I've been asked by more and more members about growing organically. So I'll go over my personal practices of what I do and get what some of my constituents are doing after I've opened them to the world of organics. So be prepared to get dirty and throw out those PH and PPM meters because they're not needed.

Medium!!!!!!!
this is the biggest and MOST imporant part imo of organics. Start with a good medium and half the work is done. I personally started with Fox Farm Ocean Forest. You can use any good organic soil. Try and start with the better ones because they're . . .well better. FFOF, Roots, anything OMRI listed should do just fine. Home Depot even carries good organic soil, by the name of Kellogg. You can also blend up your own by all means. A mix I've considered using is 2 parts coco, 1-2 parts perlite or pumice(I use pumice), 1 part compost, and 1 part castings (use more if you like.) You can use many things for your medium with organics just ya know keep it natural.

Fertilizers!
What to use, what to use? Do I use EJ, canna, bio bizz? NO!!! why pay an exorbitant price tag when you can make your own or at the very least buy it in it's natural form and not processed. The hard part many people can't get around with organics is looking at the NPK ratios. It's NOT all about NPK ratios people. It's more about having a healthy growing matrix that is more full of the different minerals and everything else that a plant uses. You can accomplish this with a surprisingly few amount of ingredients. I personally use the following: Guano, worm castings, kelp, and molasses. . .that's it. Of course that's not to say there aren't great other things you can use. You can use chicken poop, rabbit poop, goat poop, cow poop, shrimp/crab meal, alfalfa meal, blood meal, bone meal, green sand. The list is quite extensive. Another additive is compost it contains lots of goodies in it that help with your fertilizer regimen.

Boosting your micro life!
The micro herd as it's often called are different forms of fungi, and other organisms. They break down the food in your soil which is the different shit you used you can boost these little varmints with myco supplements like myco madness, great white, oregonism, I don't remember the one I'm using. The better way to boost them is with a tea. You'll get a much more diverse population than with a myco supplement.

Teas!!!
Teas serve a double purpose, They add additional microorganisms and they also add some nutrition to your soil. Mind you the nutritional value of teas is fairly low. They only really contain what is water soluble from what you put in it. Take the guano I use for example. It has 5% water soluble nitrogen and 5% water insoluble nitrogen. 5% of the nitrogen will get leached out into the water, while 5% will remain in the organic matter. (hint: after you've made your tea put the solids on your soil and scratch it into the surface.) what to use in your tea? Well the same crap you used in your soil mixture.

Foliars!

I almost forgot about these. You can use all kinds of foliars with organics. My personal favorite is liquid sea weed. Another good one to use is a very well strained worm poop soup spray. You can also use hydrogen peroxide (I don't personally) what do these foliars do? They make it so harmful organisms have a harder time colonizing your leaves/stems such as PM. It also gives the plant some nutrition.

My personal practices.

Some things I do I don't think many of the members do. One of which is recycling my soil. This practice I took up after one of my favorite guys. Museummouse!! I simply toss my soil into a bin with some of my favorite little bugs, WORMS!!! They eat the roots from the previous grow and turn them into my favorite fertilizer, worm castings. I also give them old scraps of fruit and leaves from whatever is currently vegging, coffee filters, ummm I added in some shrimp shells. The little guys munch down on whatever you give them. This method hasn't had any adverse side effects that I've noticed but it might be time to add in some soil to get a less concentration of castings
I use about 4-5 parts of my soil, 1 part castings, and 1 part pumice (If I think it needs it) to that I add 1-2 tablespoons guano (high nitrogen or high phosphorous depending on which cycle) I then add 1 tablespoon of kelp meal. That's my soil mix, I try not to over complicate it with a bunch of other things to keep my costs down while maintaining the quality that I get.

My tea recipe that I've kind of landed on and have been using for a little bit now. Is (per gallon of H2O) 1/2-1 cup of castings, 1-2 tablespoons of guano (again depending on cycle), and 1 tablespoon of kelp meal. This is my base that is a constant. I also add molasses 1teaspoon – 1 tablespoon (I use wholesome sweeteners organic unsulphured) I also add a teaspoon of high nitro guano for the first two weeks of flower. After that I've noticed I don't need any more nitrogen as the castings contain enough. I also add a myco supplement during veg (every other tea) and the first tea of flower. You can do all sorts of things with your tea, grow wizzard adds old fruit to his. The only limits to your tea is your imagination. Toss your ingredients into a paint strainer bag, load up your water holding contain(I use a 5 gallon bucket or any other plastic water holding container). Put in a couple bubble stones, I use large round ones from petsmart. I let mine bubble for a minimum of 12 hours. If you used the paint strainer take out the paint strainer and use this tea straight.

I think the biggest part about organics that I enjoy. Isn't the reduced cost of fertilizer or even what I feel is a superior end result. It's that you kind of start to form a bond with not only your plant but with the medium that it is grown in. I'm reusing soil from the second grow I've ever done, and still have bomb nuggets being grown. The name of the game with organics is bio-diversity. The more that is there the more your medium can do for your plant.

Great post OG !!!

I vote this to become a 'sticky'

A sticky it has become

Blood meal is a great source of N and Fe, and it's cheap and widely available. Newbies should be aware that while the plants love blood meal, a lil bit goes a long long long way.
That is: it's very easy to over do it. Whatever the label says, I recommend using 1/4 to 1/2. The N release in the near term can be wicked.
It also literally smells like shit once it gets wet, so be prepared.

Bone meal is another great amendment that is cheap and widely available. It provides P and Ca as well as contributing to acid neutralization. But it takes a few weeks to break down, so is best added to a mix that will be allowed to 'cook' (sit, actually) for at least a couple weeks before use.

thanks frmrgrl

that's why my main source of nutrition is worm castings. they smell like earth and do a great job.

Another great post about the intricacy and limitless possibilities of organics! Nice work OG!
Organics is the APEX of quality... No other style of growing can EVER produce the quality of TRUE organics. Many have tried, some have claimed to have succeeded... But the truth is, you can't improve that which was perfect from the start! Mother nature has been growing and sustaining plants for thousands of years. Do people really believe that some chemical compounds dreamed up in laboratories can honestly beat the quality of pure organics? Please!

Peace, E1

wicked good post!

Lets not forgot one of the most important things about Organic Gardening. It is much more sustainable than using synthetics .

OK questions...Bare with me please...So I understand the ratio on your soil mix. Is the 1-2 Tbsp guano and the 1 tbsp kelp meal based on a certain volume of soil, castings and pumice? Or is that just a simple base starting point regardless of volume?

When you make your tea how long will it last or should it be used within a certain time frame of brewing?

Is there a way to recognize when the microlife in the tea is at a maximum while brewing? smell or foam?

I am sure I will think of more thanks again OG,

the ratio for guano and kelp is to per gallon of soil. the tea you want to use right away I brew mine generally a day or two ahead of time. after about 12-24 hours is basically a peak of life in it, when it start smelling like "a sewer" it's not great to use

great post OG, here's my little break down on..

AACT (Actively Aerated Compost Teas)

A little soap-boxing first of course I firmly believe in the use of AACT. That being said, be careful of getting caught up in the belief that this stuff is the magic, end-all-be-all, smurf juice that gives our plants a force field and the ability to thrive through any and all strife!!
First and foremost, make sure your SOIL SCIENCE is spot-on. Our highest priority should be on establishing balanced science in our soil before messing with the idea that our tea will fix everything....
Compost Tea, both Fungal and Bacterial Dominant, provides our plants with the ability to efficiently make use of the available SCIENCE in our soils. The tea simply complements these scientific elements. Keep that up your sleeve at all times...

Approaching Tea Brewing with the KISS philosophy is a great way to dive in and get started. Buy yourself a decent little airpump and airstones, a 55 gallon drum, some muslin cloth or some sort of strainer, maybe a venturi style re-circulating pump, and have at it! Don't be intimidated by all the big fancy words being thrown around on the boards and the elaborate recipes, just do it and HAVE FUN!! Gotta start somewhere!

A basic early summer (or veg) tea I use consists of kelp meal, vermicompost and pure worm castings, Mexican bat guano, fish hydrosylate (fish meal), alfalfa meal and alternate using molasses every batch.


This is just one of many ways you can approach Tea Brewing folks. There is a TON of info online, do some searching and come up with your own mixes....remember it's supposed to be fun!