Trying to put a soil reciepe together with what I have.

@thundergodfist

Respect my friend, inspiration is contagious so glad to hear! Are you in NS brotha?
'm actually looking for a friend who can be be our go to frass maker, now that you mention it, if you make extra/tonnes, that'd be a good problem to have, could always move it/ liquidate it for ya if you want..

as for type, I'd sway from mealworm frass and more towards what Better World uses / used (are they still open?)

I know a tsp per plant from that brand made the plants pray hard within 4 hours and lasted for days, this mealworm frass I get is way slower and less noticeable although I do notice some beefing effects in the last month of flower before the big flush so to speak..

I hear Gil/Patrick @ unconventional farmer be into cricket composting by the way, feeding them meat and bones and all sorts of nasties, and they just turn it into lush pest proof compost, un-smellable from 2 feet away, its nuts.

http://theunconventionalfarmer.com/natural-techniques/cockroach-composting/

Could this Tetranortriterpenoid be related to my beloved Limonene terpene? Do you notice more of a pronounced lemon smell/taste when using neem?

I actually noted some super suuuuper dank, deep, complex, peircing fruit loops smells when I doubled the neem. But I also upped my kelp hard to 2% and 3% of tot vol. and tested that same time. I will do some side by sides with just neem and just kelp to see the effects, more on that later, cause I was actually equating it to the kelp until Grease mentioned he loves it for flavour. I believe Hyroot at the same time dropped his alfalfa entirely (in hopes of less leaves) and upped his kelp and noticed similar extra pungent results, much like me.

Does oyster shell contain chitin?

"crab meal has a good amount of nitrogen, phos, cal, mag, and chitin... great for base nutrients. Oyster shell has mag, cal, and is a ph buffer.." -H


- Gaia Green glacial rock dust (I could also get azomite for the same price but I haven't compared them yet. What's your take?)

Forget azomite unless its free, it has zinc which is great for the AMF (myco fungi) but it also has everything else from A to Z, which is how it got its name, so heavy metals and AL included.. Aluminum binds up phosphorus when pH dips so I hate AL and strive to build AL free mixes, aeration included.
There are 6 superior aerations that have no AL so I prefer those over perlite and vermiculite, whose dusts are linked to much cancer research (I have a couple links if anyone wants)

I make compost tea with my vermicompost and organic black strap molasses, sometimes I add a bit of kelp. I'll feed that every couple weeks. When flowering I'll splurge and buy a couple of coconuts, blend the juice with some fresh aloe and the ladies looooooove it! I'll be getting some malted barley powder eventually and I got a shit load of dandelions and stinging nettle in my backyard so I'll be trying some fermented plant extracts also.

Love the coco and aloe and all the extra treatments they're getting, gonna be a treat to see this unfold! Keep killing my man!

DonTesla said:

@thundergodfist

Respect my friend, inspiration is contagious so glad to hear! Are you in NS brotha?
'm actually looking for a friend who can be be our go to frass maker, now that you mention it, if you make extra/tonnes, that'd be a good problem to have, could always move it/ liquidate it for ya if you want..

as for type, I'd sway from mealworm frass and more towards what Better World uses / used (are they still open?)

I know a tsp per plant from that brand made the plants pray hard within 4 hours and lasted for days, this mealworm frass I get is way slower and less noticeable although I do notice some beefing effects in the last month of flower before the big flush so to speak..

I hear Gil/Patrick @ unconventional farmer be into cricket composting by the way, feeding them meat and bones and all sorts of nasties, and they just turn it into lush pest proof compost, un-smellable from 2 feet away, its nuts.

http://theunconventionalfarmer.com/natural-techniques/cockroach-composting/

Could this Tetranortriterpenoid be related to my beloved Limonene terpene? Do you notice more of a pronounced lemon smell/taste when using neem?

I actually noted some super suuuuper dank, deep, complex, peircing fruit loops smells when I doubled the neem. But I also upped my kelp hard to 2% and 3% of tot vol. and tested that same time. I will do some side by sides with just neem and just kelp to see the effects, more on that later, cause I was actually equating it to the kelp until Grease mentioned he loves it for flavour. I believe Hyroot at the same time dropped his alfalfa entirely (in hopes of less leaves) and upped his kelp and noticed similar extra pungent results, much like me.

Does oyster shell contain chitin?

"crab meal has a good amount of nitrogen, phos, cal, mag, and chitin... great for base nutrients. Oyster shell has mag, cal, and is a ph buffer.." -H


- Gaia Green glacial rock dust (I could also get azomite for the same price but I haven't compared them yet. What's your take?)

Forget azomite unless its free, it has zinc which is great for the AMF (myco fungi) but it also has everything else from A to Z, which is how it got its name, so heavy metals and AL included.. Aluminum binds up phosphorus when pH dips so I hate AL and strive to build AL free mixes, aeration included.
There are 6 superior aerations that have no AL so I prefer those over perlite and vermiculite, whose dusts are linked to much cancer research (I have a couple links if anyone wants)

I make compost tea with my vermicompost and organic black strap molasses, sometimes I add a bit of kelp. I'll feed that every couple weeks. When flowering I'll splurge and buy a couple of coconuts, blend the juice with some fresh aloe and the ladies looooooove it! I'll be getting some malted barley powder eventually and I got a shit load of dandelions and stinging nettle in my backyard so I'll be trying some fermented plant extracts also.

Love the coco and aloe and all the extra treatments they're getting, gonna be a treat to see this unfold! Keep killing my man!

Click to expand...

Thanks yet again my man, appreciate the guidance! I'm in QC near Ottawa. I don't think I'll be having extra tonnes of cricket frass anytime soon but shit you never know. My dream of having a little farm might materialize sooner than later so I'll keep that in mind.

I looked up Better World and they don't mention what type of insect frass they use. Maybe a mix or cricket frass instead of mealworm frass. More chitin in crickets perhaps because of extra crunchy parts...? I actually bookmarked that cockroach composting article a while back when I was looking into composting meat. Cockroaches just creep me the fuk out!

Man I'm not surprised about kelp, stuff is magic. The fastest growing plant and it mines the ocean for all these elements. I experienced nothing but love from kelp I recently saw a post on here suggesting to bypass the rock dusts entirely as kelp had all the micro nutrients needed without the mining. What's your take on that? I know you talked about paramagnetism, which is new to me by the way (holy shit there are so many tangents I'm trying to keep up with!).

I will have to eventually fork over the cash and get some neem. India has a pretty badass natural/organic farming movement and lots of them swear by neem. As for alfalfa, I can believe what Hyroot is saying. I use it less and less since I've had my kelp meal (I hate the smell of it compared to kelp). I should do a side by side to see since I sowed some alfalfa in my backyard this spring.

Shit man I didn't know perlite has aluminum Yes please share those links I would like to check them out. I tried to get pumice initially but couldn't find it so I settled on perlite, unfortunately. What are your 6 suggestions for aeration? I almost want to go builder's sand, coco coir, peat, EWC & compost.

Thanks for the positive vibes homie! Health and Happiness to you my friend!

QC thats awesome, happy to have a growther out in QC, heck yeah, kinda feels like extra eyes and ears on the ground out here, tis a big country and its lil hard to stay informed as to whats all available everywhere from coast to coast, I just want the people to have all the premium choices for growing awesome organics lol

yeah better world doesn't list their shit, hey, man that frass kicked ass. thats a shame. I need to find that quality and beat that price. seemed like a finer grind, much lighter and sharper, you might be right!

yes kelp and seaweed are awesome I'm still on the fence with alfalfa myself, I think we should do some side by sides, if we both did them at the same time, we'd be turning a few heads I think, if the results matched I bet we'd have an impact on some growers here perhaps.. killer that you started some last year.

yeah perlite has aluminum, I'll post the links in the Don's Dirt thread for sure!! gimme til tmrw I'm just crashing out soon but I will for sure !

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some of my tops choices in Canada though, are:

organic buckwheat hulls, (herbies, $4 per lb)
rotting wood, (free)
leaf mould, (free)

These compose the high humus and springy part of the aeration mix

then for the rock based part, less degradable, more permanent, yet still nice and porous

Pumice (potentially free or not)
lava rock (landscaping supply)
biochar (free)
non round/river sand (free)

*****************************************************

of course thats ideal, just what I strive for each time. sometimes you have to be pragmatic and not be so paramagnetic, na mean, lol, in other words, do the best you can with what resources you think you have at this time, and repeat as necessary, improving as you go, each round trying to beat yourself!

Thanks for the upful vibes as well my man, best of luck!

It's pretty much what DOESN'T contain aluminium?

It is the most common metal in the earths crust and makes up 8% of the crust.

It is the third most common element after oxygen and silicon. And the kicker, it combines with over 270 different minerals. So, the list of what doesn't contain Al is kinda small compared to what does contain it.

The good thing (for us), is, the conditions needed for it to break the chemical bonds to whatever it's combined with would kill our plants first. The main one being a super low pH, something like <4.5 IIRC.

Just saying, it's everywhere, but generally not a problem unless you really screw up and create super toxic conditions.

@DT ... I'm gonna give your suggestion a go and up my kelp meal amounts. My 50# bag of Thorvin organic arrived yesterday just as I emptied my last 50# bag. I've really come to prefer it over the Algamin since it's a lot chunkier and a slower release. Same kelp species of course.

We'll see how it goes.

Wetdog said:

It's pretty much what DOESN'T contain aluminium?

It is the most common metal in the earths crust and makes up 8% of the crust.

It is the third most common element after oxygen and silicon. And the kicker, it combines with over 270 different minerals. So, the list of what doesn't contain Al is kinda small compared to what does contain it.

The good thing (for us), is, the conditions needed for it to break the chemical bonds to whatever it's combined with would kill our plants first. The main one being a super low pH, something like <4.5 IIRC.

Just saying, it's everywhere, but generally not a problem unless you really screw up and create super toxic conditions.

@DT ... I'm gonna give your suggestion a go and up my kelp meal amounts. My 50# bag of Thorvin organic arrived yesterday just as I emptied my last 50# bag. I've really come to prefer it over the Algamin since it's a lot chunkier and a slower release. Same kelp species of course.

We'll see how it goes.

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I hear you but look at it in terms of the oceans, its a low ranker and the water is what dominates.. and looking at it in humans, its terrible..

Happy to hear about your kelp trials, though, Wet, please let me know what comes of it if you don't mind!

and thanks for chiming in about Al. may be on to something or totally off here, the silicate may be the saving grace, it seems to be the factor protecting the fish from Al toxicity anyway.

"Interestingly, calcium seems to come in fifth place wherever it goes: It is the fifth most abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust (after oxygen, silicon, aluminum and iron); the fifth most abundant dissolved ion in seawater (after sodium, chloride, magnesium and sulfate); and the fifth most abundant element in the human body (after oxygen, carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen). It is, however, the most abundant metallic element in the human body, 99 percent of which can be found in our bones and teeth (about 2 lbs. of it!), according to Chemicool. "



Here's a tidbit on why one may want to avoid it, though, just kind of freaky stuff its linked to, not to mention the fact its a Phosphorus binder in low pH conditions, the saving grace there being it needs to be quite the dramatic dip, but I just think if building the ABSOLUTE BEST soil in the world, would you want any Al in it if you had the choice? Can it have any good effect other than its paramagnetic?

so I was thinking, why use it if there are so many other sources that are free of Aluminum. I know the rocks it gets quite dicey on that side, each location is a little different, even within the same types of rocks, but the aerations, there are lots of categories little more uncommon that are superior in my mind, for example, springy, decompaction type aerations that will contribute to the humus content, natural co2 production, like leaf compost, buckwheat hulls, rice hulls, tree compost (rotting wood), biochar, bone char, lava rock (dacite, maybe?)etc.

quote:
Whilst being environmentally abundant, aluminum is not essential for life. On the contrary, aluminum is a widely recognized neurotoxin that inhibits more than 200 biologically important functions and causes various adverse effects in plants, animals, and humans. The relationship between aluminum exposure and neurodegenerative diseases, including dialysis encephalopathy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinsonism dementia in the Kii Peninsula and Guam, and Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been suggested. In particular, the link between aluminum and Alzheimer's disease has been the subject of scientific debate for several decades. However, the complex characteristics of aluminum bioavailability make it difficult to evaluate its toxicity and therefore, the relationship remains to be established. Mounting evidence has suggested that significance of oligomerization of β-amyloid protein and neurotoxicity in the molecular mechanism of AD pathogenesis. Aluminum may play crucial roles as a cross-linker in β-amyloid oligomerization. Here, we review the detailed characteristics of aluminum neurotoxicity based on our own studies and the recent literatures. Our aim is to revisit the link between aluminum and AD and to integrate aluminum and amyloid cascade hypotheses in the context of β-amyloid oligomerization and the interactions with other metals.


Full article:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3056430/

Any use for seaweeds besides kelp, like bladderwrack? I've got a lot of that kicking around.

DonTesla said:

sometimes you have to be pragmatic and not be so paramagnetic, na mean, lol

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LOOOOOL! Absolutely man!

Tis a very big country indeed, where you from man?

Going back to the frass, it didn't sink in till later... one of my good friends is an apiarist. His 800+ hives have a really good survival rate but he gets 5-6 garbage bags full of honey bee carcasses every season. It's stank like hell so he's happy to get rid of that shit. I gotta couple of farmer friends who might be interested in trying it out as fertilizer. I'd like to try it on some of my garden and in a batch of compost (smell). I probably won't be able to start until fall but I'll let you know how it goes.

Yea man I'm game for the kelp trials, can't until fall but definitely down for the cause. I've given just kelp to most of my house plants and they all blew up in size and vigor... mind you they were in pretty bad shape to start with so almost anything would of helped... but I'd like to see what kelp can do on it's own with a few experiments...

Thanks for the aeration info man, I hadn't even considered a 2 part mix, makes sense. I live nearby a huge protected forest so the rotting wood and leaf mold part I got covered. I'm gonna call around the masonry places around and see if I can score some pumice but I got some sand in the meantime. I hear great things about bio char and I'll try to make some eventually. I'm really tempted to grind up some of my lump charcoal for bbq and use that. It says free of coals, fillers and chemicals should be good, what do you think?

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/nature-s-grilling-gourmet-hardwood-wood-charcoal-blend-0851486p.html

Lighter404 said:

Any use for seaweeds besides kelp, like bladderwrack? I've got a lot of that kicking around.

Click to expand...

I've actually given some of my plants spirulina before. I can't tell the effects because I was also giving them coconut juice, aloe and compost teas. I wouldn't do it again simply because spirulina is expensive as fuck and I save those algae for consumption but my plants were looking really healthy.

Try it out and let us know!

thundergodfist said:

I've actually given some of my plants spirulina before. I can't tell the effects because I was also giving them coconut juice, aloe and compost teas. I wouldn't do it again simply because spirulina is expensive as fuck and I save those algae for consumption but my plants were looking really healthy.

Try it out and let us know!

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My castings are pretty high in proteins and amino's as well, maybe if it wasn't heavily priced I miiiight get it on top of everything but I really dont see a need if you feed your worms really well. Mine eat way more veggies and avocados than me, lol!

Spirulina is one of the healthiest natural resources in the entire world, and it is actually one of the oldest living organisms in the entire world. Spirulina is a blue/green algae that thrives in highly alkaline stretches of fresh water. It is located in both tropical, and sub-tropical environments, and was consumed primarily as a food source several centuries ago. This algae is jam-packed full of natural goodness, including: vitamins, amino acids, antioxidants, and minerals. In particular, it is rich in B vitamins, as well as Iron. Believe it or not, but spirulina, pound for pound, actually contains more protein than meats such as chicken and beef, as it contains a whopping 55 – 70% protein per serving. On top of that, it boasts an incredibly impressive amino acid profile, as it contains 8 essential amino acids, as well as 10 non-essential amino acids. (from Boogie Brew)

thundergodfist said:

LOOOOOL! Absolutely man!

Tis a very big country indeed, where you from man?

...

I'm really tempted to grind up some of my lump charcoal for bbq and use that. It says free of coals, fillers and chemicals should be good, what do you think?

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/nature-s-grilling-gourmet-hardwood-wood-charcoal-blend-0851486p.html

Click to expand...

You have a way to grind charcoal? No way

PM me your email and I will msg you my 10-20

as for the charcoal, you can give it a shot, I personally haven't and wouldn't if I had the choice, but I won't lie, I am curious to see one plant get hit with the BBQ chunks!

Significantly less surface area, less aeration, perhaps more sulphur, higher ash content, on top of any impurities (chemical, biological, etc) are the main things to look for.

Also have a place that delivers biochar to Canadians for like 24 bucks all in. Its not the biggest bag and only partially charged but its better than nothing!!

DonTesla said:

My castings are pretty high in proteins and amino's as well, maybe if it wasn't heavily priced I miiiight get it on top of everything but I really dont see a need if you feed your worms really well. Mine eat way more veggies and avocados than me, lol!

Spirulina is one of the healthiest natural resources in the entire world, and it is actually one of the oldest living organisms in the entire world. Spirulina is a blue/green algae that thrives in highly alkaline stretches of fresh water. It is located in both tropical, and sub-tropical environments, and was consumed primarily as a food source several centuries ago. This algae is jam-packed full of natural goodness, including: vitamins, amino acids, antioxidants, and minerals. In particular, it is rich in B vitamins, as well as Iron. Believe it or not, but spirulina, pound for pound, actually contains more protein than meats such as chicken and beef, as it contains a whopping 55 – 70% protein per serving. On top of that, it boasts an incredibly impressive amino acid profile, as it contains 8 essential amino acids, as well as 10 non-essential amino acids. (from Boogie Brew)

Click to expand...

Yea man spirulina is so expensive. I was thinking of growing my own in a fish tank a while back but everything I was reading about was using the generic salt fertilizers, which defeats the purpose for me. I have my hands full right now but that's a little project I'd like to do in the future... organic of course. My family and I consume enough freaking spirulina I might as well grow it!

I commend you for that.. Spirulina is amazingly healthy and awesome stuff. But damn, looks like a pain to grow is all. If every block had a spirulina co-op pool though hey..

wheat grass is maybe a good substitute that requires a lot less set up, for now, with almost all the benefits?

DonTesla said:

You have a way to grind charcoal? No way!

PM me your email and I will msg you my 10-20

as for the charcoal, you can give it a shot, I personally haven't and wouldn't if I had the choice, but I won't lie, I am curious to see one plant get hit with the BBQ chunks!

Significantly less surface area, less aeration, perhaps more sulphur, higher ash content, on top of any impurities (chemical, biological, etc) are the main things to look for.

Also have a place that delivers biochar to Canadians for like 24 bucks all in. Its not the biggest bag and only partially charged but its better than nothing!!

Click to expand...

Oooops I meant crush, falling asleep at the keyboard there, lol!

I agree it's not ideal but the bag of charcoal is just sitting there looking up at me daring me to try it out... Until I get some proper biochar, as you said earlier, "sometimes you have to be pragmatic and not be so paramagnetic, na mean, lol" I'll strive to improve in the future for sure. I'd like to assemble the best possible soil!

$24 including shipping... how much does the bag weigh? What do they use to charge it?

thundergodfist said:

Oooops I meant crush, falling asleep at the keyboard there, lol!

I agree it's not ideal but the bag of charcoal is just sitting there looking up at me daring me to try it out... Until I get some proper biochar, as you said earlier, "sometimes you have to be pragmatic and not be so paramagnetic, na mean, lol" I'll strive to improve in the future for sure. I'd like to assemble the best possible soil!

$24 including shipping... how much does the bag weigh? What do they use to charge it?

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Lol I did say that, you're right! respect to the adventurer in you!!

Here's a small peek at something on charcoal before you continue!
https://www.soilreef.com/blog/2012/05/5-ways-that-biochar-is-different-from-charcoal/

Ps http://www.airterra.ca/soilmatrix/

The Biochar bag is 7 quarts or 1.15 kg or 2.5 lb (remember that biochar is light, its about 2 gallons though, or $10 per gallon. So $20 goes a fair way, tis good for 20 gal of soil.