Best ways to Organically boost Flower size and production

Indoor
#21

I live near horse farms and have a friend who has donated much manure to my efforts. I do find that horse can be hotter than steer and becasue I use it in my veggy garden, I compost for 6-9 mos first. She also gives me chicken manure which I also have to compost.
Today I found a worm farmer just a few blocks away. He is selling worms (RED WIGGLERS (red worm, brandling worm, tiger worm, striped worm) - STRIPELESS RED WORMS (compost worm) - AFRICAN NIGHT CRAWLERS … and WORM CASTINGS. His prices are decent
RED WIGGLERS / STRIPELESS RED WORMS:
1/8 pound (2 ounces) - $5
1/4 pound (4 ounces) - $9
1/2 pound (8 ounces) - $16
1 pound (16 ounces) - $30

AFRICAN NIGHT CRAWLERS:
1/8 pound (2 ounces) - $8
1/4 pound (4 ounces) - $15
1/2 pound (8 ounces) - $28
1 pound (16 ounces) - $50

BASIC COMPOST WORM DESCRIPTIONS:

  • RED WIGGLERS may grow to 2"-3", and make great bait for pan fish.
  • STRIPELESS RED WORMS may grow to 3"-4", give off a slight odor which fish love, stays on the hook better, and are hardier and livelier than Red Wigglers. They look like non-striped Red Wigglers, require the same care as Red Wigglers, and are great bait for pan fish and larger.
  • AFRICAN NIGHT CRAWLERS may grow to 10"-12", give off a purplish sheen, and are voracious eaters.
  • Since these are all compost worms, they may be kept and grown in the same worm bin/container.

WORM CASTINGS (may contain worms & worm eggs) are filled with microbes that are great for your plants - promotes health, faster growth, and water retention without chemicals - $10 for 2 gallons (approx. 10 lbs.)
I may go after the CASTINGS. ANy words of caution?

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#22

@Mrb53004 for using worm castings or using compost worms? I prefer getting worms myself and making my own vermicompost so I know what’s in it. As far as buying vermicast and using it I generally look into what scraps/vegetation they fed the worms and ask if it’s just pure vermicast/vermicompost or if they mixed it with any extra amendments or additives.

Some companies will add chicken manure or other manures to spread out the vermicast and charge the same price as others selling pure vermicast. Some will be honest and tell you everything they added right away. Some won’t tell you a thing because they have no clue so you have to hunt down the ingredients if unlisted and find the soil test results (required for omri status). I won’t use anything that isn’t certified organic, omri listed, or that I didn’t make myself.

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#23

Our worms have been fed only food scraps - NO Manure! without chemicals
What can I ask them to better qualify their product? I would get some worms for my compost pile but wondered about the WORM CASTINGS to add to my containers for both topping and to incorporate into my foundation medium

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#24

@Mrb53004 I would ask them if they fed on a regiment and if so what was the regiment, what greens were they fed (grass, leaves, fruits, veggies, etc…), and I would ask them what browns the were fed (paper, cardboard, etc…), and I would ask if they used any meat dairy or processed foods/items or if they were fed any ag waste or cattle manure.

Whatever was used to process what was fed to the worms will be in the compost too so I try to make sure if I buy castings that they only used organic products.

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#25

I am planting in pots. Start inside and then in to glass and wood glass room which is outside on my deck. I use horse manure as the soil. It varies from 6 months to a 2 years old. Does that sound okay? Also, if the plant pots contain earthworms will they hurt the roots? Thank you.

#26

It looks good… as far as more trich production, Id say more intense lights would be my first upgrade. Assuming you started with good genes. Spider Farmer are great budget lights and the plants love them but maybe make them a little to comfy… That will be your biggest gains… forget about all the tea and nutrient tricks. Just use a good living soil packed with everything they need. Intense piercing lights with good controllable spectrum… I literally have 1000’s of dollars of budget lights sitting in storage that my wife doesn’t even use for vegetables anymore that id be happy to sell and get rid of.

After that it is really just strain related. I tend to like to grow strains that are wet greasy and covered in snow and even the fans getting frosty.

Of course I grow all my autos in earth boxes but I always have 1-2 plants in the group that I take over 120grams off. I never did that with autos until I switched my lights.