All Natural Organics. The Dons' Summaries + FAQ Thread. <2017-'18>

DonTesla

Well-Known Member
Hey folks,

DT here. Seeing a fair bit of what we consider misinformation in the organics section (even the pinned threads, unfortunately, which most read first when joining the good fight) & since we're always helping people go organic / build the best possible living soil, and motivating people to challenge the norms, figured a summary page of our journey would be helpful and for anyone looking to take it up a notch in the all natural department. Not to mention our main thread is getting a little massive aha so the info is getting a little bit scattered now, naturally.

Feel free to post any questions any of you have and as always, we will do our best to answer them.

Stay natural,

DonT

Tight Dojo.png
 
Last edited:

giglewigle

Well-Known Member
yo don t iv got a few questions i cant seem to get enough if any food scraps for the worm bin if for some reason i cant get used coffie grounds or stuff thats going to be thrown out is it possable 2 use leaves that have fallen on the ground its frustrating cuse im concerned about the numbers im not seing any eggs or anything im hoping also to learn more about bukashi but from what iv seen thay say uve got to bury but that seems to be conflicting u have any good advive on that
 

DonTesla

Well-Known Member
@giglewigle
Just try to produce and or eat as much nutrient dense fresh food as possible especially when its not winter.
Then the scraps will be abundant. Maybe even save enough for the whole winter that way and not even need to save any in the kitchen. Every rootball is like a great home in itself.

Any wall or vertical space can also make room for shelves so herbs and greens can be free after initial investment.

But yeah there are folks using leaves, and people who mix their worm farm with their compost and even those that mix with straight fungal piles.

Myself, ideally, don't usually like to use leaves, prefer to keep em separate for more accurate measurements when batch building
 

DonTesla

Well-Known Member
On that note, the main advantage to mixing compost with bacterial dominated medium is that its simpler and the worms will eventually refine it further to a smaller overall size and the numbers shoot up the more inert you started (and yes, they will never starve either).

..& cause its more refined (to a smaller pore size) you can push aeration amount a bit further, and do a nice 50% compost 50% premium living aeration mix. Even simpler now. A good goal to work towards imo.

But you can also go very clean and premium on the fly and cover yourself for the next couple years with just a bit of shopping. Especially if in an apartment/ condo/ afraid to start a compost or two for that matter, in a spare bedroom or closet.

Crop size and life-length dependant a bit, in your average ideal situation, would mix around 35% pure thermophilic fungal dom compost with 15% pure bacterial dom fresh worm compost (unfed for a week or two) so in other words about a 70/30 total.
(More bacterial for babies, more fungal if topdressing and or trying to finish)
then as always, aerate, this time to 50% of total volume (vs just 33% or our personal usual 45%) using a beautiful solid blend of premium aeration.
 

DonTesla

Well-Known Member
Premium Aeration

which we consider to be both mineral lending and humus forming, as well as bio-supportive:
  • fully charged biochar(s)
  • rinsed pumice(s)
  • diatomite rocks (Si)
  • perhaps trace of iron rich sand for potential CBD / Fe mineral boost
(yes, we dislike vermiculite & perlite now for a few reasons)

plus some of the great humus forming aspects and other traces whenever available / willing to hike, such as;
  • well composted, well rotted wood(s)
  • composted organic buckwheat hulls / rice hulls,
  • finished leaf mould
  • etc etc
 

giglewigle

Well-Known Member
man this thread already full of good info thanks don i got a few questions if its cool to drop em here if been googling tryna find what the benifets are for em1 iv found only more sales pitch advice but u think say it can help root cuttings quicker if used in an airo cloner
 

DonTesla

Well-Known Member
Ok, been a long time and long ways since the old Vamp blend was used our first year,
nevermind the Rasta blend, and Ocean Farmah blend, and now that we be working on the all new Rocky Mountain Blend, its time to officially release the recipe from 2016

The Dons' 5-way Living-blend;
  1. 1 part HQ Coir and or Peat (ie. high quality- no compressed bricks, inspected for bad bugs, & very well rinsed)
  2. 1 part 'fresh veggie fed' worm castings (gluten, cardboard, paper, meat & dairy free, low fruit) optional for non vegetarian recipes: feed 25% (of volume) vegan-rabbit manure or other premium manure to worms
  3. 1 part humus / aged compost (in the past when in a rush we just used screened Vigoro if far from forest / rotted wood but now I would try avoid it, at least screen for any chunks, they're getting lazier I think)
  4. 1 part aeration 1 (we like pumice best)
  5. 1 part 2nd aeration (such as an N charged mix of bio char / organic buckwheat/rice hulls, if no leaf mould etc is avail)
Mineral Mix:
add 4 cups per Cu Ft, minimum

Example blend, equal parts

  • Glacial Rock Dusts (we have / are currently testing 3 main kinds / colours, may be very useful depending on strain & application, ex: whether trying to grow for high CBD or THC or nutrients)
  • Basalt
  • Gypsum
Meal Mix:
add 1 to 2 cups per cu ft, min,

  • 1/2 cup Kelp Meal (Minumum, & up to 1 to 2% kelp meal of total volume so 2 cups plus, with great effects on potency and speed, example pics to follow)
  • 1/2 cup Neem Meal (Ahimsa Organic from India, I've tried more as well but this is safe start)
  • 1/4 cup Crab Shell Meal (Finer the better, in terms of chunk size)
Pre-use Topdress:
with fungal food mix and grow some mycelium beforehand, such as organic oats, ground into flour strained through a sifter, finer the powder the better. Or another option is grokashi etc.

Notes continued:
  • Use what you have to start, and start now, can apply more later on the go, scratch into surface etc, I would use whats available, add the others after, just stay above 4 cups and 1 cup though for minerals and meals though, respectively
  • If you don't add gypsum be sure to gently foliar epsom on twice in early flower, 1/8 tsp per gallon does more than you think, both for terps, as well as vitamin production and mineral absorption, and wont cause burn
  • Testing some recipes much higher than this 4 cups per cf for minerals but this is the generally accepted standard at the moment
  • There are some other good / paramagnetic minerals, like granite and moonstone, and many more but these are the basics and very useful for basic expression, brix, density, as well as minerals, & therefore potency
  • We also like greensand and its profile but we like to use our soil for years, note its not available for 2 years or so but is there after, we don't see anything wrong with using it & thinking long term/ shooting for 25+ cycles of use or more
  • For alfafa, I now omit it, but wouldn't be opposed to using alfalfa seed teas in the first two wks of fruit setting if stretching is an issue.
  • I also like fresh young coconut water, and real aloe, but good brands with one ingredient are also good, just go easy, less is more, and is repeatable, a burn isn't the most reversible.




 

andy s

Well-Known Member
View attachment 4044755

This specimen was fed extra antioxidants and as a result, seemed to produced more anthocyanin (pink trichomes) which is an antioxidant itself, that happens to express its various hues based on pH mostly.

View attachment 4044759
More pics and recipes tomorrow.


Have a good night!

DT
i wish i had that strain!!!!! haha ive been runnin the same genetics in my garden for almost 5 years now only 3 different strains and im over it lmao. introduced a few new ones this season and one died on me due to a heating issue and the clones i had taken all died due to the same reason.
 

DonTesla

Well-Known Member
man this thread already full of good info thanks don i got a few questions if its cool to drop em here if been googling tryna find what the benifets are for em1 iv found only more sales pitch advice but u think say it can help root cuttings quicker if used in an airo cloner
EM just stands for effective microorganisms so you can buy EM1 or just harvest your own from various regions and soils, and make a 'BIM' concoction, but you are cloning eh, so I would just use Aloe gel / water / b vitamins, if no hormones or microorganisms are kicking around. Cool soft light, humidity dome, and mister, warm temps, and you can clone a million ways. Straight in soil, my fav, or the conventional rock wool, perlite, other junk works good too. If you have an aero cloner, you should see results faster than you can order anything and have it arrive. Try avoid shopping a bit and go more natural, start an aloe plant!
 

DonTesla

Well-Known Member
It
i wish i had that strain!!!!! haha ive been runnin the same genetics in my garden for almost 5 years now only 3 different strains and im over it lmao. introduced a few new ones this season and one died on me due to a heating issue and the clones i had taken all died due to the same reason.
Try again but adjust first!

Its the regime and environment that unlocked the unique expression, shown, so maybe you can still take your same old to all new ground, all while bringing in some top shelf genetics at the same time, thats what I would do.
 

andy s

Well-Known Member
It
Try again but adjust first!

Its the regime and environment that unlocked the unique expression, shown, so maybe you can still take your same old to all new ground, all while bringing in some top shelf genetics at the same time, thats what I would do.
in my area i dont have the luxury of really getting top quality strains with ease.. i have to pick out a fem bagseed from ocassional bags. i noticed that it wasnt just the strain after i went back and looked at the pics again lol ill def have read up and get a mentor and try to go this route itd be best for my situation anyways.
 

giglewigle

Well-Known Member
Ok, been a long time and long ways since the old Vamp blend was used our first year,
nevermind the Rasta blend, and Ocean Farmah blend, and now that we be working on the all new Rocky Mountain Blend, its time to officially release the recipe from 2016

The Dons' 5-way Living-blend;
  1. 1 part HQ Coir and or Peat (ie. high quality- no compressed bricks, inspected for bad bugs, & very well rinsed)
  2. 1 part 'fresh veggie fed' worm castings (gluten, cardboard, paper, meat & dairy free, low fruit) optional for non vegetarian recipes: feed 25% (of volume) vegan-rabbit manure or other premium manure to worms
  3. 1 part humus / aged compost (in the past when in a rush we just used screened Vigoro if far from forest / rotted wood but now I would try avoid it, at least screen for any chunks, they're getting lazier I think)
  4. 1 part aeration 1 (we like pumice best)
  5. 1 part 2nd aeration (such as an N charged mix of bio char / organic buckwheat/rice hulls, if no leaf mould etc is avail)
Mineral Mix:
add 4 cups per Cu Ft, minimum

Example blend, equal parts

  • Glacial Rock Dusts (we have / are currently testing 3 main kinds / colours, may be very useful depending on strain & application, ex: whether trying to grow for high CBD or THC or nutrients)
  • Basalt
  • Gypsum
Meal Mix:
add 1 to 2 cups per cu ft, min,

  • 1/2 cup Kelp Meal (Minumum, & up to 1 to 2% kelp meal of total volume so 2 cups plus, with great effects on potency and speed, example pics to follow)
  • 1/2 cup Neem Meal (Ahimsa Organic from India, I've tried more as well but this is safe start)
  • 1/4 cup Crab Shell Meal (Finer the better, in terms of chunk size)
Pre-use Topdress:
with fungal food mix and grow some mycelium beforehand, such as organic oats, ground into flour strained through a sifter, finer the powder the better. Or another option is grokashi etc.

Notes continued:

  • Use what you have to start, and start now, can apply more later on the go, scratch into surface etc, I would use whats available, add the others after, just stay above 4 cups and 1 cup though for minerals and meals though, respectively
  • If you don't add gypsum be sure to gently foliar epsom on twice in early flower, 1/8 tsp per gallon does more than you think, both for terps, as well as vitamin production and mineral absorption, and wont cause burn
  • Testing some recipes much higher than this 4 cups per cf for minerals but this is the generally accepted standard at the moment
  • There are some other good / paramagnetic minerals, like granite and moonstone, and many more but these are the basics and very useful for basic expression, brix, density, as well as minerals, & therefore potency
  • We also like greensand and its profile but we like to use our soil for years, note its not available for 2 years or so but is there after, we don't see anything wrong with using it & thinking long term/ shooting for 25+ cycles of use or more
  • For alfafa, I now omit it, but wouldn't be opposed to using alfalfa seed teas in the first two wks of fruit setting if stretching is an issue.
  • I also like fresh young coconut water, and real aloe, but good brands with one ingredient are also good, just go easy, less is more, and is repeatable, a burn isn't the most reversible.



i think im gunna start gettin what i can for this mix might be a bit of work to start with over time im sure it gets les tedias but better. im gunna be book marking this i defenetly wanna try this with manure and compost tho if store bought was my onlyoption could u just use that
 

andy s

Well-Known Member
It
Try again but adjust first!

Its the regime and environment that unlocked the unique expression, shown, so maybe you can still take your same old to all new ground, all while bringing in some top shelf genetics at the same time, thats what I would do.
still trying to find a more permanent spot as well with a well controlled environment. i cant tend to my ladies as much as i would like and theyre not really close either theyre a half hr drive from me
 

DonTesla

Well-Known Member
still trying to find a more permanent spot as well with a well controlled environment. i cant tend to my ladies as much as i would like and theyre not really close either theyre a half hr drive from me
May an upgrade find you, soon bud
Meanwhile, maybe want to set up a little camera or two at some point and rig them so they show up on your phones app, if its a volatile environment, that way you could see the temps and canopy, or start babies at home in a cupboard, etc.

Also, I get 50% of my expression from my soil (pre made) and the other 50% from the environment and foliars (all within the same 10 days) so maybe that can be of some reassurance. Its all about timing.
 

giglewigle

Well-Known Member
EM just stands for effective microorganisms so you can buy EM1 or just harvest your own from various regions and soils, and make a 'BIM' concoction, but you are cloning eh, so I would just use Aloe gel / water / b vitamins, if no hormones or microorganisms are kicking around. Cool soft light, humidity dome, and mister, warm temps, and you can clone a million ways. Straight in soil, my fav, or the conventional rock wool, perlite, other junk works good too. If you have an aero cloner, you should see results faster than you can order anything and have it arrive. Try avoid shopping a bit and go more natural, start an aloe plant!
im defenetly up for not buying any thing lol ill probly do that with the aloe plant tho im holding of on cloning for now tho im gunna try n get as many pink gravy clones as i can and do a scrog im gunna keep the origanol as a mother i think
 

DonTesla

Well-Known Member
in my area i dont have the luxury of really getting top quality strains with ease.. i have to pick out a fem bagseed from ocassional bags. i noticed that it wasnt just the strain after i went back and looked at the pics again lol ill def have read up and get a mentor and try to go this route itd be best for my situation anyways.
Your boy ship seeds to over 200 countries but sucks to be in NZ and AU a bit. But good news is, there are communities trading inside each country, just gotta ask and you shall receive. If American, you are set really.
 

andy s

Well-Known Member
Your boy ship seeds to over 200 countries but sucks to be in NZ and AU a bit. But good news is, there are communities trading inside each country, just gotta ask and you shall receive. If American, you are set really.
im scared to receive them lmao usa
 

giglewigle

Well-Known Member
Get a friend to, if you can, even If you have to wait til xmas or bday, its worth it. It's 100% legal to receive a gift / collectable as well, if its labelled as such then you can't be harassed.
i dont think thats the case here in au but how lucky was i to "find" a pack of ping gravys nothing illegal about finding somthing lol
 
Top