Organic Growing: An Introductory Guide

Rasta Roy

Well-Known Member
I picked up 3 yards of omri organic compost how long will half a yard feed a plant?
There are so many other factors involved in that friend, it's a difficult question to answer accurately. It could be 3 weeks, it could be 3 months. If you tell me all the details of your grow I can help you with how to make a half a yard of compost feed your plant for longest tho. Let me know your pot size, grow room, lights, what else is in your grow medium, etc and we can go from there!
 

Rasta Roy

Well-Known Member
This is good info to have . I have had some overly leafy stuff that was likely caused by this.
Me too brother! Personally I'd rather have my plants go yellow too soon than overdo nitrogen too late but you really gotta be careful to not back off on N too soon into flower if you need it because it can really cut down on yield (it is a main building block for everything your plant does). I've gone through the mistakes on both ends of the spectrum lol. Like everything you want that sweet spot in the middle.
 

bassman999

Well-Known Member
Me too brother! Personally I'd rather have my plants go yellow too soon than overdo nitrogen too late but you really gotta be careful to not back off on N too soon into flower if you need it because it can really cut down on yield (it is a main building block for everything your plant does). I've gone through the mistakes on both ends of the spectrum lol. Like everything you want that sweet spot in the middle.
I did a simple top dress 4 weeks into flowering this time and just water this run.
I want to start making teas
Also I want to do a worm compost, but cant afford an expensive worm bin. The plan is to try it in a tote
 

Vnsmkr

Well-Known Member
I did a simple top dress 4 weeks into flowering this time and just water this run.
I want to start making teas
Also I want to do a worm compost, but cant afford an expensive worm bin. The plan is to try it in a tote
Shit yeah brah, dont fork over any money for that (I know you weren't but just saying), a tote will work great. Alot of people use those
 

bassman999

Well-Known Member
Shit yeah brah, dont fork over any money for that (I know you weren't but just saying), a tote will work great. Alot of people use those
I know they want a newspaper bottom and stuff. The thing that I see is that those commercial ones have a place for the liquid to drip to.
 

Rasta Roy

Well-Known Member
I did a simple top dress 4 weeks into flowering this time and just water this run.
I want to start making teas
Also I want to do a worm compost, but cant afford an expensive worm bin. The plan is to try it in a tote
Dog, one of my worm bins is just a tote that doesnt even have anything for drainage. I lined the bottom with cardboard, it's got some airholes on the side near the top. When I run out of tubs to throw my recycled soil in I throw that in for bedding. And I when my "nicer" worm bins are full of scraps, the extras go in the tote.

Guess which one of my worm bins is full of healthy, fast breeding, fast casting producing worms?

If you guessed the shitty tote...You're wrong. But it still does really good!!! And almost damn near the same as the costly ones.
 

eddy600

Well-Known Member
There are so many other factors involved in that friend, it's a difficult question to answer accurately. It could be 3 weeks, it could be 3 months. If you tell me all the details of your grow I can help you with how to make a half a yard of compost feed your plant for longest tho. Let me know your pot size, grow room, lights, what else is in your grow medium, etc and we can go from there!
This is for an outdoor grow in 45 gallon smart pots and 4ft by 4ft by 2ft deep raised beds.I have only filled the smart pots so far and added 3/4 cubic ft perlite,10 lbs worm casings,cup of dolomite lime & 4 cups of Green trees organic fertilizer.
 

bassman999

Well-Known Member
I compost in a tote now, I lined the bottom with this

https://www.amazon.com/Yesterdays-News-Non-Clumping-Unscented-30-Pound/dp/B0002AQ0BQ

That and cardboard ripped up.

It's been working great at holding that "wet sponge" feel.

Just drill some holes :grin:
Thats what the local SPCA uses for litter.
Interesting
The one above has that too....only it doesnt cost 100+
Ill use my large tote and order some wigglers, just wanna make sure I get live ones not smelly dead ones lol
Dog, one of my worm bins is just a tote that doesnt even have anything for drainage. I lined the bottom with cardboard, it's got some airholes on the side near the top. When I run out of tubs to throw my recycled soil in I throw that in for bedding. And I when my "nicer" worm bins are full of scraps, the extras go in the tote.

Guess which one of my worm bins is full of healthy, fast breeding, fast casting producing worms?

If you guessed the shitty tote...You're wrong. But it still does really good!!! And almost damn near the same as the costly ones.
If this works out well I will likely get a real one eventually.
 

Vnsmkr

Well-Known Member
If that has calcined clay in it I know quite a few who use similar in their soil less mixes....works a charm
 

Vnsmkr

Well-Known Member
Im aware all these links arent active any longer, but some interesting stuff anyway
CALCINED CLAY


I am getting ready to set up my next grow and a big part of that was looking for the perfect soilless mix to work with my style of growing. I picked SunShine Mix #4 as my base and if you read my ditty on Silica then you would know I plan on mixing in some Diatomite.

I am constantly reading and researching, as things I read lead me to more info to be researched. I recently came across and read the PH Manifesto (and advise everyone read it) it mentioned mixing Calcined Clay with SunShine Mix #4 and off I went to discover why.

What I found was that Calcined Clay is one of Container Gardening's best kept secrets. Originally used to make golf course greens stay greener back in the 50's it was not well accepted by gardeners and never really caught on untill recently. The benefits are considerable and adding this to your medium is simply a no brainer!

I am going to share links rather than quoteing simply because some of these links are really good reads with lots of great info (quotes would require severals parts to complete the post)

a great pdf about mixing your own potting mix
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/5655752/...s-mean-better/

Ohio Edu ditty on Container Gardening
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1254.html

benefit if water left in trays
http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewc...5&context=pmag

another great post about Container mediums
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/cn004

experiment showing a reduction in fugas knats
http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewc...5&context=pmcg

Using Calcined Clay for Bonsai's
http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Should...ts?&id=3480472

yet another good read about ammending soil
http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/she...landscape.html

and finally for those of us on a budget please note that No Lump Kitty Litter is made with Calcined Clay (mentioned in one of the above links)
 

Rasta Roy

Well-Known Member
This is for an outdoor grow in 45 gallon smart pots and 4ft by 4ft by 2ft deep raised beds.I have only filled the smart pots so far and added 3/4 cubic ft perlite,10 lbs worm casings,cup of dolomite lime & 4 cups of Green trees organic fertilizer.
My apologies friend I was a little in my cups last night, I forgot to ask...by omri compost, what are we talking? Miracle gro compost? Lobster compost?

What's in the green trees fertilizer?
 
Preface

What's up growers and Cannabis enthusiasts! As a professional caregiver and growing consultant in the great medically compliant state of Michigan, and overall friendly guy on the internet; I tend to field the same handful of questions involving super soil, improving yield, and organic feeding (compost teas, top dressings, soil recipes). It made making this seem like the prudent thing to do!

A couple of disclaimers...

First and foremost, this is a beginner's guide to organic cannabis growing, based off my experiences with multiple technique's. Im not a botanist by any means, but I do my best to explain why I do what I do (in a simple stoner's terms), so that you can understand a few different ways to meet your plant's needs and find what works best for you. It is not a no til guide, I do recommend reading about no til. And any and all ways to grow. Experiment as much as you can. Take notes. Compare notes. I do my best here to give you a bullet proof guide for success, but this isn't the only way. I'm always trying to learn more and improve. I suggest you do the same.

Part 1: "The Shade"

I won't spend too much time here because I can just link to a blog that I would be paraphrasing from anyway. Super Soil... here's a nice little blog post you can read about why super soil is full of faults...


http://buildasoil.com/blogs/news/12533881-whats-so-cool-about-super-soil-the-super-soil-recipe-breakdown

Now that we've tore apart subcool's super soil recipe, let's talk real quick about water only soil mixes and container gardening. Most people attempting a water only approach (even with a good recipe) find themselves needing to add a little of something or other at some point, or find their yields disappointing. No til gardening is definitely a viable solution, but again, this isn't a no til guide. The solution that I'm gonna talk about...is a mix of a balanced amended soil (without "cooking"), with readily available fertilizer occasionally applied in waterings.

Can you substitute bottled "organic" nutrients for some of the dry bagged ones you ask?

No! Not ever I say! You're cheating yourself out of fresh biological activity and you deserve better!

Alright, that's enough of my naysaying!

Part 2: Building Your Base Soil

This is simple enough. Peat moss or Coco coir/aeration/compost in even parts.

For example:

One gallon of peat moss or coir, one gallon of compost, and one gallon of aeration.

What you mean by aeration dog?

Perlite, volcanic rock dust, Google for more...basically something to ensure you will have heavy drainage.

Have some fox farm or promix that you used in your previous grow and would rather start with that as a base?

You totally should! Always make use of what you have before you buy anything else. If this is spent soil from a previous grow it will probably have a comparable consistency to a mix of peat moss and perlite. Add in even parts compost and that'll give you the same solid mix.

What kind of compost should I use?

All of the kinds of compost!!! Grow stores are so limited, most will usually have over priced forest floor compost and worm castings at best. Your big box stores with garden centers, tractor and farm supply stores, and landscape supplier's will provide more affordable options. Google if there's a local compost facility in your area. Thatd be even better.

Cannabis is an annual so it prefers bacterial dominant soil. Worm castings and thermal made compost (compost with lots of foods scraps, leaves, and coffee grounds to create a hot compost pile) will provide this.

Fungal heavy compost (found in compost broken down without heat); made from just wood chips or the forest floor, plays an important role is well. Leaf mold compost (also cold broken down) is great too, it's super rich in humus and minerals. Fungal microbes play a major role in phosphorus uptake so you want at least

Worm castings of course are the best of all...especially of you can homemake them.

A nice blend of bacterial compost, a forest floor or fungal heavy compost, and worm castings will be best. But if you have to settle for one, you'll be okay. Just the more diversity you can have in your soil the better.

Part 3: Nutrients, and Amending Your Soil

I won't go full on essential plant nutrient lesson, it's covered in many other guides. I'm assuming a level novice knowledge has been acquired before reading this guide.

We want to build a soil that will have all the nutrients the plant needs, readily available when the plant needs it. Organic growing is not the same as growing with bottled nutrients where you apply and the nutrients are already chelated and ready for uptake by the plant roots. Growing organic, you already have everything in the soil, the roots send out exudates that communicate with the microbiology in the soil, and the microbiology breaks down the organic matter in the soil to be uptaken by the plant. If you want to know more of the details of this relationship I highly recommend checking out the book Teaming With Microbes.

So what nutes do we want in our soil and how do we provide them?

I'm gonna start backwards with the micronutrients. Boron, copper, manganese...these should be plentiful in your soil with little effort. No need for extra amendments to provide these typically.

Calcium, magnesium, and sulfer, while still micronutrients, are much more needed by the plant. In particular calcium and magnesium. The good news about sulfer is that it's usually provided when you're providing something else. So there's no need to amend for sulfer typically. Now magnesium is available in compost, castings, so there's some in the base mix but adding some is usually needed, especially in container gardening. Which most indoor cannabis is. Calcium, could almost be a macronutrient with how important it is. It is also available to the plant from compost and worm castings but we will want to amend the soil further and apply some additional love throughout the grow.

Onto the big three boys. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. NPK. Cannabis uses lots of nitrogen in veg, and lots of phosphorus and potassium. This has misled synthetic growers, who have to feed the plant directly, into not supplying adequate K during veg (although not often), and cutting off the supply of nitrogen too soon into flower. And everyone always overdoes it with phosphorus...Google peak phosphorus... A good NPK ratio for cannabis soil (tomato's, and pepper's love this as well) would be something like 5-2-3 (these numbers are pretty arbitrary just trying to give you an example). Lots of nitrogen, more than anything, it is your biggest building block...however...over doing it can inhibit root growth and delay maturity. That's why phosphorus needs to be not too far behind nitrogen. And since we want big fruits to come from those big roots, and we want a strong, sturdy plant...we've got potassium.

Growing organically, we don't have to feed the plant directly. We make sure the soil is good and prepared, and its microbes and the roots talk to make the magic happen.

Now, in my gardening I noticed that while building a solid soil yielded positive results, quantity could use some improvement. Even when I composted my amendments into my soil (commonly referred to as cooking in super soil circles). Growth rates and yields were a little disappointing.

Adding readily available sources of macronutrients, along with amendments that provide growth hormones and trace minerals (alfalfa and kelp meal) in addition to having a prepared soil was where I found my salvation. I did some grows where I simply applied the readily available macronutrients and beneficial amendments into a unamended soil and it had some deficiencies, and performance issues.

The plain water approach vs the just tea approach was no match for the two of them combined.
This was a godsend! Thank you
 

Chunky Stool

Well-Known Member
Im aware all these links arent active any longer, but some interesting stuff anyway
CALCINED CLAY


I am getting ready to set up my next grow and a big part of that was looking for the perfect soilless mix to work with my style of growing. I picked SunShine Mix #4 as my base and if you read my ditty on Silica then you would know I plan on mixing in some Diatomite.

I am constantly reading and researching, as things I read lead me to more info to be researched. I recently came across and read the PH Manifesto (and advise everyone read it) it mentioned mixing Calcined Clay with SunShine Mix #4 and off I went to discover why.

What I found was that Calcined Clay is one of Container Gardening's best kept secrets. Originally used to make golf course greens stay greener back in the 50's it was not well accepted by gardeners and never really caught on untill recently. The benefits are considerable and adding this to your medium is simply a no brainer!

I am going to share links rather than quoteing simply because some of these links are really good reads with lots of great info (quotes would require severals parts to complete the post)

a great pdf about mixing your own potting mix
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/5655752/...s-mean-better/

Ohio Edu ditty on Container Gardening
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1254.html

benefit if water left in trays
http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewc...5&context=pmag

another great post about Container mediums
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/cn004

experiment showing a reduction in fugas knats
http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewc...5&context=pmcg

Using Calcined Clay for Bonsai's
http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Should...ts?&id=3480472

yet another good read about ammending soil
http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/she...landscape.html

and finally for those of us on a budget please note that No Lump Kitty Litter is made with Calcined Clay (mentioned in one of the above links)
Personal endorsement: My plants love calcined clay! (Special Kitty all natural from wal-mart)
RM3 turned me onto it a couple of years ago and it is fantastic. We put 100 lbs in our garden and had a stellar crop (10ft sunflowers, giant zucchini, etc). I've had problems with mag deficiency, but I think that's from the coco in my mix.
 
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