Recycled Organic Living Soil (ROLS) and No Till Thread

[headtreep]

After several years and countless dollars wasted on chemical nutes and never recycling my soil I have learned the true way of gardening thanks to a great thread on ICMag.

ALL CREDIT TO: https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=241964 Living organic soil from start through recycling. Special thanks to MM, CC, LD, Gas, and the other organic terrorists.

Cann, Rrog, and anyone else who would like to add or correct any info here please let me know. Let's keep this positive and spread the word to the masses!!!

Borrowed from eyecmag https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=257899&page=4:

Hey folks (specifically newbs to ROLS),

I have read this entire thread as closely as my amateur skills have allowed me, and I have created a very terse compilation of notes, based exclusively from this thread. Meaning anything said can be sourced somewhere in this thread. There is such an extensive array of valuable information here I feel it warrants a summary of key terms/ideas, mainly for any newbs who have joined the boat late and who would like to source information quickly. If one person finds value in them other than myself, then it's worth posting

*Disclaimer*

These are my notes. As such, please take them with a grain of salt. Rather than rely on the specific claims I make in my notes or the figures I use, I recommend using them as an index of terms that can and should be searched for to help you locate specific topics quickly and efficiently. Also, these notes by no means cover all of the topics discussed. Unfortunately, they only touch on topics that are of specific interest to me. For example, you will find nothing regarding breeding, of which there is plenty discussed in this thread. I haven't tested many of these suggestions, and I haven't tested most on a long term basis. Remember, these notes are coming from a newb!

Without further ado...

ROLS Notes


-Kelp has so many trace elements that it improve plants immune system against disease, insects, weather. Foliar is the most effective. Foliar roots during transplant. Growth max or growth plus are good brands. Foliar in the morning. Apply 1/2-3/4 cup of kelp meal to 1 c.f. of potting soil everyrecycle. Do not use liquid kelp as these products have far less benefits than raw kelp meal.

-Alfalfa has many trace minerals as well as n-p-k-Ca-mg, sugars, starches, protein, fiber and 16 amino acids. Use on top of soil sprinkling lightly or 1 cup per 1 c.f. soil mix or 1 tbs per gallon ACT. Excellent foliar feed. Use alfalfa seed tea early in flower to reduce internodal spacing.

-Aloe juice - simply crush the leaves and collect the juice. Aloe foliar @ 2 tbls per gallon water once every 3 days. Unprocessed Aloe must use within 20 minutes due to decomposition. Supplement with worm castings and casting teas. Great for rooting clones. Great for PM resistance along with neem, kelp and alfalfa. Excellent in rooting clones just add 2 oz per gallon water. 2 tbls per gallon foliar spray. Apply 1-3 times a week. Soil drench and foliar are identical.

Vermicompost
-use coffee beans for N. ph is about 6.9 for used grounds.
-leaves and straw for bedding.
-add grit like sand or limestone or eggshells for worm digestion @ 1% total mass
-red wriggler can live 0-30 degrees celsius. Optimal temps 15-25
-up to 20% worm biomass
-use citrus peels and onions with caution

-Fish bone meal - replace every other recycle for 5 cycles, then add every 3-4 cycles. Use 1-3 cups per 6 gallons depending on other high N sources such as alfalfa. High in phosphorous.

-Sphagnum peat is not inert it is alive! Look specifically for sphagnum.Holds 20x water to weight. Aerates heavy clay soils. Speeds up composting. Decomposes slowly over several years as opposed to compost which completely decomposes after a year.

-Stinging nettles and comfrey are a powerful pesticide and fungicide. Dice and purée 2 cups of comfrey or stinging nettles and let sit in water for no more than 3 days. Foliar as well as soil drench.

-Rice hulls are a superior substitute for perlite. Perlite floats to the top of the pot. Also try lava rock.

-Leaf mold takes 6 months to a year to decompose. Speed the process up by throwing in high N stuff like compost, alfalfa meal. Use 2 quarts per cubic foot of soil. Great for moisture retention and aeration.

-Spider mites - control with neem foliar spray and rosemary oil spray. 10% rosemary oil to 90% water. -cardamom - grind 1/4 cup then place in hot water. Let cool. Go spray spider mites. Lavender tea. mite magnet - live Basel plants.

-Heat stress - use barley seed extract tea, same method as other enzyme seed teas.

-freshly rooted clones - couple days before transplanting add 1 tbs kelp meal , 2 tbs alfalfa meal, 1 gallon water bubble for 36-48 hrs for a boost in growth.

-Mineralization - azomite , gypsum (home depot) limestone and glacial rock @ 32 tbs per c.f. (total)Go to a landscape supply and load a bucket of all the rock u want! Try to go for volcanic rock dusts, as these contain silica.

-Thrips - ladybird larvae eat thrip larvae. Electric bug zapper. Bacteria called spinosad. Monterey garden insect w/ spinosad. Entrust 80w. Nematodes. Mums. Gerbera. Only foliar spray spinosad. Foliar with aloe and protekt. 1/4 aloe 2 tsp protekt per gallon solution. Know thrip life cycle.

-Cilantro pesticide- buy a bunch of organic cilantro. Place in food processor. Throw in 1 gallon of clearwater. Sit for 36 to 48 hours, no more. Strain. Add 1 cup of strained cilantro tea to 15 cups of water. Add quarter cup of Aloe Vera juice. 1 teaspoon pro-tekt. 30 minutes before lights out spray and soak everything. Leave ventilation on. Apply every four days for four applications. Use in conjunction with spinosad.

-Silica - use every watering and foliar spray up to harvest. Great pest and disease control. Protekt and agsil 16h are good brands. Agsil is greater value for your money. 148 grams agsil to 1 litre water = protekt. Silica is an emulsifier (i.e. use with neem oil)! 2 tsp protekt to 1 g water.

-Organic cloning gel - 1 g water, 2 tbs aloe Vera, 1.5 tbs Ful-power, 1.5 ts Protekt. Shake. Soak jiffy pucks for several hours. Use rooting product as well.

-Water retention - saponins. Horse chestnuts have a lot of saponins.

-Foliar - once a week, with something. Stop half way through flower. Always use Ful-Power to half harvest. Use Protekt till harvest.

-Neem - 1/4 cup per 1 cf every re ammend. Foliar-4 tsp per gallon. Emulsify with protekt. Ensure that water is at least 75 degrees fahrenheit when mixing final solution, otherwise it will clump - useless.

-Biochar. Hardwood charcoal. Smash to bits. Prevents yellowing via slow release of nutrients. Optional: place in compost pile. Allow up to 10% total soil volume. Cowboy charcoal from whole foods. Take bag of char, add 1/2 gallon EWC, 2-4 cups fish or guano or alfalfa or comfrey, soak a week in ACT, strain and add to soil.

-Enzyme tea -2 tablespoons of seeds (1 oz.) The choice of seeds is non specific. Almost anything works. Soak for 12-18 hours in mason jar. Drain that water and throw away it’s full of growth inhibitors. After a day or so once sprouted, add 1/2 gallon of water to the sprouts for a 36-48 hour soak. Strain and use 1 cup of this to 1 gallon of water as soil drench. Observe 'praying' leaves. Chop seeds for worm food. Do not store these teas.

-Coconut - scraping coconut paste from a young coconut. Enzymes, auxins, elements, etc. 1 coconut can do 20 plants. 1 oz coconut water to 15 oz water foliar spray clones. Benefits are too numerous to list.

Let me kick this off with a little no till. I pulled a plant today cause it wasn't up to my standards. I have since replaced it with a fresh clone using the same pot. We will add to this as time goes on.


Turn on, tune in, drop out....

Vic's High

 

[headtreep]

Some products I use:

I have switch to powered coconut since and powdered aloe 200x





Growth is insane when you foliar with aloe!!!

 

[headtreep]

This was my very first crop using all these new products:

 

[headtreep]

This is one of my current mixes I'm using. I still have some other mixes going as well with more ingredients but I truly believe that this is a great start for everyone that is very reasonably priced. I used to amend commerical soils until I got enlighten.

Soil Base - Per Cubic Foot

33% Priemier Peat (brand name) I buy this for 9.99 at lowes 3cfu
33% Pumice/Perlite/Lava rock (I'm using perlite cause I have much on hand)
33% Combination of Compost and vermicompost.

Note: Always use quality amendments and compost in your soil. Just like anything, you get what you put into it, or just like quality good food, fresh ingredients makes for a better end product. If you don't make your own compost or casting try to source some local. If you need a commercial product there are brands like Bu's Compost and a few other quality ones.

Plants are top-dressed with 2" of vermicompost

Amendment Mix

1/2 cup Organic Neem or Karanja Meal
1/2 cup Organic Kelp Meal

Rock Dust Mix

4 cups Basalt & Glacial Rock Dust Mix

Lime Mix

1/2 cup Gypsum
1/2 cup Crab Meal

 

[headtreep]

Organic Eye Candy:

Hindu Blue, Vic's High, Blue Tara, Fire Alien Strawberry, White Lotus

Hindu Blue

Plushberry with a good example of mulch. Those are 2 plants in 7 gal vegged for 2 months.

I have never tasted such great buds in my life with potency and effect that's out of this world.

 

[VTMi'kmaq]

Yeah vegging for two months did those girls justice fer sure! Nice pics all!i'm glad that instincually i have had hints of this technique and if id payed closer attention to a family memebers methods id of realized sooner. Good info for those not lazy!

 

[headtreep]

Here is my pest prevention lined up which I rotate the different oils:

These are some clones I gathered up:



Note: You will see some powdered coconut, I don't use that for cloning wanted to point out an alternative to the liquid that am testing so far with great success.

 

[headtreep]

Botanicals :
This was a post I found on icmag to share. All credit goes to the original author who wrote this post.
Source https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=254210 http://www.frenchgardening.com/tech.html?pid=3164873867231346

The basic method of fermentation is simple enough, which is not to say anything goes. First you need a container made of a nonreactive material. A 50-gallon plastic garbage can works fine. You need to cover your container during fermentation, but not tightly, or it might explode! Either punch some holes in your garbage can lid or cover the can with a piece of burlap or other cloth. While you can use smaller containers, 50 gallons is an optimal homeowner-scale size that is big enough to help moderate temperature extremes during fermentation.An unheated garage or outbuilding is a good place to conduct the fermentation, the speed of which is temperature dependent. The higher the temperature--up to a point--the faster the fermentation.

The water you use is very important. The ideal source of water is rain, being free of calcareous minerals or additives such as chlorine which can retard or stop fermentation. If you must use hard well water, add a bit of vinegar to it to lower the pH. City water should be allowed to stand several days to allow the chlorine to evaporate before you use it for your extracts.

The duration of fermentation can range from a few days to a couple of weeks. When the mixture stops bubbling when you stir or otherwise move the contents, fermentation is complete. Check your brew daily.

It is imperative that you filter your extract. Doing so stops the fermentation from going too far, and also prevents globs of stuff from plugging up your sprayer or watering can when you apply the brew. Use a very fine strainer lined with cheesecloth, an old clean teeshirt, anything short of a coffee filter or other filter paper, which filters out too much.

Store your extract in stainless steel or plastic containers in a cool place, around 40-50 degrees F being ideal. French folks like to use 5-gallon plastic wine containers, appropriately enough. While a wine cellar is also an excellent place to store your extracts, make sure to label carefully!

Once you have your made your extract or infusion, you of course need to apply it. Most often, you spray it on, just as you would a conventional pesticide or foliar fertilizer, taking care to cover the undersides of leaves. But some remedies are applied as a soil drench. This is best accomplished with a good old-fashioned watering can.

Okay, now that you know the basics, here is the roster of beneficial plants and how to use them.



Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) Perennial plant with silvery, aromatic foliage.
Action. Repellent, especially against cabbage butterflies and codling moth on apples during period of egg-laying. Fungicidal against rust on currants.
Fermented extract (2 lbs. of fresh plant material to 2.5 gallons water) Undiluted for rust on currants. Undiluted sprayed on soil to repel slugs. Diluted to 10% against codling moth and cabbage worm. Note: Do not throw detritus of fermentation on compost, as it will slow its breakdown.

Fernleaf yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Perennial plant with ferny, silvery, aromatic foliage and white flowers.
Active ingredients: pro-azulene, a volatile oil; isovalerianic and salicylic acids (salicylic acid is aspirin, which is why a tea of this plant reduces pain and fever in humans.)
Action. Promotes compost breakdown; potentiates fungicides.
Cold maceration. 1 oz. of dried flowers in 1 quart of water; macerate 24 hours. Add to fungicide treatment, such as horsetail or tansy.

Garlic (Allium sativum)
Needs no explanation, except to say that garlic is perennial if left in place.
Active ingredients. Sulfur-containing compounds.
Action. Insecticide and fungicide.
Preparation. In decoction: chop 4 oz. peeled cloves and add to 1 quart water. Bring to boil, cover and remove from heat, infuse for one hour. Strain and use without diluting. Used as a soil drench, excellent to prevent damping off of seedlings. In oil maceration: Place 4 oz. of peeled cloves and 2 T. linseed oil in a mixer or blender and pulverize. Filter, washing the filtrate (and mixing in) 1 qt. rainwater. Store one week before using. Adding a bit of soap as a surfactant before spraying is useful. Effective against aphids and mites.
Note: This is a great use for spare garlic at the end of the winter storage season, which is beginning to sprout and taste unpalatable.

Cocklebur (Arctium lappa). Infamous biennial weed.
Active ingredients. Tanins, mucilage, resins, sulfate and potassium phosphate, calcium, and magnesium.
Action. Fungicide effective against mildew on potatoes.
Preparation. Use the whole plant before flowering. The root has the most active ingredients. In fermented extract, use 2 lbs. fresh plant to 2.5 gal. of water. Attention: strong odor! Filter and dilute to 5% before spraying on potato foliage. Also, just pick the leaves and use them as a mulch on your potatoes.

Nasturtium (Trapaeolum majus). Flowering annual.
Active ingredients. Sulfur-containing compounds.
Action. Fungicidal against canker on tree fruits. Insectifuge against white fly (repellent).
Preparation. In infusion, 2 lbs. fresh leaves in 5 quarts of water. Boil water, add leaves, infuse like tea one hour. Use undiluted on fruit trees. Dilute to 30% to spray tomatoes against mildew.

Comfreys (Symphytum officinalis, S. x uplandicum). Flowering perennial.
Active ingredients. Allantoin, which stimulates cell multiplication. This is why allantoin is such an excellent ingredient for skin creams, especially for chapped skin.
Action.Comfrey is a powerful stimulator of all cell multiplication, e.g. growth. It stimulates microbial growth in the soil, and in compost, thus acting as an 'activator'. Comfrey stimulates seedling development as well as foliar growth.
Preparation. In fermented extract, use 2 lbs. of fresh leaves in 2.5 gal. of water. As a soil drench, dilute to 20%; as a foliar fertilizer and seedling fertilizer, dilute to 5%.

Spurge (Euphorbia lathyris). Hardy perennial.
Active ingredient. Euphorbone.
Action. Repels moles and voles, but must be prepared and sprayed to be effective. Having the plant on your property does not suffice.
Preparation. In fermented extract, harvest the stems and leaves; the terminals have the most active ingredient, from April to October. Caution! The milky sap of this plant causes skin irritations! Wear long-cuffed gloves to protect your hands and arms. Use 2 lbs. fresh plant material per 2.5 gals. of water. Spray around cultivated areas.

Bracken fern and male fern. (Pteridium aquilinum, Dryopteris felix-mas). Perennial plant.
Action. Insecticide and insectifuge.
Active ingredients. Gallic and acetic acids; tannin; cyanogenic heterosides; potassium; aldehydes transformed to methaldehydes after fermentation.
Preparation. In fermented extract, 2 lbs of fresh leaves to 2.5 gal. of water. May be fermented simultaneously with nettle or horsetail. Dilute to 10% before spraying. Effective against some pests of potato and grape, very effective against wooly aphid. Note: bracken fern is indigenous in many areas, especially in well-drained acid soils, and is often considered invasive, as it is rhizomatous.

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia). Flowering perennial.
Active ingredients. Over 250 different compounds!
Action. Insectifuge, insecticide.
Preparation. In fermented extract, 2 lbs. of fresh plant material per 2.5 gal. of water, dilute to 10% before using. For dried material, use 7 oz.
In simple infusion, use 4 oz. of fresh plant material in 1 qt. of water, or 2/3 oz. of dried plant material per quart.
Note: If you live in a cool climate, your lavender will be less potent than that grown in a hot climate. Double the quantities or use dried plant material from a southern source.


English Ivy (Hedera helix). Perennial vine.
Active ingredient. Heteroside which is liberated during fermentation.
Action. Insectifuge and insecticide against white fly, spider mites, and aphids.
Preparation. In fermented extract, use 2 lbs. chopped leaves in 2.5 gal. of water. In observing fermentation, don't confuse the foam caused by the saponins in the leaves with the gas bubbles of fermentation. Dilute to 5% before spraying. Beekeepers in the 18th century rubbed their hands with ivy to protect themselves from bee stings. Caution! The extract is toxic and must be kept out of the reach of children. Also, many people are allergic to the sap of ivy and/or to the fine hairs on the reverse of the leaves. Wear gloves to protect yourself.

Lemon balm. (Melissa officinalis). Perennial aromatic culinary and medicinal herb.
Active ingredient. Many aromatic compounds.
Action. Insectifuge against aphids, mosquitos, white fly, and ants.
Preparation. In infusion, 2 oz. of fresh plant in 1 qt. of water. Allow to cool, filter, and spray without diluting. Note: Do not use on seedling beds as it can prevent germination of seedlings.

Peppermint. (Mentha piperita) Perennial aromatic culinary and medicinal herb.
Active ingredients. Many aromatic compounds.
Action. Insectifuge and insecticide against aphids and spider mites.
Preparation. In infusion, 4 oz. of fresh plant in 1 qt. of water. Allow to cool, filter, and spray undiluted.
In fermented extract, 2 lbs. of fresh plant to 2.5 gal. of water. Ferments extremely fast. Dilute to 10% before using. Note: Impedes germination so don't use on seedling beds.

Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica). Perennial weed.
Active ingredients. A cocktail of ingredients still poorly analyzed but including formic acid, as well as iron, nitrogen, and many trace minerals. Acts as an immunostimulant for plants.
Action. Strongly stimulant to both microbial and plant growth, thus a compost activator as well as fertiliser. Insectifuge and sometimes insecticide against aphids, mites, and other pests.
Preparation. Use of the whole plant before flowering. Studies have shown that including the roots adds a fungicidal action to the extract. In fermented extract (the famous purin d'ortie), 2 lbs. of fresh plant in 2.5 gal. of water, fermented for a few days only. Dilute to 20% before using as soil drench or foliar feed. Use full strength as a natural herbicide (it kills with 'fertilizer burn' because it is so rich). Soak bareroot plants for 30 minutes in the pure extract or for 12 hours in a 20% dilution before planting to stimulate rapid establishment and vigor.

The nettle reigns supreme among plants for fermentation in France. The fermented extract is sold commercially in garden centers, and clubs and associations of nettle fanatics exist throughout France. Needless to say perhaps, but wear gloves when handling nettles. It's not for nothing they're called 'stinging.'

Horsetail. (Equisetum arvense). Perennial plant and medicinal herb.
Active ingredients. Diverse alkaloids, nicotinic acid, silica.
Action. Insectifuge, preventive fungicide, plant tonic and growth stimulant.
Preparation. In decoction, boil 1 lb. of fresh plant with 5 qts. of water for 1 hour, allow to infuse 12 hours, filter and dilute to 20%.
In fermented extract, 1/2 lb. of dried plant in 2.5 gal. of water. Dilute to 5% before using.
Horsetail, along with nettle and fern, form the Big Three among medicinal plants for plants, according to the French. I remember my Swiss grandmother gathering horsetail and drying it in pillowcases for use in astringent poultices.

Pyrethrum (Tanacetum cinerariifolium). Perennial.
Active ingredient. Pyrethrins.
Action. Insecticide against aphids, cabbage fly, whitefly, carrot fly, and others. Does not hurt bees.
Preparation. Harvest the flowers when open, and dry them. In infusion, use 1 oz. in 2 qts. of water. Filter when cool and spray undiluted. In fermented extract, use 3 oz. in 2.5 gal. of water. Dilute to 20%. Spray after sundown or in very early morning.

Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana)
Perennial culinary herb.
Active ingredients. Sulfuric heteroside, glucosinolate.
Action. Fungicide against blackspot on cherries.
Preparation. In infusion, 12 oz. of fresh plant material (leaves and roots chopped) in 2 1/2 gal. of water. Filter when cool and spray undiluted. In fermented extract, 4 oz. of chopped root in 2.5 gal. of water. Use full strength on seedlings for damping off.

Rhubarb (Rheum rhaponticum).
Perennial potager plant.
Active ingredients. Oxalic acid as salt of calcium.
Action. Insectifuge against aphids, caterpillars, and other larvae. Repulsive to herbivores.
Preparation. In cold maceration, use 1 lb. of chopped leaves in 3 quarts of water; allow to soak 24 hours before filtering. Use full strength. This is a great way to use rhubarb leaves as you eat the stalks.

Rue (Ruta graveolens). Perennial herb.
Active ingredients. Tannins, heterosides, malic acid, glucosides, and others.
Action. Insecticide and repulsive.
Preparation. Harvest fresh leaves and stems before flowering. In fermented extract, 2 lbs. of fresh plant material in 2.5 gal. of water fermented for 10 days. Dilute to 20%. Repels mice, chipmunks, and other chewers. Spray against aphids.

Dockweed (Rumex obtusifolius). Perennial weed.
Active ingredients. Have not been studied.
Action. Fungicide against canker on apples and pears.
Preparation. In infusion, 2 lbs. fresh leaves in 5 qts. boiling water. Filter when cool, spray full strength on cankers. Treat young trees preventatively. Spring is best time.

Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis). Flowering perennial.
Active ingredients. Saponins.
Action. Insecticide, insectifuge.
Preparation. In infusion, 4 oz. fresh material in 1 qt. boiling water. Filter when cool and spray undiluted. In fermented extract, 2 lbs. fresh plant material in 2.5 gal. of water. Dilute to 10% before using.


Sage. (Salvia officinalis). Perennial herb.
Active ingredients. Monoterpenones, including thujone, camphor, and others, aldehydes, coumarin.
Action. Insectifuge, fungicide.
Preparation. In infusion for insectifuge, 4 oz. of fresh plant material in 1 qt. boiling water. Filter when cool and use full strength. In fermented extract, 2 lbs. of fresh leaves and terminals in 2.5 gal. of water, diluted to 10%, against mildew on potatoes.

Common Elderberry (Sambucus nigra). Large shrub to small tree.
Active ingredients. Sambucine.Action. Powerful repellant; fungicide.
Preparation. In decoction, 2 lbs. of leaves soaked for 24 hours in 2.5 gal. of water, then boiled for 30 minutes. Spray undiluted against aphids, beetles, caterpillars. In fermented extract, use 2 lbs. fresh leaves in 2.5 gal. of water. Use undiluted against shelf fungus infections on trees.

Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare). Perennial plant (invasive in sandy soils).
Active ingredients. Not studied.
Action. Insectifuge, insecticide, fungicide against rust and mildew.
Preparation. In fermented extract, 2 lbs. of fresh plant material in 2.5 gal. of water. Use nondiluted against cabbage fly. In infusion, 1 oz. of flowers in 1 qt. of boiling water. Filter when cool and spray undiluted against aphids, mildew, and rust. Caution: don't throw residues on compost as tansy inhibits its breakdown.

This season, why not experiment with this new (old) dimension of organic treatments? It's not only we humans who stand to benefit from medicinal herbs. The power of plants can come to the rescue of fellow plants as well!

 

[headtreep]

These babies were just sprayed with a mix of aloe, karaja oil, and protekt.

Mixed 1 gram 200x aloe powder with 199 grams water

Took 1/4 cup of the aloe extract and added to a half gallon jar with filtered water, full.

Then I mixed 4 tsp karanja oil in a shot glass with 2 tsp. pro tekt until it emulsified and then added that to the half gallon.

 

[fattiemcnuggins]

Awesome results dude! I just finished my first plant in reused no till, and I'll be damned it came out great. The coconut water is great, haven't been able to try the barley or aloe yet. This is the recipe I am using now:


One Cup Alfalfa Meal
One Cup Fish Meal
One Cup Bone Meal
Homemade Shrimp Shell Meal
1/2 cup Kelp Meal
1 Cup Soft Rock Phosphate
One Bag Roots
One Bale Promix
One Bag Roots Coco
One Bag Worm Castings
One Bag Compost (have my own started)
One Shovel Diverse Soil from outside
Maybe 2.5 gallons Biochar
Mix everything well.
Innoculate with some molasses, homemade lactobacillus, nematodes and BTI dunks.
Let sit 3-4 weeks and it is ready to go. I plant seeds and clone directly into this mix, yet with some minor topdressing it has the juice to take me to the end of flower no problem. Still have a ways to go but the results keep me motivated.

 

[headtreep]

Books to check out:

The New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener (A Gardener's Supply Book)
The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming (New York Review Books Classics)
Biological Farmer: A Complete Guide to the Sustainable & Profitable Biological System of Farming Vermiculture Technology: Earthworms, Organic Wastes, and Environmental Management
Hands-On Agronomy
Environmentally​ Friendly Pest Control

Seaweed & Plant Growth

 

[Cann]

PERMACULTURE: A DESIGNERS MANUAL by BILL MOLLISON. I cannot emphasize this book enough. This thing is literally my bible. It is also available for free online, but it will hurt your eyes to read all 600 pages off a screen. I highly recommend picking up a hard copy. You will not regret it.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/54165878/Permaculture-A-Designers-Manual-by-Bill-Millison

I got some pics for this thread...stay tuned

 

[fattiemcnuggins]

I am wondering if I can just start getting my seaweed right from the lake?

 

[Cann]

is it brown? cause thats the kind you want

 

[fattiemcnuggins]

There's diff kinds but I know there is a brownish one that I see quite I bit of. Maybe I can find a pic.

 

[CaptainCAVEMAN]

Great thread, thanks for sharing guys. +rep

 

[grnhrvstr]

I will be learning much from this thread.....thank you!

 

[Cann]

So even though this thread is about soil recycling, I figured I would show the process of soil building from scratch. I find "recycling" to be a silly term anyway, reamending makes more sense...regardless, the "recycling" process is simply adding amendments to a soil base - which also happens to be the second part of building a soil from scratch, so it all applies. Hope that makes sense.

Building a soil from scratch is much cheaper and much more rewarding than buying premixed soil. Also the quality is incomparable.

First off, we have to decide on a soil mix. There are countless mixes out there all claiming to be better than the next one...I prefer to go with a mix that I know is tried and true by a wise old coot. The mix is as follows

Base mix:

1/3 high quality EWC or compost (the quality of this humus source cannot be stressed enough. this is by far the most important aspect of the soil. use poor humus and this will be a nightmare)
1/3 sphagnum peat
1/3 aeration (pumice, rice hulls, lava rock, etc.)

Per cuft of base:

4-5 cups rock dust mix (4x glacial, 1x bentonite, 1x powdered oyster shell, 1x basalt dust) AFAIK the glacial and basalt are relatively interchangeable ..just use whatever is local (this goes for just about anything in ROLS...local is often best).

1/2 cup neem meal and/or karanja meal
1/2 cup crab shell meal
1/2 cup kelp meal


Thats it...


if you want to get fancy with it you can add a few other things such as:


Gypsum: I use 1/2cup per cuft...calcium and sulfur. good to add if you don't have the highest quality EWC.

Biochar: up to 10% of the mix, remember to "activate" it first by soaking in EWC/fish hydrolysate or something for the carbon to absorb so it doesn't rob your soil of nutrients. I use about 1/2 cup per cuft, but could easily double that amount.

Alfalfa meal: in the mix pictured I used 2 cups alfalfa meal for a 10cuft batch...you can use more if you want. it is very "hot", so be careful.

Fish meal: I had some leftover so I threw the last cup worth into the 10cuft batch


A note on humus: If you can't find any local worm farmers with castings, or folks with good compost, look for Bu's Blend Biodynamic by Malibu Compost. It is one of the best bagged products you will find, and has a great reputation with real gardeners. Bu's blend is what I used for this last batch...I would've used EWC but my local worm guy is out at the moment, and my bins are a month of two from being harvested

A note on sphagnum: peat comes in compressed bricks that are usually around 3 cuft. once you open and expand the bricks they are around 5 cuft of material, so keep that in mind when measuring. Also, often times the peat is very dry and tends to have hydrophobic tendencies. This can make saturating your soil a pain. To combat this, you should rehydrate the peat before mixing it with the other components. Once it is moist (not wet), you can proceed like normal.

Here we go:




Step 1: Humus + (hydrated) Peat + Aeration

Step 2: Mix thoroughly with hands and bare feet while humming a tune....

Now its time to add amendments. From this point on its basically the "recycling" process, although you wouldn't want to add nearly as many amendments during a "recycle". The soil you would be "recycling" would already contain many nutrients, whereas the current base mix we have just prepared only contains a small percentage of compost, and the rest is inert. Big difference in the amount of input needed to make a balanced soil. Anyways.....

Step 3: The rock dusts


Step 4: The meals

Step 5: Repeat Step 2..but more vigorously, and for a greater length of time, and humming a more intense tune. This is what you should end up with:



Fill up smartpots or garbage bins, water with an ACT or .25% molasses dilution in water, let sit for 4+ weeks. At that point you are ready to fill your no-till pots and start reaping the rewards! Or if you are a boss you can fill your no-till pots from the get-go, water them, throw some worms in the mix, and then let sit for 4 weeks and plant..that will give the soil a head start to develop microbe populations, fungal networks, etc.

To show some results, at exactly 4 weeks I filled a 30 gallon smartpot with the pictured soil mix, and transplanted these ladies into it. They were a bit unhappy in their old pots (they had been living in roots 707 that i topdressed a bit to heavily with neem, crab, and kelp) and it is obvious from the pics that they are much happier now in their no-till home. These are 2 days apart, first one taken immediately after transplant.



Lets see how many cycles I can get out of this baby...

 

[Cann]

So you built a no-till soil, and now you're waiting 4+ weeks for it to finish aging. When the time comes, you want to be ready with ladies to plant straight into that dank soil! It's time to take some cuts. But the no-till ROLS dogma says no bottled gunk...so what do you do without almighty Clonex? The answer is surprisingly simple....and good for your skin too!

Aloe. You can simply cut open a fresh aloe filet and rub your cannabis cutting on the goopy aloe gel, then stick the cutting in your media of choice (rockwool, rapidrooters, EWC/pumice, etc.). The saponins and salicylic acid in the aloe plant will provide a bunch of rooting hormones to your cuts, and the root growth will astound you. If you want to take it to the next level, you can follow this method:

(This is copied straight from my grow journal due to laziness on my part)

So for the sake of simplicity I'll start from a few weeks ago when I took cuts from my mothers sans clonex (something I would've though was insane before). I was following a cloning method suggested byClackamasCootz which is as follows:

Mix 1 gal h2o with 1oz ful-power (fulvic acid), 2oz aloe, 1tsp potassium silicate. Soak your cuts in this mix for a few hours. Soak your rapidrooters (or another medium) in this mix for a few hours as well. When you get around to it, combine the plugs and cuts however you so choose and place them in your trays or whatever you use. Treat them like you would treat any other clone (mist/humidity, airflow, etc.) 10-14 days later you will have something that looks like this:

roots on roots on roots

This is what they look like a few days after being put into a "recycled" soil mix. During transplant I sprinkle the roots with mycorrhizae and once they are potted I water with aloe/fulpower/silica and give them an aloe foliar.



These are by far the greenest/happiest clones I have EVER had. No transplant shock, no chlorosis, no wilting. Straight green and praying leaves the entire time. Needless to say I am never going to buy clonex again, and I will urge others to do the same. Next time I do this I am going to rub the stems inside of a fresh aloe filet right before the cuts go into rapidrooters - we'll see if it can get any better than this lol. I had to compost a bunch of cuts because I had too many! every single one rooted.

Happy cloning!!!​

 

[headtreep]

Very nice Cann!! Keep them coming.