Compost tea, kashi, sprouted seed tea, top dress, amendments, feed
171 terms
A rarer deeper watering event using roughly 10 percent of soil volume to make sure the entire column (including the bottom) is fully wet.
Jeremy did a single 10 percent deep watering (two shaping cans) at the start of flip to confirm the bottom of the big bed wasn't dry.
ep 020
Applying water equal to roughly 5 percent of the total soil volume per watering, typically every other day during heavy stretch.
Jeremy's baseline watering math for the 3x3 no-till bed. He delivers each event through a Chapin pump sprayer with a 1 gal/min nozzle, pumping the full tank into the bed.
ep 007, ep 011, ep 020
A phylum of gram-positive bacteria that form branching filaments similar to fungi and contribute to decomposition and disease suppression in soil.
AJ says the mycelium-looking mats on kashi might actually be actinobacteria rather than true fungi — the community still debates it.
ep 026
Biochar that has been pre-charged with a microbial inoculant so it serves as a habitat and delivery vehicle for beneficial microbes in the finished amendment.
Growing Organic charges biochar with Rootwise Microbe Complete and adds it post-fermentation so the live microbes survive into the bag and stay dormant until water activates them.
ep 026
A compost tea brewer design that uses upward-moving air bubbles to both aerate the water and lift/circulate the compost, preferred by Tim Wilson for high dissolved oxygen.
Jeremy says BuildASoil publishes a free tutorial on its blog for building your own airlift compost tea brewer and notes Tim Wilson prefers the airlift style.
ep 014
A liquid brew made with kashi blend and molasses that Alan from GrowKashi waters into the EarthBox reservoir — a variation on compost tea.
Jeremy mentions Alan's akashi tea as a different EarthBox style that works — Alan also uses a lot of EM1.
ep 029
A BuildASoil-style fermentation of alfalfa with molasses and lactic acid bacteria used as an active soil input.
Host groups it alongside insect frass ferment as his analogue to KNF fermentation.
ep 027
The bicarbonate content of water — distinct from pH. High alkalinity water can lock up nutrients (especially calcium) in the soil even if pH is not extreme.
On acreage with alkaline water, growers add acid to water to bind the bicarbonate, not to change pH for its own sake.
ep 005
Water's buffering capacity from dissolved bicarbonate and carbonate — high alkalinity can drive soil pH up over time even if water pH looks fine.
Jeremy distinguishes alkalinity from pH for well water and says you might actually add acid to knock down bicarbonate rather than trust a pH reading.
ep 007
Water-soluble organic nitrogen in amino-acid form — non-burning and immediately plant-available compared to raw blood meal or other protein breakdown.
Jeremy explains that amino acid products are safe to add in flower because they won't burn the plant or cause foxtailing from excess nitrogen. Build-a-soil aminos are soy-based and pure protein dry is freeze-dried fish hydrolysate.
ep 028
A microbial conversion process run in the absence of oxygen, essential for bokashi-style LAB fermentations.
AJ stresses bokashi needs anaerobic (no-oxygen) conditions, which is why the home recipe uses a sealed contractor bag.
ep 026
A natural biochemical coating on seeds that prevents premature germination. Nature uses it so seeds don't sprout at the first light rain — enough water must rinse it away before the seed commits to sprouting.
Jeremy explains this is why you drain and rinse the initial soak water off rather than feeding it to plants.
ep 033
A specific regulatory phrase meaning a product complies with NOP rules — not the same as being produced organically.
Jeremy warns this language lets feedlot-derived, GMO-pesticide-fed animal material legally wear the organic label.
ep 008
The chemical form of carbonate in water that drives alkalinity. In high concentrations it locks up soil calcium and causes low yields unless neutralized with acid.
Jeremy points to orchard acreage where growers must acidify water specifically to bind bicarbonates.
ep 005
A physiological disorder in tomatoes where the blossom (bottom) end of the fruit turns dark brown due to calcium transport failures caused primarily by inconsistent watering and secondarily by nutrient deficits.
Jeremy pulls one tomato because of 'the bottom end rot' and blames 'infrequent waterings' plus 'a really small container' — says top-dressing with coco and Craft Blend stopped it.
ep 014, ep 035
A fermented green created by inoculating a carbon source (grain bran) with lactic acid bacteria under anaerobic conditions to produce a probiotic soil amendment.
AJ calls bokashi 'a fermented green it's that simple' and says all you really need is a carbon source, LAB, molasses, and water in anaerobic conditions.
ep 026
Blossom end rot in tomatoes — a physiological disorder where the bottom of the fruit turns black from calcium transport failure caused by inconsistent watering.
Jeremy's indoor full-sized tomato has bottom-end rot despite having nutrients — the watering inconsistency in a 3-gallon container is the root cause. Cherry tomatoes in the same container would have been fine because fruit turnover is much faster.
ep 028, ep 029
How long compost tea is aerated before use — Jeremy's rule of thumb is 24 hours target, 36 hours maximum, 12 hours if time-constrained, and never longer than 48 hours.
He warns that running past 48 hours can bloom and then crash the bacteria and fungi because the tea is in water, not soil.
ep 014
BuildASoil's compost and worm castings product used as a layering amendment during no-till bed rebuild.
Jeremy says he builds a layer up with craft blend, build-a-flower (compost + worm castings) and mulch on top.
ep 029
BuildASoil top-dress amendment blend designed for flower stage feeding.
Applied as a top dress in quadrants 1 and 3 and also brewed into compost tea.
ep 018
An oilseed residue used in craft blend as a nitrogen-rich seed meal.
Named as one of the seed meals in craft blend alongside karanja.
ep 029
Technique of swinging the Easy Sprout vessel in circles after rinsing to throw out excess water via centrifugal force, leaving seeds at perfect moisture without pooling water.
Jeremy demonstrates the swinging motion — a morning-stretch-like swing in both directions — to strip excess rinse water so the seeds breathe properly.
ep 033
A unit of water volume Jeremy uses equal to one Chapin tank filling — he specifies one Chapin equals roughly three and a half gallons of water.
The written instructions for the earth boxes say to water one Chapin full every other day, and scale back as stretch slows.
ep 024
A handheld pressurized pump sprayer, nozzle removed, used here as a controlled water pour for filling container reservoirs.
Jeremy pumps it up, pulls the nozzle off and locks the trigger on so he can auto-water a reservoir while he handles other tasks.
ep 022
Disinfectant compounds in municipal tap water that can harm microbial biology but are rapidly broken down by active living soil.
Jeremy says living soil 'rips chlorine and chloramine apart' and the mulch/kashi/probiotic stack further filters incoming tap water.
ep 007
Cut leaves and trimmings are dropped directly onto the same container's soil surface as mulch/feed rather than removed and discarded.
Jeremy says it isn't usually recommended indoors but is the BuildASoil way — the plant feeds itself.
ep 015
The sprouted seed tea technique as developed and shared by forum user Clackamas Coot, who experimented with every seed type to formalise SST recipes.
Jeremy explicitly credits Coot as the originator of SST and says almost any seed works as long as you follow the method.
ep 033
Water with near-zero parts per million of dissolved solids — the assumption behind Jeremy's 'no pH' advice. If you use well water, ditch water, or farm on acreage, you cannot make this assumption.
Jeremy's 'ignore the pH pen' rule requires clean filtered water as input.
ep 005
Using the carbon dioxide that actively fruiting mushrooms or mushroom bags exhale to passively enrich CO2 levels in a grow room.
Jeremy explains that exhale CO2 bags are basically mushroom bags that breathe CO2, and that the local mushroom farm ducts its mushroom CO2 into its aquaponics grow. He plans to do the same with a 4x4 gourmet mushroom tent feeding the 10x10.
ep 002
The organic growing philosophy of adding small amounts of many products together rather than single-nutrient dosing — treats the soil-plant system as interrelated.
Jeremy explicitly contrasts this to Western medicine-style single-pill nutrient thinking. In organics single-nutrient fixes cause domino effects because adding one nutrient reveals a shortage in another — cocktail feeding avoids this.
ep 028
Colorado Worm Company worm castings — Jeremy's local favourite, harvested the day of ordering and shipped weekly.
Jeremy says Coco is so nutrient-loaded he can't use it inside the base BAS recipes because volume would blow through the supply.
ep 007
A microbial inoculant that speeds up the breakdown of organic matter in compost piles and top-dressed amendments.
AJ classifies kashi as a compost accelerator because it helps thermophilic piles reach temperature faster and breaks down NPK amendments faster after top-dressing.
ep 026
An aerated brew of compost, microbes and sometimes nutrients applied to soil or leaves. Jeremy notes teas are optional (you can just top dress) but many growers and plants benefit.
Jeremy explicitly says compost tea is about biology, that 'good compost is important' is the one thing nobody argues about, and that his basic recipe is 4 gallons water + 1.5 cups castings + 1/3 cup molasses aerated 24 hours.
ep 001, ep 014, ep 015, ep 018
An aerated brew of water, compost, and a carbohydrate food source bubbled for ~24 hours to multiply beneficial microbes.
Jeremy's base recipe (credited to Microbe Man): 4 gallons water, 1.5 cups premium compost, 1/3 cup molasses. Today he swaps molasses for fish.
ep 017
A pre-packaged dry amendment kit based on Jeff Lowenfels / Clackamas Coot's living soil recipe, including kelp meal, neem / karanja, crab meal, gypsum, etc.
Jeremy's standard source of kelp meal in the soil build
ep 004
Pinching off lower cannabis leaves and dropping them onto the mulch so they decay in place and feed the soil biology.
Jeremy points to decaying pinched leaves already visible on the mulch layer of the 3x3 bed — they're becoming mulch themselves.
ep 011
A dry/crumbled amendment Jeremy ran through his recycled soil alongside cover crop to recharge the bed.
Mentioned in passing as 'we did run some cover crop and some crackling through it.' Exact composition not specified in this episode.
ep 014
BuildASoil's all-in-one dry amendment — a blend of roughly 15 ingredients covering seed meals (camelina, karanja), minerals for calcium and phosphorus, and rock dust.
Jeremy plans to top dress Craft Blend across the 10-gallons and Earth Boxes before flipping to flower and notes it can also be brewed directly into the tea as an alternative or addition.
ep 001, ep 002, ep 004, ep 007, ep 010, ep 014
Applying BuildASoil Craft Blend — a diverse dry amendment mix containing alfalfa meal, kelp meal, crustacean meal, malted barley, rock dust and gypsum among ~15 ingredients — as a surface feeding layer.
Jeremy uses a half cup on the front and a half cup toward the back of the 3.0 Earth Box for a full cup total, noting that Earth Boxes let you go heavier on top dressing than a normal living soil bed.
ep 012
The amount of oxygen dissolved in the brew water — higher dissolved oxygen keeps aerobic microbes alive and thriving and is the whole purpose of aerating compost tea.
Jeremy credits Tim Wilson with the practice of opening up pumps to allow more air for higher dissolved oxygen and a better tea; going down the rabbit hole means studying dissolved oxygen, temperature and altitude.
ep 014
The emitter at the end of a drip line that controls flow rate and distribution pattern.
Jeremy promises to cover multiple drip head types with pros and cons so viewers with different kits can follow along.
ep 042
An automated irrigation system that delivers water through small emitters directly to each container.
Season 2 will use a drip system in the 5-gallon quadrant, driven by the Niwa controller's irrigation function.
ep 042
Metaphor for the earth box sub-irrigated planter — anything you add to the top 'gets eaten' by the container because the clean reservoir below keeps roots safe from overfeed.
Jeremy credits Alan Atkinson with teaching him this framing — 'it's like a stomach'.
ep 015
A small countertop seed-sprouting vessel used for producing kitchen sprouts for eating and for starting SST.
Jeremy mentions the Easy Sprout as the tool he'll use for the upcoming alfalfa and corn sprouts demonstration.
ep 030
A specialised multi-piece sprouting cup with an inner colander-insert, small-seed insert, and breathable lid. Designed to hold perfect moisture via ventilation rather than sealing seeds off.
Jeremy's favourite sprouting tool — has owned some for years. Sold at BuildASoil as well as direct from Easy Sprout company.
ep 033
A probiotic consortium of bacteria, yeasts and lactic acid organisms used to ferment plant inputs and drop pH into shelf-stable territory.
Jeremy names EM-1 as the core of EM-5 fermentation.
ep 018
Effective Microorganisms — a liquid probiotic inoculant of lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, and phototrophic bacteria, used by Jeremy to clean the Earthbox reservoir between cycles.
Used to clean the reservoir if running many back-to-back cycles
ep 004
Effective Microorganisms 1 — a commercial probiotic culture containing lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, and phototrophic bacteria commonly used as a bokashi starter.
Named as one of two acceptable starter cultures for a home bokashi fermentation, alongside home-cultured LAB.
ep 026
Jeremy's mental model — over-watering suffocates soil biology the way starving an engine of air kills combustion, and once corrected the engine fires on all cylinders again.
He uses the analogy to reassure new growers that over-watering is recoverable.
ep 020
A commercial mycelium bag marketed to home growers that exhales CO2 as the fungus respires, used as a passive source of supplemental CO2.
Jeremy references exhale CO2 bags to explain that a gourmet mushroom grow is just a scaled up version of the same idea.
ep 002
Giving a recovering plant an additional small application of compost tea to deliver water-available nutrients the plant doesn't have to work for.
Used as part of the over-watering rebound strategy — nutrients already water-soluble so the stressed plant can uptake easily.
ep 042
Jeremy's term for inputs used by 'lower priced quasi-organic companies' that technically qualify as organic but come from sources BAS won't use. The BAS nutrient kit explicitly contains no bone meal or blood meal.
'Beautiful no bone meal no blood meal none of that fake organic that you get from a lot of the other lower priced quasi-organic companies.'
ep 003
Sticking a finger into the top of the soil to check moisture — unreliable alone because the top can be wet while the rest of the column is dry.
Jeremy warns the finger check would have said 'wet' when the pot lift test showed the whole container was actually dry.
ep 020
A chemically extracted liquid fish fertiliser where solvents are used to break down the fish — opposed to hydrolysate.
Jeremy explicitly says fish emulsion is heavy chemical action and that you want hydrolysate instead.
ep 029
A water-extracted liquid fish fertiliser made without harsh chemicals — contains proteins, enzymes and whole fish nutrition broken down by water and enzymatic action.
Jeremy specifies hydrolysate over emulsion for liquid fish feeds because the emulsion is heavy chemical extraction while the hydrolysate is a water solution.
ep 029
Jeremy's rule of thumb to water no more than five percent of soil volume per event to avoid overwatering.
Jeremy blames violating his own five percent rule for the one overwatered Branson's Royal Revenge when rushing at end of day.
ep 015
Jeremy's watering guideline where each daily or per-session water addition is roughly 5 to 10 percent of the container volume, keeping moisture consistent without over or under watering.
Jeremy references this rule as the reason living soil is easy to leave with a sitter because all the sitter has to do is add the right 5 to 10 percent volume without worrying about pH or feeding.
ep 022
A spray applied directly to plant leaves so nutrients or probiotic inputs are absorbed through the stomata and cuticle.
AJ recommends starting kombucha foliar at 1-2 oz per gallon and testing before rolling out to the whole garden.
ep 026
The distinction between live, biologically-active castings pulled straight from an active worm bin vs bagged castings which still work but have been sitting and lost some activity.
Jeremy explicitly says fresh from your own worm bin is the preferred way to go for compost tea.
ep 014
A tea or soil biology state tilted toward fungi (vs bacteria) — often sought for flowering and perennial plants.
Jeremy adds two teaspoons of 10-way organic vitality mushroom blend to the tea for fungal dominance — 'no other reason than it's fun.'
ep 017
BuildASoil's sprouted seed top-dress blend — originally sprouted hemp, sprouted barley, and sprouted corn that are sprouted and dried at a food-grade lab so the seed nutrition is already enzymatically active.
Jeremy grinds it up in a bullet blender today because hemp can still sprout even after lab processing — and a 1-inch hemp seedling in the mulch can drop pollen. BuildASoil is switching sprouted hemp to sprouted lentil in the recipe.
ep 029, ep 030
Growing Organic brand calcium foliar product, applied at the beginning of flower to 'load up on calcium'.
Jeremy foliar sprayed Grow Cow in water alone at the start of flower and got a phenomenal plant response.
ep 018
Calcium sulfate — used in living soil to add calcium without raising pH and to displace excess sodium in sodic soils.
Jeremy calls gypsum a tool he always keeps on hand. In no-runoff living soil, gypsum can help excess nutrients leech out over time and cannabis is a heavy calcium user so keeping calcium high is standard practice.
ep 007, ep 028
Aloe vera concentrate added to irrigation water as a source of natural saponins and plant-beneficial compounds, typically dosed around one teaspoon per gallon.
Jeremy adds a small sprinkle of BuildASoil horticultural aloe to his drench. He says many customers swear by it and the label rate is one teaspoon per gallon but he eyeballs it.
ep 002, ep 018
The black humic acid granules in micronutrient products like big six, TM7 and cytoplus — they act as a natural chelator and carrier for the micronutrient load and settle out in water.
Jeremy explains that the granules settling to the bottom of your mix is expected — the micronutrients have already released into solution. You pour off the top and dump the humic dregs into one of your containers.
ep 028
The BuildASoil stance that growers should be able to source ingredients locally and make their own inputs — BuildASoil products are convenience, not a requirement.
Jeremy explicitly says their goal is to create independence for the grower — in case BuildASoil closes or logistics fail (as happened in Hawaii during Covid).
ep 033
The dried excrement of insects used as a soil amendment rich in chitin, trace minerals, and microbial food.
Included in Growing Organic's kashi recipe in small amounts and also being used as the basis for a new liquid fermentation product.
ep 026
A BuildASoil-style fermentation of insect frass with molasses and lactic acid bacteria used as an active soil input.
Host describes it as similar to KNF but using molasses and LAB rather than brown sugar.
ep 027
A continuation of Korean Natural Farming developed by Master Cho's son — documented in a book of the same name.
Jeremy references Jadam as a natural farming lineage from Master Cho's son that he respects.
ep 017
A seed meal from the karanja tree used as a nitrogen-rich plant-based amendment in craft blend.
Named as one of the seed meals in craft blend alongside camelina.
ep 029
Growing Organic's flagship fermented bran-based bokashi blend used as a compost accelerator, top-dress inoculant, and soil mix additive to drive microbial activation.
Jeremy sprinkles BuildASoil Kashi salt-and-pepper style over fresh compost and chopped leaf mulch — notes existing Kashi from last time is still fuzzy and active with pot worms and predator mites.
ep 014, ep 017, ep 026
A fermented bran-based microbial inoculant used in living soil and organic growing, derived from Japanese bokashi but styled as 'kashi' by Growing Organic.
AJ and his wife's company Growing Organic makes a kashi blend product that BuildASoil carries and Jeremy uses in this grow.
ep 024
Fermented bran-and-microbe inoculant used as a soil additive to kickstart breakdown of amendments and leaves.
Jeremy says kashi is 'do-it-yourself, local, regional' and specifically calls out GrowKashi plus the local Kashi Blend. He typically sprinkles it on a fresh top dress to start breakdown.
ep 015, ep 027
A fermented probiotic + organic-input topdress sprinkled onto the finished soil at a rate of half a pound per 70 gallons. Jeremy describes it as 'full of probiotics, all fermented together, with organic inputs similar to our soil' — used to seed the final mix with life.
Jeremy says it is not strictly necessary (the Craft Blend already covers nutrition) but he likes it because of the biology and because it grows a white mycelium bloom on the surface over the next few days.
ep 001, ep 002, ep 003, ep 004, ep 007, ep 010
Sprinkling gro-kashi (fermented bran inoculant) onto the top of the mulch layer to intelligently break down the mulch and deliver nutrients into the soil.
Alan from gro-kashi taught Jeremy this method. White mycelium visible under the mulch is the result. Used in the Earth Boxes and the 3x3 bed.
ep 011
Dry, granulated kelp used as a soil amendment that releases a gelatin when mixed with soil and delivers a wide array of trace minerals.
Jeremy's rule: less is more. Only adds at initial soil build as part of Coots kit; top-dress at re-amend if adding again
ep 004
Jeremy's verbal acronym in this episode; Koboko refers to his Bokashi amendment loaded with P and K, Cowoco is his acronym for Colorado Worm Company castings.
Jeremy says 'if you hear me say cowoco that's the acronym we've chosen to use' for Colorado Worm Company. Koboko is the P-K heavy amendment he plans to add for the late-flower swell.
ep 031
A fermented sweetened tea produced by a SCOBY — can be used as a garden foliar input rich in organic acids, B vitamins, and beneficial microbes.
Viewer Corey asked about using his 4-5 month old kombucha — AJ recommends 1-2 oz per gallon foliar, warns older brews may have alcohol from residual sugars.
ep 026
A fermentation-based input system using brown sugar and other ferments to create biologically active amendments and teas.
Mr Maximus asks if KNF can be used in no-till. Host says yes — the BuildASoil alfalfa and insect frass fermentation is similar but substitutes molasses and lactic acid bacteria for brown sugar.
ep 017, ep 027
A family of gram-positive fermentation bacteria used as the primary inoculant in bokashi and other probiotic soil amendments.
Used alongside molasses in BuildASoil's insect-frass and alfalfa fermentations as an alternative to traditional KNF brown-sugar osmotic ferments.
ep 026, ep 027
Homemade fish fertilizer stabilized by lactobacillus fermentation instead of acidification.
Jeremy mentions BuildASoil teaches viewers to make their own lacto-fermented fish as an alternative to buying phosphoric-acid-stabilized liquid fish.
ep 008
A genus of lactic-acid-producing bacteria cultured as a homemade ferment for soil and foliar use in organic growing.
Listed alongside kashi blend as one of the ferments AJ's company Growing Organic produces.
ep 025
Alternating layers of compost and chopped leaf mulch on top of a no-till container to feed biology, suppress gnats, and build soil in place.
Jeremy describes inch of compost then a layer of leaves — this 'suffocates' gnats and creates habitat for rove beetles, predator mites, and springtails.
ep 015, ep 017
Jeremy's framing for simple sugars in compost tea and root exudates — a bioavailable carbon source that feeds soil microbes much like plant sugars sent down through the roots do in nature.
He ties this to how sun drives photosynthesis which drives root exudates down into the soil as liquid carbon that builds biology.
ep 014
A wet-phase microbial fermentation of a carbon or protein source to produce a concentrated liquid probiotic/enzyme amendment.
Growing Organic is expanding beyond kashi into liquid fermentations using alfalfa and insect frass as substrates.
ep 026
A liquid nitrogen-rich fish hydrolysate used as a top-down liquid nutrient in living soil beds.
Jeremy fed it as a teaching moment for how to add liquid nutrients into the top of a no-till bed.
ep 030
Hand watering rather than automated irrigation — valued not just for control but because the daily act of walking the grow to water is what keeps the grower present with the plants.
Jeremy says manual watering is beneficial even when you have automation because it forces daily presence. The farmer's shadow aphorism grounds this.
ep 024
Enzymes produced by soil microbes that break down amendments so plants can absorb them.
Jeremy says RootWise Enzyme is the same microbes fed until they produce their enzymes.
ep 015
Organic mineral inputs ground to very fine particle size so they are more readily available to plants and soil biology via water.
Jeremy describes BuildABloom as micronized organic minerals watered in as a mid-flower supplement.
ep 024
Finely ground soft rock phosphate — the base ingredient in build-a-bloom, gives a high-P middle number for flower and contains calcium.
Jeremy says build-a-bloom was designed to be paired with a compost-heavy living soil that's already potassium-sufficient, filling the typical phosphorus gap seen in large-container soil tests.
ep 028
The pre-measured pouch of rock dust, calcium, and other mineral amendments that comes with the Take-and-Bake kit — sized for 9 cubic feet of soil. Sprinkled on top of the layered mix before the final stir.
All ingredients are published online; you can buy them separately.
ep 003
A by-product of sugar refining used in compost teas as a simple sugar source to feed microbes; Jeremy notes molasses also provides trace minerals beyond just sugar.
He acknowledges the 'never use molasses' crowd who argue it biases toward bacteria over fungi, but sides with Tim Wilson's observation-based recommendation that molasses works.
ep 014
A weathered volcanic clay with high cation exchange capacity used to add paramagnetic minerals and buffer capacity to soil and amendments.
Used in small amounts with gypsum as the mineral portion of the Growing Organic kashi recipe.
ep 026
Watering the grow first thing in the morning when lights come on, aligning irrigation with the plant's active uptake period.
Jeremy admits he has been watering in the afternoon lately because the company is busy — not ideal but not catastrophic.
ep 033
The concept that a fruiting mushroom log inside a sealed grow room off-gasses CO2 that feeds plant photosynthesis — a side benefit some growers exploit.
Jeremy acknowledges this is real and worth looking into but clarifies BuildASoil is selling the shiitake log as food, not as a CO2 device.
ep 011
A white, web-like growth visible on a fermented or composted substrate, indicating active fungal or actinobacteria colonisation.
AJ notes the mats seen on active kashi may be fungal or actinobacteria — it's still up for debate — but they indicate the microbes are really taking off.
ep 026
A symbiotic association between fungi and plant roots that extends the root's effective reach for water and nutrients.
Jeremy references mycorrhizae as the focus of Rootwise Microbe Complete used earlier in veg.
ep 017
The symbiotic relationship between mycorrhizal fungi and plant roots where the fungi colonise the root to trade nutrients for sugars.
Jeremy wants Rootwise mycorrhizae in contact with brand new clone roots immediately to kickstart the association.
ep 021
A microbial blend of mycorrhizal fungi and bacteria applied to soil or roots to establish the symbiotic root network at transplant time.
Jeremy uses Rootwise Mycorrhizal Blend at one tablespoon per 3.5 gallons and also dry-shakes it into the cover crop bag for farm-scale inoculation.
ep 007
The deliberate addition of mycorrhizal fungi spores or propagules to soil or root zones to establish symbiotic colonies.
Host lists 'constant mycorrhizal inoculation' and Rootwise as key to maintaining fungal life in no-till.
ep 027
The USDA ruleset defining what ingredients and processes qualify as organic.
Jeremy names this as the underlying authority OMRI references when listing approved products.
ep 008
The biological conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into plant-available forms by legume root nodule bacteria such as Rhizobium in clover.
AJ says the clover flowering in quadrant four does great for nitrogen fixation and keeping roots in the ground.
ep 025
Irrigating living soil beds so no water drains out the bottom, preventing nutrient leaching and salt-loss build-up over time.
Jeremy says 'we almost never have water coming out the bottom, we're just trying to water just right'.
ep 007
The pre-measured pouch of plant nutrients in the Take-and-Bake kit, sized for 9 cubic feet. Notably does NOT contain bone meal or blood meal — Jeremy calls those 'fake organic' inputs used by lower-priced quasi-organic companies.
Ingredient list is fully public — BAS is transparent about every input.
ep 003
A hybrid of a compost tea and a liquid feed where enough amendment and hydrolysate are added that the brew contributes significant fertility beyond biology.
Jeremy suspects his BuildAFlower + Gem fish hydrolysate brew was more of a nutrient tea than a pure microbial compost tea.
ep 018
A BuildASoil biologically-active liquid product that develops internal gas pressure from live microbes, causing its bottle to bulge as microbes continue to work.
Host demonstrates a bulging bottle in the retail shop and says it is normal for bottles to puff up at home after a couple of feedings when conditions warm up, because the liquid is very active with microbes.
ep 027
A paid certification from the Organic Materials Review Institute that a product's ingredients conform to the National Organic Program guidelines and are allowed for organic use.
Jeremy explains OMRI is a listing company that reads the NOP rules, verifies a product qualifies, and for a fee adds it to their list — this then greases the wheels for farm certification.
ep 008
A feeding philosophy — do not dump all the nutrients in immediately-available form. Add small amounts continuously to keep the soil 'fire' burning without boom-bust cycles.
Jeremy credits Kevin from Rootwise with this teaching — if you dump everything at once the plants boom and bust.
ep 029
Inputs and processes that are themselves organic from source, as distinct from merely qualifying for the organic-use label.
Jeremy drives this distinction as the heart of his organic philosophy — it matters where the thing came from, not just what seals it wears.
ep 008
The mechanism by which KNF uses brown sugar to pull plant nutrients out of raw material into a ferment via a concentration gradient.
Host explains KNF uses a lot of brown sugar for this effect; BuildASoil uses molasses and LAB instead for a slightly different fermentation.
ep 027
The period after an over-watering incident during which the soil biology re-oxygenates and the plant resumes normal growth — cost is usually about a week of lost growth.
Jeremy points out the back plant that he previously over-watered has fully recovered, with beautiful new growth and good color.
ep 020
Scattering more seed than necessary without careful placement — creates competition but ensures good germination coverage.
Jeremy uses the term on his over-seeded greens tray — says it causes long stretchy vines because the plants compete but it still covers.
ep 011
The brief period in seed germination when enzymes are at their maximum concentration — right when the white root tail is just emerging from the seed but has not yet grown out.
Jeremy says if the tail has grown long, you missed the peak. Ideally SST on day 2 or day 3 of the process.
ep 033
Food-grade phosphoric acid added to liquid fish fertilizer to prevent rot in the bottle until dilution.
Jeremy explains this is the same phosphoric acid used in soda pop and is allowed under organic rules only in small amounts that stabilize, not amounts that inflate the fertilizer's phosphorus number.
ep 008
The biology-assisted movement of phosphorus from bound soil forms into plant-available forms, important for bloom.
Jeremy says Rootwise BioPhos is the bloom-gear biology product focused on phosphorus mobility, distinct from Microbe Complete which is more about mycorrhizae establishment.
ep 017
Microbes that convert locked-up soil phosphorus into plant-available forms, especially important at the transition into flower.
Jeremy says RootWise BioPhos contains phosphorus mobilizers plus other enzyme-producing bacteria — 'a very diverse consortium'.
ep 015
Nutrients already in a chemical form the plant can absorb immediately, characteristic of hydroponic bottle feeds with guaranteed NPK numbers.
Jeremy contrasts this with soil-bound nutrients on the cation exchange to explain why living soil handles wet/dry cycles differently.
ep 008
Lifting a container by hand each morning to feel its weight as a direct test of how much water is left — lighter means drier.
Jeremy lifts the 10-gallon every morning; he caught one that was very light even though the top still felt wet.
ep 020
Applying a top dress of compost and amendments to the soil surface just before the flip, specifically to encourage feeder roots to migrate up into the mulch layer so that future top dresses are received quickly.
Jeremy left 7.5 gallons of soil in a 10-gallon container deliberately so he could preload a top dress in the headroom. Two-plus weeks later feeder roots are fishbone-laddered through the mulch layer.
ep 024
Jeremy's visual confirmation of peak saturation — he waters until about a quarter inch of runoff appears under the container, meaning the soil column is fully charged with water.
He uses runoff quantity as a diagnostic on the stressed Los Oli plant rather than a meter.
ep 012
A lower hole or port on a sub-irrigated container that lets excess water escape so the reservoir cannot flood the soil.
Jeremy watches for water running out of the overflow as the signal to immediately stop filling. Optional catch trays can collect the overflow to dump out later.
ep 022
The safe period in an EarthBox cycle when the reservoir is empty — this is when you can safely top-water a liquid feed without over-watering.
Jeremy's entire FAQ answer hinges on this window — food goes on top, then wait 24 hours for small plants before refilling the bottom, or do both same-day for big plants.
ep 029
Water filtered through a reverse osmosis membrane down to near zero parts per million of dissolved solids, stripped of its minerals; known as dead water.
Jeremy answers a viewer question and says living soil growers avoid RO because it is wasteful (up to fifty percent waste), lacks minerals and can leach minerals from soil, though it is fine in an earth box where the compost supplies minerals.
ep 002
Finely ground rock included in the BAS mineral kit as a slow-release mineral source. Part of the pre-measured mineral component along with calcium and other minerals.
Jeremy: 'we're talking rock dust and calcium and all the good stuff.'
ep 003
Sugars and other compounds plants secrete from their roots into the rhizosphere to feed and recruit beneficial microbes.
Jeremy uses root exudates as the natural analogue justifying why molasses in a compost tea feeds biology the same way.
ep 014
A microbial inoculant added to irrigation water to biologically enrich the root zone and any seed beds.
Jeremy says he loves this product and adds it to his seeding water so the newly sown lettuce, carrot and radish beds get a microbial boost.
ep 030
A liquid product containing the enzymes produced when Rootwise bacteria and microbes are fed on organic non-GMO substrate, bottled with a live scoby.
Jeremy uses it like 'lighter fluid for the fire' after top dressing or at transplant. Label dose is 3-5 ml per gallon; he uses 15 ml in ~3.5 gallons. Refrigerate.
ep 010
A microbial inoculant containing beneficial biology that colonises plant roots, helping them uptake nutrients and tolerate over- and under-watering.
Jeremy says living soil growers know it is about the biology. He doses about a tablespoon per three to five gallon bucket and points to the white furry roots on a seedling as evidence it is working.
ep 002, ep 010
BuildASoil's saponin-rich extract powder made from Saponaria, dosed at less than a quarter teaspoon per gallon as a drench or higher for foliar pest protection.
Jeremy uses 'less than a quarter teaspoon per gallon' and one 2 oz bag lasts him many grows even at every watering.
ep 009
A pure saponin extract from Quillaja soap bark used as a natural wetting agent and mild plant tonic in living soil irrigation. BuildASoil's version is around twenty percent saponin.
Jeremy introduces BuildASoil's new Saponaria in its initial packaging (label in progress). He drops under a teaspoon into the sprayer and it immediately foams up, showing how little is needed.
ep 002
A plant-derived natural foaming compound (found in Saponaria and other plants) used as an organic wetting agent. When stirred into water it creates foam that helps spread moisture evenly through peat-based soil mixes.
Jeremy reaches for saponin when one of the 10-gallon pots is so dry that water runs straight through — the saponin breaks the tension and he gets full saturation with no runoff.
ep 002, ep 003, ep 004, ep 018, ep 020, ep 021
Naturally occurring plant compounds (from plants like Saponaria officinalis) that act as surfactants and are used by some growers as a foliar additive for pest protection.
Jeremy tells viewers to search Google Scholar for 'saponin plant growth promotant' to see the literature on natural plant saponin benefits in the garden.
ep 009, ep 010
A soil lab method that uses a saturated soil-water paste to estimate nutrient availability, in contrast to the tiny dry scoop used for a standard test.
Jeremy prefers the saturated paste test because the regular test uses 'the tiniest scoop ever' and is unreliable. He sends a cup of Take and Bake soil to the lab as a comparison sample.
ep 010
A laboratory soil test method using a saturated paste extract to measure plant-available nutrients and soluble salts.
Jeremy says BAS publishes saturated paste test reports for every recipe in the product photo section at buildasoil.com and will update them quarterly.
ep 007
Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast — the cellulose mat that forms on kombucha fermentations, containing acetic acid bacteria and yeasts.
Jeremy reassures viewers the little scoby floating in the Rootwise Elixir bottle is a good sign, not a contamination, and compares it to vinegar or kombucha.
ep 010, ep 021, ep 026
A kelp-derived liquid product extracted using potassium hydroxide — delivers plant hormones, a flower boost, and a hit of potassium.
The high K number in seaweed extract comes both from seaweed itself and from the potassium hydroxide extraction chemistry. Jeremy notes there's a whole debate on whether KOH extraction is good or bad — a full episode topic.
ep 028
A dilute seaweed extract used as a light watering additive to support seedlings — Jeremy considered it today but skipped it because the pots were still heavy.
Jeremy: 'I don't think they need the seaweed extract I was just going to use a trick you can consider'.
ep 009
Plant material left in place after germination failure or chop-down that decomposes into nitrogen-rich fertilizer.
Jeremy shrugs off over-seeding the cover crop because anything that germinates and dies is 'like a seed meal fertilizer'.
ep 007
A manufactured wood-eating substrate made from sawdust and organic additives that fruits shiitake mushrooms when soaked and placed in good conditions.
BuildASoil received a sample half-log from their local mushroom farm partner and is planning to sell them in limited batches. Side benefit — mushrooms off-gas CO2 which plants can use.
ep 011
Applying amendments in a ring near the base of the plant rather than covering the whole bed.
Jeremy side-dresses each plant in the big bed with half a cup of Craft Blend around the base, not touching the stalk.
ep 015
A plastic clip-in accessory that fits into the bottom of the Easy Sprout inner vessel, covering the drain holes so fine seeds like alfalfa don't fall through.
Jeremy uses it for alfalfa but skips it for the larger corn seed which can't fall through the standard drain holes.
ep 033
The relative ratio of calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium in the soil — the framework Jeremy uses to judge soil health rather than pH alone.
Jeremy uses this to shut down the 'pH your water' question — what matters is balance of base cations, not input pH.
ep 007
The distinction between the pH of the medium (meaningful) and the pH of incoming water (largely irrelevant in a biologically buffered living soil).
Jeremy calls out: you need to care about soil pH, not water pH, in living soil because the mineral buffer dominates.
ep 007
A liquid feed made by sprouting a fresh whole seed until the white tail emerges, then blending it in water to release all its enzymes, and immediately pouring it on the soil.
Jeremy credits Clackamas Coot as the inventor and explains the enzymes cycle nutrients and break down amendments in the soil.
ep 029
A foliar/root drench made from seeds that have been soaked and just barely germinated, then blended with water. Delivers peak plant enzymes, natural gibberellins, auxins, and growth hormones from the sprouting seed into the grow.
Jeremy teases the SST walk-through for the next episode and says you can start it tonight if you want — the delay is because he wants to start the rinse cycle on a Monday so he can document the whole thing.
ep 030, ep 033
Watering at or near the end of the daily light period — a habit for some no-till growers to manage evening transpiration.
Jeremy says a larger container allows him to skip sundown watering on weekends — if he did 5-gallon containers he would have to put drippers in for Sunday, which is why he is considering small-container automation.
ep 041
A plant-specific sugar blend from Blue Gold combining molasses, sugar cane, tapioca and coconut sources to deliver fructose, glucose and sucrose in one input.
Jeremy uses Supercar as his sugar source for today's brew and notes it foams more than regular molasses.
ep 014
Tea-grade worm casting — quality suitable for brewing into a compost tea, high in life and balanced nutrients.
Jeremy says the Colorado Worm Company castings chemically fit a great profile 'for being a top dressing or t-grade casting'.
ep 031
A pump-pressure hand sprayer (e.g. 3.5 gallon) used for slow, even irrigation and foliar feeding.
Jeremy uses a 3.5 gallon pump sprayer with selectable nozzles — 1 gpm fan-wave for irrigation, smaller nozzle for foliar.
ep 007
A mesh bag used inside a compost tea brewer to hold compost, castings and/or dry amendments so the finished tea is easier to apply through a sprayer without pre-straining.
Jeremy mentions the optional tea bag where he usually puts Craft Blend and castings, but chooses to brew without it today as an 'as if at home' demo.
ep 014
A saponin-based wetting agent used in small drops in irrigation water to spread moisture evenly into crusty or hydrophobic soil surfaces.
Jeremy adds a few drops to his Chapin sprayer — he says it makes the surface look soapy and white as the saponin spreads the water and stops it running straight through.
ep 030
A yucca-based molasses-textured wetting agent sold by BuildASoil that adds a soapiness to irrigation water to improve moisture spread in living soil.
Jeremy says BuildASoil bottled their own Therm-X 70 after COVID created a bottle shortage, and describes it as molasses-like where dried residue shows on the bottle.
ep 002
A compost system that runs at elevated temperatures driven by heat-loving microbes to rapidly break down organic matter.
AJ says kashi helps bring temperatures up faster in a thermophilic composting system.
ep 026
The practice of applying dry amendments to the surface of a living soil bed, under the mulch layer, so microbes and worms carry them down to the root zone.
Jeremy mentions they didn't top dress nearly as heavily in one quadrant (a newer BuildASoil 3.0 bag) and it was slightly hungry as a result. In the other quadrants top dressing continued through flower but the last few weeks were water only.
ep 006, ep 008, ep 010, ep 015, ep 017, ep 020
Applying dry amendments directly to the top of the soil and optionally working them into the mulch/feeder-root zone to feed plants without disturbing the root mass.
Jeremy previews that the 10-gallon recipe comparison will use top dressing alongside tea brewing and organic fertilizer to drive yield in a smaller container.
ep 001, ep 004, ep 014, ep 042
Jeremy's way of teaching diversity of amendments — a buffet is only great if nothing runs out. If the bacon or lobster runs out, the buffet has 'done.'
Used to argue against single-nutrient amending and for broad-spectrum craft blend in no-till rebuilds.
ep 029
The technical term for fully-finished worm-digested compost — the real word behind the marketing term 'worm castings'.
Jeremy explicitly says 'vermicompost is another term — that's the real word, worm castings is kind of made up'.
ep 007
An inert expanded-mineral medium used to bulk out and distribute beneficial insects evenly when sprinkled on soil.
Jeremy notes the Stratiolaelaps shipment comes in a vermiculite carrier which he sprinkles directly on the top dress.
ep 019
The process of adding minerals back to reverse osmosis or very clean water so that it is healthier for plants and easier on the body.
Jeremy mentions that some farms RO their water (especially if it contains sodium that cannot be filtered out easily) and then add minerals back in as softening.
ep 002
An organic nutrient product designed to dissolve in water for quicker availability than a traditional dry amendment — a supplement to rather than replacement for the living soil foundation.
BuildABloom is Jeremy's example — a water soluble organic fertilizer with phosphorus, calcium, and fulvic acid applied at one teaspoon per gallon.
ep 024
Liquid organic amendments used as a rescue when a mulch top dress isn't enough to finish a cycle — Jeremy's backstop for mid-flower deficiencies.
Jeremy mentions water-soluble organics as the safety net when the mulch layer misses the mark.
ep 020
A watering approach where moisture is applied until a small amount just begins to drain from the bottom of the container, confirming the full profile is wetted without saturating.
Jeremy wants to see a little runoff as a signal but says if water pours out you went too far. He prefers lifting the pot to feel its weight as a gauge and coming back for a second pass.
ep 002
Because organic living soil plants are not being force-fed via fertigation, watering frequency and volume is effectively the grower's only real-time control lever.
Jeremy said it verbatim: 'when you're in organics and watering is really the only control you have, proper watering is everything'. He uses this to justify deliberately overwatering the stressed Los Oli plant to re-establish peak saturation.
ep 012
A surfactant (in BAS's case, plant-derived saponin) added to water to break surface tension so moisture can penetrate hydrophobic peat moss evenly. Peat naturally repels water until it is saturated; the wetting agent forces even distribution and prevents dry pockets.
Jeremy uses thermex 70 saponin extract. He also notes you don't need that specific brand — any agricultural saponin product or even local garden store wetting agent works and they're usually cheaper than consumer options.
ep 002, ep 003, ep 004, ep 008, ep 010, ep 018
A saponin-based surfactant extract that reduces water surface tension so it penetrates dry soil and mulch instead of beading off.
Jeremy uses a BAS saponin extract in little-bead form at about a quarter teaspoon per 3.5 gallons, well under the one-teaspoon label line.
ep 007
Material gathered from uncultivated nature, generally regarded as safe but unable to carry an organic certification unless the source can be proven untouched by man.
Jeremy flags the double-edge: the lack of labeling handcuffs ethical foragers while organic-by-paperwork material slides through.
ep 008
Vermicompost produced by worms fed organic vegetable material. Worms don't literally eat the material — they secrete enzymes onto it, biology breaks it down, and the worms slurp the processed slurry. The result is 'black gold' — humic-rich compost with highly bioavailable nutrients.
Jeremy compares freshly harvested castings from his home worm bin to bagged BuildASoil castings, showing the bag is darker and more finished but the fresh ones carry more live biology.
ep 001, ep 003, ep 006, ep 007, ep 014, ep 027
Spreading a thick layer of worm castings over a freshly applied dry amendment so the castings' biology is in direct contact with the Craft Blend and can start breaking it down.
Jeremy dumps roughly half a bag of castings over the Craft Blend and spreads them, explicitly not pouring pure castings in bulk because he wants them incorporating with existing soil rather than sitting as a separate layer.
ep 012
Adding live worms directly to a fresh container so their ecosystem work begins immediately.
Jeremy drops at least two live worms into the fresh 3.0 Earth Box because the old one already had worms actively breaking down the previous crop and cover crop.
ep 010
A saponin-rich plant extract used as a wetting agent in soil and foliar applications.
Jason asks whether Thermx 70 yucca extract is safe in living soil with worms. Host says yes — the only caution is in aquaponics because yucca can negatively affect fish.
ep 027
The first plant cytokinin ever isolated — discovered in corn (Zea mays), which is part of why corn is a favoured seed for sprouted seed teas.
Jeremy says they found the original enzyme zeatin in corn — 'zmas' — and tells viewers to research the history.
ep 029