Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
worm farms and all TLO applications. Good amounts of potassium and also takes pH up a
bit; all good effects!
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Guanos:
Never use raw bird or bat poop; this will kill your plants. It has to be composted
first. Tons of powerful N, P, and micro/trace nutrients galore; awesome organic matter for
microbeasty food! Chicken poop is extra kick ass if your chickens are at least semi-free-
range so insects and other diversity enter their diets.
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Rabbit Poop:
Awesome stuff. Don't confuse how this works outdoors and how it works
indoors in living containers; raw, it will very likely kill your plants, so cook it first. Great
levels of nitrogen so it will cook very warm too, like blood meal and alfalfa meal. Feed
your rabbits über-healthy stuff and their poop will be incredible all natural fertilizer.
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Farm Animal Manures:
Always hot compost these first. Full of great mineral salts, with
good nitrogen and potassium too along with vast trace and micronutrients. Usually a little
salty so use carefully. I like to keep any manure of this type low in my container (Steer
Manure Layer) to start with so any excess salts go out the bottom without passing through
the rest of the soil mix.
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Oyster Shell Products:
Down to Earth makes a great powdered version of oyster shells. I
use this and the crushed version; awesome calcium and trace minerals, slow and steady re-
lease, plus a great place for bacteria to anchor to and colonize. Also has positive effects on
soil structure.
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Bark Mulch:
Always, always mulch your containers! I use shredded bark for this, any
bark will do, just avoid walnut or cedar.
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Cottonseed Meal:
If for some reason your soil mix's pH is too high, then you can cook in
some of this to drop the pH pretty effectively while also adding great nitrogen and trace
nutrients. Awesome microbeasty food, especially fungi.
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Rice:
I like to add a little of this anytime I mix up a new batch of soil mix for cooking, and
I do it for a couple of reasons. First of all the fungi really seem to love it! Secondly, it is
full of calcium and iron, two very important nutrient elements for healthy happy plants and
microbeasties.
