wish i had access to that now!

 

[Michigan.Out.Of.Doors]

yes it freezes a bit, im in the northeast part of tennessee. but the compost, done right (actually, it is pretty forgiving, mother earth decays lots of things left to her own devices) will get really hot! compost is not an instant fix for this plant, but it will be great for the next grow and for earth in general. if you look online, you can find things that you can add to make it faster or better, but basically it just works.

for this grow, use what you have to, but with your top soil, your friend the farmer's manure, a bit of ash and ... hmmm... im sure someone here can tell you other stuff you probably have that you can make a dirt out of that will work while you "grow your own" dirt. keep in mind you need to add something like those little white things in potting soil, because most of what you have on hand is going to need something. but you can find lots of things, wont be perfect, but you can make a decent soil for what you want

Thanks alot the exact comment I was hoping for,wait ash is good in the soil?like burnt wood ash?I have a wood stove so that should be achievable,how much should I put in my soil and in my compost ?

 

[JadedMarxist]

Never put meat in the compost or bones as they will attract animals.

Wish someone woulda told me that but as soon as I stopped with the meat and bones never had a problem just turn it once a week really add some water here and there no smell unless I'm standing right at the pile. The earth will live you so will your garbage men lol

 

[Michigan.Out.Of.Doors]

we keep a compost on the farm, maybe your farmer friend does too? i cant remember a time there wasnt one there. every year we would add stuff till the leaves turned, then we rake, mulch and piled the leaves on it and left it till it steamed again in the early spring. we turned it about 3 or 4 times a year (with a tractor) granddaddy used egg flats over it the rest of the time, they rot fast. i wish i had access to that now!

My buddy only uses the cow manure from what I know but he gets good crops,he rotates corn,beans,what so the soil shouldnt be too degraded of nutrients

 

[JimmyCreedog]

How to live worms feel about heavy ppm nutes?

 

[lvstealth]

wherever his pile of dung is, dig down a bit to get some of the more rotted manure, it'll look less like pooh, and more like dirt (sort of dirt with hay looking dirt in it)

the dirt requirements for "crops" and the dirt for a cannabis plant are a bit different, but you can add stuff to make what will do. it is a situation of doing the best with what you can get free.

as for ash, or any other ingredient, i recommend google. i do know that ash has potassium and it also raised ph. but i dont know much more. just that my grandmother added about a fistful to a potted plant's dirt, she also used pea gravel to "loosen up" the soil, and always crushed up egg shells and added a fistful of that too. no idea why, i dont think it ever mattered to me then, but i now wish i had written down lots of things they said and did!

 

[Farmer88]

The worms dont like some of tgat stuff it fluctuates the ph to much for a healthy environment trust me i raise them in my pile and its more of a BIGGER picture than just bacteria anf fungi read Teaming with microbes by Jeff Lowenfel and YouTube Dr Elaine Ingraham she is it when it comes to compost not to say i disagree with what you said because i do agree just not all of your post✌

Worms will be just fine. I have several avres of compost piles. All of which are used to decompose animal byproducts from processing. As well as food scrap filledwith meat and bones. What usually happens is when you have a small pile and your diet is very meat heavy ypu can offset a pile by over loading it with too much of one input. Balancing inputs adjusts for the pH fluctuations that will normally occur. Ingraham and Lowenfel can both attest to this I have spoken to them at confences. The majority of my life has been spent in commercial agriculture and without hesitation can guarantee meat and bones add more value to a compost pile than their absence. Your practices will be determined by the inputs.

 

[JadedMarxist]

I knew that animal byproducts are hurting my compost by being left out but my fukin dog gets sprayed by a skunk again he will start living in the back yard.

As I added meat (we are a heavy meat eating household) the more I had problem with skunks,my wife don't learn from her goddamn mistakes and sent the dog out without looking first and he got sprayed 3 times last year alone. I took meat and shit out oras mich as I could and haven't seen a skunk or coon since. Now I'm a big city resident and anything that attracts animals is a big oh no for me.

So I just don't use it also not a good idea to add any pet feces. So I'm told to bad too I got a huge pile of dog shit waiting to be cleaned up in back yard

 

[Farmer88]

I knew that animal byproducts are hurting my compost by being left out but my fukin dog gets sprayed by a skunk again he will start living in the back yard.

As I added meat (we are a heavy meat eating household) the more I had problem with skunks,my wife don't learn from her goddamn mistakes and sent the dog out without looking first and he got sprayed 3 times last year alone. I took meat and shit out oras mich as I could and haven't seen a skunk or coon since. Now I'm a big city resident and anything that attracts animals is a big oh no for me.

So I just don't use it also not a good idea to add any pet feces. So I'm told to bad too I got a huge pile of dog shit waiting to be cleaned up in back yard

Yea. Animal products should be buried into the center of the pile. I guess leading with that would be more applicable information.