seeking soil advice

DonTesla

Well-Known Member
This is exactly the advice i was seeking. The few seeds I cracked are in promix with myco at the moment.

Sheep/Cow/Poultry manures are available at the store. I can also get my hands on horse manure compost (mixed with straw for at least a year) and rabbit manure (pure). Any of these necessary, considering the soils mentioned above?

I guess I'll be pissing in a bucket for a while... What's the shelf life on that product? Biochar/Urine ratio?

The limestone shavings were for ph balance and was going to add something like... 5 cups per 10gal? Maybe I'll get some of those volcanic rocks for bbq and crush them instead - they're lighter, too. Dolomite? Gypsum? Glacial Rock Dust?

Cover crops are scratched from the list - might have other pots under the canopy for leisure and pest control - I've read, rosemary, lavender and thyme - but don't really know which do what.

Is lining the fabric pot with coco coir a necessity, or is that more for plastic containers?

So, top dressing is only when there's major nutrient defficiency (change in leaf colour and such?) Or should I just be running teas?

And teas... I see a whole new industry being propped up with premade bags...

What should I get for my tea "pantry"? Alfalfa meal, Kelp meal...?

Mammoth P, worth it?

I hope this helps others...
Would avoid all manures if you can, although the important thing is knowing how they lived and ate..rabbit manure is extremely well balanced, generally speaking especially if raising little vegans, but still best to wash dry and grind into powder .. Guys sell it on Craigslist everywhere so I consider it just as available as all the others and a superior choice if going that route :)

If you don't feel like pissing several gallons at once you can bury your chunks of bio char in some compost or living soil and it will also activate (couple weeks)

Teas can be great for balancing a soil out that didn't get the inputs or time needed to get great.. For example, if you don't have a woodchip based thermopile i'd put some mycelium-laced soil in a brew to help boost fungal populations get the most of your rocks and dusts and phos based foods for a strong finish and yield..

For your tea pantry, if at all, water source is big. How to aerate is next, vortex beats air stones but takes a few more bucks to build.. Check out microbe man on his research on teas, then find a molasses replacement that still has molasses in the crystals.. Literally all you need for bene bacterial Dom teas is castings and sugar. But like grease says, you will be blown away by the flavour and yield that an amended natural compost can bring, do not hesitate to start! Provincial state and national parks have lots of leaves if you can't find any or have any gifted to you :)

For fungal teas (say during year one while your compost builds) all you need is some fungal Dom soil and some fungal food like ground organic oats.. I use ground chia seed too really boost the fungal hyphae then just remember, growing fungus takes time, they grow one cell at a time and elongate in an orderly fashion.. They get long and strong with time. Bacteria explode but can't move, they grow in sheer numbers, making nearly immovable colonies, which require enzymes to aid any heavy lifting..

Anything expensive isnt worth it, normally.. imo, nature has cheap fixes for all :) Mammoth P is imo, for those who don't want to / know how to compost / feed worms and add good ol dusts/ phosphorus to their mixes

Our way is "scientifically proven" to grow "bigger buds" as well but at a fraction of the gimmick-stricken cost

:D

And congratulations as well!! You're in the best place now for expression and terps
 
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hillbill

Well-Known Member
It amazes me how much plants with herd take out of a mix or my outdoor raised flowers. Compost never really is done breaking down as we just use it when it has become fairly stable. No topsoil here so all my containers and beds are my own mix and I constantly add mulch and compost. Just really made me conscious of this amazing process of life all around!
 

blunt_tip

Member
I'm noticing a calcium deficiency in one strain (some brown spots on older leaves and yellowing of edges on new leaves) - will top dress with dolomitic lime, work it in the top layer and hope it clears out before flowering... The other strains seem fine at the moment, but they will also get some.

IMG_3149 (Large).JPG

I'm wondering if it has something to do with changing the light spectrum. I turned off the blue leds, hoping the plants would stretch a bit more.

Apart from that the mix is working out so far, 8 weeks from seedlings.

IMG_3150 (Large).JPG

The same plant, just after clearing some leaves to get more light in.

IMG_3152 (Large).JPG
 

REALSTYLES

Well-Known Member
I'm noticing a calcium deficiency in one strain (some brown spots on older leaves and yellowing of edges on new leaves) - will top dress with dolomitic lime, work it in the top layer and hope it clears out before flowering... The other strains seem fine at the moment, but they will also get some.

View attachment 3951281

I'm wondering if it has something to do with changing the light spectrum. I turned off the blue leds, hoping the plants would stretch a bit more.

Apart from that the mix is working out so far, 8 weeks from seedlings.

View attachment 3951282

The same plant, just after clearing some leaves to get more light in.

View attachment 3951284
Make a tea with ewc and molasses, it will take to long to make calcium phosphate which I made extra for this reason
 
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