Hobbits Organic World

[Hobbit]

Background vibes.

[Nanook]

Chillis look ace!

[Hobbit]

Soil Amendments

So I have recieved a lot of questions in chat about soil and specifically organic amendments. So hopefully this helps a few. Big sorry to GMO who got his head bitten off by a tired dyslexic Hobbit the other night. I have chosen these particular ingredients for there cost, availability and enviromental impact. I know some of these things are mined but they are a bi product in general so waste not want not.They are also amendments that hortis have been using for years not just the come along lately overpriced trend setter ones.The thing to keep in mind is, what are the amendments your using containing, a point many trendsetters/hipsters dont consider when they buy their ehausting overly priced long lists of amendments. Quite often doubling and tripling up on the same minerals and nutrients. I mean why use bone meal, crab bone meal and fish bone meal all at once. The way I look at it is the same as our diets, your body and plants also can only use certain amounts of things. Kinda like having a good well balanced diet and then spending a fortune on vitamin tablets your gunna piss down the toilet. Hopefully ive expressed this in an easy to understand way. I know I can get a bit over the top if left to ramble.So here it is:

Compost
The NPK of compost can be very hard to determine as it depends on your ingredients. There are 2 methods of composting hot and cold. I will discuss both these methods in a later thread but simply the only way you could be sure of your compost NPK would be through either a test kit or if you were hot composting and knew the values of the ingredients you were using. Its really not that important as compost has more important benefits than its NPK. It inoculates your soil with microbes, gives better soil texture and structure and is an excellent source of carbon. I know an organic veg farmer who who could rave about carbon all day long , gives him a boner me thinks, but I could equally listen to him all day. At the end of the day carbon is a king.

This is a cold compost I was using on the weekend,between the microbes worms and chooks I dont gotta work it too hard lol


















Worm Castings = 3.2-1.1-1.
Again exact NPK ratios can differ depending on what you feed them. I will talk about this in another write up later. Vermicast is an xcellent quick-release source of N, with a long-term, slow-release component. Inoculates soil with beneficial fungi & microbes from the worm gut.Worm Castings are probably the best single-constituent organic balanced npk fertilizer. They provide quick-release nutrients for early growth, as well as slower-releasing nutrients to sustain growth through the season.Worm slime also contains silica and natural saponins which help with water and nutrient uptake and breaking water surface tension in soil. A natural wetting agent to be exact.




Chicken Manure 1.1-0.8-0.5
Excellent quick-release source of N. Poultry manure releases up to 75% of its N the first year in the soil, compared with 33% for most other manures. Its also a good source of P.




Kelp Meal=
trying to find the NPK of kelp meal or seaweed s like asking how long a piece of string is. What i do know is its an excellent source of P and often contains silica,living near the beach i collect mine fresh. Again NPK isnt important it has loads of other benefits it provides 60 trace elements, plus growth-promoting hormones and enzymes. Important source of organic potash & trace minerals. Excellent in seed starting mixes boosts growth & reduces damping-off & fungal problems in seed starts. Encourages microbial populations. It also contains natural plant growth hormones. I dont add it to my soil, I use it in fertiliser ferments which I will cover later. The waste from the fertilizer does make it to my garden though.



Crushed Granite or Basalt
This is commonly known as crusher dust in the landscape centres and is much cheaper than your trendy rock phosphate and greensands and generally higher in trace elements.It can contain up to 67% silica and 19 trace minerals. It also contains
calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous and iron. Also I have used rock dusts in composts, the sulphur in some of the other amendments I use feeds a bacteria which digests the rock dust.I use a nutra bullet to make it finer.



Crustacean Shells 4.6-3.52-0
Contain large amounts of lime, calcium and even silica. Again i collect my own and nutra bullet them. A little warning here, your gunna see sparks inside your nutra bullet vessel,and may damage said vessel lol. Always gives me a giggle when im grinding sea shells but I can guarantee your Mrs wont giggle so much.


Now we come to ash, gold is ash and makes soil highly fertile. Any one who comes from a country where the aborignals of said country used to control the landscape with fire will know what i mean. I will post a pic of corriander sprouting around my fire pit in the middle of winter to demonstrate this. Ash typically contains carbon and calcium. Another interesting thing about ash and is why i recomend an incinerator or fire pit is the way it changes NPK values of what you burn, from memory banna skins are about 13% K once burnt can be as high as 49%. It also drastically increases the P levels. For burning things like egg shells and bannana skins and cucumber skins i have a little metal mini spit roaster i use, but any tin can of the right size would do.

Banana skin (ash) 0-3.25-41.76

Banana stalk (ash) 0-2.34-49.4



Cucumber skin (ash) 0-11.28-27.2



Eggshell 1.19-0.38-0.14

Eggshell (burned) 0-0.43-0.29



Again not working too it to hard to get my ash. Just burnt of the last of a mango tree I pruned back hard about 12 months ago. All thats left is ash and a whole heap of brown leaf matter for mulching composting and feeding the worms. Carbon carbon carbon. The first pic is from a previous fire.Notice the coriander seedlings they are self sown.














The other amendments I use are:

dolomite or gypsum.
Gypsum has roughly a calcium content of 23% and sulfur content of 19%, dolomite as it is roughly between 8-12% Magnesium and 18-22% Calcium depending on brand.
Because so many of my amendments contain Cal I prefer to use one or the other. If you choose gypsum this will help balance the ph back out as it contains sulphur. If using gypsum you will want to add epsom salt for mag.
I have both products but opt for the dolomite for mag and then add iron sulphate and will top dress later with straight sulphur. This is because i buy both those product in bulk and are always available to me.

Other amendments I use are aloe vera and mollasses but these two deserve their own thread post so i will cover that later.
Silica also deserves its own write up.

Thats basically it along with coco and perlite your good to go. I will cover ratios of the amendments next week and how to mix them. Later on i will cover my fertiliser and microbe tea recipes.

Cheers for looking in H.

[MacGrow]

Nice thread here Hobbit, most of it I either use already or have a substitute in place as I dont have access to some bits,

I use peat moss, compost mix with Kelp, Marlted barley, blood fish an bone meal, volcanic rock dust, gypsum I prefer over lime. Iv used bananas in the past and eggshells too but don't bother any more, Im looking ad making a new batch maybe so im looking at adding some bio char but apart from that I don't see the need to go for anything else. Obv the coconut water 24 cans a year but that's my only cost so im happy to proceed with that. I was paying 70 quid a month on bloody nutes when I was hydro

[Thrasherdude]

Awesome information Hobbit! Thanks for sharing it with us! I will give it on day a try, I have a garden so outdoor and indoor growing possible here! Can't wait to read the aloe vera topic!

[Hobbit]

Nice thread here Hobbit, most of it I either use already or have a substitute in place as I dont have access to some bits,

I use peat moss, compost mix with Kelp, Marlted barley, blood fish an bone meal, volcanic rock dust, gypsum I prefer over lime. Iv used bananas in the past and eggshells too but don't bother any more, Im looking ad making a new batch maybe so im looking at adding some bio char but apart from that I don't see the need to go for anything else. Obv the coconut water 24 cans a year but that's my only cost so im happy to proceed with that. I was paying 70 quid a month on bloody nutes when I was hydro

All sounds good bro except the peat moss. Extremely important eco systems destroyed in obtaining that. Bio char is justa trendy name for ash really. Cheers for stopping by, get involved here bro thats what its about.

[Hobbit]

I was gunna cover Aloe next week but a few in chat are talking about it now so here it is. This was written in regards to human consumption but same applies and more to plants.

Aloe Vera

Aloe leaf contains over 240 nutritional and medicinal ingredients, including vitamins, minerals, enzymes, sugars, lignin, saponins, sterols, amino acids, salicylic acid, etc.

1. Amino Acids

Aloe vera contains 19 of the 20 known amino acids, which are necessary for our organism.
The human body can produce only 12 of the 20 amino acids and our body cannot produce the other 8 and they have to be consumed via food. These are known as essential amino acids.

Aloe vera contains 7 of the 8 essential amino acids:
Isoleucine
Leucine
Lysine
Methionine
Phenylalanine
Threonine
Valin

Aloe vera also contains 12 non-essential amino acids:
Alanine
Arginine
Asparagine
Cysteine
Glutamic acid
Glycine
Histidine
Proline
Serin
Tyrosine
Glutamine
Aspartic acid
Amino acids are important elements involved in the construction of proteins and muscle tissue.
The missing amino acids on this list is Tryptophan. Recent research on aloe show that it contains even Tryptophan. In any case, aloe vera is a great source of amino acids!

2. Anthraquinone

Aloe Vera contains 12 anthraquinones:

Aloe emodin
Aloetic acid
Aloin
Antracin
Antranol
Barbaloin
Chrysophanic acid
Emodin
Ethereal oil
Cinnamonic acid ester
Isobarbaloin
Resistannol
These 12 anthraquinone are found only in aloe vera juice. They promote the functioning of the digestive system; they have analgesic, antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties.

In high concentrations, anthraquinones can be toxic, but aloe vera juice contains ideal amounts of these compounds.



3. Enzymes

Aloe Vera contains 8 enzymes:

Aliiase
Alkaline phosphatase
Amylase
Carboxypeptidase
Catalase
Cellulase
Lipase
Peroxidase
Enzymes help break down sugars and fats from food and thus improve digestion and absorption of nutrients.

For external use enzymes reduce inflammation and pain and accelerate the healing of wounds.

4. Hormones

Aloe vera contains two hormones:

Auxin
Gibberellin
Auxin and Gibberellin help heal wounds, prevent inflammation and infection.

Gibberellin acts as a growth hormone that regenerates cells and stimulates their growth.



5. Lignins

Lignins are plant fibers which are used to connect and support, and give the strength to plant. Lignins in Aloe Vera penetrate deep into the skin and introduce other medicinal ingredients of aloe vera into our skin.



6. Salicylic acid

Aloe vera contains salicylic acid - natural painkiller which also has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties.

Aspirin is nothing other than salicylic acid in chemical form. Aloe vera has the effect of aspirin, but operates in a gentle manner and has no adverse effects on health.

7. Saponins

Saponins, found in aloe vera, have a cleansing and antiseptic effect. They have anti-microbial properties and protect against bacteria, viruses and fungi.

8. Sterols

Aloe vera contains four plant sterols:

Cholesterol
Campesterol
Lupeol
Sitosterol
Sterols have anti-inflammatory properties. Lupeol also has antiseptic and analgesic effects.

9. Vitamins

From the moment of conception, your body uses vitamins. They are essential for the normal functioning of cells, tissues and organs. We get vitamins from food, with a few exceptions (such as vitamin K and biotin, which are formed in the intestines).

Aloe vera contains the following vitamins:

Vitamin A (Beta-Carotene)
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
Vitamin B5
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoksin)
Vitamin B12
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Kolin
Folate
Vitamins A, C and E have antioxidant properties and neutralize free radicals. Group B vitamins and choline are responsible for the metabolism. Vitamin B12 is responsible for the formation of red blood cells, while folic acid is necessary for proper cell development.



10. Minerals

Minerals are inorganic substances which constitute 4-5% of the human body.

Minerals are necessary for preserving the delicate balance of cellular ionic liquids, building bone tissue and blood cells, the electrochemical activity of nerve cells and the regulation of muscle tone.

Many minerals were found in aloe vera, to name only the top 10:

Calcium
Chrome
Copper
Iron
Magnesium
Manganese
Potassium
Phosphorus
Sodium
Zinc


11. Sugars

Aloe vera contains two monosaccharides, glucose and fructose, which have anti-inflammatory effects.

Aloe is also a rich source of polysaccharides. Polysaccharides are found in every cell of our bodies. However, our body ceases to create them after the age of ten. After that, we are completely dependent on external sources of polysaccharides.

From the leaves of aloe vera a special ingredient called acemannan is obtained.

Acemannan deserves special mention. This polysaccharide has antiviral and immune-stimulating properties.

Acemannan plays an important role in the body, stimulating macrophages to produce interferon and interleukin, which stop the growth of viruses.

Macrophages deeply cleanse the body and destroy the smaller particles of toxic metals and cancer. Acemannan also lubricates joints and protects the bowel wall against the "leaky gut" syndrome.



In addition to these compounds aloe vera leafs contain some compounds still unknown to science. Secrets of aloe vera are just waiting for you to uncover them.

This plant was called "miracle plant", "heavenly blessing" and "elixir of life" throughout the history for a good reason.

[Hobbit]

Awesome information Hobbit! Thanks for sharing it with us! I will give it on day a try, I have a garden so outdoor and indoor growing possible here! Can't wait to read the aloe vera topic!

Cheers bro, yeah these amendments good outdoor or indoor. Cheers for stopping in mate.

[Wizard]

Two more great right ups Hobbit


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[GMO]

Smashing info mate. Miracle plant indeed

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