dirrtyd
Well-Known Member
thanks for stopping in been kinda hard lately. keepem green dirrtyd
Dirrtyd's 2012 Organic Soil Mix and Grow
- Thread starter dirrtyd
- Start date
dirrtyd
Well-Known Member
A little more reading for your pleasure.
What is the correct definition of Organic Gardening?
What is OG? Well it very controversal based on who you talk to. Some OG people are strictly conservative in their gardening methods, while others are more adventureous and experimental. Some OG ideas are classical, ancient, and mystical. Other ideas are more modern, scientific, state of the art. Well what is it then?
This is not the best, but it is a good laymen definition of OG:
"ORGANIC GARDENING - the science and art of gardening by incorporating the entire landscape design and environment to improve and maximize the garden soil's health, structure, texture, as well as maximize the production and health of developing plants without using synthethic commercial fertilizers, pesticides, or fungicides."
1. Choose your plants to fit your garden, rather than insisting on growing picky and tempermental plants that require constant fertilizing.
2. Amend your soil with organic materials, e.g, break up clay with compost, rather than reaching for the gypsum right away.
3. Plant things that will attract and maintain a population of beneficial insects, etc., and cultivate the soil in such a way as to encourage good fungi and bacteria that will fight off the bad guys.
4. Never throw organic material in the trash...re-introduce it to your local slice of the biosphere!
Both organic and natural soil amendments are slow release, contain organic matter, and usually have a NPK ratio whose sum of the top 3 major nutrients is less than 20. They are usually designed from decomposed animal or vegetable remains or mineral rocks. They are designed to feed the soil microherd insoluble OM, not supply lots of available soluble plant nutrients.
Synthetic fertilizers have higher NPK because they are designed to chemically build the soluble nutrients of the soil without any organic matter. They also are not designed to feed the soil microherd. Synthetics are normally made from petroleum products or mineral salts.
There are actually 3 major classes of environmentally conscious gardeners today. (Note: none of these 3 classes believe in the use of synthetic fertilizers) They are all similar but also quite different:
1. Organic Gardening - these people don't use anything in their garden that has any potentially harmful chemicals, preservatives, colorings, etc. in their gardening strategies. The modern idealogies of this philosophy are based from men like Sir Albert Howard and J. I. Rodale and his family and company. They garden all year round regardless of weather or climate conditions. Economics, common sense, and environmental concerns drives the focus of this philosophy. All composting and green manuring techniques are key to this philosophy. Organic soil amendments are grass clippings, hay, straw, animal manures, human urine, leaves, dolomitic limestone, greensand, etc.
2. Biodynamic Gardening - these gardeners believe almost the same as the OG people, but they go to the next level. This philosophy was founded mainly by Rudolph Steiner. They believe strongly in gardening during appropriate astrological signs, religion, critical seasons of the year, etc. They are even very adamant about what organic materials goes into their compost at certain specifc times. (i.e. Special uses of comfrey and stinging nettle in compost piles during special times of the year) Their focus is not maximizing crop production like the OG people, but maximizing the physical and spiritual needs of nature. They use special soil amendments like stinging nettle, comfrey, yarrow, and dandelions in many of their gardening functions.
3. Natural Gardening - these gardeners are similar in the basic philosophy of the OG people, but not as strict in their choice of soil amendments. They will use a safe natural product that has good organic matter in it, even if it contains a minimum use of preservatives, colorings, etc. Natural soil amendments are blood meal, bone meal, fish emulsion, kelp spray, cottonseed meal, cattle feeds, etc.
4. Permaculture and other forms of sustainable farming - Permaculture in laymen terms is basically an extreme form of organic gardening where the farmer can only use materials on his/her farm to recycle to make compost, soil amendments, fertilizers, etc. for his farm. No buying or getting of organic material or natural fertilizers from outside or commercial sources.
To make things even more complicated, the USDA has redefined certain guidelines and regulations for any farmers who want to be classified as "USDA certified organic"!
The truth is, almost all environmentally conscious gardeners cross over back and forth between these 4 major classes. You as a gardener have to decide for yourself which philosophy style best fits your needs.
What is the correct definition of Organic Gardening?
What is OG? Well it very controversal based on who you talk to. Some OG people are strictly conservative in their gardening methods, while others are more adventureous and experimental. Some OG ideas are classical, ancient, and mystical. Other ideas are more modern, scientific, state of the art. Well what is it then?
This is not the best, but it is a good laymen definition of OG:
"ORGANIC GARDENING - the science and art of gardening by incorporating the entire landscape design and environment to improve and maximize the garden soil's health, structure, texture, as well as maximize the production and health of developing plants without using synthethic commercial fertilizers, pesticides, or fungicides."
1. Choose your plants to fit your garden, rather than insisting on growing picky and tempermental plants that require constant fertilizing.
2. Amend your soil with organic materials, e.g, break up clay with compost, rather than reaching for the gypsum right away.
3. Plant things that will attract and maintain a population of beneficial insects, etc., and cultivate the soil in such a way as to encourage good fungi and bacteria that will fight off the bad guys.
4. Never throw organic material in the trash...re-introduce it to your local slice of the biosphere!
Both organic and natural soil amendments are slow release, contain organic matter, and usually have a NPK ratio whose sum of the top 3 major nutrients is less than 20. They are usually designed from decomposed animal or vegetable remains or mineral rocks. They are designed to feed the soil microherd insoluble OM, not supply lots of available soluble plant nutrients.
Synthetic fertilizers have higher NPK because they are designed to chemically build the soluble nutrients of the soil without any organic matter. They also are not designed to feed the soil microherd. Synthetics are normally made from petroleum products or mineral salts.
There are actually 3 major classes of environmentally conscious gardeners today. (Note: none of these 3 classes believe in the use of synthetic fertilizers) They are all similar but also quite different:
1. Organic Gardening - these people don't use anything in their garden that has any potentially harmful chemicals, preservatives, colorings, etc. in their gardening strategies. The modern idealogies of this philosophy are based from men like Sir Albert Howard and J. I. Rodale and his family and company. They garden all year round regardless of weather or climate conditions. Economics, common sense, and environmental concerns drives the focus of this philosophy. All composting and green manuring techniques are key to this philosophy. Organic soil amendments are grass clippings, hay, straw, animal manures, human urine, leaves, dolomitic limestone, greensand, etc.
2. Biodynamic Gardening - these gardeners believe almost the same as the OG people, but they go to the next level. This philosophy was founded mainly by Rudolph Steiner. They believe strongly in gardening during appropriate astrological signs, religion, critical seasons of the year, etc. They are even very adamant about what organic materials goes into their compost at certain specifc times. (i.e. Special uses of comfrey and stinging nettle in compost piles during special times of the year) Their focus is not maximizing crop production like the OG people, but maximizing the physical and spiritual needs of nature. They use special soil amendments like stinging nettle, comfrey, yarrow, and dandelions in many of their gardening functions.
3. Natural Gardening - these gardeners are similar in the basic philosophy of the OG people, but not as strict in their choice of soil amendments. They will use a safe natural product that has good organic matter in it, even if it contains a minimum use of preservatives, colorings, etc. Natural soil amendments are blood meal, bone meal, fish emulsion, kelp spray, cottonseed meal, cattle feeds, etc.
4. Permaculture and other forms of sustainable farming - Permaculture in laymen terms is basically an extreme form of organic gardening where the farmer can only use materials on his/her farm to recycle to make compost, soil amendments, fertilizers, etc. for his farm. No buying or getting of organic material or natural fertilizers from outside or commercial sources.
To make things even more complicated, the USDA has redefined certain guidelines and regulations for any farmers who want to be classified as "USDA certified organic"!
The truth is, almost all environmentally conscious gardeners cross over back and forth between these 4 major classes. You as a gardener have to decide for yourself which philosophy style best fits your needs.
Hello Dirrtyd,
Thanks for all the great info on soils, I will be mixing my own for my backyard this year and your thread provided a ton of information. I also came across you doing a spring harvest in your greenhouse, which I am currently attempting. I have been having a hard time finding information as to when the plants will actually reveg due to the longer days. I live on the central coast of california, and put them in the greenhouse feb 5. So my question is, how late can you put your plants out and have them finish before reverting to veg?
Thanks and keep posting info its greatly appreciated by many lurkers like myself!
Thanks for all the great info on soils, I will be mixing my own for my backyard this year and your thread provided a ton of information. I also came across you doing a spring harvest in your greenhouse, which I am currently attempting. I have been having a hard time finding information as to when the plants will actually reveg due to the longer days. I live on the central coast of california, and put them in the greenhouse feb 5. So my question is, how late can you put your plants out and have them finish before reverting to veg?
Thanks and keep posting info its greatly appreciated by many lurkers like myself!
dirrtyd
Well-Known Member
I usually dont put them out after March or they will not finish in my eyes. Some of the gurls I will be working with this year. enjoy comments welcome.
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angryblackman
Well-Known Member
Looking good already D! This shit is about to blow up in here! 
Kratose
Well-Known Member
Looking good bro. Wish I could do some outdoor growing. Maybe someday. Just don't have anywhere to grow outdoors here.
If any of you guys got some good bud pictures I would love for you to submit them to my blog for the chance of them getting picked as our bud of the week. I am really in need of some submissions this time. Link is in my sig.
If any of you guys got some good bud pictures I would love for you to submit them to my blog for the chance of them getting picked as our bud of the week. I am really in need of some submissions this time. Link is in my sig.
ZigZagXain
Member
Subbed up Dirty! im loving all the info in this thread! I was just pondering about good sources of Potassium, and then I started reading the articles you posted, talk about syncronicity. In terms of the OG article, I would probably fall into the natural gardening category, good read! +rep
dirrtyd
Well-Known Member
Want to thank all who have stopped by. A buddy gave me a dream queen and a agent orange clone today. So they will go straight to the greenhouse for hardening then into the ground. I will definitely be cloning the Agent orange for sure it will be a keeper. Not sure how many strains I will be running this year. I have four mixed seeds from the Cali Connection going. Known strains medijuana, kanangaXblueberry, ogkushxblueberry, blackwater, chemdawgxblueberry, dream queen, agent orange,trainwreck. By the end of the month the list may go down we will see what the keepers are. Only going for strong plants this year if they are weak I have replacements waiting. keepem green dirrtyd
scroglodyte
Well-Known Member
i have got to move to a MMJ state. looks good man, and looks like a good time. not having to hide like a leper
dirrtyd
Well-Known Member
Yes it is actually a great time. some more pics of some gurls from the seed project. also some root porn coming out the cloner pure water folks. comments welcome keepem green dirrtyd
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dirrtyd
Well-Known Member
Well the gurls are looking good today still deciding on the final two gurls for the hole spots left. Looking like agent orange and dream queen will get the final two. Everything else will get two containers for sure. Grandaughter snatched a plant out today hopefully the roots are fine. keepem green dirrtyd
angryblackman
Well-Known Member
Love those roots D! Everything is looking green!
dirrtyd
Well-Known Member
Well sit back and enjoy going to be a good one this year.
Heres something I found hope this helps you.
Gypsum is an excellent source of micronutrients, sulfur and calcium. Used in clay soils because of its draining capabilities. It provides aeration.
keepem green dirrtyd