organic

If it were me, I wouldn't use the black kow as the main ingredient, you want good quality potting soil for that. The b.k. you won't want to put in more than 20% or so. And ditch the vermiculite...in an organic grow, your soil will have plenty of organic material to hold moisture, the vermiculite can contribute to overwatering. Make sure you use lots of perlite - minimum 30%, I usually use closer to 50%.

You do know to dry and grind the egg shells, right? If you don't, they won't be of any benefit.

Other than that you sound pretty good.

O

__________________

Hie thee hence to The Library
__________________

Guerilla_Farmer

yeh i know about the egg shells...what about the coffee grounds? use normal one straight out of the can or what? what kind of potting soil? just any kind that doesn't have chemical ferts in it? something like mirical grow potting soil? or just basic potting soil?

Peacefully ,

Guerilla

__________________
Help Stop Erosion, PLANT GRASS!!!

organic

Coffee grounds means what is left over after you brew the coffee. To keep your grow strictly organic, you should only use grounds from organic coffee. It may seem like a hard line issue (probably is) but might not be as conventionally grown coffee can have fairly high amounts of pesticide residue.

I try to stay away from anything in the Miracle Grow line, and Scotts too for that matter. I don't trust much that comes from a corporation, especially the stuff they call organic, but that's just me. I always try to use the highest quality potting soil I can get, like Whitney Farms or Black Gold if you can find them. It costs a little more but pays off in richness and soil structure. Kinda helps fill any cracks your fert program might have missed.

O

__________________

Hie thee hence to The Library
__________________

Guerilla_Farmer

alright ill keep that in mind...i can't stand MG either, i was just giving an example....

about the coffee grounds....what do you mean by organic coffee? never heard of it...

and the wood ashes....i should stay away from pine ashes right? what about oak?

Peacefully ,

Guerilla

__________________
Help Stop Erosion, PLANT GRASS!!!

organic

Never heard of organic coffee? Philistine!

Then again where I am from, coffee is considered one of the major religions, so we have more choices here. (Let's just say it's relatively near where Starbucks got its start.) We actually have a pretty wide range of organic, shade-grown coffees available, but I expect it's not the same everywhere. It's definitely not in cans next to the Folger's. So just use what you can get.

About the wood ashes, supposedly hardwoods are the best, so oak is good. Pine and other conifer woods (fir, hemlock, etc.) are also fine to use contrary to what you may have heard. (I used hemlock, fir, and apple wood myself.) The key thing is to use clean wood that hasn't been treated with wood preservatives, i.e. burn some tree branches, not decking lumber. And never, ever use the ashes left over from grill charcoal. That stuff is loaded with toxic chemicals...for that matter, I wouldn't eat food cooked over it.

So here I am, drinking my organic coffee, not eating food cooked over grill charcoal, eating organic vegetables. All so I can get lung cancer from smoking pot. Ain't life grand?

O

__________________

Hie thee hence to The Library
__________________

cough-cough-eere

question?
I know the potting soil, perlite worn castings and compost are all mixed together in the soil, but do I mix the blood,bone meal kelp, and phosphate in the water or do I mix it into the soil also.If I mix it into the soil, what size pot is this ratio for?If its in the water , is the ratio per gallon? I'm growing in 3 gal pots.I'm new to organic gardening, but very interested in learning. My seeds are just now starting to come up,when should i start the organic ferts.? How often do I use the ferts? every thime I water or just once?? Any info would be appriciated. Thanks

__________________
cough cough eere

3hounds

Mix everything together in your dry potting mix... not everything there is water soluble.
This isn't an exact science- but the amounts listed sound about right for a 3 gallon pot.
With a great potting mix like this, you shouldn't have to worry about additional fertilizer for quite some time. You can make blood meal tea for a quick nitrogen boost, or use fish emulsion if your plants start to look needy, i.e. yellowing on lower leaves.
You've just about provided everything your plant will ever need in this mix.

__________________

Grow Guide
Marijuana Botany by Robert C. Clarke (read it online)
Posting Guidelines
Search HC.com
Daylight/Dark Hours by Latitude
First/Last Frost Dates by City
Natural Pest Control

organic

Oops...I forgot to mention that for the stuff not listed in percentages (i.e. the ferts), the listed amount is (roughly) per gallon of soil mix. I'll edit the post above to reflect that...

Also, as 3H mentions, this is not an exact science...when in doubt use a little less, not a little more.

So if you have 5 3-gallon pots, you would be making 15 gallons of soil mix, so you would add (roughly) 15 T each of blood and bone meal, 25-30 T of kelp meal, and 30-60 T of rock phosphate.

Also, for ease of measuring:
16 T = 1 cup
12 T = 3/4 cup
8 T = 1/2 cup
4 T = 1/4 cup

Sorry for the earlier confusion.

O

__________________

Hie thee hence to The Library
__________________

cough-cough-eere

Thanks for clearing that up. I'm gonna try it on half my plants and use reg. ferts on the other half, but don't want to risk all my plants(just incase i mess up)I hopeing for better tasting bud.When I get ready for flowering,Will I need to adjust the soil? When I used reg ferts., I used a 20 20 20 for veg and a 10 52 10 for flowering.Is organics the same way?
The mesurments conversdion chart was a big help also, Thanks I'm really looking forward to this grow.

__________________
cough cough eere

organic

You shouldn't have to add to the soil for flowering with this mix, as the bone meal takes some time to become fully available to the plant, and it will be releasing the majority of its nutrients during flowering. (same with the rock phosphate, but it will only release a little of its P during the grow as it takes years to fully break down...it has other minerals and side benefits though.)

However, many people like to supplement the P and sometimes the K further during flowering, usually with guano tea (P) and kelp/seaweed extracts (K). It's not necessary but can up your yield if done correctly.

That's great that you're going to do a side-by-side grow, that way you will have an objective comparison between the two methods. Make sure to post back to this thread when you finish so you can report on the difference in finished product!

Glad to help and good luck!

O

__________________

Hie thee hence to The Library
__________________