So who here is growing in true organic living soil?

Rrog

Rrog

Well-Known Member
Local is good. The more local the better. You can save a few bills by buying just the key components yourself. Mix in soil or top dress.

#1 is the worm bin. If I could give everyone one, I would. Best thing bar none that you can do IMHO. Amend the hell out of the vermicompost = best material available bar none. Made from your scraps.

Least expensive, yet also the best you can get... Hmmm...
 
Pinworm

Pinworm

Well-Known Member
Can't wait to start on my bin. What sort of worms do you like Rrog? I have access to a wide range at my friend's bait shop. I was thinking some big fat nightcrawlers would produce the most poo, but not sure on the quality aspect of it.
 
HGK420

HGK420

Well-Known Member
ya the old timers got a worm bin, he keeps tellin me thats the real magic behind his garden. he tried to let me borrow a book last time called "I eat your garbage!" (I think?)

thats my next step is to start a good compost pile and worm bin i think

he said something bout the little red wigglers i think one night? something about how they breed?
 
Rrog

Rrog

Well-Known Member
Red Wigglers, yes! They're the best all-around composters.

"Worms Eat My Garbage" Mary Appelhof. Fun, quick read. Gives all the basics.
 
Javadog

Javadog

Well-Known Member
From what I have learned you want to avoid the "earth movers" when
it comes to getting worms for a compost bin.

Red Wigglers are true compost lovers. There are other species, but most
worms would find the high nutrient content toxic.

Good luck,

JD
 
Pinworm

Pinworm

Well-Known Member
Good to know. Appreciate that. Yea, composting is a habit I'm trying to get into. Not a completely radical change or anything, my grandma used to compost everything. She would get pissed if anything bio-degradable would end up in her trash. She grew up in the depression, and knew the value of a healthy back yard garden.
 
Mad Hamish

Mad Hamish

Well-Known Member
Rrog said:
Javadog always has these juicy posts... notice that?
Click to expand...
You should go check out his grow log man. Always a lot of interesting conversations about everything ganja happening, and the guy loves trying out new stuff all the time. Last two logs were really fun to watch.
 
HelpHub

HelpHub

Well-Known Member
Rrog said:
Red Wigglers, yes! They're the best all-around composters.

"Worms Eat My Garbage" Mary Appelhof. Fun, quick read. Gives all the basics.
Click to expand...
I always like to point out that Mary Appelhof is in Kalamazoo...another Michigan resource for us to use!
 
HGK420

HGK420

Well-Known Member
lol epic sig hamish! im gonna borrow that book tonight i think. the revs book sucked, it felt like a commercial kinda. good chunk of good info in it but it was presented like a recipe and not like a body of knowledge. like DO IT THIS WAY OR NOT AT ALL! type of thing you know what i mean?

id rather know why im doing something then just know to do it.
 
Rrog

Rrog

Well-Known Member
Good point HelpHub. Mary was a big deal in the world of worms.

HGK- The Rev has his way, and that's cool. Just not what I'd suggest or promote is all. I like simple
 
Mad Hamish

Mad Hamish

Well-Known Member
Exactly bro, otherwise you'll be running around like a headless chicken if something goes wrong. I hate being in the dark, that's why I'm still keeping things really simple so I know what the dials are doing when I make tweaks as I go along.
 
HGK420

HGK420

Well-Known Member
exactly. no disrespect to the rev at all. i just need to learn how to walk before i try to learn the steps to a waltz!

do you ever top dress to help fight deficiencies if you get a finicky one?
 
Rrog

Rrog

Well-Known Member
Here's what I think of deficiencies with good soil. Shouldn't be any...

Please pardon this old analogy of mine. The Humus, biochar, and organic matter all store nutrients on their surface. They don't hold these nutrients in any particular ratio, just whatever is added. So the Humus, etc is like a giant warehouse in your soil. The microbes are the workers. They take the raw floating nutrients and store them in the warehouse.

When the plant needs something, it sends an order to the microbes for materials, and the microbes go to the warehouse and pull that order for the plant. Then the microbes deliver. Simplified, but that's the essence of it.

So when the soil is built, we're not TOO concerned about ratios, since the warehouse inventory can be somewhat out of whack, and still the microbes will fill the plants order properly. Properly built and amended, you shouldn't see deficiencies.
 
HGK420

HGK420

Well-Known Member
sounds like a plan. lets say hypothetically i mixed my soil up too weak, would a light top dress of guano or bonemeal or soft rock phosphate or whatever be ok?
 
Rrog

Rrog

Well-Known Member
Well, the issue is that this stuff is raw. Could burn easily. Another beauty of worm castings.

I would look to amend with quality thermal or worm compost. That would be much cooler, and a drench of worm poop cures a lot of ills, man.
 
Rrog

Rrog

Well-Known Member
Yep-

Basically stir it up until it dissolves a bit, then pour over. Better to have the soil a little dry. No bubbling or vortex thingies. Just wet and forget
 
HGK420

HGK420

Well-Known Member
well the old timer just built a 30 gallon vortex brewer. he said hes got concentrate (1 gallon to 5 gallons) he will give me for free if i ever need it. bloom mix. hes got a 5 gallon vortex brewer too that he said he would mix up any other teas by request if i need something specific.

i eventually want him to teach me whats up so i am not relying on him but in the meantime il prolly go that route? sound decent?
 
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