What are your essential nutrients and supplements for your plants?

[Dr. Who]

@Dr. Who

What is your take on silica? for use in coco. I've never really concerned myself with it due to P-silica PH raising nature and binding risk. Some people talk of foliar spraying it but I don't like the sound of that either.

I have considered using basalt top dressing or mixed in. For seasonal crops it is considered to be fast releasing with a 2 month prep period but that seems to slow for this purpose. Would adding this to a continual worm bin and then top dressing or brewing castings be a better option for providing basalt's silica and ofc the many other benefits of basalt and castings?. While on that topic how do you think worm casting compare to the likes of recharge or instant brew products.

I've never really been a fan of Si use in soils.
It did some things for me in hydro but, nothing like what the makers can claim for their high priced products......I mean, tell people it will do XY&Z and by god they'll "see" almost exactly what makers "claim" in the first run with it....It's mostly confirmation bias at that point.

In Coco? Are you having problems that would be helped by it's use? Go with your answer to that question.... See what I mean.

 

[Flowki]

I've never really been a fan of Si use in soils.
It did some things for me in hydro but, nothing like what the makers can claim for their high priced products......I mean, tell people it will do XY&Z and by god they'll "see" almost exactly what makers "claim" in the first run with it....It's mostly confirmation bias at that point.

In Coco? Are you having problems that would be helped by it's use? Go with your answer to that question.... See what I mean.

Guess that answers it, figured I lacked perspective to make that conclusion. Anyway, basalt is something that interests me regardless. Can a meaningful amount be used and prepped in a worm bin?.

 

[Chunky Stool]

they sell it at lowes here for 24.98, but you have to order it in, they don't carry it at the store

I think that's the small bale, not the 3.8 cu ft.

 

[Chunky Stool]

I've never really been a fan of Si use in soils.
It did some things for me in hydro but, nothing like what the makers can claim for their high priced products......I mean, tell people it will do XY&Z and by god they'll "see" almost exactly what makers "claim" in the first run with it....It's mostly confirmation bias at that point.

In Coco? Are you having problems that would be helped by it's use? Go with your answer to that question.... See what I mean.

I've grown with & without silica and found that they are stronger and healthier with it than without it. Also more resistant to pests and mold/PM.
Admittedly, I've never ran a side-by-side but I've grown a few rounds of clones from the same mother plant and definitely noticed a difference.
The silica I like is Dyna-Gro Protekt and it was cheap. Quarts are ~$10 and gallons are $30.
Not bad because I only use 1/2 tsp per gallon.
It also works well as a PH-up. I use a couple of bottled nutes that have a very low PH. (Most fish & seaweed liquid ferts are low PH.)
Wish I could find a local source of rice hulls. Good for soil tilth + lots of silica.

 

[Roger A. Shrubber]

I think that's the small bale, not the 3.8 cu ft.

ah, you're right, that is the 2.2, the 3.8 is 36 bucks

 

[Chunky Stool]

ah, you're right, that is the 2.2, the 3.8 is 36 bucks

None of the home depots around here carry the big one -- and all they have is BX, which holds a lot of water. Perlite is cheap and it's always easy to mix it in, but mixing can be a pain on a large scale.
I always liked promix HP because I can use it straight of the bag(block) and get consistent results.

 

[SchmoeJoe]

Agree with Chunky, how stable the genetics are plays a huge part.

I'm subbed up as this could get interesting, its something I know zip about that I would like to.

Stability is irrelevant and is a usually misused term in the cannabis community. Most people use the term "stable genetics" to describe whether or not a plant has a tendency to turn herm. A stable strain is one that will produce very consistently similar plants and product from regular seed. That is also the proper definition of strain so to say stable strain is redundant.

Environment and genetics are almost equally important. The deciding factor is that a plant can't outperform its genetic potential no matter how well dialed in the environment is.

As far as nutrients go there's the ratios of macros and micros and then it gets deep with the different dynamics of the rhyzosphere, or root zone environment. Ph, ec, moisture to air ratio, cation exchange capacity, and all of the incredible things that soil organisms do, big and small, are really important to understand and quite a bit more than can be really efficiently discussed here.

 

[Dr. Who]

Environment and genetics are almost equally important. The deciding factor is that a plant can't outperform its genetic potential no matter how well dialed in the environment is.

 

[Dr. Who]

Guess that answers it, figured I lacked perspective to make that conclusion. Anyway, basalt is something that interests me regardless. Can a meaningful amount be used and prepped in a worm bin?.

Often called "ROCK DUST".....I've simply mixed it in my soil's. I'm not exactly sure but, the idea of including it in worm bin's is interesting..

Try it, and let us all know about how that went!

Not expecting an answer to that for 6 months -

 

[Flowki]

Often called "ROCK DUST".....I've simply mixed it in my soil's. I'm not exactly sure but, the idea of including it in worm bin's is interesting..

Try it, and let us all know about how that went!

Not expecting an answer to that for 6 months -

Maybe sooner if the worms all die ;p.

 

[Tyleb173rd]

Quality compost (my EWC) is my essential ingredient.

 

[Chunky Stool]

Quality compost (my EWC) is my essential ingredient.

What do you feed them?
I only give my worms kitchen scraps, and the castings are HOT.
It's not really a problem now that I know what's going on -- but it was a surprise at first!

 

[Tyleb173rd]

I inoculate new beds with a scoop of the oldest and most composted castings. We are a family of five so we have enough food trim for multiple worm bins. They get mostly veggie trim like broccoli stems and cauliflower stalks. They also get egg shells and banana peels. All of the food trim is cut into smaller pieces and then frozen. Once frozen I put the pi3ces in my Vita Prep blender and purée. I then add the egg shells and banana peel and I pulse it until well blended.

I prepare beds ahead of time with layered coco, perlite, shredded paper and dried stems. When it’s time to feed I layer more bedding but in between each layer I pour a little worm food smoothie. Within hours they are smashing the smoothie. Hundreds of worms just ball up around it. It’s awesome.

 

[since1991]

What I'm saying is that maybe any one of them could have turned out the way the other three did if they were planted in a different environment. The genetics play a big role in how the plant reacts to a given environment, less of a role in the total spectrum of it's genetic potential. If 10,000 clones of each plant were planted in 10,000 different environments, you may find all of the plants can look all of the ways you saw in your garden.

There are only a few types of cannabis out there - broad leaf, narrow leaf, and hemp. Of course most plants contain genetic material from all three. The distinction between the broad leaf cannabis indica and narrow leafed cannabis sativa is postdiluvian. They share a relatively recent common ancestor. The genetic differences between a Jamaican land-race and a Nepalese land-race may be little more than the factors that allow them to thrive in their respective environments[/QU

Indoor envoronments...especially indoors...are consistent enough where cultivars will not vary that much. You will get subtle (relatively speaking) differences but the jist of the cultivar is fairly consistent from grow room to grow room...no matter the location on the map. Now YOU WILL get maybe a little more than subtle nuances what with all the different lighting nowadays but cultivars (passed around clone varieties) will still be ball park. Where you will get radical differences is outdoor in vastly different climates...over time..especially seeds of the same cultivar and Ive even seen it with clones...over time. Not in one season but them fuckers will adapt eventually. I have an uncle up northern Michigan way that has been growing the same Colombian and Mexican sativas since the late 1970's. He doesn't root cuts that much. But sure does save males and throws pollen indoors for seed and next seasons crop...and a few years back I swore they were different plants from when i was a kid. WAY more indica looking now. Way earlier chop times. And these were really satty 70's plants.

 

[since1991]

Often called "ROCK DUST".....I've simply mixed it in my soil's. I'm not exactly sure but, the idea of including it in worm bin's is interesting..

Try it, and let us all know about how that went!

Not expecting an answer to that for 6 months -

Or how about "jersey green sand" ???

 

[ruwtz]

@Dr. Who

What is your take on silica? for use in coco. I've never really concerned myself with it due to P-silica PH raising nature and binding risk. Some people talk of foliar spraying it but I don't like the sound of that either.

I have considered using basalt top dressing or mixed in. For seasonal crops it is considered to be fast releasing with a 2 month prep period but that seems to slow for this purpose. Would adding this to a continual worm bin and then top dressing or brewing castings be a better option for providing basalt's silica and ofc the many other benefits of basalt and castings?. While on that topic how do you think worm casting compare to the likes of recharge or instant brew products.

I run potassium silicate in coco drip dtw and wouldn't work without it. First thing I add to RO res, then fix the pH spike before adding everything else. I run it all the way to mid bloom and stems are visibly thicker and stronger, and particularly useful if monster cropping. Doesn't seem necessary after week 4 or 5 as plant isn't growing anymore, but nevertheless will appreciate the K which I think folks underestimate in favor of P.

Make a stock solution instead of adding dry salt and no issue of binding (use hot water for stock as the silica isn't too soluble otherwise). I have ratios if you're interested.

 

[Chunky Stool]

I inoculate new beds with a scoop of the oldest and most composted castings. We are a family of five so we have enough food trim for multiple worm bins. They get mostly veggie trim like broccoli stems and cauliflower stalks. They also get egg shells and banana peels. All of the food trim is cut into smaller pieces and then frozen. Once frozen I put the pi3ces in my Vita Prep blender and purée. I then add the egg shells and banana peel and I pulse it until well blended.

I prepare beds ahead of time with layered coco, perlite, shredded paper and dried stems. When it’s time to feed I layer more bedding but in between each layer I pour a little worm food smoothie. Within hours they are smashing the smoothie. Hundreds of worms just ball up around it. It’s awesome.

Wow, that's a lot more trouble than I go through. I mix fresh scraps with some older castings to jump start microbial activity plus shredded paper & oyster shell (to keep PH down), and a little sand for grit. They get to chew it for a long time...

 

[since1991]

Stability is irrelevant and is a usually misused term in the cannabis community. Most people use the term "stable genetics" to describe whether or not a plant has a tendency to turn herm. A stable strain is one that will produce very consistently similar plants and product from regular seed. That is also the proper definition of strain so to say stable strain is redundant.

Environment and genetics are almost equally important. The deciding factor is that a plant can't outperform its genetic potential no matter how well dialed in the environment is.

As far as nutrients go there's the ratios of macros and micros and then it gets deep with the different dynamics of the rhyzosphere, or root zone environment. Ph, ec, moisture to air ratio, cation exchange capacity, and all of the incredible things that soil organisms do, big and small, are really important to understand and quite a bit more than can be really efficiently discussed here.

Joe Schmoe...right the fuk on bro!!!

 

[Tyleb173rd]

Wow, that's a lot more trouble than I go through. I mix fresh scraps with some older castings to jump start microbial activity plus shredded paper & oyster shell (to keep PH down), and a little sand for grit. They get to chew it for a long time...

It’s no trouble. There’s a trim bin in the freezer that I thaw once a week.

 

[Dr. Who]

Or how about "jersey green sand" ???

Green Sand is best used by those who re-use/re-amend soils. Green Sand is mighty slow release. It's not doing much at all that first run, and doesn't need to be re-amended for around a year+...
The No -Till organic guys are the perfect end user of this product....

I add it to only one soil I mix for bloom, and don't re-amend that (Green Sand) for like 18 months. Even then I'm only adding back 2/3 of what I first used. That works for "me."

Rock dust's are slow release and re-emend at about the exact same rates.