Switching to organic

TaoRich

TaoRich

Well-Known Member
Speedtriplebbc said:
There seems to be a gap in information for anyone wishing to switch to organic growing, I can see a wealth of information that’s over my head at the moment and looking for a rough guide that’s understandable instead of tons of advanced things that are confusing to the newbies and scaring them away. As much as I understand the importance on making a good quality compost and feeding the soil not the plants, I feel a simple guide for anyone making a switch could get more people switching to organic and that’s a good thing.
What I'm looking for really is the easiest way to grow organic cannabis, then the options I have to expand in this? For instance, can I start with just shop brought compost and organic grow/ bloom fertilisers for a few grows to be organic? Then what should I learn next? Adding something to my compost mix? Concentrate on a soil mix from scratch? Just adding organic root or bloom boosts first and learn more about soil later? Then another step or something to learn after that? I’m not a novice in growing as I’ve got years of experience in different mediums, mainly hydroponic nft and non organic soil. Hoping to transfer my skills where possible and learn a few new skills on my way, while hopefully making a guide for anyone else taking a similar path.
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Are you going outdoor with your organic soil?

I have zero experience with indoor, so an up front disclaimer for my suggestions below. This is all my 2 cents from growing in pots in a garden environment under the sun.

1. Feed the microbes and their shit feeds your plants

I don't ever consider my amendments and nutrients as feeding my plants. I don't even think about any of it reaching the roots.

I keep a 10cm rough composted bark mulch zone on the top of my soil pots. That's the airy topsoil zone with its own special life web which is different to the below soil where the roots live.

When I water and top dress, I go as follows:

(20 litre pots)

1st, I water about 1 litre.
2nd, I add my top dressings, or teas, or ferments, or compost.
3rd, I water about 1 litre again.

What this does for me is the 1st watering washes the digested shit down out of the topsoil web, and into the root zone below.

Then Iadd my 500ml of amendments to the surface.

Then the 2nd watering washes the new top dress amendments into the topsoil web.

That allows 'pre-digestion and pre-processing' before stuff reaches the roots.

2. Fermentation

Fermentation is catching on in human foods because it's a form of pre-processing that aids simpler digestion, and breaks materials down to makes more basic nutritional compounds available to the body.

Works for humans. Works for plants.

3. Diversity diversity diversity

Mother nature deals with runaway populations of any living species through a balance of competing organisms.

If one group starts to dominate, a 'predator' species rises in numbers to feed on the runaways.

It's very difficult for any one bacteria, or fungi, or bug to seize control.

On the other hand, if it's an isolated environment without species diversity, there is not enough competition to provide the checks and balances.

So for diversity, I use:

- spent brewers grain

Head to your local craft brewery with a clean sealable tub, and politely ask for some leftovers. Fresh and steaming if you can arrange.

The microbes and enzymes in that grain are a whole different strain range than you'll find in soils.

- fresh kelp

I'm lucky enough to be able to collect from my local beach.

Again, the microbial life forms that protect the kelp in the sea are different to land microbes. Another branch of diversity again.

4. Trust your sense of smell

Grab a handful, and closely sniff your soils you are making. You will soon learn what is good rich smelly, and what is off. Farmers have been doing this for thousands of generations.

The same with your composts, and teas, and ferments.

Earthworm castings smell pungent, but pungent good.

Horse shit, manures, all those too.

It may be a heady strong smell you wouldn't bottle for a room freshener, but you can tell it's full of goodness.

Bad stuff smells sour. Acrid. Sharp. Not the fullness of balanced nutrition.

You will soon learn to differentiate.

- - -

All of the above acts as a safety blanket for me.

When I have too many fungus gnats from fresh compost during planting, other little mites and species rise up to feast on them and they're gone in 2 or 3 days.

When I brew up a tea with say liquidised bananas and molasses, there will often be a layer of mould or fungus growing in my swelling bottle after a few days. I don't care. It never bothers me or my plants. I shake the bottle, do my feed as normal, happy in the belief that something in my topsoil microbe web will see this as a yummy dessert, and deal with it for me.

And lastly:

5. Fresh is best

What will give your body more nutrition in a form your body can digest and uptake.

Fresh tomatoes, or vitamin pills?
Your granny's misshapen just brought in from the garden home grown tomatoes, or farmed fertilised wash sterilised store refrigerated tomatoes?

Not only the inner contents, but also the healthy life in and on the skins.

So, fresh rotting kelp - beats sterile processed kelp powder.

Rotting bananas fermenting with black strap molasses - beats Dr Zoggs Miracle Eauverpriced Head Shop Bloom Boost.

- - -

Again, as up top, this is me outdoors in fresh air in sunny Africa.

Don't drag my shit into a clean indoor grow room.
 
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