BC Growers Association

SOIL

Vic's Super Soil Recipes & Notes

Casamere's Organic Mix

Kumquat's Deluxe Potting Soil

High Dog's Organic Pro-Mix Recipe

The cation exchange capacity of the soil

Organic Potting Mixes

Soil Related Links

Welcome Harvest Farms

 

 



 

Super Soil Mix

Original recipe - as it was given to me

1 Bale sunshine mix #2 or promix
2 L Bone Meal - phosphorus source
1L Blood Meal - nitrogen source
1 1/3 cups Epsom salts - magnesium source
3-4 cups dolmite lime -calcium source & pH buffering
1 tsp fritted trace elements
1/2 - 1 bag chicken manure (steer, mushroom, etc) - nitrogen & trace elements

- Mix thoroughly, moisten, and let sit 1-2 weeks before use.
 

Revised recipe - after several failures due to bad manure sources, I now use the following recipe. Results have been excellent and the clones seem to take off right away instead of having a slow growing settling in period.

1 Bale sunshine mix #2 or promix (3.8 cu ft)
8 cups Bone Meal - phosphorus source
4 cups Blood Meal - nitrogen source
1 1/3 cups Epsom salts - magnesium source
3-4 cups dolmite lime -calcium source & pH buffering
1 tsp fritted trace elements
4 cups kelp meal.
9kg (25 lbs) bag pure worm castings

- Mix thoroughly, moisten, and let sit 1-2 weeks before use.


 
Substitutions
- The original recipe was a success, but I simply needed to experiment.  In addition, sometimes not all ingredients were always available.  Therefore, here are some possible additions and/or substitutions.  Descriptions to follow

Blood & Bone Meal - when trying to cut costs

Kelp Meal - contains over 62 trace minerals.  Good supplement for manure or for reducing   the manure content to speed up availability of soil.

Worm castings - excellent source of micro nutrients
Bat guano - excellent for top dressing a week into flowering
Seabird guano

Bugs

On a couple of occasions, I've ended up with fungus gnats with this soil mix.  They are more of an irritation than anything but may harm weak or young plants.  Some have said that putting a layer of sand on top of the soil in the pots stops the gnats from reproducing.  Others can get rid of them by doing a soil drench with diazinon or malathion.

Personally, I prefer to simply introduce fungus gnat predators (Hypoaspis miles).  Once established, they not only control fungus gnats, but also thrips and mites. When there is no insect food available, they survive on dead plant material, so remain even after pests are gone to prevent future infestations.  Actually, since they have been introduced, I've had no pest problems in over a year and I don't filter my intake.   I got mine from Westgro (1-800-663-2552) and they have sales offices in Delta, Victoria, and Kelowna.

Update: they did nothing to prevent a mite infestation in summer of '89 and were destroyed in the mite war. They will be re-introduced after mite war is finally over.
 

Recycling Soil



Info from Others

 

This is Casamere's organic mix

Posted by trelaway on November 07, 1998 at 13:08:49 PT:

In Reply to: What kind of soil? posted by Darkman on November 07, 1998 at 07:12:01 PT:
 

 40% composted soil
 30% worm castings
 20% perlite
 10% dolomite, guanos, goodies, etc.. i've also heard good things about "uncle
 malcolm" brand soil from peaceful valley is good....

 if you're mixing organics with chem ferts, the plant will use up what the chem
 ferts feed it first, then partaking afterwards in the organic nutes. the beauty of
 organics is it's almost impossible to burn your plants, and the taste is superior to
 chem. grown plants.

 i use pure blend 1 - 0.5 -1 for veg and fox farm big bloom 0.8 - 3.0 - 1 for
 flowering. they're expensive but the plants really like it. sometimes i'll make a tea
 out of worm castings & guano. peace



 

Kumquat's Deluxe Potting Soil

   9 gallons peat moss
   3 gallons vermiculite
   6 gallons perlite
   1 pound blood meal
   1 pound bone meal
   1 pond green sand
   1 pound lime or dolomite lime
   1 pound rock phosphate
   Pinch of boron (borax is an inexpensive source)

   Blend these ingredients in a small cement mixer or in a large barrel with a tight fitting lid that will let you
   roll it around to mix the contents. If you have to stir the ingredients in an open container, moisten them
   SLIGHTLY with water to avoid breathing in clouds of dust as you work.
   Do not use more than a pinch of boron. It encourages root growth, but its levels can quickly go from
   helpful to harmful in the soil. Once you get the soil all mixed you can add some manure tea (see recipe
   below). The lime in this mix helps to neutralize the acidity of the manure tea.

   Manure Tea

   10 to 15 gallons manure (combine horse, chicken, and cow manure to get a nice balance of nutrients.
   5 gallon bucket of chickweed and/or stinging nettles.
   Water to fill 55 gallon drum (you'll need a well ventilated area to pull this off!!)
   Dump manure(s) in the bottom of the drum. Add chickweed and/or nettles, both of which are rich in
   trace elements, then fill drum with water.
   Once a week stir the "tea" and add water to replace any that has evaporated. You'll need a brewing time
   of at least 3 weeks before using this tea in the potting soil mix.
 
 
 
 



 

High Dog's Organic Pro-mix Recipe

Re: Pro-Mix..Need Help..Starting over

Posted by High Dog on November 11, 1998 at 21:53:29 PT:

 Howdy

 I add blood meal, steamed bone meal, and rock phosphate at the rate of 1 cup per cubic foot of
 potting soil. I add fine dolomite lime at the rate of about 1 1/2 cups per cubic foot. I add kelp meal at
 about 2/3 cup per cubic foot. I also like to add plenty of coarse vermiculite. I use plain potting soil to
 germinate in and transplant into this mix after about two weeks. Once transplanted and established, I
 only give my plants plain water for the duration of the cropping period without suffering any nutrient
 shortage.

 High Dog


Re: Bone Meal/Blood Meal/Lime/Epsom Salt...How much?

Posted by anon on November 20, 1998 at 21:29:18 PT:

In Reply to: Bone Meal/Blood Meal/Lime/Epsom Salt...How much? posted by sleepless on November
20, 1998 at 14:38:45 PT:

 i don't grow anymore but here's a formula that worked VERY well for me...

 6 parts potting soil
 2 parts perlite
 1 part vermiculite
 1 part chicken manure
 1 small handfull lime

 that is the basic organic mix. plants are watered daily... every third watering use fish emulsion 5-1-1
 at 1 tbsp. per gallon. continue this until the second week of the flowering cycle when stretching
 stops. then mix fish emulsion 5-1-1 with alaska more bloom 0-10-10 at a ratio of 1 teaspoon 5-1-1 to
 two teaspoons 0-10-10. this will give you a 5-21-21 ratio. use this every third watering until the last
 week and a half of flowering... for the last week and a half use plain water. right at the beginning of
 the flower period (sometimes) add a small amount of lime to your water for one watering to counter
 any acids that may have built up during the vegetative phase. also sometimes i used to substitute the
 5-21-21 mix with chemical 10-60-10 (schultzes super bloom) at 1/2 teaspoon per gallon for two
 waterings at about week 4-5 of flowering. if there is any yellowing before say week 5 1/2 simply use
 more 5-1-1 and less 0-10-10. this method resulted in hightimes centerfold plants.... very vigorous. in
 three gallon grow bags NL#5 vege'd for 30 days yield 1 1/2 ozs. of smooth sweet potent smoke.
 some strains did closer to two ounces per plant. 2x250w MH. 1 plant per 1 1/2 feet sq.

 bottom line is you really don't need exotic ingredients to grow killer weed. i'm sure that wormcastings
 etc. will do the trick for you... but don't feel bad if they're not available in your area... or are beyond
 your budget. this simple mostly organic set-up will give you EXCELLENT results with common,
 easily obtained cheap ingredients.

 peace all.



 

The cation exchange capacity of the soil

 

Posted by Orchid man on January 11, 1999 at 18:24:30
In Reply to Soil reaction (pH) nutes lock up posted by Orchid man.

 When small quantities of inorganic salts, such as the soluble mineral matter of soil and commercial fertilizers, are added to water they dissociate into electrically charged units called ions. The positively charged ions (cations) such as hydrogen (H+), potassium (K+), calcium (Ca++) magnesium (Mg++), ammonium (NH4+), iron (Fe++), manganese (Mn++), and zinc (Zn++) are absorbed mostly on the negatively charged surfaces of the soil colloids (microscopic clay and humus particles) and exist only in small quantities in the soil solution. Thus, the humus-clay colloids serve as a storehouse for certain essential ions (cations). The negatively charged ions (anions), such as nitrates (N03-) phosphates (HPO4--), sulfates (SO4--), and chlorides (Cl-), are found almost exclusively in the soil solution and can therefore be leached away easily with overwatering. The roots and root hairs are in intimate contact with the soil colloidal surfaces, which are bathed in the soil solution, and therefore nutrient uptake can take place either from the soil solution or directly from the colloidal surfaces (cation exchange). The soil solution is the most important source of nutrients, but since it is very dilute its nutrients are easily depleted and must be replenished from soil particles. The solid phase of the soil, acting as a reservoir of nutrients, slowly releases them into the soil solution by the solubilization of soil minerals and organics, by the solution of soluble salts, and by cation exchange. A more dramatic increase in the nutrient content of the soil solution takes place with the addition of commercial fertilizers. As plants absorb nutrients (ions) they exchange them for other ions. For example, for the uptake of one potassium (K+) ion or one ammonium (NH4+) ion, one hydrogen (H+) ion is released into the soil solution or directly into the soil colloids by the process of cation exchange. Similarly, for the uptake of one calcium (Ca++) or one magnesium (Mg++) ion, two hydrogen (H+) ions are released by the root. Thus, as the plant absorbs these essential cations, the soil solution and the colloidal particles contain more and more hydrogen (H+) ions, which explains why the removal of cations (ammonium (NH4+) nitrogen is a good example) by crops tends to make soils acidic, i.e., having a low pH. Also, as the plant (absorbs essential anions such as nitrates (NO3-) and phosphates (HPO4-), the soil solution is enriched with more and more hydroxyl groups (OH-) and bicarbonates (HCO3-), which explains why the removal of anions (nitrate (NO3-) nitrogen is a good example) by crops tends to make soils alkaline, i.e., having a high pH.
 



 

             TOPIC - IMGC, Mirage, Sugar&acid mix(nestaa juice)
             DATE - 03/12/99 11:22:03
             FROM - Blazer
 

             *Very simple mix that will blow You away if you strive for optimum flavor in your
             buds. Most Brewery shops have powdered citric acid, then you need the raw,
             unprocessed cane sugar(the brown rock sugar that still contains molassis). Mix 1 dry
             ounce of each into 500ml's of warm h2o and mix well. I add 5ml's per gallon of res.
             every res. change. It drops PH considerably the 1st day or 2 then stabilizes. Citric
             acid is a good ph down, but it doesnt last as long as phos. acid. I feed it to them
             always and switch to a clearing solution the last 7-10 days of flower. I have never
             had buds so tastey and "odoriforous", I'm sold big!
             LUMIE I'd be happy to help pay for that bottle of Avid Bro! I'd like some in the
             chamber, locked and loaded, ready for the bastards to show there ugly heads again.
             How's that reefer tea coming? I wonder if breaking it down w/ aerobic bugs would be
             the best way to extract the goods? My wheels are turning big, Talk w/ ya soon I
             hope.
             G'day all, Blaze
 
 


             TOPIC - NL, casting ratio
             DATE - 04:37:26 5/06/99
             FROM - ~shabang~

             Hey man, I've gotten the mix down to the height of simplicity.

             Put on a good dust mask. Take 1 bag of fine dry castings, 25 pounds.

             mix with 1 bag, 8 dry quarts, Scott's perlite

             and 1 bag, 8 dry quarts, Scott's vermiculite

             add in a liter to a liter and a half of dolomitic or agri lime

             and two to three liters of hydrated polymer crystals

             Water and plant.
 
 

DATE - 07:26:38 5/06/99
FROM - 180

             shabang (no more tildes, sorry), i've gradually changed my media too; no castings in
             my cloning mix, for better nutrient control and lower N levels. i now use a packaged
             "seed starting" mix (gen'ly just milled verm and peat) + perlite, watering and misting
             with a very mild fish emulsion(s)/ molasses/ EJcatalyst/ superthrive solution.

             i still use plenty of castings in my grow/flower pots, but <50%. base of
             pro-mix+castings, add organics and minerals. seems like where you've gone for less
             ingredients, i've gone for more. my dry mix has pro-mix, castings, perl & verm,
             pelletized fish, bat guanos, PSG, chicken manure, trace minerals, kelp, etc, plus the
             watered-in component, which includes numerous additional ferts and supplements
             (not using the mycorhizae, though). i've simplified my procedures but gone toward
             "diversity" in my mix. the caveat is, ideally this mix needs time to activate, though it
             works well enough "fresh". castings have the advantage of being already activated,
             which is why i keep them in there...
             did you see my description of the new Alaska product below? no mention of chlorine
             anywhere on the label ;-) plus humic acids from leonardite ore, woohoo. the kelp is
             the usual ascophylum nodosum.
 
 

Re: Home-Made Organic Liquid Recipe?
 
 

                              Posted by GGreen on June 13, 1999 at 22:18:27
                     In Reply to Home-Made Organic Liquid Recipe? posted by Curious George.

             I add a few ingredients to my soil in a solution that is comparable to EJ Catalyst.
             Two weeks before transplanting seedlings into larger pots I mix the soil and add
             (per gallon of water) 1 tsp Molasses, 1 tsp Lipton Iced tea mix(main ingredients:
             sugar, citric acid), 1 tsp brewers yeast, 1 tsp fulvic acid, 1/4 tsp humic
             acid(Gumate), and 1 tbsp liquid seaweed. This concoction will give life to your
             zillions of thriving soil microbes which will help break down your other soil
             amendments and/or watered on guano teas. The nutrients in the teas may not
             break down evenly, but that is the beauty of using organics... the plant uses the
             nutes as they are broken down. I would never use Milorganite on anything other
             than ornamental plants, but that is me. I swear by PSG for veg, and Budswel for
             flowering. I use many different guanos but those are the best(IMO)! BTW, worm
             casts don't have that much Nitrogen, at least not enough to use them alone for a
             high metabolism plant like cannabis. For Potassium I use Kelp meal(1-0-2), liquid
             seaweed(0-0-1) and Greensand(0-0-.1) I don't know how much of the greensand
             gets broken down by the time the plants are flowering, probably not much, but I
             use it anyway. Also, the guano's have a bit of P in them also, but not enough to
             use them by themselves, IMO. It seems that different ingredients break down
             more rapidly at different PH's, that is why I like to use a bit of peat moss fortified
             with dolomite lime, so that the medium doesn't have an equal ph throughout... I
             think it is varied between 5.8- 7.0 throughout the mix, and becomes a little more
             acidic towards the end of the grow, Phosphorus is more readily available when the
             medium becomes a bit acidic... this is good considering the plant needs the most
             phosphorus when it packs on its flowers at the end of it's life. That's been my
             observation thus far. Any questions or comments are welcome.
 
 
 

                         More in store for Budley...
                    Posted by t ThE c on June 16, 1999 at 22:01:44
 

            Basic Soilmix:
             1 quart perlite (keeps the mix light and helps drainage, does not break down.)
             1 quart vermerculite (same as above)
             2 quarts wormcastings 1-0-0 (slow release nitrogen, a ton of micronutrients)
             1 quart potting soil (regular $2.50 a bag is ok, should be almost black in color,
             smell
             like dirt, not rotten. a little sand and verm. or perlite is ok.)
             1/4 cup bat guano 10-3-1 (quick release nitrogen and more micros)
             1/2 cup horticulture lime or agriculture lime (for PH and also contains calcium)

             During flowering, add 1 teaspoon epson salt(magnesium) per gallon of
             water.Combined with the pour in ferts posted earlier, this would make an excellent
             mix. ~s uses 1/3 perlite, verm, wormcastings. Keeping it simple. Itís really up to
             you and whatís available. Donít freak when you see the low NPK ratios. The
             organic ferts have plenty of power. 300 to 400 ppm per watering is max. Any more
             is overkill.

             In addition to the above mix, mine contains:
             1/2 cup greensand 0-0-1 (soil conditioner, makes things happen that aid in
             nutrient uptake)
             1/2 cup alphalfa meal 7-2-5 General purpose organic fert(rabbit food)
             1/2 cup horticulture mulch (slightly acidic, breaks down and becomes food)

             The breakdown process is criticle to organic growing. There is a whole other world
             under the surface. Microorganisms break down organic matter into the basic
             elements. Opinions differ about how long it takes to get the process started but
             IMO about a month of being watered and breakdown will be in high gear. Using
             third
             generation soil and its tweekiní. You can and should reuse the soil. Add more of
             the powder ferts and your back in ëbinness. If your soil is alive with micros PH will
             not be
             a problem.

             Watering: In my grow the plants need water about every third day. I donít water
             so much that water comes out of the drain holes. I think its wasteful and
             unnessasary.
             They get plenty of water though...all they can use.

             Misting: Everyday,with 6.0 water. I add 1/4 teaspoon of orange oil to a pint of
             water and the plants love it. The buds get bigger and tighter. Definitely a
             worthwhile
             procedure. Plain 6.0 water is OK too. Kindaí dry where I live.(humidity wise)

             It may be a misconception that soil is less hassle than hydro. I guess itís what
             you get used to. I know hydro rocks, but organics are Powerful.

             Power to grow Gigantic with organics!!!
             later,
             tim


Re: MrSoul's organic soils & teas

Posted by MrSoul on June 18, 1999 at 10:35:16 PT:

In Reply to: Soul - organic soils & teas posted by Vic High on June 18, 1999 at 08:17:15 PT:

 Sure Vic, I'll recap my experience in organic soil:

 1. My soil mix is (by volume) 50% worm castings, 25% Pro-Mix, and 25% perlite. Simple as that.

 2. I feed with tea at EVERY watering of my plants & since they're flowered in 2-gallon containers - that's usually every
 day!

 3. The teas I use are made by soaking a "tea bag" (got mine at Worm's Way) in a 5-gallon bucket of pH = 6.2 water.
 Agitate and manipulate the bag a LOT to release as much of the "goodies" as possible - the water looks like it came from a
 mud puddle when you've got it right. I do one thing I've never heard other growers mention doing - I measure the ppm of
 my tea.

 Here are the contents of the tea bag, depending on growth stage:

 Vegetative => 1/2 cup each of PSG & worm castings. I also add a 1/2 cup of Maxi-Crop liquid seaweed, plus two
 Tablespoons of Alaska fish emulsion to the water.
 (I shoot for a ppm = 1000)

 Flowering (weeks 0-4)=> 1/2 cup each of PSG & High Phosphorus bat guano. I also add a 1/2 cup of Maxi-Crop to the
 water. (ppm 1250 - 1500 )

 Flowering (weeks 4-7)=> 1/2 cup each High Phosphorus bat guano and worm castings. (shifting ppm from 1500 -> 1000)

 During the final week of flowering, many folks choose to use plain, pH-adjusted water for "clearing" but I don't. I haven't
 noticed any difference between when I have & when I haven't "cleared". This seems reasonable when growing organically -
 why clear? Clear WHAT? They're living in the medium in which they've evolved for millions of years!

 A few other hints:

 SOAK the pots thoroughly when watering, then allow them to become "light" when lifted before watering again...the plants
 LOVE a short drying out period. The amount of time it takes for the plants to dry out is constantly getting SHORTER as
 they grow...be AWARE!

 Water BY HAND! At least get an accurate feel for how much the average plant needs by hand-watering before setting up
 a drip system or whatever.

 Transplant you clones into the container you plan to flower them in & veg them until their roots systems are FULLY
 established before flowering them - this will MINIMIZE stretching...check this out for yourself, it works!


               Results From a Facinating Experiment Just In !!!!

Posted by Brother Herb on June 11, 1999 at 01:50:08 PT:
 

 I just preformed a little experiment to see what organic nutrients grow the tastiest,best looking ,smelling ect... The
 experiment in volved a few popular strains like Shiva Skunk, Big Bud, White Widow and skunk#1*Hash plant. The
 organic components that I experimented with
 were all used the same during the flowering cycle. I tested
 high P bat&sea bird guano, bone meal, composted steer manure, rock phosphate and high P fish emulsion. Each plant was
 placed into a three gallon container from a one gallon pot upon forced flowering. Every pot is mixed with commercial "
 Super Soil " perlite, peat moss and oyster shell. Then the individual special ingrediants were blended in the mix and the
 plants were planted., I did three of each blend, of each varaiety. The results varaied widely. The guano's produced very
 nice sticky huge buds but there was a little lacking in the smell dept. The best of the guanos was the Shiva Skunk. All the
 guanos had a similar base taste thats kind of bland but not that bad. The bone meal did very well. The buds were smellier
 than the guano and had a slighter earthier taste. The best one was Widow. The resin content hasn't changed much between
 the same species with different mixes. Next was the rock phosphate, it produed the biggest buds, with the fewest amount
 leaves and the plants smelled the strongest yet. The Big Bud was the best performer with rock phosphate. The Fish
 Emulsion pellets preformed the worst out of all my mixes. All varaieties looked and smelled fine but they all had a fishy
 base taste.
 I once dropped a dead gold fish into a pot with a flowering plant, the buds tasted like striaght fish! The last of my mixes
 was Composted Steer Manure and it turned out to be the best. The plants were a little leafy but they had nice buds
 and smelled out of this world. Every strain smelled better under manure, the Shiva had that grape orange smell going on,
 the Widow had the sweetest skunkiest smell, Big Bud reeked of mangoes, and the SK#1*Hash plant reminded me of
 pelling on orange. The best part about manure, I had yet to find out until I cured my weed. WOW, even the best weed in
 Amsterdam couldnt compare with this tasty stuff. The flavor of the weed would explode in your mouth with every hit . The
 smell of second hand smoke if so overpowering, it makes you got to have some if your not smoking it already. Does
 anybody else out there swear by manure for taste like I do? Please feel free to respond with your opinions on what makes
 weed taste great!
 



Wood Fiber Pots to Pluto

Posted by Chillywilly on June 23, 1999 at 15:21:35 PT:

In Reply to: Re: Chilly Willy posted by Plutonium on June 23, 1999 at 15:00:06 PT:

 Well Plutonium, the peat pots are actually 4(four) inch,
 and the type of pots are the ones that look kinda like
 paper mache'. Some of the pots have 1/4 inch thickness to
 an inch thick. I would say that the use of up to 3(three)
 gallon pots, but last time I used those rectangular
 strawberry baskets( 8"x5"x1 3/4" ), actually a baby carrot
 basket lined with black weed fabric laminate to hold moisture was used in the mighty mite/mango/humboldt(male)
 cross with purple skunk or shaman(female).
 by the way try Home Harvest.com and you can get up to
 15(fifteen) gallon size wood fiber pots. Everything I've
 seen grow in these pots do very good.
 
 

Re: Wood Fiber Pots to Pluto

Posted by Chillywilly on June 23, 1999 at 16:33:41 PT:
In Reply to: Wood Fiber Pots to Pluto posted by Chillywilly on June 23, 1999 at 15:21:35 PT:

 Oh yeah, forgot to say about the fertilizer and medium.
 Basically I use 40% worm castings, 5% greensand, 30% perlite
 and vermiculite mix 1% azomite aka bentonite clay the rest
 is either pure sphagnum moss or a wood/peat/sphagnum mix.
 For fertilizer, I like working with energy savers unlmtd or
 ESU bloomjuice, brewed peru sbg and fossilized sbg and I'm
 trying the hummus powders by Gardener Supply in Vermont
 the booster and the seedling start. I just started using
 prehistoric compost. But most of the watering I do is mostly
 subirrigation, wick, or flood and evaporate. I have an
 mychorizae fert mix that caused some stunting of some of the
 plants which is my fault for learning to use this stuff.
 I'm gonna try the straight mychorizae in the liquid form
 next time, because this fungus is mainly used outdoors.
 I would have to say that those days a few years ago toying
 with that...Phototron piqued my miniature plant love and
 that guy who sold them included mychorizae fugus cultures.
 Then, at that time I had a pure strain from Belize. Awsome!
 I had a full tree of about 5 or 6 inches tall and as many
 as 10 heads on it and a full tree shape and hard stems and
 that wood bottom. I lost the whole entire strain experimenting
 with a spray of teas and guanos I brewed. I'm still crying
 now as I type this. (wipe, wipe)
 

Not Worthy! Not Worthy! Alright..get up...get up..

Posted by Plutonium on June 23, 1999 at 18:11:05 PT:

In Reply to: http://anon.user.anonymizer.com/Re: Wood Fiber Pots to Pluto posted by Chillywilly on June 23, 1999 at
16:33:41 PT:

 Jeez! Why/where have you been lurking! You have some great info to share! Your experiences with the mychorizae fungus
 are very interesting... being an old shroom cultivator I can relate.Now I know what kind of pots you mean - the local
 nurserys toss em away, and I've recovered ones that were outdoors for 2 years and still good, though never used em.
 Whats the deal with your "magic rod"? What is the "scientific" principle behind it and does it really work? Sounds to me
 you ( like I ) prefer the organic soil route. I use a modified Cali Super soil. I don't care for Peat Moss ( Sorry Canada!) so
 I use Earthgro 1881 composted cow manure,50 lbs. as the base. I don't know where they bag this stuff, but it is CHOCK
 FULL of crumbly Mica Schist.(read trace element rich), and 25 lbs. EGrow potting soil. Next goes in 30% Pearlite, 5lbs
 Bone Meal, 5 lbs. pure Kelp, 2lbs.Sulfate Potash Magnesia, 3lbs. Blood meal, 3 lbs. Cotton Seed Meal, 2lb. hand-ground
 pumice (Lava Rock),Dolomite Lime to neutral, rainwater. This is composted for a month, then Red Earthworms added so
 the whole thing ends up being Castings! Nothing else really needed - the NL took to it like a NFL star to steroids!They
 were rootbound in a 10" pot under Flouros in a month! Tears, tears over your lost strain. I cry over a Morrocan strain that
 was Ashphalt Black; 3 tokes and you were exploring Alpha Centuri; seeds were perfectly round. Such is life........
 
 
 
 
 
 



Some useful links:

http://www.newleafmarket.com/eco/organic/10reasons.htm

http://www.premierhort.com/

http://www.agri.upm.edu.my/jst/resources/links/complete.html

http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~ohioline/b472/fertile.html

http://www2.ncsu.edu/bae/people/faculty/sherman/vermiculture/webworms.htm

 



 

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