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

[firstnamelast]

Happy New Year FNL, right on!

1. First, have you got a worm farm by chance started yet, cause fresh castings are so powerful its not funny, and store bought suck so bad its sad!
2. Also, indoor grow I assume?
3. Lets start with your grow space size including height allowance. That will help determine a soil volume we're after.
4. And are you growing shorter flowering indicas or longer flowering sativa.. 8 wks vs 14-16, That will determine a couple things too.
5. And are you growing for medical reasons, or for anyone with a compromised immune system or vegan lifestyle..that would determine whether you should go probiotic and avoid low grade factory farm animal products and their untasty additives. Which I like to avoid as is, overall, minus Frass, castings, and a bit of fish bone meal or crab shell meal, which I also aim to phase out but still use here and there.

If so, to #5, for sure I would suggest probiotic living soil. Even if not, I would still suggest probiotic living soil, lol... if you want to learn the best way thats the ticket.

Ps.
My first round was a water only grow in 1 gallon pots, but as you will quickly learn, the bigger the better in organics, so getting some 15 or 20 or even 25 gallon pots would be very wise. They only need to be a foot tall, but the extra size will help all the micro life stay alive and that will keep nutrients cycling if a good soil food web is established.

Let me start by thanking you again to take the time to explain this to me. I've been stuck for a few months and this is a saving grace.

1) Nope but how do I start? And how long will it take before it's ready? Also does it stink? Lol
2) Indoor yes
3) I'm growing in a closet in my room for flower, and a much smaller closet in another room for veg. 8ft ceilings, 59" long x 36" wide for flower. I'm on the fence if I should get a tent or not for flower. I'm trying to stay under 5 plants total between both rooms
4) No really long flowering sativas, mainly indica or hybrid
5) I'm open to anything that you would consider a superior technique

I'm willing to do whatever I need to. I'm open to any and all suggestions. I've been begging my friend for help for months and I finally just decided to ask online haha. I'm using Photon Fantom's LED sun boards and fusion boards if that matters. Take care!

 

[firstnamelast]

One thing I should mention: my garage is frozen solid at the moment so I unfortunately have to do all of the prep work in a small room inside if that matters. A question I have, can I get beneficial bugs when I'm inside completely? Or do I have to add them all in myself anyway?

 

[DonTesla]

Let me start by thanking you again to take the time to explain this to me. I've been stuck for a few months and this is a saving grace.

1) Nope but how do I start? And how long will it take before it's ready? Also does it stink? Lol
2) Indoor yes
3) I'm growing in a closet in my room for flower, and a much smaller closet in another room for veg. 8ft ceilings, 59" long x 36" wide for flower. I'm on the fence if I should get a tent or not for flower. I'm trying to stay under 5 plants total between both rooms
4) No really long flowering sativas, mainly indica or hybrid
5) I'm open to anything that you would consider a superior technique

I'm willing to do whatever I need to. I'm open to any and all suggestions. I've been begging my friend for help for months and I finally just decided to ask online haha. I'm using Photon Fantom's LED sun boards and fusion boards if that matters. Take care!

Its the least I could do, I had a really blessed experience being introduced to organics and I just try to do the same since that mentoring helped so much back then..

1. No problem, its easy to start and quite quick to produce. Zero stink, too, in fact, I actually love to smell my castings. IF you overfeed, or use hella brocolli, or fail to bury food scraps, then you may have some gnats or smell, but if you bury it and watch the hump, aka dig a hole, plunk your food in, and dont feed again til its flattened out, then you will be more than fine.
Everyone here has indoor farms. I would start with any plain old rubbermaid container, or build a layered farm out of scrap wood and hardware mesh, like I have shown examples of, and put in some bedding, moisten to the point its like a wrung out sponge, and add a pound of wigglers sourced locally. They will continue to multiply, eat an equivalent to their body weight daily, and double in overall worm-biomass monthly.

Myself, I prefer coco and root balls vs cardboard and newspaper, as I like glue and dye-free end products, I feel they are far superior. I also don't use meat or bones, or too much fruit/ acidic veggies. I freeze scraps first and then thaw or just toss in, that will disappear faster than if you don't freeze first.

2. Indoor, cool. So for that I always recommend a full spectrum of all light types, from 2000k thru to 10k including UV far red and deep red, to best mimic the sun, but you can start with what you have (4000k?) and round out the spectrums a bit more over time if you can. This just helps get a lot more glandular expression and terp quality that people always bug me about (re: our pink purple and black trichs). genetics too is a key, here, lol, but what you have is good and will do great to start!

3. So about 5 x 3, or 15 sq ft. I would probably do 3 big plants in flower, then, all side by side.. you could do 3 15-20 gal fabric pots perhaps? Or 3 totes and make them into 3 SIP (Sub Irrigated Planters) .. or make a bed that fits the space, and line it with pond liner etc, fill with soil and plug in your veg plants.. this 3rd way will cut your veg time, but requires a bit more soil and you may want to do just one strain vs 3. so pros and cons for you to mull over...
then in veg you could do one gallon or so, nice narrow and deep square pots, that will promote more females then using beer cups or shallower things!

4. Hybrids and indicas, ok then, thats a bit easier I would say, requires a bit less N, and bit less long term slow release stuff, and they're a little less sensitive. Easier to do water only as well and keep em happy for 6 less weeks overall. You can basically use coots recipe, adjusted if you like, which I will go over in a minute how I do that. All you need is a good base with good drainage and nutrient retention, then a couple meals, and minerals to top it off. Of course, inoculating with beneficial bacteria and microbes is needed unless you are making your own castings.

5. Then I would def go with a living soil that is free from factory farm slaughterhouse inputs like reggie bone meal, blood meal, and many of the other gross things normally recommended to beginner growers!

Other than worms, there is one more side project to start that takes a few weeks but then it can last for a few years.. Its very simple, learning to make labs, aka Lactic Acid Bacteria or Lactobacillus Serum, thats the only ferment you really need imo although grokashi is nice to have too. There are other ferments one could do to, however we can keep it simple for year one, and if you use insect frass or red wheat bran flour you can skip this grokashi part and just have a labs on hand.. which is a great probiotic with multiple uses, something you could use daily or as often as you wish.

Now that we have the trickier parts covered, we can talk base next, and lastly, we will cover the meals and minerals to include.. which I have already covered in this thread actually at the beginning, you may wish to take a peek so you can see the progression over the last couple years!

 

[DonTesla]

Good question:

One thing I should mention: my garage is frozen solid at the moment so I unfortunately have to do all of the prep work in a small room inside if that matters. A question I have, can I get beneficial bugs when I'm inside completely? Or do I have to add them all in myself anyway?

I wouldn't worry about the frozen garage, if you have some fresh vermicompost / castings, by say month end, along with a good brand of myco fungi with no fillers and some oat flour or red wheat bran flour, as mentioned, as a grokashi sub, you can bring in the the bulk of important and crucial elements of the soil food webs, in a matter of days. Don't forget that 500 000 bacteria can fit in the period at the end of this sentence and one single bacteria can turn into 300 000 000 by the end of a good day via multiplication.. so brewing a tea can really get things popping, not that I'm huge on teas, but they can help if done right / needed.

Then, to really up your game, you can start a compost outdoors next spring that will cover the somewhat more difficult to harness microbes like amoebas and protozoas .. at which point, if you so choose, you can be like Greasemonkeyman, and build all your soil outside in the summers, simply out of amended aerated compost .. since leaf mould aka leaf compost is one of the more powerful bases to use.

However, I will show you how to build interim bases that don't require it.. once its ready we will just upgrade and donate your old soil to family friends or the veggie patch.

 

[DonTesla]

@firstnamelast et al,

here is a page with a couple examples of diy WORM FARMS have used in the past, hope it helps jog some ideas!

https://www.rollitup.org/t/worms.925905/page-4#post-13207437

 

[firstnamelast]

Its the least I could do, I had a really blessed experience being introduced to organics and I just try to do the same since that mentoring helped so much back then..

1. No problem, its easy to start and quite quick to produce. Zero stink, too, in fact, I actually love to smell my castings. IF you overfeed, or use hella brocolli, or fail to bury food scraps, then you may have some gnats or smell, but if you bury it and watch the hump, aka dig a hole, plunk your food in, and dont feed again til its flattened out, then you will be more than fine.
Everyone here has indoor farms. I would start with any plain old rubbermaid container, or build a layered farm out of scrap wood and hardware mesh, like I have shown examples of, and put in some bedding, moisten to the point its like a wrung out sponge, and add a pound of wigglers sourced locally. They will continue to multiply, eat an equivalent to their body weight daily, and double in overall worm-biomass monthly.

Myself, I prefer coco and root balls vs cardboard and newspaper, as I like glue and dye-free end products, I feel they are far superior. I also don't use meat or bones, or too much fruit/ acidic veggies. I freeze scraps first and then thaw or just toss in, that will disappear faster than if you don't freeze first.

2. Indoor, cool. So for that I always recommend a full spectrum of all light types, from 2000k thru to 10k including UV far red and deep red, to best mimic the sun, but you can start with what you have (4000k?) and round out the spectrums a bit more over time if you can. This just helps get a lot more glandular expression and terp quality that people always bug me about (re: our pink purple and black trichs). genetics too is a key, here, lol, but what you have is good and will do great to start!

3. So about 5 x 3, or 15 sq ft. I would probably do 3 big plants in flower, then, all side by side.. you could do 3 15-20 gal fabric pots perhaps? Or 3 totes and make them into 3 SIP (Sub Irrigated Planters) .. or make a bed that fits the space, and line it with pond liner etc, fill with soil and plug in your veg plants.. this 3rd way will cut your veg time, but requires a bit more soil and you may want to do just one strain vs 3. so pros and cons for you to mull over...
then in veg you could do one gallon or so, nice narrow and deep square pots, that will promote more females then using beer cups or shallower things!

4. Hybrids and indicas, ok then, thats a bit easier I would say, requires a bit less N, and bit less long term slow release stuff, and they're a little less sensitive. Easier to do water only as well and keep em happy for 6 less weeks overall. You can basically use coots recipe, adjusted if you like, which I will go over in a minute how I do that. All you need is a good base with good drainage and nutrient retention, then a couple meals, and minerals to top it off. Of course, inoculating with beneficial bacteria and microbes is needed unless you are making your own castings.

5. Then I would def go with a living soil that is free from factory farm slaughterhouse inputs like reggie bone meal, blood meal, and many of the other gross things normally recommended to beginner growers!

Other than worms, there is one more side project to start that takes a few weeks but then it can last for a few years.. Its very simple, learning to make labs, aka Lactic Acid Bacteria or Lactobacillus Serum, thats the only ferment you really need imo although grokashi is nice to have too. There are other ferments one could do to, however we can keep it simple for year one, and if you use insect frass or red wheat bran flour you can skip this grokashi part and just have a labs on hand.. which is a great probiotic with multiple uses, something you could use daily or as often as you wish.

Now that we have the trickier parts covered, we can talk base next, and lastly, we will cover the meals and minerals to include.. which I have already covered in this thread actually at the beginning, you may wish to take a peek so you can see the progression over the last couple years!

.
I have 3500k, and 4000k in my sun boards and 2700k, 3500k, and 6500k in my fusion boards. I was thinking of going the 3 separate fabric pot route. I gotta have multiple strains going. I've got a ton of strains stockpiled already. For the worms do I just get regular nightcrawlers? And just feed them food scraps? Coco and root balls for bedding? And I'll definitely want a screen to separate the castings? Where can I start with making the labs? I'll try your method without the bone and blood meal and I'll read the previous pages here. Would you say I need a tent for my closet grow? I have the option to wire the lights in 200 or 300 watts, I'm concerned about heat though and a minimal exchange of air without a tent.

 

[firstnamelast]

I have 1 more question, this is a type of compost soil correct? Does the soil itself ever see food scraps or just the worms? Thanks again, I know I'm probably asking super basic stuff I should have learned by now. The guy who was supposed to be helping me has seemingly been keeping me in the dark on purpose, and making it look like this is far more difficult to understand than it actually is. He was supposed to help me set all this up months ago. So I'm going solo from here on out. From what I can tell honestly you have a much better grasp on the subject anyway. In a couple months he'll be asking me for help on his soil I know it for a fact

 

[firstnamelast]

I should also mention I have OG Biowar Nute and Root packs already as my friend suggested I get them while they were on sale during Thanksgiving (lol)

 

[DonTesla]

.
I have 3500k, and 4000k in my sun boards and 2700k, 3500k, and 6500k in my fusion boards. I was thinking of going the 3 separate fabric pot route. I gotta have multiple strains going. I've got a ton of strains stockpiled already. For the worms do I just get regular nightcrawlers? And just feed them food scraps? Coco and root balls for bedding? And I'll definitely want a screen to separate the castings? Where can I start with making the labs? I'll try your method without the bone and blood meal and I'll read the previous pages here. Would you say I need a tent for my closet grow? I have the option to wire the lights in 200 or 300 watts, I'm concerned about heat though and a minimal exchange of air without a tent.

Nice you already have a good mix of spectrums then. Just lacking some UV mostly then which can be fixed with a couple t5's ATI True Actinics bulbs / T5 ATI Coral Plus from bulkreefsupply.com

For worms, normally just go with red wigglers but you can get more than one species too.

Feed them biomass, most are just fed cow manure but I prefer less dense things, like coffee chaff and yes I do feed scraps but not too much acid.

Bedding, Yes

Screened EWC, Yes.. having it built in (Continous Flow Through Systems as they are called) is one way to save a lot of labour.

As for tent, not needed, but it can help trap humidity (and heat) so without ventilation, might be best without.
And just block window light.

 

[DonTesla]

I have 1 more question, this is a type of compost soil correct? Does the soil itself ever see food scraps or just the worms? Thanks again, I know I'm probably asking super basic stuff I should have learned by now. The guy who was supposed to be helping me has seemingly been keeping me in the dark on purpose, and making it look like this is far more difficult to understand than it actually is. He was supposed to help me set all this up months ago. So I'm going solo from here on out. From what I can tell honestly you have a much better grasp on the subject anyway. In a couple months he'll be asking me for help on his soil I know it for a fact

Yeah he probably wanted to be your consultant for an equal cut of all your work ahaha
I will take just 10% k jk.. but yeah I bet you will be his tutor in no time, correcting things he does. aha

Once you add EWC to soil its a compost soil blend yes, and once you get to amending compost and aerating that, and that alone, then you could call it a full spectrum living compost that you grow and topdress with and simply add water to for the most amazing results imaginable.

As for scraps, no just for the worms, in my case, although some people add scraps and mushy soups to topsoil to feed anaerobes, I see it as risky though: can attract pests, cause fluxes, and can be side-stepped by just using LABS so that's way easier imo..

Speaking of which, LABS can be made very easily, check out the UnconventionalFarmer's site (google) for a quick example.. hyroot is also posting tutorial vids here on RIU..

No worries about any questions, just glad to have another soldier on the Organic side!!

 

[DonTesla]

@firstnamelast, hmm well at $170 per kilo for a nute pack, I would have not suggested that, but if you can tell me what all is in there, ingredient wise, other than its myco fungals, (not categories but actual ingredients and what it boils down to) we can gauge it better

I personally like my myco seperate, my meals seperate, and my minerals seperate..

those are the only things you need to keep revitalizing the soil so you can keep reusing it to craft quality cannabis

 

[firstnamelast]

We split it so I think he was using me to order it for him. He's not allowed to order anything to his house lol. One of those people that doesn't do anything unless they get something out of it. In fact he did say he wouldn't physically help me do anything unless he was gonna get a cut. He doesn't have a grow of his own, he has multiple grows that he partnered up with other people for. He disappears for weeks at a time and the grows suffer. Trying to attach a picture of the back of the nute pack, I don't think I can yet as a new member. He's got the bag for the root pack unfortunately. Here's what the bag of the pack says:

 

[firstnamelast]

Azospirillum brasilense, Rhizobium megaterium, Frateuria aurantia, Pseudomonas striata, Glomus clarum, Glomus intraradices, Glomus mosseae, Glomus aggregatum, 70% inert ingredients pharmaceutical grade talc

 

[DonTesla]

LABS:

Step 1: Rice Wash


1 Cup of Rice

1 Cup of Clean Chlorine-free water

1 Pint Jar w lid

1 Coffee Filter

• Place Water and Rice in Jar.
• Secure lid on Jar
• Shake Jar for 5 minutes
• Strain out the rice and keep the white water
• Place 1 coffee filter on top of jar and secure the band without the lid so it can breath.
• Place Jar (on top of your fridge) at room temperature.
• Wait 1 week for bacteria from the air to fall into your jar.
• Make 2 just in case you get contaminated.
• After 1 week strain Rice wash through a strainer and place the lid on securely.
• Your Rice wash is now full of microbes and ready for step 2 (Lab
  
  
  

Step 2: LABS (Lactic Acid Bacteria Serum)


1 Part Rice Wash (1 cup)

10 Parts Milk (½ Gallon)

1 Gallon Glass Jug (Apple Juice Jug)

3 Coffee Filters

1 Rubber band

• Place rice wash and milk in the jug
• Give it a swirl/mix.
• Cut the 3 coffee Filters in half and now you got 6 halves.
• Place the filters on top of the jug and secure with a rubber band.
• Place the Jug on top of the fridge.
• Wait 1 week for the Separation to occur of the Lactic Acid Bacteria Serum.
• After 1 week Strain and Separate the Serum from the Curd (Cheese).
• The Yellow Liquid is called Lactic Acid Bacteria Serum (LABS)
• The Cheese can be used as a top dressing for your Flowering Plants Soil.
• Proceed to Step 3.

Step 3: AEM1 (Activated Essential Micro Organisms)

1 Part LABS (1 Quart)

1 Part Molasses (1 Quart)

20 Parts Non-Chlorine Water

1 5 Gallon Carboy Glass Jug

1 Air Lock

1 Stopper

• Place Water, Molasses and Labs in the 5 Gallon Jug or Bucket.
• Mix
• Secure Tight the Air Lock and Stopper on Jug .
• Don’t Forget to add water to the Air Lock.
• Place the Jug back in the box it came in.
• Place Box in the Flowering room for 3 weeks to diffuse CO2 Gas to the plants.
• After brewing for 3 weeks test the Ph to be 3.5 Ph.
• After testing make sure there is no more pressure produced from the brew.
• Pour solution in Jars and secure the lid tight.
• Store Jars at room Temperature for 3 Months Max.
• Feed Plants from all stages at a rate of 1 Pint of Activated Essential Micro Organisms x 5 Gallons of clean water.

Thanks to Hy for the original tutorial / posting.

 

[firstnamelast]

LABS:

Step 1: Rice Wash


1 Cup of Rice

1 Cup of Clean Chlorine-free water

1 Pint Jar w lid

1 Coffee Filter

• Place Water and Rice in Jar.
• Secure lid on Jar
• Shake Jar for 5 minutes
• Strain out the rice and keep the white water
• Place 1 coffee filter on top of jar and secure the band without the lid so it can breath.
• Place Jar (on top of your fridge) at room temperature.
• Wait 1 week for bacteria from the air to fall into your jar.
• Make 2 just in case you get contaminated.
• After 1 week strain Rice wash through a strainer and place the lid on securely.
• Your Rice wash is now full of microbes and ready for step 2 (Lab
  
  
  

Step 2: LABS (Lactic Acid Bacteria Serum)


1 Part Rice Wash (1 cup)

10 Parts Milk (½ Gallon)

1 Gallon Glass Jug (Apple Juice Jug)

3 Coffee Filters

1 Rubber band

• Place rice wash and milk in the jug
• Give it a swirl/mix.
• Cut the 3 coffee Filters in half and now you got 6 halves.
• Place the filters on top of the jug and secure with a rubber band.
• Place the Jug on top of the fridge.
• Wait 1 week for the Separation to occur of the Lactic Acid Bacteria Serum.
• After 1 week Strain and Separate the Serum from the Curd (Cheese).
• The Yellow Liquid is called Lactic Acid Bacteria Serum (LABS)
• The Cheese can be used as a top dressing for your Flowering Plants Soil.
• Proceed to Step 3.

Step 3: AEM1 (Activated Essential Micro Organisms)

1 Part LABS (1 Quart)

1 Part Molasses (1 Quart)

20 Parts Non-Chlorine Water

1 5 Gallon Carboy Glass Jug

1 Air Lock

1 Stopper

• Place Water, Molasses and Labs in the 5 Gallon Jug or Bucket.
• Mix
• Secure Tight the Air Lock and Stopper on Jug .
• Don’t Forget to add water to the Air Lock.
• Place the Jug back in the box it came in.
• Place Box in the Flowering room for 3 weeks to diffuse CO2 Gas to the plants.
• After brewing for 3 weeks test the Ph to be 3.5 Ph.
• After testing make sure there is no more pressure produced from the brew.
• Pour solution in Jars and secure the lid tight.
• Store Jars at room Temperature for 3 Months Max.
• Feed Plants from all stages at a rate of 1 Pint of Activated Essential Micro Organisms x 5 Gallons of clean water.

Thanks to Hy for the original tutorial / posting.

Awesome thanks a ton for posting this here for me! I'll get started ASAP

 

[firstnamelast]

LABS:

Step 1: Rice Wash


1 Cup of Rice

1 Cup of Clean Chlorine-free water

1 Pint Jar w lid

1 Coffee Filter

• Place Water and Rice in Jar.
• Secure lid on Jar
• Shake Jar for 5 minutes
• Strain out the rice and keep the white water
• Place 1 coffee filter on top of jar and secure the band without the lid so it can breath.
• Place Jar (on top of your fridge) at room temperature.
• Wait 1 week for bacteria from the air to fall into your jar.
• Make 2 just in case you get contaminated.
• After 1 week strain Rice wash through a strainer and place the lid on securely.
• Your Rice wash is now full of microbes and ready for step 2 (Lab
  
  
  

Step 2: LABS (Lactic Acid Bacteria Serum)


1 Part Rice Wash (1 cup)

10 Parts Milk (½ Gallon)

1 Gallon Glass Jug (Apple Juice Jug)

3 Coffee Filters

1 Rubber band

• Place rice wash and milk in the jug
• Give it a swirl/mix.
• Cut the 3 coffee Filters in half and now you got 6 halves.
• Place the filters on top of the jug and secure with a rubber band.
• Place the Jug on top of the fridge.
• Wait 1 week for the Separation to occur of the Lactic Acid Bacteria Serum.
• After 1 week Strain and Separate the Serum from the Curd (Cheese).
• The Yellow Liquid is called Lactic Acid Bacteria Serum (LABS)
• The Cheese can be used as a top dressing for your Flowering Plants Soil.
• Proceed to Step 3.

Step 3: AEM1 (Activated Essential Micro Organisms)

1 Part LABS (1 Quart)

1 Part Molasses (1 Quart)

20 Parts Non-Chlorine Water

1 5 Gallon Carboy Glass Jug

1 Air Lock

1 Stopper

• Place Water, Molasses and Labs in the 5 Gallon Jug or Bucket.
• Mix
• Secure Tight the Air Lock and Stopper on Jug .
• Don’t Forget to add water to the Air Lock.
• Place the Jug back in the box it came in.
• Place Box in the Flowering room for 3 weeks to diffuse CO2 Gas to the plants.
• After brewing for 3 weeks test the Ph to be 3.5 Ph.
• After testing make sure there is no more pressure produced from the brew.
• Pour solution in Jars and secure the lid tight.
• Store Jars at room Temperature for 3 Months Max.
• Feed Plants from all stages at a rate of 1 Pint of Activated Essential Micro Organisms x 5 Gallons of clean water.

Thanks to Hy for the original tutorial / posting.

Is it true you can replace molasses with brown sugar? And do you need whole milk I'm assuming? Thanks

 

[DonTesla]

Azospirillum brasilense, Rhizobium megaterium, Frateuria aurantia, Pseudomonas striata, Glomus clarum, Glomus intraradices, Glomus mosseae, Glomus aggregatum, 70% inert ingredients pharmaceutical grade talc

Hi FNL

I would slap your friend lol! that's just a couple bacteria species and endo myco fungi, and lots of absorbant basically.
Good news being that OG Biowar can surely be kiboshed in the future then and be less expensive to replace than 170 a kg quite easily, I guess one has to pay for their marketing and packaging more than anything!!

One of our preferred fly frass manufcturers is about 15x cheaper, actually and has all that but myco.. you can buy a pound of that and myco and own both seperate, which I think is better, for just $35.

They had its product tested by a US lab that does microbial analysis and they found colonies of nitrifying bacteria, phosphorus solublizers, pseudomonas, cellulose degraders, chitin utilizers, and heterotrophic bacteria (that's by functional group, not identifying every single species) in various amounts.

Awesome things is one can amass their own bacteria via simply making labs and doing their worm farming, all your fulvic and humic acids will come naturally with that, too, so you wont have to buy those either, ever, if going fresh ..

So in summary, all you really need is a little mineral and meal kit, I can help you find one for under $20 and that will have all the foods needed to do a water only grow (essentialy, minus a bit of malted barley top-feeding, which comes with the kit)..

Meaning you're very close to rocking.. Just need to build some precious castings and that initial base medium..

Just to reiterate, the usual thing promoted for simplicity sake is just a 3-way-base of equal parts:

1. Aeration,
2. Peat and or coir, &
3. compost and or EWC(astings)

**Note; If doing this I suggest a bit more aeration especially if using a dense manure like cow

*****************************************************************************************************************************
Meanwhile, for myself, what I personally like to use and promote, if and wherever possible, is a little higher aeration, and more than one type too if that's possible; ideally 6 types but 2 is a great start..

So my on-the-fly 5-way-living-base looks more like this, equal parts of the following:

1. Aeration Type 1, (Pumice or Biochar being my favs)
2. Aeration Type 2, (Organic Rice Hulls or Buckwheat hulls for example)
3. Fresh Worm Castings
4. Coir & or Peat, whatever you prefer
5. Humus rich Component, if possible, like leaf mould or rotting wood, or fungal compost

In winter, I suggest just finding bagged fungal compost or just using more coir or peat until summer, where you can source from nature with snow gone, or start your own pile.

This will carry you through to year 2 where you can begin simplifying by just amending a leaf compost, where adding your worm castings, & aeration, is all you have to do.

And then you'll have amazing, amended compost to feed and replenish your plants with, by simply topdressing. Eliminating the need to mess with teas so much. It doesn't get any better than a full spectrum compost, that would be my longer term goal.

 

[DonTesla]

Is it true you can replace molasses with brown sugar? And do you need whole milk I'm assuming? Thanks

I would use Succanat or equivalent (unbranded) which is an evaporated cane juice with molasses and minerals content inherent... over brown sugar.

If doing molasses, unsulphured black strap is the type to get, although its messy and sticky, hence my preference for a sugar blend which I simply compile myself.

Regarding the milk, raw unpasteurized is best, and can help ensure longevity .. however, any cow milk has lacto producing potential.

The main key is keeping it anaerobic once its done, so storing in the smallest mouth bottle is best..
Gil from Unconventional Farmer says it can last for potentially years if done properly.
Im sure the air lock would help too although I've seen it made with just a simple filter that allows air out.

Otherwise the average life span is about 4 months or so.

Note that just a bit, can make a lot, once diluted to spec. And that you don't need to do the full 50% sugar. Also, you don't need any sugar really, if storing in fridge.. the sugar allows for room temp storage as the bacteria will be more active if warmer.. for each 10* they get twice as busy.

 

[firstnamelast]

Hi FNL

I would slap your friend lol! that's just a couple bacteria species and endo myco fungi, and lots of absorbant basically.
Good news being that OG Biowar can surely be kiboshed in the future then and be less expensive to replace than 170 a kg quite easily, I guess one has to pay for their marketing and packaging more than anything!!

One of our preferred fly frass manufcturers is about 15x cheaper, actually and has all that but myco.. you can buy a pound of that and myco and own both seperate, which I think is better, for just $35.

They had its product tested by a US lab that does microbial analysis and they found colonies of nitrifying bacteria, phosphorus solublizers, pseudomonas, cellulose degraders, chitin utilizers, and heterotrophic bacteria (that's by functional group, not identifying every single species) in various amounts.

Awesome things is one can amass their own bacteria via simply making labs and doing their worm farming, all your fulvic and humic acids will come naturally with that, too, so you wont have to buy those either, ever, if going fresh ..

So in summary, all you really need is a little mineral and meal kit, I can help you find one for under $20 and that will have all the foods needed to do a water only grow (essentialy, minus a bit of malted barley top-feeding, which comes with the kit)..

Meaning you're very close to rocking.. Just need to build some precious castings and that initial base medium..

Just to reiterate, the usual thing promoted for simplicity sake is just a 3-way-base of equal parts:

1. Aeration,
2. Peat and or coir, &
3. compost and or EWC(astings)

**Note; If doing this I suggest a bit more aeration especially if using a dense manure like cow

*****************************************************************************************************************************
Meanwhile, for myself, what I personally like to use and promote, if and wherever possible, is a little higher aeration, and more than one type too if that's possible; ideally 6 types but 2 is a great start..

So my on-the-fly 5-way-living-base looks more like this, equal parts of the following:

1. Aeration Type 1, (Pumice or Biochar being my favs)
2. Aeration Type 2, (Organic Rice Hulls or Buckwheat hulls for example)
3. Fresh Worm Castings
4. Coir & or Peat, whatever you prefer
5. Humus rich Component, if possible, like leaf mould or rotting wood, or fungal compost

In winter, I suggest just finding bagged fungal compost or just using more coir or peat until summer, where you can source from nature with snow gone, or start your own pile.

This will carry you through to year 2 where you can begin simplifying by just amending a leaf compost, where adding your worm castings, & aeration, is all you have to do.

And then you'll have amazing, amended compost to feed and replenish your plants with, by simply topdressing. Eliminating the need to mess with teas so much. It doesn't get any better than a full spectrum compost, that would be my longer term goal.

Man you are the BEST! Thank you! I forgot he also had me get this sample pack:
https://www.oregonsonly.com/samples/
and this:
https://primordialsolutions.com/product/sea-green-2-oz-bottle/
Maybe I should cancel the order, it hasn't been shipped yet because of the cold

 

[firstnamelast]

If doing molasses, unsulphured black strap is the type to get, although its messy and sticky, hence my preference for a sugar blend which I simply compile myself.

What's your sugar blend?