Prepared the soilless mix -- and bought new bag of seaweed meal from R's at fraction the price of Gaia

 Prepared the soilless mix yesterday -- with ZERO of the leftover promix.

So, it contains only:

- peat moss

- vermiculite

- perlite

- kelp meal

- azomite

- mrp

- alfalfa pellets

- lime

- myke (actually not yet added, bought some today and will add it in before using)

And, since my kelp meal is starting to run low, bought some more from Ritchie's.  The guy at the counter said either I can buy Gaia and pay over $200 for 20 kg, or I can buy a different brand that's marketed for horse feed, and pay $95 for 25 kg.  !!!!  So I went for the horse feed -- made by Acadian Seaplants Limited.  I emailed them tonight just to confirm whether it's kelp or some other type of seaweed, so, we'll see.

Up-potted tomatoes -- wimpy root systems! Dills also looking similarly lanky and somewhat floppy

With the tomatoes' lanky upper growth and wimpy root systems, my best guess is too much nitrogen and enough of whatever the thing that roots want.  Anyway, repotted them today nice and deep, so hopefully the stems will grow lot of roots.

I think the similar thing is happening with the dills... hopefully they'll be ok though.

Home-blended seed starting mix -- First attempt

Mixed up a fairly small batch, which will be used for the onions, begonia, and whatever else things whose starting time is coming soon.

Here's the recipe I used:

20 cups peat moss

10 cups ProMix Premium Potting Mix*

3/4 cup perlite

3/4 cup vermiculite

1/2 cup kelp meal

1/2 cup alfalfa pellets **

zero cup soybean meal because I don't have any yet, but when I do I'll use 1/2 cup

1/4 cup rock phosphate

1/8 cup dolomite lime

1/8 cup myccorhizae

1/8 cup azomite

* It's supposed to be 10 cups of compost, but I don't have my own and haven't found a vegan source yet, so for now using potting mix to replace it.  ProMix told me (when I inquired by email) that their Premium Potting Mix has no animal-based ingredients; its fertilizer is chemical-based.  I wonder if I even need to use ProMix at all, given the other nutrient aspects of this mix...

** This time I just put in the pellets as-is, but for next time and for adding to this batch -- for better / more even distribution I'll pre-soak the pellets to get them to disintegrate, then spread them out to dry.  This will integrate into the mix much better.

I'm wondering about adding some of the shredded leaves stored in my basement... haven't done it yet as I'm not sure if it could introduce disease etc...

Bought most seed-starting materials today

Most of the stuff is from Ritchie's.  So here's what I'll be using, based on JV's recipe:

sphagnum peat moss

perlite

vermiculite

dolomite lime (pelletized)

Promix Premium Potting Mix (since I don't have compost) (the company says it has no animal inputs -- though it isn't organic)

alfalfa meal

soybean meal (TBD -- they're sold out currently)

kelp meal

rock phosphate

mycorrhizae

Looking forward to getting started soon!

Reference: Veganic seed-starting mix

Totally doing this next year!

JV's recipe:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWU2lyzPbz8

https://www.facebook.com/events/3309684622596372/?active_tab=discussion

20 litre / 5 gallon peat

1/2 cup dolomite lime (to offset the acidity of the peat)

Mix above, water thoroughly.  Then, add in:

3 cups perlite (for aeration)

2 cups vermiculite (for aeration and water retention)

1/4 cup granulated seaweed

1/4 cup colloidal soft rock phosphate

Mix above, water thoroughly.  Then, add in:

10 litre / 2.5 gallon potting mix or well-finished veganic compost

Mix above, water thoroughly.  Then, add in:

1/2 cup alfalfa meal (fertilizer)

1/2 cup soybean meal (fertilizer)

1/2 cup mycorrhizae (to help build the mushroom base for the root systems)

Mix above, water thoroughly.  

Other things to consider:

- "Live mulch" in Gatineau

- Promix mycorrhizae (but need to add fertilizer to it: alfalfa meal, soybean meal, & kelp meal)

Using two-year-old Premium Promix bag for potting things up

For potting up, have been using the two-year old huge block of Premium Pro-Mix, which I didn't use last year because I wondered if it was the cause of all those diseases in the 2020 season.

Since this year's seed selection has really focused on disease resistance, figured I may as well use it up.

Veganic-ish since 2020

Last year (2020) was the first year I didn't use any store-bought manure.

 Prior to 2020, I had been using "mushroom compost", at first because I had mistaken it to be composted mushrooms, but then once I learned it's left-over manure from mushroom growing, well I continued buying it with the faint hope that maybe it was actually composted mushrooms.

In later summer / early fall 2019, I went and got a bunch of well aged (2-3 years) horse manure from Penny Lane Sanctuary which provides a home for rescued horses and other farm animals.  Not veganic, but I'll call it veganic-ish, and I feel fine about using this manure, given its source.

So in fall 2019 I applied a bunch of horse manure.

In 2020 I used up most of the rest of the horse manure.  And the potting soil I was using it turns out (as I learned this past winter)nwas accidentally vegan (Promix Premium potting mix). 

In 2021, i.e. this year, my soil amendments consist of:

- horse manure:  I have one bag of the horse manure left, which I haven't used yet but will throughout the year.

- alfalfa pellets

- kelp meal

- lawn clippings as mulch (collected from CB school front and other spots)

- ground up leaves as mulch

I'm no longer using cedar mulch in the yard anymore other than a few pots for aesthetics, since it doesn't add much if anything to the soil. 

Unfortunately I decided to stop using my compost bin because I just couldn't control the smell, which I don't mind, but my poor neighbours.  Didn't harvest any compost this year, just going to let it all sit there and finish up.

Vegan-friendly potting soil!

After learning that Pro-mix's MP mix has bird-based fertilizer (due to trade secrets they couldn't tell me if it's from the feathers, eggs, or birds themselves), I emailed them to ask if any of their mixes aren't formulated with animal products.  To my great surprise, yes! their Premium Potting Mix and Premium All Purpose Mix are vegan-friendly.  Of course there can be contamination from the production line, but the formula itself doesn't include any animal-based products, including the fertilizers which are synthetic.

So I picked up three bags, and put my home-made mixing plans on hold.

I'm donating the MP mix to a local community garden, and have re-potted the broccolis and begonia into this new soil.

Sigh... Notes for making my own starting mix next year.

Ok, here's what I'll try.

Base:

- 4 parts coconut coir

- 1 part perlite

- 1 part vermiculite.

Then, need to fertilize.  Can look into these as fertilizers:

- cottonseed meal "Cottonseed meal fertilizer provides a healthy kick of slow-releasing nitrogen, potash, and phosphorus. The heavy protein in the cotton meal slows decomposition. Soil microbes have to process the proteins to release nutrients the plants can use.  Because of its slow-releasing nature, you can use higher quantities of cottonseed meal. There’s no fear of fertilizer burn with this, making it a safe and sustainable long-term option. And it takes 1-4 months for it to fully break down, so applications can be spaced out.  The average NPK for this meal is 6-2-2, making it a viable nitrogen option. Different manufacturers have slightly different ratios of nutrients. It’s wise to check the label for your specific brand.  Since it has high organic content, it helps to keep the soil aerated. This reduces compaction in the soil and can help plants to thrive. Soil tilth greatly improves with added organic matter.  Cotton meal holds quite a bit of water when saturated. This makes it a great amendment for water retention in garden beds!  For every 100lbs of meal used, 9lbs of agricultural lime is needed to bring the soil back to neutral." (https://www.epicgardening.com/cottonseed-meal/)

- alfalfa meal "Alfalfa Meal 3-1-2 Alfalfa Meal is an all natural fertilizer made from fermented alfalfa plants. It’s great at replenishing worn out soils when used as a soil amendment." "If you want to add nitrogen to your soil, try using alfalfa meal or the alfalfa pellets sold for rabbit feed. Alfalfa is a quick-acting source of nitrogen, with healthy amounts of phosphorus and potash. Organic Gardening magazine called rabbit pellets "an excellent all-purpose fertilizer.""

- kelp meal "Kelp meal will add some potassium, but it is mostly prized for its valuable micronutrients that can increase yields and reduce plant stress.

- Alfalfa, cottonseed, and soy meals: These are a good source of nitrogen (alfalfa 2.5 %, cottonseed 7%, soybean 6.5%, approximately.) They have a slow to medium rate of release. It is important that they be listed as organic, because some may come from crops that have been genetically modified and sprayed with pesticides. Alfalfa and cottonseed meals will also add potassium (alfalfa about 2%, cottonseed about 1.5 %.) Alfalfa will add a few trace minerals. Soybean meal is also a source of phosphorous (about 2%.)

- Humic acid: Consists of organic compounds found in compost. Humic acids increase soil microbial activity, improving its structure and enhancing root development.

- Mycorrhizae: This is actually a group of fungi that grow on the roots of plants and form a symbiotic relationship that aids in the absorption of water and nutrients. It is said to increase a plant’s resistance to disease and drought.

- Epsom salts: A fast acting fertilizer containing about 10% magnesium and 13%sulfur. It can be applied in its granular form or dissolved in water as foliar spray (use 1 tbsp. salt to 1 gal. water.)

- Rock phosphate: A mineral powder that breaks down slowly and contains both phosphorous and calcium. Colloidal phosphate contains less phosphorous and calcium than hard rock phosphate but the nutrients are in a form the plants can use more readily. Still only a small percentage will be immediately available in your growing mixture.

- soybean meal "I use soybean meal in a similar way to how alfalfa meal is used. It's also found in big sacks at a farm store, so maybe not practical for a small space, but it is very inexpensive purchased that way."

https://www.planetnatural.com/product/biothrive-grow/?fbclid=IwAR3za5vSbhJ7AOxjXHkY5IEC3Al1YCsBkrakbr8bnKfd7WplSJTE0I8_eq0

https://www.amazon.com/Bio-Thrive-Grow-4-3-3-Gallon/dp/B006IGEM5E/ref=as_li_ss_tl?keywords=BioThrive+Grow+(4-3-3)&qid=1574180605&sr=8-5&linkCode=sl1&tag=planetnatur03-20&linkId=d8fdd3a98905225869fba6381bd5dc83&language=en_US

~~~

Some references:

https://eorganic.org/node/3442 -- one of the recipes has no compost.

 http://www.artfulveganliving.com/veganic-gardening/permaculture/veganic-potting-mix/

"To begin making a soilless potting mix, you will first need to consider how long the plant will be growing in its pot and how soon you will need to begin fertilizing. A basic seed starting mix only needs enough nutrients to get the plant started. These usually contain only a few ingredients – peat moss or coconut coir, or pine bark or any combination of these along with perlite and/or vermiculite and sometimes compost. A small amount of added fertilizer will help keep the seedlings growing for 4-6 weeks when they can be transplanted. When planning to grow plants in pots for longer periods of time you will need to fertilize regularly..." 

http://www.soilmender.com/products/yum-yum-mix-plant-food/   Ingredients:  "Alfalfa meal, cottonseed meal, kelp meal, greensand, rock dust, rock phosphate, humate and dry molasses"

https://www.sfgate.com/homeandgarden/article/Is-Your-Garden-Vegetarian-Alternatives-to-2890979.php?fbclid=IwAR03BWZpJbpHKgMJ_pHpEvYqf8Ta3moKATWqyVX25dglsUX_2_rzhj0anro

https://www.facebook.com/groups/438437196236308/permalink/1633263083420374/

https://savvygardening.com/diy-potting-soil/

"A by-product of the coconut industry, coir looks and acts a lot like sphagnum peat moss in both commercial and DIY potting soil blends. It has more nutrients than peat moss and lasts even longer, but it’s more expensive to purchase. Coir fiber’s pH is close to neutral.... vermiculite adds calcium and magnesium... Add fertilizers to peat-based potting soils because these mixes don’t naturally contain enough nutrients to support optimum plant growth. ...I use leaf compost from a local landscape supply yard"

http://www.leereich.com/2014/05/to-fertilize-or-not-to-fertilize-that.html

https://www.groworganic.com/blogs/articles/vegan-organic-gardening

https://generalhydroponics.com/products/florablend/

https://www.gardenbetty.com/how-to-make-your-own-seed-starting-and-potting-mix/

https://www.peta.org/living/humane-home/vegan-fertilizers/?fbclid=IwAR172hfdpgVCYBfRyzZ-b5FvKp1IDVG9qgA0G2L5-7Nwciwz4Xr4lN5PXvE

Fresh bag of Promix MP -- has little spots of pale white moldy-looking substance

I won't be using last year's left-over Promix this year, in case whatever the/those diseases were last year got their start in that bag.  I'm sure it's all throughout the outdoor soil now anyway, but, may as well give a fresh bag a try, just in case.

So this year picked up a new (ginormous -- 60 lbs) bag of Promix MP.  Opened it today and saw little spots of pale white moldy-looking substance various spots along the where the bag opened.  Scraped the top off and will throw that out, just in case, though a web search shows it might be normal and not a concern.

Tomatoes and ground cherries all transplanted, and another sunflower

Transplanted the central patch tomatoes and ground cherries:
- 4 x ground cherries
- 1 x Sweetie tomato (cherry tomato)
- 2 x tofubrick tomato
- 2 x medium tomato
- 2 x Scotia tomato

And, in the centre of the central patch:
- 1 sunflower (the nicest one) -- supported with a stake on either side and string loosely securing it to each stake

The soil in the central patch is very, very sandy.  Not much organic matter in there, but nice and loose, easy to work with.

I made a mixture of the following ingredients.  Put some at the very bottom of the ~1-foot deep holes, then wet that.  Then placed the plant.  Filled up the whole with alternating layers of the mixture, and the soil that was there to begin with.

Mixture:
- compost from my compost bin (see previous post a few days ago)
- aged horse manure picked up last year (it's several years old)
- mushroom compost left over from last year
- leaves ground up finely
- vermiculite

Promix soil good, no issues (so far!)

Phew, the big compressed bag of Promix soil from Home Hardware seems to be good.  Used it for all of the squashes/cucumbers, and everything is growing like gang busters.

Of course now I'm jinxed...

Mayday! Mayday!!!! FLYING INSECT IN SEEDLING ROOM!!!!!!

Argh!!!!!!!!!  While inspecting seedling room plants tonight, an insect flew away from the top shelf!!!!

(I wasn't able to catch the fly)

That's the shelf that's been housing most of the blue soil, which is the soil that broccolis were in which are almost officially an entire flop.

Pleeeeeeeease don't tell me that was a thrip or whatever and is going to damage everything!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I immediately whisked away ALL blue soil plants (I've been labelling them as blue soil, just in case).  Brought them downstairs and covered them in plastic.  They will simply have to start hardening off, starting tomorrow, so that they can get some sun.  Will bring in at night and cover in plastic.

All my sunflowers and Scotia tomatoes were in the blue soil, sigh... Hopefully they will manage...

---- Of note, this is one year TO THE DAY (plus one) that I first noticed issues with stuntiness last year!  Everything (except the broccoli) is looking so goooooooooooooooood....  please let this goodness continue!

Potted some zinnias into the first bag of soil -- monitor for issues

Since I've almost run out of the reliable(-so-far) soil and my newly acquired bag of Pro Mix is so tiny, decided to use some of the first bag of soil again.  This is the blue bag, which all those broccoli look horrendous in and the one parsley and the celery leaves look mildly curled.

I still don't think it's thrips or other insects, but, just in case... I've put them on the top shelf all by themselves.

Bought new soil

Bought new soil to use for the rest of the indoor planting. This stuff came from Metro.  I can't help but think the insects came from that second bag of Pro Mix.

So, fingers crossed for smooth sailing from here on in!

April 2nd sowing: Round two of bok choy, and, a couple more swiss chard

Round 2 of baby bok choy sowed.  3 joined-pots plus 1 singleton pot, 2 seeds each.  This time, I added in some left over vermiculite as I find the Go Pro mix dries up fast and hard.  Will see if the vermiculite makes a difference.

Also filled in a couple of gaps in the swiss chard.

Oh!  And, transplanted some of the older bok choys into their own pots.  Will see if they survive or not...

Soil for indoor seed-starting

I should mention, I'm trying a different approach with indoor seed-starting medium this year.  In past years I always used vermiculite, with several seeds all in one margarine tub, as in Mel Bartholomew's Square Foot Gardening book, which was the first how-to gardening book I read.  That was back in the 90s when I had a plot at the Three Sisters Community Garden on University of Ottawa property -- which, sadly, later turned into a shiny new building.

This year, since I was almost out of vermiculite, I figured I'd try something else.  So, this year everything is being started in soil, and, right in their hopefully-one-and-only-indoor-pot, so less transplanting needed.  Each pot will have at least one backup seed in the hopes that at least one will germinate.