All Natural Organics. The Dons' Summaries + FAQ Thread. <2017-'18>

[MrKnotty]

What you think, @MrKnotty? hope I was of some assistance at least

Hey sorry my man been super busy. So my soil is based off Coots mix, but I've added more aeration and less castings then his 1/3 ratios. You pretty much answered my question though. The re amendment process is specific to what I'm doing and I know that. I just like asking what people are doing in their grows. As for the bio char I'm thinking of going trench style at the bottom of property. I've been watching some videos and it's easier than I think I've put it in my head. I'm wondering though if I save the chunky burnt bits from my wood burning stove all winter could I use that as well? I would I assume I would have activate in a tea before I amended it in. As always thanks for spreading that organic love!

Peace!

 

[DonTesla]

I have friends who would throw out their soil if they saw that. I also admit up until about a year ago I would have most likely have done so too lol
Cheers
CCG

I have friends who throw out their soil every round, every year.. Smh, ha

...I have another that almost died while throwing it out, he got t-boned at 100km, going out of his way just to dispose.. paramedics & firemen were gathering bags of root balls from all over the highway, crazy eh! (they were totally ok, btw) but really, in organics, its your best friend and very best asset. It consistently makes for more potent, more expressive, more terpy and tasty end product.

The fungal network is seen as the pinnacle in organics by some, for once established, you have a very powerful ally. The bacteria can be easily re-introduced and also reproduce much faster than rabbits, moving in gooey gangs, with enzymes as their heavy-lifting assistants, but the fungal soldiers grow one cell at a time, in an orderly row, and once there, they supply whatever the plant needs, really, in assembly line fashion.

Be it soft rock, hard rocks or wood, or root eating nematodes, there is almost no match for mighty fungi.. ask any forest, they will tell you the same, white rot fungus is a prerequisite for any leaf mould / rotted wood

@giglewigle in general, yes, the sniff test often applies, I like to smell my soil and I enjoy it thoroughly.. one of my fav things to do. Anaerobic soil will smell like sewage, good soil will smell like forest / rainfall.

 

[DonTesla]

any one know of any interesting ways to dry and cure weed i mean im paranoid cuse im yet 2 get to this point like im concerned about all the terpines evaprorating for lack of a better word bjt then u hear about tobbacco curing methods and wonder if some of these can be aplied 2 cannabis and then u hear about cob curing ar there any other methouds for affecting it in a good way im very curios

I would decide on what is most important, be it smoothness, sweetness, potency, yield, speed, or flavour.. then you can tailor your regime a bit.

 

[giglewigle]

I would decide on what is most important, be it smoothness, sweetness, potency, yield, speed, or flavour.. then you can tailor your regime a bit.

maybe ill try well fer me at this point id like 2 not cough so smoothness i like flavour shit im not gunna think about this now just woke up havent jad a coffies yet lol i guess smoothness potentcy then flavour or maybe potency 1st then smottheness then flavour i havent used mycos this round i dont think every one seems to be sahing graet white dousent have any thing for canna so iv been using this product called gogo juice some em1 here n there at this point im just praying it all goes well

 

[calliandra]

Anaerobic soil will smell like sewage, good soil will smell like forest / rainfall.

And OK but bacterial smells just mainly of wet rocks

Mm yes, those shroomy scents! DonTesla, you sound like one who has a good sense of smell, have you noticed the touch of carrots? A friend of mine who has been composting for a veeeery long time says that's what he sniffs for when going to assess his piles (all static) for readiness - above and beyond that incredibly sexy smell of forest floor that is haha
Cheers!

 

[DonTesla]

Yes indeed, there is a distinct smell of root vegetable in healthy humus rich soil.. which could be coined as a carrot-like smell for sure. The wet rocks is good too. Nice one.

And OK but bacterial smells just mainly of wet rocks

Mm yes, those shroomy scents! DonTesla, you sound like one who has a good sense of smell, have you noticed the touch of carrots? A friend of mine who has been composting for a veeeery long time says that's what he sniffs for when going to assess his piles (all static) for readiness - above and beyond that incredibly sexy smell of forest floor that is haha
Cheers!

@giglewigle
So I would use lots of minerals while amending to help up the potency.
Use Ice before harvest to up that final trich mass.
Use whole root systems intact for an extra slow cure, when its convenient, and then cure as long as possible.. 100 to 200 days will blow you away if and when you get to go that long, but not necessary.
the more you can grow water only the more it will help too, in the smoothness department especially
Just dont forget your basalt / fungus / high brix goodies / timed foliars to help that flavour / terp mass develop more.
a ferment or two wouldn't hurt here either.

 

[DonTesla]

Hey sorry my man been super busy. So my soil is based off Coots mix, but I've added more aeration and less castings then his 1/3 ratios. You pretty much answered my question though. The re amendment process is specific to what I'm doing and I know that. I just like asking what people are doing in their grows. As for the bio char I'm thinking of going trench style at the bottom of property. I've been watching some videos and it's easier than I think I've put it in my head. I'm wondering though if I save the chunky burnt bits from my wood burning stove all winter could I use that as well? I would I assume I would have activate in a tea before I amended it in. As always thanks for spreading that organic love!

Peace!

You made some good adjustments, I see, very nice.
As for the biochar, yes, trench method is about as simple as it gets, anyone with space, a shovel and no fire ban can do it. Of course, having ample water supply is always a good thing, too.
As for your stove, if you can snap pieces in half and they look porous and black, you should be good, but I would be somewhat leary of ash and sulphur content just in case it burned with too much oxygen. You could always save it all, crush it a bit and test it for those, a test can be done for about $50 (100 grams needed), if you are saving enough to make it worth it.
I also know a place that sells it for about $2.50 a lb plus shipping. In case that helps!!

 

[giglewigle]

Hay don u rekon its possable to grow seaweed in a fish tank or iv there some other kind of plant that grows in water that would be good to compost just an idea i had trying to think out side the box abit do u rekon veganic is best im guessing via veganics is the best way to add minarals

 

[calliandra]

Hay don u rekon its possable to grow seaweed in a fish tank or iv there some other kind of plant that grows in water that would be good to compost just an idea i had trying to think out side the box abit do u rekon veganic is best im guessing via veganics is the best way to add minarals

haha you remind me of me with my pot of comfrey in a 1m² closet

But kelp won't really have a chance in a fishtank - how long do they get? 20, 30m?!
But there are a bunch of other useful aquatic plants, freshwater as well - I keep getting wind of rumors of their nutritiousness, though I haven't even begun exploring. Aquaculture is a whole universe of its own!

 

[giglewigle]

lol im about at that point im thinking i wanna be veganic cuse im thinking it would be a good option i terms of benifets ease of optaining it im gunna rig up some kind of trellis so i can grow some kind of nitrogen fixing crop maybe grow some peas or beans way i see it the walls are unused space im probly gunna plant somthing in the pots from now on like some kind of edible living mulch

 

[giglewigle]

so im gunna do a little experiment iv got a 10 liter buket bubling i put em1 in it along with some gogo juice along with some eco seaweed im gunna use it 2 hydrate some jiffys i think i might pour some of it into a smaller container for when i add the graet white and then im gunna hydrate the jiffys im just doung thise out of boredom but im hoping it speeds up germination im gunna pop some white widows

 

[Canadain Closet Gardener]

So I made some Banana peal tea, I've been freezing my banana peals for a few weeks. The left over banana mash I fed it to my worm bin.
First real organic stuff I've given them besides coffee, tea and fan leaves.


Taken from the Organic Feeding 101 thread
Banana Peel Tea.
Origin: Bananas. Cheap to make. eat the banana, use the peels.
Provides: Strong Potassium Boost. ideal for flowering.
Preparation: after selecting 4 bananas, and eating the insides, place the 4 peels into a pot, with 4 cups of water (1L). You can also add in 2 tablespoons of molasses. Bring to a boil. let boil for 5 minutes. remove the peels. let cool. place in jars for storage.
Application: mix this 1 part banana goop to 2 parts water. use every 2 weeks.

Also my Alfalfa Tea almost exploded in it's container. So remember to burp the container or leave the lid off.

Alfalfa Tea. (can also be used during flowering)
Origin: your rabbit's food. this is ground up alfalfa, leaves, stems.
Provides: 2.5%n, 5%p, and 2%k.
Preparation: grabbing a nylon sock and filling with 1 part of the alfalfa, setting it into a bucket with 10 parts water. leave it for a week to create a strong tea.
Application: use every 2 weeks, diluted 1 part tea with 10 parts water.

Aquarium filter bags work great making teas


15 days left to go



Cheers
CCG

 

[DonTesla]

Hay don u rekon its possable to grow seaweed in a fish tank or iv there some other kind of plant that grows in water that would be good to compost just an idea i had trying to think out side the box abit do u rekon veganic is best im guessing via veganics is the best way to add minarals

Look into spirulina.. that is what I would grow, if doing aqua tech. Shilajit too, not that you can make it.

As for veganics, thats the direction we are moving towards, overall, without a doubt. With the exception of frass (vegetable-fed critters) and castings (also on vegetarian diet, little to no fruit, absolutely zero paper and meat / bones) we are practically there.

.. crab shell meal and fish bone meal still getting used a bit, for now, yes, cause we have some, but not for long.. no more manures or animal meals here either.. blood and bone are long gone, thats for sure.

Come summer I will try work on a recipe that has no crab shell meal/no fish bone meal, no frass, and no castings, to be truly veganic. With more Shilajit / coco/ aloe/ leaf mould compost. For now I guess you can say we are more vegetarian and are becoming increasingly immuno-aware.

 

[giglewigle]

Look into spirulina.. that is what I would grow, if doing aqua tech. Shilajit too, not that you can make it.

As for veganics, thats the direction we are moving towards, overall, without a doubt. With the exception of frass (vegetable-fed critters) and castings (also on vegetarian diet, little to no fruit, absolutely zero paper and meat / bones) we are practically there.

.. crab shell meal and fish bone meal still getting used a bit, for now, yes, cause we have some, but not for long.. no more manures or animal meals here either.. blood and bone are long gone, thats for sure.

Come summer I will try work on a recipe that has no crab shell meal/no fish bone meal, no frass, and no castings, to be truly veganic. With more Shilajit / coco/ aloe/ leaf mould compost. For now I guess you can say we are more vegetarian and are becoming increasingly immuno-aware.

exiting times man i did end up putting my little experiment tea in a smaller container lesson learned on tje sapponins i put tje smallest amoun in and boom so mutch foem im probly only going to only hydraye the jiffies with this cuse the pink gravy i think for now is right in the sweet spot for nutes good luck with that veganic soil mix

 

[calliandra]

t, little to no fruit,

I'm intrigued. Why this?
Cheers!

 

[DonTesla]

I'm intrigued. Why this?
Cheers!

We're in soup and veggie mode for the winter, so the worms are following suit a bit, I suppose, is all.

With a few worm farms now too it allows for some experimenting I guess.

Saving the cooling fruits for the summer more, this year.. we do hope to preserve / freeze / dehydrate more soon too. The woman has been finding lots of awesome wild herbs etc in the forest too, its good stuff getting more in touch with the land and the seasons.

 

[DonTesla]

@canadain Closet Grower eh nice flower there, an expressive and tasty looking one too.

 

[Canadain Closet Gardener]

@canadain Closet Grower eh nice flower there, an expressive and tasty looking one too.

Thank you, It's Alaska

Fed my girls today some tea.


More bud porn, two weeks till they get chopped.

cheers
CCG

 

[calliandra]

We're in soup and veggie mode for the winter, so the worms are following suit a bit, I suppose, is all.

With a few worm farms now too it allows for some experimenting I guess.

Saving the cooling fruits for the summer more, this year.. we do hope to preserve / freeze / dehydrate more soon too. The woman has been finding lots of awesome wild herbs etc in the forest too, its good stuff getting more in touch with the land and the seasons.

Oh awesome!!! Imagine the microbial inoculations from those natural food sources too, contributing to the diversification of your herds. Plus, plant matter grown from intact soils are sure to have the full spectrum of nutrients, which plants growing in agricultural dirt won't bring with them either

Why I asked regarding the fruit, I had this suspicion I've been adding too much fruitwise (that includes "veggies" like cucumber, pumpkin, though the brunt of it was tomatoes that didn't make it through the first frosts), and that that may have been contributing towards making my VC more bacterial than I would like. Whereby greens can be just as potent N suppliers too...so I could be overthinking it, and just adjusting the proportions of C-heavy and N-heavy may be all that needs doing

Cheers!

 

[Bubba's girl]

How much water would one use to start "cooking" 60 gallons of soil? I have used 10 gals of water so far and the soil isn't overly wet yet, not sure how wet it needs to be?

Thanks in advance.

ps, that's quite a snowstorm you have going on there CCG! Hope I can achieve results like that.