Recycled Organic Living Soil (ROLS) and No Till Thread

[smokey the cat]

Biochar Question:

Here's what the retail char looks like - from http://www.kisorganics.com/products/shop/kis-biochar

Does it matter if my homemade chunks are bigger (mine are 1-2" across)?

Or should I aim for a similar particle consistency as the picture, smaller than a rice grain?

 

[Pattahabi]

Smaller size = more surface area

 

[a senile fungus]

Smaller size = more surface area

This, plus if you are loading the bio-char with N then it'll absorb more easily due to higher surface area to volume ratio.

 

[Mohican]

Your bio char should shatter easily.

 

[smokey the cat]

Cheers y'all.

Banged out a couple of kilos of char in the ole mortar and pestle this afternoon. Using a hardwood lump charcoal sourced from Namibia - some invasive tree that they clear from the savannah and char and sell to BBQ nerds.

Activating recipe - liquid organic ferts with plenty of N, handful of compost and tablespoon of molasses in a bucket of dechlorinated water. Sounds like the way to grow and feed microbes to me, sound right to you lot?

 

[Mohican]

Just give it a couple scoops of native soil to capture some of the local goodies.

 

[anzohaze]

I wish I was adcanced as yall with all this I am trying learning and reading all I can but yall are like mad organic scientist

 

[Mohican]

It isn't that hard. Try to do what nature does. Plants and animals drop waste and die. All of this stuff is digested by worms and bacteria and fungus (among other things). This is the type of soil that most plants like to grow in. Drainage is another issue. Canna hates wet roots.

 

[anzohaze]

It isn't that hard. Try to do what nature does. Plants and animals drop waste and die. All of this stuff is digested by worms and bacteria and fungus (among other things). This is the type of soil that most plants like to grow in. Drainage is another issue. Canna hates wet roots.

I agree but I am just auto tech (mechanic) and have never grown a plant till mj. I have always been successful not great but I have never lost yet. So I am not complaining. But like all the rock dust, leaf molds, vegan way of feeding l, I would never have thought volcanic, gypsum etc would ever do or have minerals or be beneficial in any way. When yall add this dust do yall mix it in from beginning like an ammendmant or do you top dress etc sorry if I making yall go backwards but I am trting to learn and this rols thread is a monster thanks fellas

 

[Mohican]

I simple place to start is Subcool's Super Soil recipe. I think this is the latest version:

http://www.gardengroveorganics.com/knowledge-base/subcool-super-soil/


Cheers,
Mo

 

[fridayfishfry]

Question.. Would it be productive to recycle one gallon fiber pots of soil?

 

[smokey the cat]

Question.. Would it be productive to recycle one gallon fiber pots of soil?

I think it'd be unproductive to throw soil out after a single use. I grow in 4 litre (~1 gal) - will be remixing, amending and cooking before reuse - will let you know, haha.

Providing inputs are OK it should be fine. Keep in mind if you have to feed heavily during a cycle the risk is of buildup of something or other in your small pot.

1 gal is easy enough to run a comparison trial between resused and fresh medium - definitely try it.

 

[fridayfishfry]

thats one lazy cat

 

[DonPetro]

Question.. Would it be productive to recycle one gallon fiber pots of soil?

Always recycle your soil! Maybe you are referring to no-till?

 

[Pattahabi]

Black Widow



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[DonPetro]

Black Widow

View attachment 3263241

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Love the back drop

 

[swiftkillpapa]

I simple place to start is Subcool's Super Soil recipe. I think this is the latest version:

http://www.gardengroveorganics.com/knowledge-base/subcool-super-soil/


Cheers,
Mo

He has a newer one he posted on one of his YouTube videos. I'll look to see if I can find it again. But he took out rock phosphate because he didn't believe it made a difference. He also added crab meal, alfalfa meal, kelp meal, and I think the other was oyster shells but I'd have to revisit my notes I wrote down. But other than that's it's always the same. O and half the bags of roots organics to trade it for bio light and bio coco
Has anyone seen the guy selling super coco soil? "A true water only soil"
And as for a question. I just discovered biochar. How do you guys apply it to your soil and/or mixes of soils?

 

[a senile fungus]

He has a newer one he posted on one of his YouTube videos. I'll look to see if I can find it again. But he took out rock phosphate because he didn't believe it made a difference. He also added crab meal, alfalfa meal, kelp meal, and I think the other was oyster shells but I'd have to revisit my notes I wrote down. But other than that's it's always the same. O and half the bags of roots organics to trade it for bio light and bio coco
Has anyone seen the guy selling super coco soil? "A true water only soil"
And as for a question. I just discovered biochar. How do you guys apply it to your soil and/or mixes of soils?

See post #3425

 

[fridayfishfry]

one fungus to rule them all... yes i meant no till. it's always good to recycle soil if you grow organic. you get yourself in trouble with balls of salty roots lying around

 

[Pattahabi]

There are 100 ways to skin a cat, and I know people have had some success with subcool's recipe. With that said, I really would stay away from anything subcool has to say about organics and that mix. It's a laundry list of NPK ingredients in attempt to balance ratios. Go back and read the first few pages of this thread. Look for Coot's recipe. I'm willing to bet you will have far more success with Coot's recipe.

Just my 2¢,
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