Ep 026: AJ on Kashi, IPM & Top-Dressing the 10x10

0:00 — 2:35

Intro and quadrant one walkthrough

AJ from Growing Organic introduces himself as guest host while Jeremy is away. It's been about a week since last film and they are on day 22 of flower. He starts with quadrant one, the Earth Box section, noting the plants were watered that morning, the prayer leaves starting to soften from water weight, and that vertical stretch is mostly done. Hairs are long, thin, and pronounced indicating good bud set, and he highlights genotype variation because this is a seed run not a clone run. He flags a concerning lower-leaf orange recede happening too early for this stage.

1. 1. Identify recently watered plants by prayer leaves softening from water weight on the leaf tips
2. 2. Observe hair pronouncement and pistil length as an indicator of bud set
3. 3. Note phenotype differences on seed-run plants for keeper selection criteria (yield, flower time, quality, fertility)
4. 4. Flag anomalous lower-leaf orange recede as something to watch and investigate

2:35 — 4:25

Plantman's kashi question — uses and lineage

Viewer Plantman asks whether kashi is only for compost or can be used directly in soil. AJ answers that kashi is a compost accelerator so it works for at-home bokashi bucket composting, thermophilic compost piles (helps temperatures climb faster), top-dressing, and initial soil mixes at 1-2% by volume. He explains kashi pairs beautifully with NPK top dresses like Craft Blend because its biology breaks those nutrients down faster, making them plant-available. Bokashi itself has much lower NPK and trace mineral numbers — its value is microbial activation and the mycelium-like mats (fungal or actinobacteria, still debated) that appear when microbes take off.

1. 1. For home bokashi composting: layer kashi in a bucket with food scraps until full, bury in the yard, wait ~4 weeks for ~90% breakdown
2. 2. For soil mixing: add kashi at 1-2% by volume to fresh soil batches
3. 3. For top-dressing: apply kashi alongside any top dress like Craft Blend to accelerate biological breakdown
4. 4. For thermophilic piles: add kashi to bring temperatures up faster

4:25 — 7:10

Growing Organic kashi recipe and fermentation process

AJ walks through Growing Organic's kashi recipe. The carbon source is the bulk — rice bran and wheat bran — with small additions of soybean meal and insect frass, plus gypsum and montmorillonite minerals. They ferment for two to three weeks, then remove from the barrel and dry quickly with fans only (no heat) to preserve microbial populations. After drying they mill whole malted barley on the spot and add it in, plus activated/charged biochar charged with Rootwise Microbe Complete — this is how they get Rootwise microbes into the mix since most wouldn't survive the fermentation itself. Biochar gives microbes a dormant habitat until water hits. He points viewers at Growing Organic's Instagram (@growing_organic) IGTV video for a 40-minute full-batch walkthrough. He also explains a minimal home recipe: wheat bran, EM1 or home-cultured lactic acid bacteria, molasses, water, and a contractor bag for anaerobic conditions. Originally bokashi was just for his own garden, growingorganic.com was intended as an educational site only, but demand turned it into their flagship product. They're also developing liquid fermentations with alfalfa and insect frass.

1. 1. Combine rice bran and wheat bran as the bulk carbon source
2. 2. Add small amounts of soybean meal and insect frass
3. 3. Add gypsum and montmorillonite minerals
4. 4. Ferment anaerobically for 2-3 weeks in a sealed barrel
5. 5. Remove from barrel and dry quickly using fans only — no heat
6. 6. Mill whole malted barley on the spot and blend in
7. 7. Add activated biochar that has been pre-charged with Rootwise Microbe Complete
8. 8. Home version: wheat bran plus EM1 or home-cultured LAB plus molasses and water, fermented anaerobically in a contractor bag

7:10 — 9:50

Quadrant two and integrated pest management

In quadrant two AJ notes the Branson's Royal Revenge plant is almost touching the second screen and has stopped stretching, though its canopy is tough to manage next to the taller Halitosis plants. Side lighting helps. He then answers an IPM question explaining his rotation: sulfur dip for incoming clones (crucial around local hemp farms with russet mite problems), Dr Zymes in the transition, and a hard separation rule — no oils for at least two weeks after sulfur (that includes Thermex, Jadam wetting agent, neem oil, karanja oil) or you'll get burn. When not using sulfur he uses Jadam wetting agent or Growing Organic's new Lactosopus probiotic castile soap mixed with neem oil. Neem must be properly emulsified. He says stop all sprays once in flower and instead release beneficial insects to carry through bloom. Spray once or twice a week in veg to prevent outbreaks because spider mite infestations in flower will persist to harvest.

1. 1. Dip incoming clones in sulfur to knock russet mites before bringing them into the room
2. 2. Wait at least two weeks after sulfur before applying any oils
3. 3. For routine veg IPM, spray Jadam wetting agent or Lactosopus probiotic castile soap mixed with properly emulsified neem oil once or twice per week
4. 4. Stop all sprays when flowering begins
5. 5. Release beneficial insects to carry pest pressure through flower

9:50 — 11:00

Defoliation on the Branson's plants

AJ plans to do light defoliation on the Branson's Royal Revenge plants in quadrants two and three because they are very leafy. Small lower branches that can't reach the screen get pulled, and fan leaves covering developing nugs get removed to open light penetration to the lower buds so they can mature. He again notes the concerning lower-leaf color change happening on multiple plants and stresses the importance of picking up on these small nuances as you walk the garden.

1. 1. Remove lower larf branches that are not reaching the screen
2. 2. Pluck fan leaves covering developing nugs for better light penetration
3. 3. Walk the garden attentively noting any leaf color changes or unusual signs

11:00 — 13:00

Top-dressing with Build-A-Flower and Build-A-Bloom

Answering a viewer question on Build-A-Flower and Build-A-Bloom, AJ explains these 10 gallon containers need to be top dressed before plants get hungry because it takes time for a top dress to become available. He tells the shop crew to top dress today so tomorrow's watering activates it, ideally early morning before water. Always water a little kashi in with the top dress to accelerate biological breakdown. Build-A-Flower can be stacked a few inches deep but don't fill the pot because you need headroom for future top dresses. Build-A-Bloom is a soluble water-in product — safe to stack with Build-A-Flower but don't push harder than once a week, start at the low dose and only increase if needed. If plants get hungry waiting for a top dress to become available, use Build-A-Bloom as an immediate food bridge.

1. 1. Top dress in 10 gal pots ahead of time — the day before a scheduled watering
2. 2. Apply top dress in the morning before watering so it is immediately activated
3. 3. Water in kashi with the top dress to accelerate biological availability
4. 4. Stack Build-A-Flower a few inches deep but leave headroom for future top dresses
5. 5. Use Build-A-Bloom once a week maximum, start at the low dose and increase only if the plant shows a need
6. 6. Use Build-A-Bloom as a soluble bridge feed if plants are hungry while waiting on a top dress to become available

13:00 — 13:55

Quadrant four companion bed and chop-and-drop

In the companion vegetable quadrant all the lettuce was chop-and-dropped — cut off at the base, broken up, laid on the pot, dusted with kashi blend, then topped with Build-A-Flower. They'll let the bed sit to break down before Jeremy replants it when he returns. AJ notes the peppers, tomatoes (larger than last visit), kale, and clover are all still looking healthy in their small containers.

1. 1. Chop lettuce at the base and break up the biomass
2. 2. Lay the chopped lettuce directly on the pot surface
3. 3. Dust with kashi blend to inoculate the residue
4. 4. Top with Build-A-Flower
5. 5. Let the bed rest to break down before replanting

13:55 — 15:15

Corey's kombucha question

Viewer Corey asks about using kombucha in the garden. AJ recommends foliar applications starting at 1-2 oz per gallon and testing before rolling it out across the whole garden. He's experimenting with freeze-dried SCOBY to use in fermentations and suspects kombucha in a fermentation is a good idea but hasn't done it yet. Corey's kombucha is four to five months old, which depending on sugar content means likely alcohol buildup — not necessarily bad for foliar use but dilute appropriately and be aware of it.

1. 1. Start kombucha foliar at 1-2 oz per gallon
2. 2. Test on a small area before whole-garden rollout
3. 3. Check for alcohol smell or taste on aged kombucha (4-5 months) and dilute accordingly
4. 4. Experimental: freeze-dry SCOBY for use as a powder in sprays or fermentations

15:15 — 15:39

Outro and next week

AJ thanks viewers and says there will be one more video next week before Jeremy returns. He invites more questions in the comments about the garden, about him, or about kashi, and signs off.