Organics101anyone?

RawFishTankTopHat

Active Member
Well the name says it all. I want to know the basics of organics. All I can find is people saying that its better because it tastes better, and its more natural/green, all that granola-hippy stuff.;-)
While both of those sound good I'm curious about more specifics, such as:
1.If your soil is setup with the proper organic amendments, do you still have to fertilize during the veg. cycle?

2.Do you fertilize less?
2a.If so how much less?

3.What exactly do the different organic amendments provide for the soil?(n?p?k?)

4.Can you put in too much organic additives?
I was going to use 1/3 fertilizer-free soil w/organic amendments, 1/3 perlite, 1/3 coco fiber.

I know lots of people have their own mixes/recipes, but
5.What are the most common additives and what do they provide for the soil?

6.What is a good basic beginner organic mix?

7.I've noticed online that lots of commercial mixes use bat guano, will other animal manure work?
7a.What kinds? (I have access to a bank of mud and years old decomposed horse manure)

8.I've seen mushroom compost/mulch at home depot, is there any use for that?

thanks for any and all help. I think there should be a sticky answering these Q's, and maybe this could become it.:peace:
 

Where in the hell am I?

Well-Known Member
I'll do my best as far as I know it to be:
1.If your soil is setup with the proper organic amendments, do you still have to fertilize during the veg. cycle?
If yer usin organic medium, it is generally nute free

2.Do you fertilize less? Not as far as I have seen. Ya go by the rules, and the directions

3.What exactly do the different organic amendments provide for the soil?(n?p?k?)
The will provide the same N/P/K as a chemical fert, just usin organic matters

4.Can you put in too much organic additives?
Yes, of course you can! However, many ppl say yer flush is unnecessary. I, however flush evry 2 weeks w/an organic solution, in addition to the pre-harvest flush!

I was going to use 1/3 fertilizer-free soil w/organic amendments, 1/3 perlite, 1/3 coco fiber.

I know lots of people have their own mixes/recipes, but

5.What are the most common additives and what do they provide for the soil?
Seems like bark, and crap like that in the 1 I buy :-P

6.What is a good basic beginner organic mix?
Happy Frog, or sunshine. I recommend Happy Frog if yer not doin a large grow

7.I've noticed online that lots of commercial mixes use bat guano, will other animal manure work?
There are

7a.What kinds? (I have access to a bank of mud and years old decomposed horse manure)
I dont use manure in my compost, wen I make my own medium

8.I've seen mushroom compost/mulch at home depot, is there any use for that?
I am unaware

Hope this helps
 

RawFishTankTopHat

Active Member
For clarification, I meant in making your own organic mix.
I have looked through organic recipes and see a lot of worm castings, bat guano, seaweed, bone meal, blood meal... I can't think of any others. When making your own mix, how much of these components do you use? What are their individual impacts on Nute levels? Which Nutes? Also, when I asked about a good beginner mix, I meant one that I compost myself.
I just don't know which organic amendments to use, or how much because I don't know their individual impacts on the NPK. Also, I know everyone's recipe varies, and they can get complex, but I thought their might be a basic 2or3 amendment recipe for a beginner in organics.

Also, if you put all your soil amendments in at once to cover everything, but don't supplement with liquid ferts, how does the plant get the different levels of nutes it needs at different stages? (veg/flower)
is this part of the difference between hydro & soil??
 

Arizona Dude

Active Member
You can grow great buds without paying for those commercial "nutes" everyone is buying. I make my own compost from my neighbors horse and kitchen scraps and use earthworms in the compost pile. Compost is the best thing you can give to your plants. I use fish emulsion and human urine in conjunction with the compost for a high nitrogen ballanced diet for vegetative state. Then use high P bat guano during the flowering phase. You won't grow any better with them "nutes" then plain old mother nature and saving money too. I grow in the earth and with the natural sun too. Of course I only grow for the fun of growing and a little personal stash. I don't have a grow factory and sell it for prophit, that is how you get behind bars and I can think of better and safer ways to make money.
 

dirt clean

Well-Known Member
mushroom compost rocks, most agree. Bat guano has the best charcateristics of any amendment or nute there is. THey stil cant fiugre out all the cool things that bat guano is good for. You can mix in all your amendments first into your soil before you grow then you only ahve to add water. OR you can just feed with ferts, organic, once a week.

Read subcools super soil thread, as well as his canopy management. As soon as I got into soil I wne tto 7 gallons as my yeild in 4 in rw blocks was way too small. lol.


subcools organics's is where you should see soil.

Also fox farm is primo shit but you can get cheaper to pull off what you will want too.
 

dirt clean

Well-Known Member
also i just put together a cheap soil form home depot. Kellogs organic soil and also their compost was 7 bucks for 3 cf each. I added evrything sub added but the ferts. I have so many liquids I thought I would wait. Plus i was thinking 5 gallons. Now I am going 7 gallons and I might just add the rest.
 

dirt clean

Well-Known Member
Azomite, dolomite flour, perlite, vermiculite. I am staying away from peat as I heard it was anitmicrobial.

In organics you feed the soil not the plant. The bacteria and fungo in the soil break down the nutrients and feed them to the plant. It is real rela hard to over fert which is good. Soil is a good buffer.

I read that mj is an annual. Anual I read prefer bacteria over fungi. I am feeding a lot of bacteria based or buubling a lot for extra bacteria. Bacteria. Keep the soil alive in organics. Miracle gro and other synthetic nutes kil the soil and just feed the NPK to the plant directly. Lame.
 

odbsmydog

Well-Known Member
vermiculite is known to cause cancer and cant be sold for crops you "eat" so i wouldnt want to use it for shit im burning and inhaling. although i have grown many a cubensis on it. so i dont know. but i mean if its shown to help cause cancer than i wouldnt fuck with it. inhaling dry oasis block dust can cause cancer too, but now when their wet. just a little hydro store info for you. its funny though cause the only state that says its cancerise is california. so if your in a different state than apparantly its good for you ;-).
 

dirt clean

Well-Known Member
well glad the hydor store was out of it. I dont got any. I hear cocoa coir works as good. Also I use leady bugs for pest control or neem oil. I am not sure but the ladybugs might have eaten a few bit of leaf. Only a daddy might think so tho, know what I mean? The garden store says no. They have no bugs in my tent though. That could change. Fungus nats are in outside and indoor trees and veggis. Lame. First time for me with this.

I am using apple cidar vinegar, poataoes chunks, and when I find it the neem oil.

Also my watering seems fine with no coir or vermi yet and I am a month in to growing 8 plants. Although it would be nice if they could go all week. So coir for next shot!
 
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