Local Compost good or wrong?

KLITE said:

I dont add an ewc to my recicled soil anymore since i top dress every pot at begging of flowering with shit loads of it. Then next cycle, in order to avoid making soil too muddy, i wont top dress with ewc, ill simply put more soil instead of top dress and make an extra tea or 2 for trace elements. When this batch is ready for recycle i will add a really good multianimal feces and plant based compost at 5% or less to keep that life going.
I know whatr you mean about the soil becoming dense, i use 30l pots though and usually only top dress once. I just re add peat, coco and perlite every recycle until the soil feels right, then it rests for 2 months(flowering period). I have a batch of soil that i just recycled for the 5th time and it just keeps smelling better. Not having many problems with gnats either. I do end up with a fair bit of extra soil due to readding perlite and peat though
The only thing im still trying to fine tune is how often to give molasses. I usually dont give any until week 3 of flowering, well some in teas. I think i might be giving it too often, like every 2nd or 3rd watering depending on whether a teas been given. And the last few waterings too. Does the plant need that much?

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I only use molasses in my compost teas, which I apply maybe 3 times during the entire veg/flower cycle.

st0wandgrow said:

You're in MI aren't you? Hit me up if/when you decide to take the plunge. A good deal of the hair pulling when switching to an organically amended soil is trying to source all the stuff you'll need. I've done the leg work, and would be happy to point you in the right direction

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Yeah I'm in MI. Definitely gotta get in touch w/ you bro.

st0wandgrow said:

I only use molasses in my compost teas, which I apply maybe 3 times during the entire veg/flower cycle.

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definitely! I used to LOVE using molasses, but kept running into yellowing issues late into flowering,, just a teensy bit, but enough to raise my eyebrows, i kinda always attributed it to the plant just flowering, and maybe a tad bit nitrogen deficient, but NO, it was too much molasses, once I stopped feeding it molasses, meaning as a nutrient tea, NOT an AACT, I stopped having that problem, and now my plants stay green until the end, well, minus the sunleaves at the base of the plant, but I grow 5 foot plants. When I was having problems I fed molasses once a week, at a rate of one tablespoon per gallon, which proved to be too much, at least for the strains I have.
Molasses is a MUST HAVE for organic grows, we all know that, but don't be fooled by that fancy NPK rating it has, yeah it has a lot of micronutrients, yeah it has a lot of soluble potassium BUT a lot of magnesium too, and other micros, which are essential, but EASY to overdue on, and the plant doesn't use a whole lot of micronutrients to begin with, so that can kinda foul up your whole little ecosystem there.
Hell, after that i'm even paranoid that too many AACTs can screw up the soil, just by whatever the beneficial microbes don't consume, the unused micros from the molasses, but that's 100% speculation/paranoia, I don't have a microscope, nor do I have any means to analyze the actual content of the AACT. So I could be batshit crazy... wouldn't be the first time, nor the last...

ayr0n said:

Yeah I'm in MI. Definitely gotta get in touch w/ you bro.

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parts of my anatomy shrivel like a poked snail thinking of the weather in Michigan....
and i'm all butthurt in CA when it gets below 50

I only use molasses in my compost teas, which I apply maybe 3 times during the entire veg/flower cycle.

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I like you st0w. you got balls man lol
I give about 3 or 4 teas too. And the second watering after a tea with tbsp/g of mollasses, and at 2 tbsp/g second half of flowering.
Whats your reasoning for not using more?

@greasemonkeymann Man lkol i had the exact same issues. When i fisrt began organics i was TWATTING molasses in almost every watering lol. I ended up with a martian dessert crust at the top soil, even under the mulch.
Ive alsonoticed no difference in yield from using very little to twatting it. I would think not giving it the last couple of waterings would reduce flower weight, but thats just a guess.

Ok so I didnt know about any of that with the molassass. I just thought it was a food source when you brewed compost tea.

KLITE said:

I like you st0w. you got balls man lol
I give about 3 or 4 teas too. And the second watering after a tea with tbsp/g of mollasses, and at 2 tbsp/g second half of flowering.
Whats your reasoning for not using more?

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I guess I don't really have a good reason other than my plants are very healthy as-is, and I have really tried to simplify things. When I first switched to making my own soil I was constantly brewing teas and adding shit..... couldn't resist the urge to tinker.

I have found the results just as good, if not better by keeping it simple. I think if the soil is solid then the teas and what-not aren't really necessary.

st0wandgrow said:

I guess I don't really have a good reason other than my plants are very healthy as-is, and I have really tried to simplify things. When I first switched to making my own soil I was constantly brewing teas and adding shit..... couldn't resist the urge to tinker.

I have found the results just as good, if not better by keeping it simple. I think if the soil is solid then the teas and what-not aren't really necessary.

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ahh the urge to tinker, probably the number one problem with pot-heads.
That's why I love the ROLS/no-till, I have a bad back, less work is better for my back, and in this case (a rare case) where less work actually ends up with a superior result.
Now THAT kicks ass, when something is not only easier, cheaper, but more effective with less work, and simultaneously being better for the environment??
I wish everything was that simple.

Well I for one have had some disillusions fixed for me. I thought this was going to be more like my outside raised beds. I dont use any teas, foiler feeding, amendments, or anything. End of the year i throw some compost on it, throw some mulch on it, cover with a tarp and let it set till im ready to start planting. So this has been eye opening with all the little things you have to do. Kelp teas, aloe, coconut, comfery, worm bin, SSTs, the list seems to go on.
Grease thats why im doing no till. Less work. Im busy. Im going to be doing some sort of irrigation. SIPS, rain heads, Maxis, something. Im leaning on the SIPS atm.

greasemonkeymann said:

I agree, I can only go three or four runs strictly no till before I see issues start arising, after that I bust em all up, re-amend with everything, plant a cover crop of nitro fixin legumes and let it grow for about six months, then I chop the grass down and let the grass compost for about three weeks and mix it again.
My issue is topdressing eventually fills the container, especially if you have a moss-top on top of the topdress, like I do. If I could put them in 50 or 60 gallon smarties, then I could go further, course I wouldn't be able to move them..

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I'm in 13 gallon non smart pots with the idea of keeping it going forever. I have to say they get pretty heavy and annoying to move when they're watered and have large plants in them.

I had a top dress of ewc and soil sectetsTTP compost that I added totally turn to a compacted clay like mud. It took forever to dry, the way it compacted it made a seal on the top trapping moisture under the "cap". I added rice hulls and mixed them into the ewc compost mix and it came out absolutely great. Depending on the plant I add about an 3/4 inch of topdress, and will be looking into a mulch. I have to greacemonkey, it was another thread I think he said something about rice hulls. Definitely works like a champ.

Well here is what i can get locally

Home Depot Black Kow 50 lb., Black Kow 40 lb. Mushroom Compost.
Hydro Store has 15 lbs Unco Wiggle worms for 11.20/bag

Nature Wise Compost $1.44/ cu ft. http://www.missouriorganic.com/products-compost.html (here is an article on how they make their compost http://www.cultivatekc.org/pages/urban_grown/april14/creatingcompost.html)

Craigslist has very little.
Cow manure compost, http://kansascity.craigslist.org/grd/4802116491.html
cow, horse, hog, chicken manure, http://lawrence.craigslist.org/grd/4796804689.html

You can get 20# bags from agrowinn and their quality is nice for 28 shipped. Comes with some samples of their rock dust or fertilizer. EBAy also has a bunch

Whats the volume on that.

Hmm, I made up 2 batches of LC soilless mix at 6 quarts a piece so 12 quarts =3 gallons plus I have used some in 2 aACts and still have another half gallon left...4-5 gallons then.not bad considering I needed it and couldn't wait 3-4 months to produce that much

Edit*
I would just get some EWC and use it 25/75 with the mushroom compost or whatever, biodiversity is good

Anyone have any experience using Back to Nature Cotton Burr Compost? My local nursery uses it and he talked it up a lot. Tore a bag open for me, and it looks good.



He also informed me that they would be carrying Purple Cow soon. May try that out. Its OMRI listed.