Indoor McDee goes Organic

[Rasterman]

Good stuff bud! I'm gonna poke around some more I have a gernal idea of what I'm gonna do. I'm like a sponge I like to get as much info as I can lol. I have a compost bin going but don't know how to tell when it's ready. I'm glad you mentioned mulch. I have a few questions since I started using autopot. 1st do I still need to use a surfactant, and 2nd do still need mulch? I picked up the HubbaBubba after it had been in the autopot and it was HEAVY! It stays wet plus I will be using living soil bags that are double layered. Is mulch necessary at that point? Same with surfactant. I can't seem to find anything on it.

Unlike @WildBill I never use a surfactant, but it does make watering easier and is highly recommended by the experts (i.e. people who aren't me). But yeah you definitely still need mulch. Not just for keeping it moist, but it provides habitat for your friendly microorganisms, soil and predatory mites and rove beetles if you've got them. When I stir up the mulch I frequently see my rove beetles.

 

[Rasterman]

I use anything for mulch. Straw, bark, tree leaves, plastic, cardboard, whatever but I prefer tree leaves and bark or wood shavings mixed together for the habitat benefits. Yes and rice hulls, which also give silicon as they break down.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

i use buildasoil barley straw

 

[Rasterman]

i use buildasoil barley straw

That stuff does look easy to work with.

 

[WildBill]

@WildBill are all rice hulls the same? I found a 10lbs bag on Amazon, but they were promoting the use for brewing beer. Look the same as ones on build a soil.

I would suspect that BAS would have a clean source of rice hulls. You may not know the source and it could have some nasties associated with it.

 

[McDee]

Hey @WildBill I'm putting grommets on my new bags right now. Once I get them finished I was going reamend with this soil, and the craft blend. Can I mix then fill my bags, and let the soil cook in the bags? This would be ideal for me if possible. I want to do it correctly tho not sure if I have to stir it, or something else. I need to get going on the next grow so it starts with this.

 

[WildBill]

Hey @WildBill I'm putting grommets on my new bags right now. Once I get them finished I was going reamend with this soil, and the craft blend. Can I mix then fill my bags, and let the soil cook in the bags? This would be ideal for me if possible. I want to do it correctly tho not sure if I have to stir it, or something else. I need to get going on the next grow so it starts with this.

Sure man! It will just be a little slower for everything to be available. But that's not really much of A concern, I don't think.
It would be a lot like cold composting. I'd still mix it up in a tote or on a tarp. I think if you want to do it this 'cold method', I would definitely try to use some compost tea to get your moisture level to the proper amount.
My 40 and my 50 gallon tote are still cooking away and they're still quite hot. I'm turning both every other day to keep oxygen levels up and activity at its Max. I like to have a fully biologically active media when I start growing. I'll pot mine up three days before I'm ready and then use my candy probe to make sure it's not crazy active and the temperature is too high . I want things to settle down a bit after bagging up.

Depending on how long it's gonna be before you use it, you want to make sure your moisture levels are maintained to not cause an increase in activity at the time of planting. In other words, You just don't wanna fire it up by watering the pot the day of planting.

It'll work fine. It's just not fully optimal in my mind.


edit.................. I'd still tried to make sure it was gonna be at least 10 days to two weeks before I used it and planted in it.

 

[McDee]

Sure man! It will just be a little slower for everything to be available. But that's not really much of A concern, I don't think.
It would be a lot like cold composting. I'd still mix it up in a tote or on a tarp. I think if you want to do it this 'cold method', I would definitely try to use some compost tea to get your moisture level to the proper amount.
My 40 and my 50 gallon tote are still cooking away and they're still quite hot. I'm turning both every other day to keep oxygen levels up and activity at its Max. I like to have a fully biologically active media when I start growing. I'll pot mine up three days before I'm ready and then use my candy probe to make sure it's not crazy active and the temperature is too high . I want things to settle down a bit after bagging up.

Depending on how long it's gonna be before you use it, you want to make sure your moisture levels are maintained to not cause an increase in activity at the time of planting. In other words, You just don't wanna fire it up by watering the pot the day of planting.

It'll work fine. It's just not fully optimal in my mind.


edit.................. I'd still tried to make sure it was gonna be at least 10 days to two weeks before I used it and planted in it.

So, if I keep them moist for 2 weeks I would be ok to fill bags. Well, and I think you're saying it would be better to mix in say a 20 gal container and stir, but how many days would it need to sit in that before it's ready? I can't do tarp whatever I do needs to be in my tent. This way I can control any smells which NLS was super funky for like 14 days, or so then it subsided. Plus, I can control environment best this way. If container will speed up the process then I will use that. If it doesn't matter then I will just fill bags. Also, I was thinking of adding worm castings in with the Craft blend. Should I do this with the fact I'm growing autos? Since autos don't use as much is this a bad idea? No idea how much is left in current soil, so not sure if that's to much for autos. I have compost going, but not sure how to tell when it ready. It has 2 divided chambers each holds 21 gallons. I can barley flip it. Has a ton of insects, mostly these worms maybe 1"-1.5" kinda flat white'ish gray. When it rained real bad 4 tried crawling out but got stuck 1/2 way. 1 is still hanging there dead. Do I want these worms, or are they bad? I can take a pic tomorrow of them. I know earthworms are good but not sure what these are???

 

[WildBill]

So, if I keep them moist for 2 weeks I would be ok to fill bags. Well, and I think you're saying it would be better to mix in say a 20 gal container and stir, but how many days would it need to sit in that before it's ready? I can't do tarp whatever I do needs to be in my tent. This way I can control any smells which NLS was super funky for like 14 days, or so then it subsided. Plus, I can control environment best this way. If container will speed up the process then I will use that. If it doesn't matter then I will just fill bags. Also, I was thinking of adding worm castings in with the Craft blend. Should I do this with the fact I'm growing autos? Since autos don't use as much is this a bad idea? No idea how much is left in current soil, so not sure if that's to much for autos. I have compost going, but not sure how to tell when it ready. It has 2 divided chambers each holds 21 gallons. I can barley flip it. Has a ton of insects, mostly these worms maybe 1"-1.5" kinda flat white'ish gray. When it rained real bad 4 tried crawling out but got stuck 1/2 way. 1 is still hanging there dead. Do I want these worms, or are they bad? I can take a pic tomorrow of them. I know earthworms are good but not sure what these are???

My stoned ass was just trying to say it is easier and more accurate to do your reamending in a tote or a tarp and then you can bag it up immediately. And then just keep the moisture level proper for your two weeks. There will be plenty of life in that.

Adding craft blend and worm casting at same time is perfectly fine matter of fact it should be required.

With worm castings, really, your limit is based in economics. You can add a lot, let you get to a point where there is lessening returns for the input and your costs increase. And too much worm castings it gets mucky. The current batch I'm cooking, was amended at four cups per 10 gallons. You're never gonna burn anything with worm castings.

The craft blend I recommended at the lower rate that they recommend on the website. That's worked for me the last three grows.

Well, I'm sand to say that you're not gonna want 2 use that compost in this coming grow.
You said it got rained on and got wet, so it went anaerobic and that's what attracted all the bugs and insects. Especially in one of those drums, you should really never see any bugs. Not in active composting.
As an example, the current cooking media had lots of life when I put all this media into them. They were from the first of this current grow, so they had lots of life in them. I did all my recommending and next everything up. With all that I did in bringing up the moisture level with the compost tea that I had made, we were off to the races in that tote! That thing heated up very quickly and pretty damn high. It actually surprised me at how hot it did get in that tote. With our daily temperatures exceeding 100 degrees here for the last ungodly amount of time, I think it's kept the bacteria quite happy! LoL! Anyway, I don't have any more bugs in my tote. They got cooked!
a properly cooking compost pile on the ground will have some bugs but, they will be at the edges but never a few inches inward. It's just too hot for them period
Your best bet is to dump it out somewhere for it to dry out. Once it's reasonably dry, you can incorporate it into another active compost pile, little by little. It needs to be cooked, so you don't have any surviving eggs from the insects. That's just asking for trouble, no matter what it might be.

You're doing fine, man! I don't mind answering your questions at all. You know, not only does it help you, it helps others that read your thread. And believe me, if you ask a question that I don't know the answer for sure, I'll be sure let you know.
There ain't no, 'Fake it till you make it!' here, man!

That's what I love about this site! I'm a sponge, man! I feel that if I don't learn at least one thing each day about cannabis, that's a bad day for me. What I read in the threads here, when I see something that strikes a chord with me , I look at them in the aspect of how can I incorporate this into my methods? We all grow differently here . None are identical, but they may be pretty similar.

I'm sorry to hear about your compost man. Coast of Maine compost is quite good. It's easy to get and not all that expensive.

Damn! I think that canna coffee is kicking in hard!
I hope I answered all your questions!

 

[McDee]

My stoned ass was just trying to say it is easier and more accurate to do your reamending in a tote or a tarp and then you can bag it up immediately. And then just keep the moisture level proper for your two weeks. There will be plenty of life in that.

Adding craft blend and worm casting at same time is perfectly fine matter of fact it should be required.

With worm castings, really, your limit is based in economics. You can add a lot, let you get to a point where there is lessening returns for the input and your costs increase. And too much worm castings it gets mucky. The current batch I'm cooking, was amended at four cups per 10 gallons. You're never gonna burn anything with worm castings.

The craft blend I recommended at the lower rate that they recommend on the website. That's worked for me the last three grows.

Well, I'm sand to say that you're not gonna want 2 use that compost in this coming grow.
You said it got rained on and got wet, so it went anaerobic and that's what attracted all the bugs and insects. Especially in one of those drums, you should really never see any bugs. Not in active composting.
As an example, the current cooking media had lots of life when I put all this media into them. They were from the first of this current grow, so they had lots of life in them. I did all my recommending and next everything up. With all that I did in bringing up the moisture level with the compost tea that I had made, we were off to the races in that tote! That thing heated up very quickly and pretty damn high. It actually surprised me at how hot it did get in that tote. With our daily temperatures exceeding 100 degrees here for the last ungodly amount of time, I think it's kept the bacteria quite happy! LoL! Anyway, I don't have any more bugs in my tote. They got cooked!
a properly cooking compost pile on the ground will have some bugs but, they will be at the edges but never a few inches inward. It's just too hot for them period
Your best bet is to dump it out somewhere for it to dry out. Once it's reasonably dry, you can incorporate it into another active compost pile, little by little. It needs to be cooked, so you don't have any surviving eggs from the insects. That's just asking for trouble, no matter what it might be.

You're doing fine, man! I don't mind answering your questions at all. You know, not only does it help you, it helps others that read your thread. And believe me, if you ask a question that I don't know the answer for sure, I'll be sure let you know.
There ain't no, 'Fake it till you make it!' here, man!

That's what I love about this site! I'm a sponge, man! I feel that if I don't learn at least one thing each day about cannabis, that's a bad day for me. What I read in the threads here, when I see something that strikes a chord with me , I look at them in the aspect of how can I incorporate this into my methods? We all grow differently here . None are identical, but they may be pretty similar.

I'm sorry to hear about your compost man. Coast of Maine compost is quite good. It's easy to get and not all that expensive.

Damn! I think that canna coffee is kicking in hard!
I hope I answered all your questions!

Thanks bud for all the info. I don't get it man I adding and spinning the compost almost every day. I saw the worms. Then it rained bad and the worms were gone for like 2-3 weeks and then I saw them a few days ago again. What can I do to prevent them from showing up in the future?