Osmocote Seed & Cutting 👎

[itchybro]

" pine bark based potting mixes are biologically active. That is a fact " is this not hyperbole ???

" Do we have a breakdown of the microbes available in for example easy as product versus a pine bark based one? " i do think @Donothing-garden does soil test his product , he even go's the extra mile imho by having his product " Certified " as Organic , i can't imagine he'd be spending his money on another companies product to have their soil tested so he could compare the two , plus he doesn't need to , it's pretty obvious once his soil has a plant growing in it , you should try it out sometime , it'll open your eyes to the benefits of good soil biology , either way if its a concern to you , ask him about his testing

" There you go comparing, not what I was trying to do " so if a competitive golfer , swimmer , runner , only ever plays golf , runs or swims on there own they can claim to be the best golfer , runner , swimmer in the world

it's only once they compete or " compare " themselves to other golfers , runners or swimmers they'll be able to confirm they are the best in the world . or not
so i guess your right if we only ever use X brand potting mix & never use or compare it to anything else you could say it's the most biologically active potting mix money can buy

my experience of using both bunnings off the shelf potting mix , my own made mix & potting mix from people like @donothinggarden over many years , has definitely shaped what i think is worth my time money & effort , i would love to soil test what i make myself or the DIY compost / castings on a regular basis but that's not something i could afford to do , but my own microscope is definitely being considered along with the education of microbe identification in the near future

 

[frankreynolds]

" pine bark based potting mixes are biologically active. That is a fact " is this not hyperbole ???

" Do we have a breakdown of the microbes available in for example easy as product versus a pine bark based one? " i do think @Donothing-garden does soil test his product , he even go's the extra mile imho by having his product " Certified " as Organic , i can't imagine he'd be spending his money on another companies product to have their soil tested so he could compare the two , plus he doesn't need to , it's pretty obvious once his soil has a plant growing in it , you should try it out sometime , it'll open your eyes to the benefits of good soil biology , either way if its a concern to you , ask him about his testing

" There you go comparing, not what I was trying to do " so if a competitive golfer , swimmer , runner , only ever plays golf , runs or swims on there own they can claim to be the best golfer , runner , swimmer in the world

it's only once they compete or " compare " themselves to other golfers , runners or swimmers they'll be able to confirm they are the best in the world . or not
so i guess your right if we only ever use X brand potting mix & never use or compare it to anything else you could say it's the most biologically active potting mix money can buy

my experience of using both bunnings off the shelf potting mix , my own made mix & potting mix from people like @donothinggarden over many years , has definitely shaped what i think is worth my time money & effort , i would love to soil test what i make myself or the DIY compost / castings on a regular basis but that's not something i could afford to do , but my own microscope is definitely being considered along with the education of microbe identification in the near future

Again back to my point pine bark based mixes have naturally occuring microorganisms after they leave the factory. Due to how they are made.

I've had good experience with bunnings potting mixes, but i also treat them like potting mixes and fertigate regularly. Cannabis is a super heavy feeding plant thinking some basic CRF is gonna keep up is silly.

Regardless the point I wanted to make from the beginning still stands that these potting mixes are biologically active just because poor storage conditions potentially ruined them isn't there fault. I wasn't trying to say what's best. Probably not as biologically active as something like the super soils that have more surface area and food, But that isn't guaruanteed, depends how they are stored at the hydro shop as well.

 

[Donothing-garden]

Again back to my point pine bark based mixes have naturally occuring microorganisms after they leave the factory. Due to how they are made.

I've had good experience with bunnings potting mixes, but i also treat them like potting mixes and fertigate regularly. Cannabis is a super heavy feeding plant thinking some basic CRF is gonna keep up is silly.

Regardless the point I wanted to make from the beginning still stands that these potting mixes are biologically active just because poor storage conditions potentially ruined them isn't there fault. I wasn't trying to say what's best. Probably not as biologically active as something like the super soils that have more surface area and food, But that isn't guaruanteed, depends how they are stored at the hydro shop as well.

Ill add my 2 cents with a caveat that I'm not an expert... But have some decent knowledge on the subject. The microbial population in most Aussie composted pine bark fines would have a limited diversity, due to the synthetic nitrogen input used to feed them in order to quickly break it down. Limited feedstock equals limited numbers of anything other than bacterial. However, I think U could potentially blend it with other inputs that could promote higher numbers and greater diversity... Such as a mature "biocomplete" compost, multiple organic nutritional inputs to feed and encourage diversity etc.

However, the potting mixes in Bunnings are pretty devoid of diversity and even numbers of anything from what I've seen under a microscope. Probably due to crappy, unfinished compost, pinebark fines of varying quality and limited nutrients in forms that probably encourage a narrow band of bacterial numbers.

 

[itchybro]

Ahhh finally a sensible reply

now why couldn't i have said that = because i allowed myself to get caught up in a tit for tat bullshit game
my apologies to the readers of this thread , i try to stick to just trying to pay it forward but i'm not perfect & just as fellable as anybody else i guess

thanks DNG for taking the time to chop through the weeds to speak truth
& again my apologies to the serrated edge comminity

 

[Porky]

Ahhh finally a sensible reply

now why couldn't i have said that = because i allowed myself to get caught up in a tit for tat bullshit game
my apologies to the readers of this thread , i try to stick to just trying to pay it forward but i'm not perfect & just as fellable as anybody else i guess

thanks DNG for taking the time to chop through the weeds to speak truth
& again my apologies to the serrated edge comminity

Fuck I was almost about to bust the out if ya carried on any longer mate!!

 

[Donothing-garden]

Ahhh finally a sensible reply

now why couldn't i have said that = because i allowed myself to get caught up in a tit for tat bullshit game
my apologies to the readers of this thread , i try to stick to just trying to pay it forward but i'm not perfect & just as fellable as anybody else i guess

thanks DNG for taking the time to chop through the weeds to speak truth
& again my apologies to the serrated edge comminity

Haha no worries man!

 

[durban kid]

jeeze i just use aldi stuff lol nah really i get a mix from my local soil and sand guy that has duck poo in it its magic stuff best i have found so far its more soil than tree pieces best crop of tomatoes this year and the cucumbers loved it as well and the herb too

 

[mickythemoocher]

stumbled across this thread after some googling about this stuff and figured I'd join up to add my 2c. Have used this in the past a couple of times when I'm feeling lazy for germinating some seedlings. Probably not since some time in 2021 though last used.

I bought a bag early May and it killed every seed I put in it after having no issues getting them to pop in a paper towel. The batch of seeds I've been using for a while and trust. Have since got up and running back in quality medium once again without issues. Could have been a dodgy batch at around this time maybe, really not sure. I just figure worth shouting out I'd chuck this stuff on the no go zone for a while. Probably forever for me, once bitten twice shy and all that.