Organnabis 101

The Symbiosis of Plants And Soil

For the short answer, Healthy soil = Healthy plants For the long answer, I haven't checked PH in years. The fungi and microbes handle the negotiations in the soil through a complex language they’ve developed over millions of years that we can't replicate exactly without them, but if we work together with nature and science we can provide the soil all it needs to thrive. If you get more involved with living soil, building your own compost is essential as well as optional compost teas and SST's. As your experience grows, techniques like JADAM's, IMO's and even KNF can be implemented for superior results with nothing going to waste. Living soil is proven to create a vast diversity of compounds in the soil, leading to more terpenes, cannabinoids, and other volatile compounds in the plant, leading to a better overall entourage effect.

Worms!

I have red wiggler composting worms working the top layers of every fabric pot where they break down the freshly dropped material and the partially composted cold compost from my outdoor compost bin created with leftover plant scraps and organic food scraps I eat. Red wiggler worms pass off their partially digested material to the mid section of the pots then the night crawlers who dig deep aerated tunnels come up and feed on the mid layer creating a more complete breakdown which makes it easier for beneficial microbes and fungi to handle the rest, creating a sustainable humic acid generator.

Beneficial Fungi (Mycelium)

Mycelium is the vegetative, root like part of a fungus, consisting of an extensive branching network of thread like filaments called hyphae with much better surface area than a plants roots. The mushroom is only the fruiting body for spreading spores and reproduction, while the main functions happens underground.

Mycorrizhae Fungi This type of fungi attach its thread like hyphae to roots of plants to create a symbiotic relationship with living plants exchanging sugars for carbon and other nutrients the plants roots couldn't normally reach. Saprophytic fungi This type of fungi is summoned the instant a plant dies. The plant stops producing the enzymes that repel the fungi from attacking living organism. Once that switch is turned on this fungi breaks down more complex structures from top dressings and dead roots/plant material into simpler forms, which make it easier for microbes and plants to absorb.

Beneficial Microbes (Bacteria)

Bacteria not only aid in the break down of complex top dressings, they also produce exopolysaccharides (sticky glue like substances) that cement soil particles together to create aggregates and improve the soil structure. Some of the most commonly found beneficial microbes in living soil include: Lactobacillus Lactobacillus is commonly harnessed from rice wash, or dairy. Lactobacillus is also one of the main bacterias responsible for sourdough bread and yogurt cultures. It helps improve fertility and suppress pathogens while enhancing nutrient availability, helping create strong disease resistant root systems. Rhizobium  This bacteria attaches to legumes and takes the unusable reactive nitrogen (N2) from the atmosphere and combine it with oxygen to create nitrite/nitrates. It also can combine with hydrogen to create ammonia/ammonium which plant cells can then use to make amino acids and proteins. Actinomycetes Actinomycetes have large filaments or hyphae and act similar to fungus in processing soil organic residues which are hard to decompose such as chitin from crab or insect exoskeletons and lignin from woody substances or old stems etc.

Cover Crop

Not all "weeds" are bad either. Low till pots like mine mostly sustain themselves with clover cover crops for a nitrogen fixing boost. Legumes like clover harness rhizobium bacteria in their root systems that fix the normally unusable nitrogen from the air and turn it into a usable form for the soil and plants. Things like alfalfa, hairy vetch, and other cover crops are also good for chop and drop fertilizers for a healthy constant food source for the worms and other organisms. It is also important to keep cover crops alive to aerate the soil while keeping the mychorizae alive on the living roots in between harvests. This way you avoid the need to keep adding more. Other cover crops such as white yarrow are known to increase terpene production of plants around them.

Importance of Calcium

Calcium in abundance for Solid Stems (pith) as @slownickel points out “Hollow stems aka pith autolysis is caused from the plant undergoing a stretch phase without the proper nutrition to support the cellular development of the outer stalk and the pith alike. .. This causes the remaining energy to displace itself in an effort to stretch further since it doesn’t have the requirements to support as much plant matter. Even the trickiest of cultivars that show pith autolysis can be corrected by feeding an abundance of calcium from multiple sources.”

Beneficial Insects

Many times you only hear of insects as pests in growing, but there's actually a lot of useful bugs that can be used in your Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to fight the harmful bugs. Put simply, If you use the right good bugs than the bad bugs can never take a hold. Even if a harmful insect shows up then the good insect will make sure the bad ones don’t find a comfy spot to make their home. There's many different bugs to add to your IPM regiment. Beneficial insects are best used periodically for preventative care but good bugs can also be used to fight an infestation if things go awry. First make sure you address the root of the problem, then introduce different beneficial insects periodically to prevent future issues. Some beneficial insects include ladybugs, green lacewings, assassin bugs, minute pirate bugs, nematodes, and rove beetles all of which are active predators. There's also a multitude of different mites and many more beneficial insects that serve various purposes above and below soil.

Beneficial Mites

As is the case with many organisms, all mites have their place but some can be considered harmful while others are beneficial to the grow. The most commonly known mite (giving all mites a bad rep) is probably the spider mite, known for the damage it can cause to grows. It is particularly harmful in cannabis grows where their weblike strands cover and ruin the flowers. It might sound counterintuitive but you can find a specific mite for almost any problem you might have. For example, neoseiulus (amblyseius) californicus mites are known to attack spider mites. In general, it’s best to use mites as a preventative measure, thus avoiding the problem all together. Some other commonly known mites include the amblyseius andersoni and amblyseius swirskii, which I periodically release for prevention.

Beneficial Nematodes

Nematodes can be found every where on earth but in the air. There are many varieties that target different organisms but the main type used beneficially in the garden are called entomopathogenic nematodes (which target insects specifically). Each kind of nematode is specialized for different types of insects that are harmful to plants such as gnats, thrips, grubs, and more. Some nematodes like Steinernema spp or Heterorhabditis are "sit and wait" predators who wait for their host to pass by before infecting it, mostly targeting early stage soil pests residing in the soils top layer. Nematodes in the genus Heterorhabditis actively seek out and hunt their prey (sometimes even several inches below the surface). They tend to stay active until no more pests remain. Beneficial nematodes are naturally present in areas where plants grow as they work symbiotically and help prevent harmful insects from taking hold. They also could fight an established infestation, making them a great addition to your IPM program. Using the correct species is completely safe since they only target their specific host and are safe to plants and vertebrates.