No-till thread

[buddy13]

9 hours ago, zabz said:

50ltrs a plant?

50-60 

[Guest]

Just ordered some Lous poo..

 

Lou’s Poo is the fantastic fertiliser range that brings your garden and allotment the key nutrients it needs – and it is all thanks to alpaca waste! 
Lou’s Poo Compost Tea Mix 350g is a 100% natural, seasonal feed that can be used with plants during flowering or fruiting with outstanding results. Alpaca Poo is high in NPK, a mix of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. These three ingredients often result in the best crops and are highly recommended for key components in any fertiliser. 
To use: Add one tablespoon to compost or soil, or add a tablespoon to five litres water to make liquid plant feed. Leave outdoor for a week, stirring occasionally. Use to water soil weekly around flowers, fruit & vegetables. 
Do not consume, garden use only.

 

Its possibly for my no till pot.Has anyone used this or got an opinion on this.I dont want to upset the abundance of life thats kicking right off at the mo.Any thoughts gratefully received.

 

E2A the added potassium is dried comfrey.Bit of a short cut but needs must, if they're looking in need at week 5 of flower again.Apparently you mix it up and leave for a week.

Edited May 14, 2019 by icki

[Bubbles Depot]

On 22/04/2019 at 8:59 AM, zabz said:

I have a question for the experts.  Apologies in advance if it's a stupid one!

 

I would like to use the no till method in a new space I have planned. The only problem I can fore see is headroom vs pot depth.

 

I'll have 1200mm max, so by the time the QBs are in I'll end up with a 1mtr cube for container, and grow space.

 

Am I correct in thinking I will need my substrate to be a min 300mm deep (12 inches) to cycle properly?

300 pot + 300 QB clearance will leave me with 400-500 for the plants.

 

Do able, but could  I use a  shallower, wider container? 

 

Thanks in advance

zabz

 

I have a 20 gallon fabric pot (40cm tall) under COBs in a 60x60x120 tent. It's not ideal, but with early training and a scrog net it works very nicely.

 

Having as much soil as possible is the main thing to focus on, but deeper pots are definitely better. Especially for no till pots that rely on a thick layer of mulch.

[Jimboo]

1 hour ago, icki said:

Just ordered some Lous poo..

 

Lou’s Poo is the fantastic fertiliser range that brings your garden and allotment the key nutrients it needs – and it is all thanks to alpaca waste! 
Lou’s Poo Compost Tea Mix 350g is a 100% natural, seasonal feed that can be used with plants during flowering or fruiting with outstanding results. Alpaca Poo is high in NPK, a mix of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. These three ingredients often result in the best crops and are highly recommended for key components in any fertiliser. 
To use: Add one tablespoon to compost or soil, or add a tablespoon to five litres water to make liquid plant feed. Leave outdoor for a week, stirring occasionally. Use to water soil weekly around flowers, fruit & vegetables. 
Do not consume, garden use only.

 

Its possibly for my no till pot.Has anyone used this or got an opinion on this.I dont want to upset the abundance of life thats kicking right off at the mo.Any thoughts gratefully received.

 

E2A the added potassium is dried comfrey.Bit of a short cut but needs must, if they're looking in need at week 5 of flower again.Apparently you mix it up and leave for a week.

Save your cash mate I tried that years ago never noticed any effect. Have you thought of banana skins for your potassium?I just gave mine a couple of feeds of dried banana skins and EWC casting tea with malt barley extract (in place of molasses)and they loved it

[Guest]

So a few litres of water,banana skin, then what a few handfuls of EWC and Sprinkle of MBP(Id imagine the MBP would go stodgy else.)Im presuming.

 

Then bubble for how long?

 

Sorry for the questions mate ,never made a tea before.

 

Cheers Jimboo

 

 

Edited May 14, 2019 by icki

[Jimboo]

9 minutes ago, icki said:

So a few litres of water,banana skin, then what a few handfuls of EWC and Sprinkle of MBP(Id imagine the MBP would go stodgy else.)Im presuming.

 

Then bubble for how long?

 

Sorry for the questions mate ,never made a tea before.

 

Cheers Jimboo

 

 

No mate I dried 6 banana skins(chopped them) and mixed them with about 2lts of EWC and left them in a tub for 4 weeks .Then added about 12 heaped tablespoonfuls to 3lts of water and dissolved the malted barley in a mug of warm water added that and bubbled for 24hrs , that pic above is the tea after 18hrs  The malt barley comes in a jar from holland +barrett  tbh mate I dont know how organic it is 

 

Edited May 14, 2019 by Jimboo

[Jimboo]

@icki

dont take this as gospel mate it is the internet after all 
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/nutritional-values-banana-peels-plants-58851.html

 

Bananas are packed with nutrients, and that includes their peels. Though you won't want to eat them yourself, your plants benefit from the nutrients as the peels decay. Plants need nutrients need to thrive. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are required in the highest amounts, and nutrients such as calcium, manganese, sodium and sulfur are necessary in lower amounts. While various levels of these nutrients occur naturally, some soils can use a boost. Adding banana peels around prized plants is a widespread gardening practice that can improve your soil.

Potassium
Dried banana peels are 42 percent potassium, more than most other organic substances, such as manure at 0.5 percent, wood ash at 10 percent and cantaloupe rinds at 12 percent. Potassium promotes the movement of water and nutrients between cells. It also strengthens stems and protects plants from disease. Because the plant is healthier, it might flower more. After the plant blooms, potassium can improve the quality and size of any fruit or nuts.

Phosphorus
Banana peels are 3.25 percent phosphorus, one of the other major nutrients that plants need to grow. Phosphorus helps rooting, improves winter hardiness and speeds up flowering and fruiting. Banana peels inserted in the soil near the roots are an effective way to get phosphorus to your plants, because the peels break down quickly in the soil. This immediacy is helpful, because phosphorus is not mobile in the soil.

Additional Nutrients
Banana peels do not contain nitrogen, the primary nutrient necessary for foliage growth. The peels do, however, contain relatively high levels of some micronutrients. Calcium -- concentrated at 19.2 milligrams per gram in fresh peels -- improves the breakdown of organic materials in the soil; makes other nutrients in the soil, nitrogen in particular, more available to plants; and controls how nutrients and water move in and out of cells. Manganese, concentrated at 76.2 mg/g in banana peels, aids in photosynthesis and the formation of some enzymes and plant pigments. Sodium, concentrated at 24.3 mg/g, is involved in the movement of water and ions between cells. The peels also contain magnesium and sulfur, both important in the formation of chlorophyll.

Fertilizing With Banana Peels
One of the benefits of fertilizing with banana peels is that they break down quickly -- either in the soil or in compost -- making those nutrients available to plants sooner than nutrients from other organic materials. When burying peels, bury them deep so they don't attract animals or insects as they would if left on or just under the surface. You can also chop peels and steep them in water for a week, strain the peels out, and pour the solution on the soil to get the benefit of the nutrients without attracting pests. Since banana peels are not a complete fertilizer, don't rely on the peels alone to feed your plants, especially if your plants are heavy nitrogen feeders. The peels are most effective when composted to blend with nitrogen-rich materials.

Edited May 14, 2019 by Jimboo

[Guest]

Thanks Jimboo.Top man.

 

 

[FarmerPalmersNT]

Based on my experiences I'm now zero amendments or teas, I know most can't do that but all my weed goes back in the pot after making rosin. However, prior to going no amendments at all I dropped the teas. 

 

I know not everyone will agree with me but I am convinced teas definitely have a short term benefit but overall a long term detriment to a living soil. 

 

The only exception is for 'waking up' an inert soil or for inoculation purposes in my view. Worm leachate, soil transplant and maybe commercial innoculants are easier and more effective for that I would have thought and this is backed up by my observations, albeit limited. 

 

The swing in sugars, nutrients and relatively low diversity teas can't be good for an established microbe mini ecosystem. Think about it, bacteria/fungi/moulds don't usually play nice with each other and effectively washing your topsoil with a solution of very high concentrations of non-endemic microbes and their preferred substrate plus metabolic wastes just can't be good for the established or establishing biota or microbe colonies. 

 

You want to try and replicate a natural cycle of sorts (albeit in a weird and artificial system with more organics). In living soils this requires a complex interplay between plants, biota, and innumerable species of bacteria and fungi to manage all the biochemical pathways that result in an equally diverse range of nutrients in the right form for your plants. It's delicate. Flushing it with microbes that may well have no business in soil might provide feed for the microbes, enzymes and available nutes for the plants short term but long term I reckon it knocks things out of whack. Most problems that look like a deficiency of nute x are not usually lack of it in the soil, but it being in a form the plant can't access. Probably meaning you're missing a microbe to do that job. Solution to that is diversity of microbes or a better soil environment in terms of moisture or temperature. 

 

Give a very diverse but consistent solid top dress between or even during grows, keep a colony of things alive that manage your soil. Avoid swings, sudden influxes. 

 

I'm now solid amendments only in the mother tent too since it picked up. 

 

All just my opinions. 

[Guest]

Thanks @FarmerPalmersNT.

 

Ill hold of then mate.Now my watering is being addressed by blumats,its clear that I couldn't keep my 1 st run moist constantly, for what ever reason...im thinking not enough EWC in the initial mix.

 

All that aside now its absolutely mental,im seeing different life in the pot week by week.

 

Im certain my last runs, mid flower problems were my own doing. So ill just run with a weekly top dress off MBP and see how I go.

 

Im going to put a  few shredded bananas skins on top for  the worms though.

 

As ever thanks for the replies farmer and jimboo.

 

Edited May 15, 2019 by icki

[blackpoolbouncer]

@icki find somewhere that has alpacas and ask them if you can have a bucket full. 

 

I have alpacas and use their poo to make teas and fertiliser. 

 

Imo it is the best shit for horticultural use bar none.

 

Horse shit is ok but it's no good till it's well composted really.

Alpacca shit is good to go

[Guest]

Thanks @blackpoolbouncer.

 

Would just sprinkling some ontop give the desired affect without making a tea?

 

Silly questions I know but im slowly learning this organic malarkey, little steps though.

 

One things for sure it really does make a mockery of hydro.The speed of growth when dialled clearly pisses all over coco.Nature know best. 

 

@FarmerPalmersNTThanks for taking the time to share your thoughts,its appreciated.Great post that.

 

 

 

[nudger36]

Fermented Banana Skins with EM1 is a lovely a bit of stuff, I look at Teas more like Spikes just a quick fix if needed. Glad to see this thread going again

Edited May 15, 2019 by nudger36

[blackpoolbouncer]

@icki brew it, stew it and top dress with it. It's all good. 

 

Mild tea for a kick start. Stewed as a concentrate fertiliser. Top dress as slow release.

 

Shit is versatile 

[Guest]

@blackpoolbouncer.Thanks,BP.