So who here is growing in true organic living soil?

NickNasty

NickNasty

Well-Known Member
Here is another good video on making a small amount biochar. [video=youtube;Ttr_8nJ_E6w]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttr_8nJ_E6w[/video] I think I might use this method for myself I like the pellets
 
Rrog

Rrog

Well-Known Member
For quick char, get a bag of real charcoal. Not Kingsford. Like Cowboy brand. Just break it up. Shiny charcoal has been properly pyrolyzed.
 
Rrog

Rrog

Well-Known Member
QuentinQuark said:
Something's been nagging me about EWC. If it's such a perfect fertilizer, why do we need all this other stuff bone meal, fish bone meal, kelp meal, guano, etc, etc? So couldn't one make a mix with just EWC and no other ferts? And vice versa, couldn't someone make a mix with no EWC and just the other ferts? Just wondering, I'm putting together a mix from scratch so might as well get to the bottom of things, no? Another question about EWC, wouldn't the nutrient quality depend on what the worms were fed? If all I fed my worms was banana peels, then it's not exactly a balanced fertilizer, is it. I recall reading somewhere very recently that someone adds EWC for microbes (i.e. only for the microbes). Can't remember where I read it, been reading too damn much lately :) and that would be defeated since apparently EWC are sprayed/sterilized.
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If you fed the worms a broader array of raw materials (even char) then the resulting vermicompost will be amazing. Exactly as you said it's got a lot to do with what the worms have been fed. That's my goal for next year is to make really excellent bioactive (free) vermicompost. Feed them Bokashi that I make for free, as the worms literally will go wild in the Bokashi. The worms are after all that bacteria. There are guys that use a great deal of vermicompost (castings) in their soil, but most balance the EWC with the raw amendments. There are thousands of N sources, so many ways to get to the same place.
 
gladstoned

gladstoned

Well-Known Member
I dont have my wood stove hooked up. I will hit a few grow shops later, then look for real charcoal. I wondered about Kingsford. lol.
 
Q

QuentinQuark

Well-Known Member
Rrog said:
If you fed the worms a broader array of raw materials (even char) then the resulting vermicompost will be amazing. Exactly as you said it's got a lot to do with what the worms have been fed. That's my goal for next year is to make really excellent bioactive (free) vermicompost. Feed them Bokashi that I make for free, as the worms literally will go wild in the Bokashi. The worms are after all that bacteria. There are guys that use a great deal of vermicompost (castings) in their soil, but most balance the EWC with the raw amendments. There are thousands of N sources, so many ways to get to the same place.
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If that is the case, then I'm almost inclining towards not using EWC at all. I don't have any MJ-optimized EWC, wouldn't it make more sense to just use the bone/blood/guano/etc? Which are all known NPK ratios so you can mix 'em up and give your plants exactly what they need? Let it cook down while the microbes do their thing, and off to the races? Not arguin', just askin'.
 
Rrog

Rrog

Well-Known Member
Any grow is improved with EWC. This shouldn't be an either / or. Diversity is always a benefit so use whatever EWC you have as well as the amendments. That's what is generally done. There is MUCH less NPK calculation when building a soil that will use microbes to do the work.

Look at it this way. Let's say your soil is a warehouse. Let's say the NPK in the warehouse is locked away. The microbes are the warehouse workers and they regulate the flow of NPK out of the warehouse (to the plant). Let's say you ordered up too much P into your warehouse. Doesn't matter since it's locked up and the workers will still remove material from the warehouse at the rate they want to remove it.

To continue with this analogy, the plant itself creates the purchase order to tell the microbes what to remove from the warehouse. The Compost, EWC and clay all lock up cations for us. They cations are not available for the plant when locked up.

If we had medium just filled with free-flowing raw nutrients then you would have to carefully balance the NPK. But that's not what we're doing. The soil and microbes gives us huge margin here.
 
Q

QuentinQuark

Well-Known Member
From the YouTube comments on the Pro-Kashi vid:


Not to sound like a 'hater'... but I'm sorta confused as to HOW this is 'better' for the planet?
Processed wood... processed starting fluid.... processed burning containers... electricity for the blower...etc.
All for charcol? Why wouldn't you just have a fire in your yard that you put dried yard wastes in..and just put the resulting charcol into your garden?
just askin... NOT Hating! Good instructional vid
Pipedog42 1 year ago


No worries about being a "Hater" your question is valid. My intent was to demonstrate a technique and a technology, not to advocate its worth in a global context. There are smarter people than I for that one. The processed wood is a scrap material that would otherwise be wasted/lost and is processed into a useful purpose. I can start the fire without alcohol, it is just faster and more efficient. The can and fan makes for the cleanest burn whereas just lighting a fire releases harmful gasses
Bryan McGrath in reply to Pipedog42 (Show the comment) 1 year ago


Now speaking of "smarter people" I liked this read: http://agri-therm.com/fields-of-gold/
 
Q

QuentinQuark

Well-Known Member
Rrog said:
Any grow is improved with EWC. This shouldn't be an either / or. Diversity is always a benefit so use whatever EWC you have as well as the amendments. That's what is generally done. There is MUCH less NPK calculation when building a soil that will use microbes to do the work.

Look at it this way. Let's say your soil is a warehouse. Let's say the NPK in the warehouse is locked away. The microbes are the warehouse workers and they regulate the flow of NPK out of the warehouse (to the plant). Let's say you ordered up too much P into your warehouse. Doesn't matter since it's locked up and the workers will still remove material from the warehouse at the rate they want to remove it.

To continue with this analogy, the plant itself creates the purchase order to tell the microbes what to remove from the warehouse. The Compost, EWC and clay all lock up cations for us. They cations are not available for the plant when locked up.

If we had medium just filled with free-flowing raw nutrients then you would have to carefully balance the NPK. But that's not what we're doing. The soil and microbes gives us huge margin here.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the explanation - so how does spraying/sterilization alter this?
 
Rrog

Rrog

Well-Known Member
Doesn't alter the nutrients available to build the soil. It would simply mean you need to incorporate microbes from local soil, Lacto-B, etc.

The jury is out about the EWC sterilization. This might be a state-specific thing, or an interstate thing. Could be some, none or all EWC is treated. I tend to think some.
 
Q

QuentinQuark

Well-Known Member
Rrog said:
Doesn't alter the nutrients available to build the soil. It would simply mean you need to incorporate microbes from local soil, Lacto-B, etc.

The jury is out about the EWC sterilization. This might be a state-specific thing, or an interstate thing. Could be some, none or all EWC is treated. I tend to think some.
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If I have a chance, I will get the names of the makers of the EWC available around here and give them a call. Find out whether they are sprayed/sterilized. Maybe find out what they feed the worms at the same time :)
 
fattiemcnuggins

fattiemcnuggins

Well-Known Member
I am gonna follow that mix that RRog put up, I am just slightly confused on the local active soil part. I read about finding the healthiest tree/plants around outside and taking the dirt from there, but then what? I just mix the dirt right in? That just scares me a little, feel like I will bring in some pesties. Or am I better off doing some sort of culture method? Or both..
 
Rrog

Rrog

Well-Known Member
Both. Fattie, do you have a 5 gal pail with used soil and maybe even a plant or weed growing in it? That will have max bioactivity. A shovel full of that. Don't mind any roots, as they will be digested fast.
 
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