Experienced Organic Grower to Answer Your Questions

[Snafu1236]

where are you located?

Mass.

 

[Snafu1236]

Whats your preferred way to use comfrey...?

I don't use it that much actually. It is a great companion plant to pest-problems. The hairs on the comfrey plant bug the crap out of my hands and help keep away rodents/bunnies etc outside.

It is a pretty plant, you can harvest 4-5 times a season. Needs a ton of nitrogen.

Uses? I don't have many but I know you can make salves and teas for medicinal purposes.

 

[Snafu1236]

comfrey is the greatest shit
When I harvest my comfrey I take all the leaves and fold them in half, then I take scissors and "trim" them into thin shavings.
The comfrey almost sends up new leaves as fast as you cut them.
I like to add either finished compost or worm castings along with it as a topdress.
another way to use comfrey is as the "green" input with compost piles.
But due to the even nitrogen to cellulose ratio the comfrey literally melts and disappears in like a week or two
yet another way is to get a jar, fill with comfrey leaves and place a brick or something heavy on top of the leaves, they'll melt down to a thick black substance that's fairly soluble

Well said.

 

[Snafu1236]

I am growing in Organic potting soil and using Earth Juice Nutrients. I am trying to be 100% organic in all my cultivation methods. From what I gathered from some reseatch Earth Juice, although not listed as such, is actually OMRI compliant. I have been looking into Vegamatrix for my next grow as it is an organic nute line designed for cannabis. The problem I am running into as with any nutes I need to you some substance to raise my PH. I am currently using baking powder, if I go a little too high I use some organic lemon juice. I have Potassium Bicarbonate and Citric Acid on order currently to start using instead, but I was wondering your opinion on what I should use.

My opinion is you are doing a great job understanding how to utilize organic compounds all around you.

What I would recommend is dumping the organic nutrient bottles and making a concentrated soil mixture. This will allow you to get away from 'feeding' schedules, etc. and will help propel you to be a better organic gardener. It is also so much easier.

 

[Snafu1236]

If you want to be all organic (and save some money), you gotta drop the bottle nutes and stop worrying about your pH. Build your soil up with everything the plant needs, make teas for boosts until you've recycled your soil a few times. Never have to raise or lower pH in your water again. Let the soil do the work.

I outlined a simple enough method and you can hit me with any questions.

https://www.rollitup.org/t/organic-growing-an-introductory-guide.921380/

Well said.

 

[Snafu1236]

As soon as you top them for clones, that single cola you're hoping for is gonna turn into a bush. Especially the more clones you take. But that's desirable in a mother plant.

And if you want them to be mother's I would avoid the grow bags. Too conducive to root rot and other anaerobic conditions to keep a plant in for that long. You'll wanna use smart pots, or big plastic ones. But definitely avoid grow bags.

Agreed. I do not know Rasta Roy, but the two posts I have seen on here he knows of what he speaks.

 

[Snafu1236]

I'm recycling my soil at this point. I just mix in fresh compost/castings/aeration (perlite is popular). An organic potting soil will work as a launching point. Or get a small bag or bale of peat moss, perlite, and compost or castings. Composted cow manure will do you cant get the other.

Then you want something to make sure your soil pH isn't too acidic so you want some lime or oyster shell flour. These add calcium and raise the soil pH. If you're buying a potting soil this is unnecessary as most our already prelimed.

You'd be surprised how far that mix could take you, especially if you've got a good quality compost and apply worm casting teas every week or two.

To really make your plants sing though mix in some neem cake or neem seed meal...

Fish meal, crab meal, kelp meal, langbenite (sulfate of potash magnesia).

Mix in 1/2 cup per cubic foot for each.

Every few weeks top dress with a cup of worm castings and 1/4 cup of kelp.

Your girls will sing.

Agreed. I back off on kelp as I progress into harvesting.

 

[Snafu1236]

and kudos for the OP to offer his expertise and information so readily.
View attachment 3830791
edit.
after reading the journal, homeboy uses bagged soil...
Hmm..
layered soil too..

Hey bud! No need for hate here, sometimes it is important to understand the bigger picture. When this account was created a few years ago, it was my brother whom was writing posts. He stopped once he had kids, and more recently I took up his old account, as I now own his old computer. He had quite a bit on here and did not want to lose the account, so I figured I would come on to help the RIU community.

If you want to continue to make inferences and opinions---that is fine but I am only on here to help people.

Edit: I have been an organic gardener my entire life and have a successful organic company. I am not just a cannabis grower.

 

[Snafu1236]

Man idk I just need help with it I thought it was organic but I guess not. That's all I have I need help bad

It is okay, I am here to help. Though I do not use FFOF myself, I am happy to help you!

There seem to be a lot of members on here that just want to troll and not help. I will help you.

 

[Snafu1236]

Thanks for everyone who has responded. Post more questions, I am happy to help!

 

[Jubilant]

My opinion is you are doing a great job understanding how to utilize organic compounds all around you.

What I would recommend is dumping the organic nutrient bottles and making a concentrated soil mixture. This will allow you to get away from 'feeding' schedules, etc. and will help propel you to be a better organic gardener. It is also so much easier.

Haha is you look at Rasta Roy's Organic Thread he posted for he he fully convinced me to fully organic soil. I have some mixed in the garage now just waiting on a couple more amendments then I will let sit for another week then planting time

 

[Rasta Roy]

Agreed. I back off on kelp as I progress into harvesting.

Yeah I don't top dress in anything fresh once I cross the halfway point of flower. My soil has gotten so rich I didn't have to top dress anything in flower my last round. The benefits of building your soil, you get to do less and less work each time!

 

[Chronikool]

I

It is a pretty plant, you can harvest 4-5 times a season. Needs a ton of nitrogen.

Yeah..should have just passed on that question my friend...

 

[Fastslappy]

Thanks for everyone who has responded. Post more questions, I am happy to help!

What's your soil recipe ?

 

[Rasta Roy]

There seem to be a lot of members on here that just want to troll and not help. I will help you.

The trolls hang out in the politics section. We like to be sarcastic smart asses when we encourage people to seek out information from agriculture text books. We get lonely with only our microbes and worms to talk to. our sense of humor can be a little sassy. It's all in good fun! We're all here to seek and spread information!

 

[Snafu1236]

Yeah..should have just passed on that question my friend...

I am highly allergic to it. So it is just a pretty plant to me. I cannot touch it or I break out in hives. I cannot even really get close to it either!

I will only give knowledge of things I work with. I am not going to bullshit here about the benefits of comfrey when I do not use it.

 

[iHearAll]

comfrey is almost a must have
i call it land-kelp, full of almost everything you need, and every week like what you do?
you're giving perfect slow release amounts of all the macros and a lot of the micros, great shit to do, never seeing any defs at all that way

whats not to love?

Another good thing is dandelion, it doesn't break down as fast (maybe if you did puree, it like you do)
but roots and all, especially the roots

Mmmmmm blackened dandelion tea

 

[Crackheadlighter]

It is okay, I am here to help. Though I do not use FFOF myself, I am happy to help you!

There seem to be a lot of members on here that just want to troll and not help. I will help you.

After my cuttings root up in my rock wool cubes should I put them In straight ffof or a mix I have ffof and some coco with some perlite in it

 

[iHearAll]

Ffof is pretty hot, didnt ask me but it a no. Cut it!!! Cheers

 

[greasemonkeymann]

Hey bud! No need for hate here, sometimes it is important to understand the bigger picture. When this account was created a few years ago, it was my brother whom was writing posts. He stopped once he had kids, and more recently I took up his old account, as I now own his old computer. He had quite a bit on here and did not want to lose the account, so I figured I would come on to help the RIU community.

If you want to continue to make inferences and opinions---that is fine but I am only on here to help people.

Edit: I have been an organic gardener my entire life and have a successful organic company. I am not just a cannabis grower.

my bad, I apologize.
No room in the world for more of that.
In my defense though, most of us organic/natural growers have a true distaste for the subcool techniques and recipe, as they are fundamentally flawed.
So we see layered soil, and we immediately start flaming away.
Because the technique and recipe was made a permanent sticky, oftentimes new organic growers go to it, and then get frustrated when their plants don't come out as well as their hydro grows did, and for that, many go back to using chelated chemical grows.

We need to get rid of the subcool-recipe sticky and make a simple compost and vermicompost sticky.
Both of those are massively more integral than a layered mix, predicated on water soluble nutrients..

It's be like if you had a buddy that never has had sushi in his life, so you go buy him sushi from a grocery store or something.
Not gonna be the same experience as a classy Japanese sushi place, in fact he may not even like it.