Posted by balzasteel - 10 minutes ago -

hi all

I trimmed it to the relevant info, for those who want to see the full article you can find it here


Snip...

...But that all changed a few years ago when I discovered nature’s true black gold, earthworm castings.

I came across earthworm castings as a result of my search for a simple recipe for compost tea but more on that later. Worm castings are just what the name implies, a digestive by-product. Miniature, odorless footballs reminiscent of coffee grounds, castings may just be nature’s perfect, organic, time release fertilizer.

A natural fungal disease suppressant, they are also useful as a repellent against pests that feed off the juices of plants, such as aphids or spider mites. They enhance germination, plant growth and yield. They are a good source of calcium, magnesium, phosphates, nitrogen and potash and can be applied in a variety of fashions.

You can use them as a mulch or top dress, spreading a layer of castings I/2 inch to an inch, to allow nutrients to leach into the soil every time you water. You can also apply them directly to your soil as an additive. I personally add about a pound or two to my raised beds, both through tilling and by adding some when transplanting my vegetable seedlings.

For house plants, as a rule of thumb, you can add castings to your soil in a ratio of 1:3, one part castings to three parts potting soil. In your garden, whether your soil texture is sandy or clay like, castings can improve its quality.

In addition to being chock full of nutrients, they provide aeration, improve the crumb structure and root development as well as enhance the water retention of your soil. They can be used for seedlings and delicate transplants without fear of burning, something you couldn't say using chemical fertilizers. In fact, earthworm castings, under a variety of brand names are listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) as safe for use without risk of jeopardizing any organic certification.

So, if you’re thinking of going seriously green and want to wean yourself off the chemical nipple, castings are a good place to start. And as I mentioned earlier, they make a simple, yet effective compost tea for foliage applications. Using a ratio of 1:3, castings to water, add in a bucket and let sit at least overnight. Mix well and filter before adding to your sprayer. Apply in the early morning hours. While the tea is natural, it will burn your plants’ leafs if applied in a noon day sun. Castings left over after your tea is brewed can be added right back into your garden.

So you see incorporating earthworm castings in your garden plan is a win-win situation. Above all, the results become noticeable very quickly. The only drawback is cost as they can be expensive sometimes, especially if you’re ordering in quantity. But you can offset that with the help of a strong stomach and, where necessary, permission.

Simply put, Vermiculture is the process of raising worms. Red Wrigglers (Eisenia foetida) or European Nightcrawlers (Eisenia hortensis) are the two earthworm species most often used for vermicomposting and each can only survive in their compost medium. Vermicomposting is the action of using earthworms to transform organic waste into rich, nutrient filled humus. This organic waste can be almost anything; sewer sludge, agricultural waste, urban waste, even dairy products. These “fortified” castings are of the type generally sold commercially. After all, you are what you eat.

Vermicomposting is done commercially to produce worm castings for use in landscaping and agricultural applications, to cultivate worms for fish bait and to produce worm castings for sale to the general public. But if you’ve a mind to and with a dash of intestinal fortitude, there’s no reason you can’t be the next worm wrangler on your block. Worm composting kits and worms are sold readily on line on numerous websites. Just add some homemade kitchen garbage along with some shredded junk mail and you’re on your way to cutting out the middle man.

Another eco-friendly way to add earthworm castings to your garden is by adding more earthworms and an easy way to do that is by planting earthworm cocoons. These can be purchased commercially as well. So, no matter how squeamish you are or what size your wallet, there’s a way to incorporate earthworm castings in your garden plan that’s right for you. They‘re ecologically friendly on top of which, they produce spectacular results.

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I personally disagree with using castings on seedlings and clones (although I intend to experiment) mostly cause my castings have fungus gnat larva although I seldom ever see adults in my growroom, no Idea why, I suspect it's because they can't survive on their own castings like worms can so they starve when I leave the castings for 2-3 months to finish up.

hope y'all find it useful

Stay safe

BalzOut Launch Full Topic

Posted by santero - 19 minutes ago -

High all,

We're at it again

Same setup as previous.

250w
6.5L container
Sannie Myco
Canna Terra Pro soil ( not the Plus this time )

Genetics:

Devil Harvest Seeds Golden Strawberry fem: Golden Haze x Strawberry Sour Diesel

Santero DHK-Fune reg: EastCoastSourDiesel 'DHK-cut' x SanFune




Wish me luck

Greetings! Launch Full Topic

Posted by santero - 23 minutes ago -

Hello OG's

it's nice to be an green oger, too.
my english is not so good, but what i see and understand in this forum is very helpful
big thanks to all


this time i grow

- Chemdog IBL ( Reservior Seeds ) 7/8
- SourDiesel/LadyCane ( riri / e$kob@r ) freebees 7/9
- Kaboom ( TGA Subcool Seeds ) freebees 3/3
- White Russian ( Serious Seeds ) 2/2
- Nepal Kush fem ( Flying Dutchmen ) freebee 1/1

in cocos - wormhumus - sannies myco and bacto
ghe 3part
till 600 watt
tent gl q145 is comminig soon

it's more an picture grow
i need a looong time for a little text

Chemdog IBL 7/8
light 20/4









SourDiesel/LadyCane - Kaboom - W.R - Nepal Kush



i'll cut clones from the dogs for motherplants
and in few days they coming under 12/12

have a great week everybody

Launch Full Topic

Posted by bagwell - 25 minutes ago -

Greetings everyone,

I bring you an ailing plant, which could really use your help!

Strain: Aurora Indica (regular)
From seed, from Nirvana Seeds
Vegged for about two months – it was my first go at super cropping / stem training.
Soil - Ocean Forest, mixed with perlite, coco, vermiculite, dolomite lime, etc.
Currently in flowering – started flowering 12.25 off/11.75 on January 7th
I use the entire line of Advanced Nutrients.
Avg. temp: 74-78 DAY / 68-72 NIGHT
Avg. humidity: 38-55% RH

Let me know if there are other details that I may have missed.


Basically, I want to save my harvest for this plant – it is my first female of Aurora Indica. I feel that by now (being the beginning of its 5th week in flowering) that it should have developed far beyond where it's at now. I have a few other plants flowering in the same tent, with the exact same soil mix/nutrient mix, and they're vibrant and happy.



THANK YOU!

P.S. How do I directly upload an image? Launch Full Topic

Posted by misterdirt - 35 minutes ago -

My GF asked me to roll a hash joint tonight, you may have seen how I do it, I roil a little log of hash and put it in a joint.

We just harvested some blue dream and it seemed a bit too damp to put in the grinder so she asked me to roll a hash joint with roaches in my little box. I rolled the piece of hash into the shape of a little snake (as MrDirt calls it) and put it in the papers. I tore up some half smoked joints and a couple of them had a hash snake inside of them already. So I put the snakes of hash of those two joints into the paper, and then the new snake of hash and a little weed in to keep it burning. The joint was pretty big, it must have weighed over a gram. I handed it to her and went to wash the resin off of my hands. I come into the bedroom to see her pulling on that big joint and blowing out big bellows of smoke. She did that old cough cough cough cough cough thing for a few minutes, but still managed to get about three or four hits. I took only one, which is sort of usual for me. Oh Man did I get high. It is actually the first smoke I had in a few days. Anyway, one hit and I am loaded. Next thing I know she says she is going to throw up, She gets up and moves around, gets closer to the bathroom and starts talking all this sicky shit. I say you took like 4 hits and that thing was filled with super fire hash. Anyway, she will have a drink of coke or a cookie and be fine in a few minutes I imagine.

I have been on the computer all day. We did leave to just drive around town a little, look at some garage sales. She seen a set of ladies golf clubs, almost brand new and she bought them for almost nothing (Golden Bear, whole set, bag, irons and woods $10). Clubs look like they may have been used once. I never get deals like this.

So we drive around town some more and come to this Giant field where we run our dogs and I hit golf balls with my pitching wedge. She wanted a lesson. Since she is just starting I put the ball on the tee for her and had her use a 8 iron. After a couple tries she starts to get a little air and starts to really like it. She tells me she is on for golf now. She did seem to take my instructions pretty good, head down, arms straight, so on. She is kind of strong too, from walking huge pit bulls around on a leash every day (for years). I may have created a monster. I no longer have the golf course as a place of peace and solitude anymore.

She was good at using her irons off the tee, there are a lot more elements to the game. She will probably do well at all of them though. I seem to have a way to teach people stuff fast. I taught my brother to ski in one day for instance. It is not like I am a pro at golfing or skiing, but I have had lessons for both and remember what was taught to me. Maybe tomorrow I will have her use her driver.

We ran the shit out of the dogs too. I love to see them run at this park. My pup turns 1 year old today and we have been wishing him happy birthday for three days. He runs like a bull! I like the idea of wearing him out so that he will sleep well, but in doing this we are building his body. We took him to the vet for a weighing and check up (86lbs) and the doctor noted that he was pure muscle, something that I already knew. This year has been challenging and it don't look to be getting any easier. He is the most needy, greedy, forceful, powerful, vocal dog I have ever seen. He wants everything I have and don't let up. While I am making hash today he kept crying and scratching on me. I had to keep handing him ice cubes out of the bucket to shut him up. I compare growing my pure Colombian Jamaican Sativa to having a pup like this at my age.


My girl has been sort of upset the past couple of days, she just heard her father was in the advanced stages of cancer and I find her crying when I catch her alone. I need to be good to her, better than usual. Launch Full Topic