Do You Sterilize Your Compost?

Jack Harer

Jack Harer

Well-Known Member
Endur0xX said:
cmon gr33nCrack... you are making me nervous of asking questions!! I heard something simliar once when I said I wanted to use dirt from my garden to grow indoor someone told me to cook it in the stove!!



you mean you have an inside compost (in your garage) and an outdoor one for your garden? How is it possible that you have a drum ready every month and a half, you have 3 compost it doesnt add up to 8 months!? unless you have a 4th bin for the good to go soil?
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Yes, I guess I should have said there is a bin for the ready stuff.
It takes me about 8 months to get to the third bin full. I do get some stuff from restaraunts, like egg shells, and coffee grounds, but for the most part, it all comes from my household use.
 
snew

snew

Well-Known Member
Jack Harer said:
Yes, I guess I should have said there is a bin for the ready stuff.
It takes me about 8 months to get to the third bin full. I do get some stuff from restaraunts, like egg shells, and coffee grounds, but for the most part, it all comes from my household use.
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How often do you roll you barrels around? I also get coffee grounds from a coffee shop and they throw in a few egg shells occasionally.
 
C

Cannabisculture

Active Member
snew said:
I'm not sure what you mean by mycology work.



I hadn't thought of solarization for compost but it would be a little late in the year hear to try that. But wouldn't the heat also kill the beneficial as well?
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You would think so but in actuality what it does is super heat the top 6-8 inches of soil to 140 roughly. (Which is were most of the bugs live)
SOME microbes will be killed yes but it doesn't wipe out everything like sterilization would. Only the pests that call your soil home will be killed along with bacteria, fungus, mold, ect
Microbes reproduce rapidly when there is available food, so whatever was lost will be gained tenfold in about a week or 2

like you said its late in the season to do this outdoors but can be simulated indoors under HID lights and proper heat, if you aren't solarizing a shit ton of soil this is preferred.
thermometer probes are a must. look into different techniques and adjust to your specific needs

-CC
 
Jack Harer

Jack Harer

Well-Known Member
snew said:
How often do you roll you barrels around? I also get coffee grounds from a coffee shop and they throw in a few egg shells occasionally.
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Once a month (or so). Just to aerate the mix. I also keep the eggshells separate. I bake 'em and then grind them up (really fine) in a blender. I mix that in at the end when I mix the soil.

You might try the local Waffle House or Huddle House for the eggshells. The are pretty much separated out already, as they have a dedicated place for tossing them into a can on the line.
 
DIYguy

DIYguy

Member
This conversation on using compost for indoors has led me to building my own worm bin to produce worm castings that I plan on using for my mother plants that I will clone from for my outdoor grow next spring.

Worm casting harvested from this bin(under proper conditions) will be more than safe for indoor grows. I took lots of photos and will be updating this post regularly. Please check it out, subscribe, like, reputation boost etc etc ;)

Here is the link to the post...
https://www.rollitup.org/organics/477768-unlimited-black-gold-fetilizer-under.html
Enjoy rollitup krew!

-DIYguy
 
malignant

malignant

Well-Known Member
DIYguy said:
This conversation on using compost for indoors has led me to building my own worm bin to produce worm castings that I plan on using for my mother plants that I will clone from for my outdoor grow next spring.

Worm casting harvested from this bin(under proper conditions) will be more than safe for indoor grows. I took lots of photos and will be updating this post regularly. Please check it out, subscribe, like, reputation boost etc etc ;)

Here is the link to the post...
https://www.rollitup.org/organics/477768-unlimited-black-gold-fetilizer-under.html
Enjoy rollitup krew!

-DIYguy
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your brave, i wont start that project, too much added responsibility
 
Jack Harer

Jack Harer

Well-Known Member
I had to draw the line somewhere. If I produced every ingredient/amendment I used, I'd be raising worms, rabbits, and have to have a bat cave to go along with my bio char oven and compost heap/barrels. It's still quite a job to run around collecting egg shells, and rabbit poo. My 4 rabbit breeders are about 90 miles apart. Than god waffle house is right around the corner. I still have to bake and grind the shells also. Organics can be pretty labor intensive, but it's a labor of love.
 
DIYguy

DIYguy

Member
malignant said:
your brave, i wont start that project, too much added responsibility
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Hey malignant!

Thanks for the comments on the post. I personally wouldn't go as far as saying that I am brave or any thing. In regards to responsibility in maintaining the box, IT"S A MINIMAL EFFORT. I would hate for anyone to be discouraged doing this project because they thought it was to demanding or difficult because what you get in return from these little guys will blow your freaking mind.

The box it self cost me less than 15$ and a total of 15-20 minutes construction time.

The worm (red wigglers) I am picking up today will be the biggest expense of 25$. GRAND TOTAL OF AND FUTURE INVESTMENTS = 40$!!!!

Once they are set-up MAINTENANCE IS WEEKLY recquiring a 1/2-1 pound of food scraps. That's it.

I think we have a responsibility to minimize our land fill waste and use fertilizers that actually improves soil quality and does not poison the water table. If this seems like a lot of responsibility, I say BRING IT ON!

-DIYguy
 
DIYguy

DIYguy

Member
Jack Harer said:
I had to draw the line somewhere. If I produced every ingredient/amendment I used, I'd be raising worms, rabbits, and have to have a bat cave to go along with my bio char oven and compost heap/barrels. It's still quite a job to run around collecting egg shells, and rabbit poo. My 4 rabbit breeders are about 90 miles apart. Than god waffle house is right around the corner. I still have to bake and grind the shells also. Organics can be pretty labor intensive, but it's a labor of love.
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Hey Jack Harer, I have read your posts and really learned a lot from them.

With that said I would have to RESPECTFULLY DISAGREE with you. I understand what you are saying and totally agree that it would be impossible to recreate your amendment line up on my own DIY. With that said I wouldn't use all those different amendments in the first place.

I will say that using all those variations of manures (rabbit,worm,chicken, steer, bat) are great, but not necessary. In my opinion I feel like doing such you have a major amount of OVERLAPPING products that all do the same thing. My aim is simple in nature because I weigh everything in effort/efficiency. Instead of using so many products I use what I can at a great value.

My current line-up uses worm and chicken/steer manures and less than 5 other products, kelp/fish emulsion and garden compost. I am looking into using blood and bone meal in the future.

I AM NOT ARGUING THAT MY PRODUCT IS THE BEST. All I'm saying is that you don't have to buy some 20-30 different products like some folks use and still get a great product. A product that didn't break your bank or keep you away all weekend from the kids.

CALL ME A MINIMALIST ;)

Much respect respect to you Jack! You are the man.

-DIYguy
 
DIYguy

DIYguy

Member
TO ALL CONSIDERING THIS PROJECT CHECK THIS SITE OUT!!!!

http://www.wormvideoclips.com/

I am actually buying the worms from the sites sponsor from his actual house! I willl see if you will let me take pictures and have him check out my bin and get his advice and bring it back here. I will update tonight! SO excited!

(what a nerd...)
-DIYguy
 
Jack Harer

Jack Harer

Well-Known Member
DIYguy said:
Hey Jack Harer, I have read your posts and really learned a lot from them.

With that said I would have to RESPECTFULLY DISAGREE with you. I understand what you are saying and totally agree that it would be impossible to recreate your amendment line up on my own DIY. With that said I wouldn't use all those different amendments in the first place.

I will say that using all those variations of manures (rabbit,worm,chicken, steer, bat) are great, but not necessary. In my opinion I feel like doing such you have a major amount of OVERLAPPING products that all do the same thing. My aim is simple in nature because I weigh everything in effort/efficiency. Instead of using so many products I use what I can at a great value.

My current line-up uses worm and chicken/steer manures and less than 5 other products, kelp/fish emulsion and garden compost. I am looking into using blood and bone meal in the future.

I AM NOT ARGUING THAT MY PRODUCT IS THE BEST. All I'm saying is that you don't have to buy some 20-30 different products like some folks use and still get a great product. A product that didn't break your bank or keep you away all weekend from the kids.

CALL ME A MINIMALIST ;)

Much respect respect to you Jack! You are the man.

-DIYguy
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We're on the same page, I don't use chicken poo 'cuz it's really hot, but I use the EWC, Rabbit Poo, compost, and eggshells in my soil mix. the rest like guanos and Kelp are supplements for teas. About the only thing I do that you don't is add Bio Char, which is a relatively new addition as of about 3 years ago. Google Terra Preta and Bio Char. The difference that stuff makes is friggin' amazing, notwithstanding any environmental benefits we gain from it's use. The story behind Terra Preta and it's discovery is really quite interesting. It's a 5000 + year old MAN MADE soil.

www.biochar-international.org
 
Jack Harer

Jack Harer

Well-Known Member
The easiest way (The first I ever got anyway) is to buy some Hardwood Lump Charcoal (it's a form of Bio Char). Not the Kingsford briquettes. They sell it at some high end outdoors shops, and some times at Home Depot. You get it wet, then crush the hell out of it. It's a bitch, but wet is easier than dry.
 
A

Afka

Active Member
Setting shit on fire and then growing on it is one of the first methods of fertilization. It's not very efficient, and is very alkaline. Good source of micronutrients and K though.

I've heard of using charcoal bits in orchid potting mixes, and can understand their use as a soil ammendment, but I'm sure there's some disadvantages to loading up pure carbon into your soil
 
Joedank

Joedank

Well-Known Member
^^^ true biochar is neutral it is nearly pure carbon ... Works like magic heals the earth and can soak in ferts an act as time release fert in outdoor app . Great stuff
 
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