Snafu1236
Well-Known Member
It seems like you guys want to start a real organic soil thread. I am down for that!
Experienced Organic Grower to Answer Your Questions
- Thread starter Snafu1236
- Start date
Snafu1236
Well-Known Member
Great idea. I am willing to help!Kind of Living Organics? hydro style organics! Nuga, what size u gonna do!? I'd be excited to see the gravies express flavour here, never before seen regime. I'm not poking fun, I been contemplating this for a start up recipe (/emergency consult)
Maybe pre mix different combos? One time, or make a compost pile, amended, one time. Then you'll be laughing and enjoying crazy bio-diversity
Lol sorry bud dont mean to associate u with him, think of it as with me..y'all have helped me one way or another, where some may have inspired me to be a better person, like you, Vinny,@hyroot has helped me become a better gardener and unorthodox thinker, he's helped Dp and Stow too, so i cant hate him, and my soil recipe has gone outta this world since then, and now we pull pink trichs every plant, (other factors involved) and since then we have started consulting, got an edibles brand launching, and a Seedbank popping off.. Man I swear I was just about to be stuck in a plateau when a post of his helped revamp my soil theories.. I'm grateful to all of you even Pat who's almost made me wanna slap him. Lol
At the end of the day y'all make me better.. Sorry dawg, but its true!
.
hey, i know everyone has family and whatnot, and I didn't know you volunteer. That's def cool of you.
I suppose i don't say save the best posts anymore, or delete, lets let that go, i dont want to undermine a colossal task by any means either.
You guys probably have your hands full as hell.
Maybe one day, a smaller, better guide could be placed above it, one day, jus maybe..
Step 1 build a worm farm, top ten designs from riu members are:
step 2: build a compost / start a pile: basics and more
step 3: amendments 101
Step 4: no no's in organics
Step 5: ultimate amendments
Step 6: sips and DIY LEDs
Step 7: strain /seed sources by country that company is in
But it's all good. Creating more consulting work for guys like me, whether paid or not, is helping me stay sharp and be a better gardener.
So in that case, thanks!
Snafu1236
Well-Known Member
Would love to learn about your composting business. We make our own compost, AACTs, enzyme teas and EWC's.
Snafu1236
Well-Known Member
WELL!
It looks like we may have to change this thread. This thread has rallied a lot of great discussion with great organic guys that seem to all want to change the forums a little bit here on RIU in order to reduce the amount of mis and disinformation out there.
I would be willing to change this thread into a discussion of new threads for Riu with our input accordingly.
Thoughts?
It looks like we may have to change this thread. This thread has rallied a lot of great discussion with great organic guys that seem to all want to change the forums a little bit here on RIU in order to reduce the amount of mis and disinformation out there.
I would be willing to change this thread into a discussion of new threads for Riu with our input accordingly.
Thoughts?
Snafu1236
Well-Known Member
Also, as a disclaimer, my organics education is received through Elaine Ingham. I really do not listen to anyone else regarding the Soil Food Web. I have backed up that education with personal education over the years...one of my favorite books is Teaming with microbes.
Rasta Roy
Well-Known Member
We're still pretty young and growing a lot! We accept free drop offs of leaves, grass and brush from locals and local landscapers. We collect coffee grounds from some of the local coffee shops. We have worm bins and do worm castings but so far their production is only enough to take care of my personal gardens and the ones I consult on that I sell fertilizer too. Soon as our worm population is big enough we're going to start accepting food scraps as well.
We're currently going through the process to apply for non-profit status. Our compost is gonna be sold at low-cost to the local community gardens and starting this spring we're gonna be teaching gardening lessons, composting lessons, and just general things citizens can do to reduce their carbon footprint and be more self sustaining. All for free!
DonTesla
Well-Known Member
DonTesla
Well-Known Member
Haven't focused on it much with fresh air intake and a love for hi quality humus and worms, as that provides a lot actually. Is this a focus of your mix coming up on the ganic side? That's be cool
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
Yes, because sealed room agriculture is more efficient.
Co2 generation as a byproduct of organic nutrient decomposition would help close the loop.
NaturalFarmer
Well-Known Member
I just mixed up a new batch with only peat, rice hull, bone char, soybean and EWCs and one 30 gallon tote is producing 1000ppm extra in an 8x8. Shooting for C:N 50:1
Last edited:
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
Is this a mix you put plants into straightaway or does it have to cook for awhile?
NaturalFarmer
Well-Known Member
Going to plant four lemon Kush headband right away and find out. Well in a week or two. Most of the soil is inactive in 40 degree temps. Only activates when I put it into the room and warm it up.
Rasta Roy
Well-Known Member
Lansing, Michigan! Right in the palm of the state!
ttystikk
Well-Known Member
So this is a mix it and run it formula? Just trying to get confirmation on the simple stuff first lol
calliandra
Well-Known Member
Could you walk me through how do you calculate your C:N ratios please?
I'm just beginning to, and am thus very curious how others do it
iHearAll
Well-Known Member
You find c:n ratio by parts. It's observed by isolating each input and it's % of the volume. The hotter in nitrogen the manure, for example, in compost, the less you should use. By practice and soil testing, cattle manure is 20:1 while equine is 30:1. Swine is even stronger in nitrogen 15:1 and chicken is 10:1. You can observe blood meal as very high in nitrogen 2:1?? Idk exactly.
Jyst is.. Adjust your volume per ingredient. Here's a link to the same thing but contains a little table of more example. Many universities will post these as well. Good active compost starts 30:1 and layered. The thermophillic reaction will burn off nitrogen and settle towards this ratio any how.
http://www.homecompostingmadeeasy.com
Jyst is.. Adjust your volume per ingredient. Here's a link to the same thing but contains a little table of more example. Many universities will post these as well. Good active compost starts 30:1 and layered. The thermophillic reaction will burn off nitrogen and settle towards this ratio any how.
http://www.homecompostingmadeeasy.com
iHearAll
Well-Known Member
Base soils like described above by natural farmer are safe to plant directly into. They will benefit from setting if you have applied bokashi and hummus. They are too weak in CN ratio to compost any further so will remain the CN ratio it started at. Should your soil be 30:1 or hotter it's advised to "cook" it
calliandra
Well-Known Member
Ah thanks for that link, I had been on that site hunting for C:N values, but hadn't actually read into it. Seems like a sensible approach there!
Sorry, I should've been more specific regarding my question
The C:N table I've been using is this one: http://www.carryoncomposting.com/416920203
The problem with those is that every organic material will have varying C:N values depending. So intuitively, I can understand that grass will be higher in N in springtime than in autumn, but how much higher? Since there can be quite a wide range of variance, even guesstimating seems really difficult!
So how do you decide, "ok these grass clippings (which can be anywhere between 9-25:1) have lots of clover in them and it's spring, so the C:N ratio is ..."
And what about ingredients I have no C:N for?
Is there any way we can extrapolate it if we only have the N value (then we could also use the NPK lists...), or should we just compare the material in question with something botanically similar and use that?
Ah and then there's also the problem of mixed ingredients - how much straw (75-100) is really mixed into that sheep manure (13-20)?! How does one assess this?
And after all that is resolved, I am not sure how to do the math to find the average, though I know I used to, which is totally unnerving!
Last edited:
NaturalFarmer
Well-Known Member
I don't actually but I do know that microbes oxidize carbon at a ratio of 100:10:1 C:N;P so I try to keep a level higher by large amounts than that. I don't think this should necessarily be looked at as compost because it is not.Could you walk me through how do you calculate your C:N ratios please?
I'm just beginning to, and am thus very curious how others do it
Peat moss= high carbon
soybean meal=Nitrogen and P
Bone char= high carbon/high P
Rice hull= Carbon
Dead leaves(forgot to mention)=carbon
EWC=microbes
Wood ash= carbon pH adjust
If your N is too high you will get nitrifying bacteria producing ammonia overload in the first few weeks.
This mix has higher amounts of N and P than I used in the past, so I dont know exactly what to expect.
Last edited: