# Get Educated



## Lemon Jack (Jan 17, 2012)

Hey guys whats up. As most of you know I run DWC in my room.  Lately I been wanting to switch to organics for a whole fistful of reasons.  The only problem is all this stuff is like greek. It seems so complicated.  I want to make my own soil not nesscessarily a super soil.  I dont need a water only soil really I can brew up a tea to feed.  

So basically I need help for the whole project. I want to try and switch over in about a month or two so that gives me time to learn about it and set it up.

So I was thinking starting off with a soil of peat perilite and wormcastings.
Thats bout as far as I got lol.   Im open to suggestions, and really look forward to you organic gurus showing me the ropes.


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## Rosebud (Jan 17, 2012)

How bout you buy a bag of fox farm soil and start there.  Then when you have used the bag of that it can be your base for your next super or not so super soil.  I use roots organic nutes. It is a good way to start organic while your figuring out the way you want to go. 

If I can help you let me know. My super soil is still cooking. 
Welcome to the dirt Jack Lemon!


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jan 17, 2012)

Lemon Jack, maybe we can learn together.  I am looking at doing a small organic grow (I am not giving up the hydro) in a smaller closet that I have set up for winter.  I am probably going to be more than a month or two out as I want to make my own compost and worm castings.  I am working on a barrel compost tumbler now and have a small worm thing going for castings and tea.  I am planning on making up a small batch of super soil.  I will be following along to glean any info I can.  It does seem complicated, doesn't it?


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## Lemon Jack (Jan 17, 2012)

That sounds great thg Im not gonna give the hydro up yet  im just going to run a few to see if it pans out.  Im super glad your here for the ride though.  I cant wait to get started so are you using nc recipe for super soil  and yes lol its very complicated.  It make hydro look like childs play.


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## Lemon Jack (Jan 17, 2012)

I thought bout that route too rosie with the ffof but the closet place to get any near where I live is over 2 hours away.   Thats why i thought I could just make my own from supplies from local nurseries and   home depoty


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## 7greeneyes (Jan 17, 2012)

I start out w/ Black Gold, amend w/ wormcastings, bone meal, blood meal, dolomite lime, and plenty o' perlite. When I don't do that I use FFOCean forest which is just a fantastic product. With OF u get back 100 fold of what you put into it, moneywise.

I use FFOF amended w/ perlite, and only utilize  Big Bloom along w/ molasses waterings during flower. It's easy guys...if the girls look a bit n-depleted I give them some maxicrop. And I feed them up till I take'em down and hang by their toes, nvr have to worry about residual contaminants in the plant, ime.

eace:,

7ge

p.s. I'll be adding Great White to my next grow but pullin 3ozer's per plant w/ just the basics is sick (sick as in good). I don't know if the GW will ADD anything to yield since FFOF already has a good microherd goin', but it won't hurt.


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## Lemon Jack (Jan 17, 2012)

Thanks 7 for the input. But i think Im gonna stick to teas to feed my girls .    I been researching making a composting bin all day.  I think im gonna get started on that soon .   Any pointers?


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## Wetdog (Jan 17, 2012)

My base mix is nothing more than peat, perlite and EWC. I've used variations of this mix since 1972 or so, and have never bought a bagged soil.

Then there are a number of amendments you add to suit. I liken it to making chili. You start with a basic recipe like LC's soiless mix (in stickey above) and then adjust the seasonings (amendments) to suit your style.

My mix is a bit hotter than LC's and milder than NC's.

Wet


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## ArtVandolay (Jan 17, 2012)

Rosebud said:
			
		

> How bout you buy a bag of fox farm soil and start there.  Then when you have used the bag of that it can be your base for your next super or not so super soil.  I use roots organic nutes. It is a good way to start organic while your figuring out the way you want to go.
> 
> If I can help you let me know. My super soil is still cooking.
> Welcome to the dirt Jack Lemon!



I'm a big fan of FFOF (unamended), too.  It's a very light and airy medium, though.   There's a good chance you're going to need to stake the plants.  I bought bamboo stakes at the $ store in the fake flowers department   I use the GH 3 part nutes.


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## Rosebud (Jan 17, 2012)

Wetdog said:
			
		

> My base mix is nothing more than peat, perlite and EWC. I've used variations of this mix since 1972 or so, and *have never bought a bagged soil.*
> 
> That is very cool. wetdog. Someday i will say, i haven't bought a bag of soil since 2012.


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## Lemon Jack (Jan 17, 2012)

Wetdog said:
			
		

> My base mix is nothing more than peat, perlite and EWC. I've used variations of this mix since 1972 or so, and have never bought a bagged soil.
> 
> Then there are a number of amendments you add to suit. I liken it to making chili. You start with a basic recipe like LC's soiless mix (in stickey above) and then adjust the seasonings (amendments) to suit your style.
> 
> ...


 

Thanks wetdog that was a big help.  Really instilled a bit of confidence.
So I think I gonna go with the peat perilite and ewc for my starter.  That with a little lime.    Any good really basic (like elementary lol) recipes for your ammendments.  Like I said I have nothing against brewing up teas I plan too actually and I would also like some good tea recipes for both the flower and veg stage.

I have started my compost bin still filling it up though.  I will use this for teas and to ammend my soil with. So in a couple of months Should be organic city .   One question fruits such as oranges and grapefruits are they ok to compost.  I wasn't sure if the acidity in them would hurt anything.


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## Wetdog (Jan 17, 2012)

Like I said, read the soil mix recipes at the top of of page and see what looks interesting.

Lime is a must for any peat based mix, organic or chemical.

I started out with the basic blood, bone and kelp meal. Now, it's alfalfa and soybean meal instead of the blood, some soft rock phosphate along with the bone and the ever important kelp meal.

I've added other stuff as I went along, Azomite, Greensand, Gypsum and others. Good stuff all, but to acquire it all at once can be a bit of sticker shock. Some of them will last for years, so the cost drops dramatically as you recycle the mix.

If you have a spot in the yard, think about some Comfrey plants. For very few $$$ it is a continuous nute and worm food source. Google it for an interesting read.

HTH

Wet


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## Lemon Jack (Jan 17, 2012)

Thanks again wet.  Good deal.  Im gonna get some blood and bone meal I can't seem to find the kelp meal anywhere tho. . . . any tips on that I might just have to get it online.


Another thing I got like a ton of hydroton like way more than I will ever need (begginer mistake)  Could I substitute some of this for perilite.  I didn't know I thought it might help aerate the soil just as well as the perilite.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Jan 17, 2012)

Nice to know about the comfrey.  I am planting some this spring just for medicinal purposes.  Nice to know it is good for worms and nutrients too.

Lemon, I am building a compost tumbler out of a 55 gal barrel.  I doubt that I will even get a chance to put it out for a couple of months.  However, I have been told that you can get finished compost in 3 weeks or so.  I am going with nvs super soil.  I anticipate having to get virtually everything online.  I will be cutting the recipe way down--probably 20% will give me plenty of medium.


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## Iron Emmett (Jan 17, 2012)

LJ, if you have extra hydrotron, just put a layer of it on the bottom of each of your pots, it gives a nice buffer for oxygen to get in the bottom and it helps with drainage.


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## Lemon Jack (Jan 17, 2012)

Oh really I have heard that you can get there that quickly but I was counting in the noob factor lol .


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## Lemon Jack (Jan 17, 2012)

Iron Emmett said:
			
		

> LJ, if you have extra hydrotron, just put a layer of it on the bottom of each of your pots, it gives a nice buffer for oxygen to get in the bottom and it helps with drainage.


 

Thanks Iron I have heard that before and actually did that on my micro .
So I can still buy some perilite if needed.  But like I said it seems like it and hydroton have a lot of similar properites being that neither absorb water but both hold it in there tiny crevices. So it seems like it should work just fine.. . .


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## Iron Emmett (Jan 17, 2012)

Oh yea dude, you can mix it in your soil it works good.


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## Lemon Jack (Jan 17, 2012)

Awesome thanks a ton.


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## Irish (Jan 18, 2012)

never heard of compost in three weeks thg. i make my own medium by composting. but on a larger scale so i can run thru a winter grow season. i finished my first all organic grow on xmas. i've been fooling with it a little at a time for a few years...

my mix is very very simple, with no expense but the fuel to run a mower. i add equal amounts of fresh cut green grass to brown mulched leaves(this is where a push mower with bagger is handy, because the smaller you can break it down, the faster it will compost). to this i add a heaping spade shovel full of ash from burnt wood per each wheelbarrel full of mulch. thats it. i feed the pile with proper scraps(mostly fruit rinds, juices) put that in the sun and let the pile or heap 'cook' for two weeks. when you add browns to greens , decomp takes place, and inside the heap will get very warm as it kills of seeds from seed plants.i believe it reaches temps around 160 degrees...

while it cooks dont disturb it for two weeks, then mix with pitchfork however often you like. at least twice per month. (i'll mix weekly if i have lots of scraps to add). in place of brown mulched leaves, you can also used plain newspaper with black and white print shredded, (no glossy), brown cardboard(again no glossy), or a mix of different browns to greens...

as long as theres a food source in the heap nature will take its coursein breaking it down into black gold...

i never add anything else to the heap until it is fully broken down. your blend should be free of any sticks. some people shake this through screens, i cook all summer, so i have several heaps in different stages always set up and running. 

after it is broken down you can add the 'spices' to it and begin to cook that if you choose. i think that is the three week cook you speak of hearing about thg? 

i run mine with no further additives until the plants are ready to feed...just grass, brown mulch leaves, pot ash...thats it!

i run a blend for veg, and a different blend for flower...i transplant from one to the other as plants go into flower room.

depending on how many plants you grow indoors, and pot size, you can save some serious cash by making your own blend thru composting. i saved $660 last year, and about same this year already.  

also, its easier to hand mix right on the ground if possible i think...for smaller batches a 55gal. barrel is perfect...

there are alot of vids on the tube for composting... 

heres a pic of a girl run in this blend and harvested on xmas...>>>

hope this helped you out if nothing else just another view...peace...


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## Lemon Jack (Jan 18, 2012)

Well she sure looks happy in your mix Irish   You say composting take longer than three weeks how long do you suppose till I have compost.  Its winter here so Its gonna be hard to keep it warm Im going to keep it in a very large rubbermaid tote and put it upstairs next to my chimney for the winter.


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## Wetdog (Jan 22, 2012)

The Hemp Goddess said:
			
		

> Nice to know about the comfrey.  I am planting some this spring just for medicinal purposes.  Nice to know it is good for worms and nutrients too.
> 
> Lemon, I am building a compost tumbler out of a 55 gal barrel.  I doubt that I will even get a chance to put it out for a couple of months.  However, I have been told that you can get finished compost in 3 weeks or so.  I am going with nvs super soil.  I anticipate having to get virtually everything online.  I will be cutting the recipe way down--probably 20% will give me plenty of medium.



@THG

Check out Horizon Herbs for the Comfrey. You really want the Bocking 14 for your uses. It doesn't seed and is much less intent on overgrowing the world with its sights set on the sun. Regular comfrey can get a bit invasive. LOL

There is a ton of information on comfrey at Horizon Herbs, seems to be one of the lady's favorite plant. XXX.horizonherbs.com

BTW, comfrey is a perfect plant for noobs, it is nearly impossible to over water. LOL  It doesn't like to be fed though.

Wet


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