Episode 3: Interview with Clackamas Coot pt. 1

Our guest today has gone by the online name of Clackamas Coot on such forums as IC Mag and Lumperdawgz on Grass City, he's an organic grower and gardener who has helped many people in improving the way they garden and move away from bottled nutrients. He is most famous for his ‘neem, crab, kelp and soil mix’ which many people know as the ‘Coot Mix’ which he shares freely and the sprouted seed enzyme teas he makes using barley. I met Coot eight or nine years ago when he came to one of my talks in Portland on compost teas.  We became friends and I have to attribute a lot of credit to him in regards to our soil mixes and nutrient packs. He's been a good friend and mentor and helped me improve my gardens over the past decade.
www.kisorganics.com/pages/can...

[@Emily-kn7iw]

This guy made me the grower I am today. Thanks coot! Much respect to kis organics and build a soil for keeping it real!

[@civb18c5hatch]

Likewise!!!

[@buddhaboy-]

"If you want good weed you have to grow it yourself...."

[@rayhudson9042]

Love that saying “if you want anything good, you have to grow it yourself” tis true.

[@JoshuaSteensland]

such a great show brother!!!

[@kisorganics]

Joshua Steensland thanks man, I appreciate the support. Love seeing how well your garden is doing!

[@jerymorgan]

when i got ur dads tea mix it was proprietary i remember i had a hard time getting certified because of that then he got it on the accepted list i think with Oregon till and still never had to tell what he was using. i did not fell dumb buying it . i still have the big bubble making ring he made it really adds air .. those were the days. people were just learning about soil life all over again. Thanks u guys u really woke a lot of folks up.

[@THEBIGKUSH420]

11:45 WORM CASTINGS 19:24 COMFREY EXPLAINED

[@jacaec20002ify]

A lot of great information! It’s almost hard to soak it all in!

[@greenmountaingrower6692]

Just seeing this.. I owe everything I know to Jim.. pure legend and I can't thank him enough for sharing his knowledge and changing my life. peace and grow on.

[@obadiahkilgore2964]

Yeah him and Jodrey, Kevin Jodrey, are the top cultivation scientists.

[@sb.1666]

R u Vermont man?

[@younglpdetroit]

thank you so much for the information coot! I have read so much of your stuff, and appreciate all the knowledge you have spread!

[@breekthefreak3132]

About to blast through all of your vids one at a time bud. Great info from great guests. Keep up the good work! ✊🏻

[@TitusNeeley]

Killer podcasts man. Interesting stuff. Appreciate it!

[@Ayerborne]

Thank you for posting

[@pabloacuario7364]

So much great information in one place. I could listen to Tad and Mr Coot all day. The only drawback is that I have now ordered unkilndried and not steamed peat moss direct from across the Irish Sea in Ireland delivered to Lat53 UK. Not to burn on a peat burner for heating but to inncoulate and improve my heavy brick building clay garden! #feelingslightlyguilty

[@robbiebanks9182]

No need to feel guilty bout using Irish peat.There is loads of peat over here in Ireland .

[@coyner585]

Great episode!! This year i decided to try a few 10 gallon radical bags along side the 15 gallon smart pots and the radical bags are 4 or 5 times the size of the smart pots.

[@martelaaron]

awesome content! TY

[@patmerrick6377]

Lots of information here guys. Thx

[@andreblair195]

Very informative .

[@306choicegenetics4]

Love this episode guys

[@MrK-wu7ci]

I like to think of plants and mycorrhizal fungi as companion planting. Some mycos actually produce mushrooms. Fungi eat two things: carbons and calories. Malted barley would fit both the bills, as would additions of soft sweet fruit (bananas) to the top of the soil, covered with easily broken down mulch like hemp bedding or chopped straw.

[@kisorganics]

Mr K I think it depends. Most of what we discussed here was endomycorrhizal fungi which are hypogeous or non-fruiting, whereas many ectomycorrhizal fungi do appear as “mushrooms” or above ground fruiting bodies. I think it’s an important distinction because most vegetables, fruit trees, and cannabis have an endomycorrhizal relationship.

[@matthew-oe2ur]

This show rocks

[@rockinhillbilly4726]

What a wealth of knowledge...Jim has forgotten more than I'll ever know! My questions concerning leaf mold are...I'm aware that time benefits any compost and leaf mold takes normally 2-3 years to finish since it's fungally drinen. If the leaves are shredded several times, does this speed up the composting process reducing the time needed to achieve a quality product? Does the addition of fungus such as a fungal tea aid in the process? Great podcast and the knowledge shared is priceless. Look forward to more podcasts with Jim!

[@kisorganics]

Yes, shredding the leaves will increase surface area which in turn can speed up decomposition provided there's still room for air (oxygen). And yes, an aerated compost tea can help too. Though the key here is still to take the time to allow it to really sit and be fully composted and you can't rush the time component.

[@rockinhillbilly4726]

Thanks Tad...that's the reply I expected. Other videos state that the compost [leaf mold] can be completed is 6 months or less. While this may be somewhat true, I'm sure the time factor adds additional benefits to the compost. I would like to make leaf mold and then add barley, neem and worms to the compost and allow it to work for another period of time which should really make a great ammendment to build the existing soil. Anything to get away from bottled nutes and fertilizers has to be a plus! I already have some bokashi going...you can never have enough compost...lol!

[@rockinhillbilly4726]

Tad, do you know anything about Kudzu as a dynamic accumulator? Could it be used the same as Comfrey? It is growing like crazy here in North Carolina and is readily available whereas Comfrey is not. I would like to use it in compost and since the roots extend 3+ meters deep, it should contain minerals and nutrients similar to the Comfrey. Not to mention it should make a great fermented juice full of growth hormones due to its rapid growth. Any information would be great and thanks!

[@kisorganics]

I have no experience with Kudzu unfortunately. If there's any permaculture people in your area they may be able to help, or I'm sure you can find info online. Otherwise there's always doing your own tissue testing.

[@rockinhillbilly4726]

Ok...I didn't know if you had any experience with it. Information I have found shows it to be similar to Comfrey. I also found articles on Comfrey stating that it was not a dynamic accumulator [which I don't believe] and they were putting it down as not being a good source for nutrients or other minerals. However, as an amendment described by you and Coot, it's easy to see the benefit of the combination discussed in this interview. What I found interesting was an article where Comfrey tea / extract was being successfully used to combat powdery mildew. Might help with organically battling the pm on your squash and pumpkin plants!

[@laurieedeburn2449]

... finally... luv Jim

[@OrganicGrowLife]

Awesomeness now I know why....💚💚💯💯

[@littlenugs9942]

Freaking awesome stuff

[@CheapSkateGrower]

Any chance of getting him back as a guest this year?

[@bronim7311]

With regards to peat moss it depends where you live. In Australia, peat moss is prohibitively expensive and not sustainable. Growing sustainably is all about utilising the resources in your area. This is only going to become more the case in the current geopolitical mess right now. Given fertiliser prices are about to rise exponentially, and up to 1.4 billion people affected by food insecurity, wastefulness will no longer be an acceptable practice. We need to reuse and recycle. I would love to see canna growers be part of the solution, not the problem as appears to be happening across the US right now.

[@Emily-kn7iw]

We all owe coot! Only way I go!

[@TitusNeeley]

Hey Tad I have a quick question. Thought I would ask here since you guys are talking about vermicomposting. I recently got some composting worms and upon further inspection realized there were quite a few red and white oribatid mites (among other bugs as well) with the compost they came in. Are these mites harmful to plants? I'm finding mixed information on the old interweb.

[@kisorganics]

Titus, that's a good question. I'm hoping to have a couple of bug experts on the show soon. I'm guessing in small populations it's probably not an issue.

[@kisorganics]

For the most part they are just fine and nothing to worry about. Stay tuned as I'll be having a bug expert on here very soon as well.

[@lazydaze4840]

I have been wondering this, glad i saw the post. Arent mites attracted to castings or poo? Wouldnt the nematodes take care of this problem?

[@saint85]

This is really a great show I learned a lot one question I have is when buying the materials you need from food stores I know he was saying something about brand isn't an issue or something like that or it is an issue what I want to know is do you automatically have to buy it if it says 100% organic I mean yeah I know organic is needed but when buying some of the grains and and the alfalfa and stuff like that does it have to say 100% organic That's something I've been trying to figure out I've been going to some of these feed stores and I mentioned to them hey is your stuff organic and they give me a look and try to give me some kind of story that automatically tells me that they don't have organic feed so I'm asking is organic 100% need it Sorry for any of the dumb questions I'm totally new to organic growing

[@kisorganics]

I did a podcast on certification that may be useful with Andrew Black of Certified KIND. Essentially if it has a WSDA, USDA Organic, OMRI, or CDFA certification then you should be good to go. There are a few gray areas that can get confusing but I don't think it's worth getting into that for the most part.

[@saint85]

@@kisorganics thank you very much

[@LowEndMarauder]

"They have adults in Canada running things" LOL COOTS love it.

[@juliankirby9880]

I've grown some bad ass hybrid tomatoes. the black cherry, the indigo rose, the golden sunburst, the better boy, yellow pear, beef steak. its all about the soil. Don't get me wrong hierlooms are awesome, but these new tomato varieties are awesome.

[@kisorganics]

Julian Kirby totally. Me too. Wasn’t a huge fan of indigo rose but love the sun sugar and some of the Roma varieties.

[@juliankirby9880]

we don't grow many Roma's. Seeds of the sun sugar is on my to buy list this winter! have you seen the blue tomato bred at I think Oregon State University?

[@kisorganics]

I haven't, do you have a link or a way to get seeds? I like trying new varieties.

[@juliankirby9880]

I just checked, apparently the indigo rose is the blue one I was referring to. I am sorry for getting your hopes up.

[@kisorganics]

No worries!

[@damioncable4568]

Do coffee grounds hurt or help worm beds, I've herd they cut down on mumbers

[@youtubedestroyedmylife309]

42:00 where he gets into malted barley.

[@hollyholt7556]

Hi sir. Could you please answer a question? I'm a bit new to growing but am going straight for Lumper's soil mix, but I don't really understand his recipe he put online. Is there anyway you can break the recipe down for me? I don't understand how many bags he uses, if he mixes it, if he moistens it and how much of each ingredient he adds to the soil. Thank you!! Looking for cup / lb measurements rather than CF if possible.

[@kisorganics]

www.kisorganics.com/collections/organic-soil-for-sale-bulk-potting-soil-mix/products/clackamas-coot-nutrient-kit buildasoil.com/collections/amendments/products/buildasoil-nutrient-kit-clackamascoots-style Here's two links that I hope will help. As for converting the numbers, there's 7.5 gallons in a cubic foot. Much better to do volume than weight as it's more accurate.

[@fuckgoogleandyou8779]

If this is not the purest example of a true professional... Tad. Sir. You are a noble and a scholar. To send a link straight to your competition proves it. To everybody!

[@kisorganics]

Thanks!

[@sb.1666]

Who is lumper?

[@laurieedeburn2449]

i watched them... hope they r passing ad rev on 2 u

[@magnumjgjg]

So my question is, if it doesn't matter what malted grain you use, why is barley the one Jim talks about all the time? Are there specific benefits to Barley that others do not, or is that just his personal preference of grain?

[@kisorganics]

Barley is easy to source and malted barely is already arrested at its highest enzymatic activity from my understanding so you don't need to sprout it.

[@magnumjgjg]

@@kisorganics yeah but it is there a big difference in enzymes in barley, that other grains do not have? In this video he mentions that malted Rye has a different enzyme than others, but he also says to use whatever malted grain they have on sale. So I was just wondering if barley was just the grain he first noticed a benefit from, or if it had some special quality the other grains do not have

[@kisorganics]

@@magnumjgjg barley has higher enzymatic levels of certain enzymes than other grains but really it's about ease of use being that it's already malted. I don't believe enough research has been done to determine the differences or potential benefits of various grains.

[@caseG80]

When he speaks of comfrey and kelp. Is he speaking fresh kelp?

[@kisorganics]

I'd have to go back and listen but most likely he's talking about kelp meal which is the kelp after it's been cleaned and dried, removing the salt water.

[@masaharumorimoto4761]

Yo Canadian here, we got LOADS of peat for anyone who wants it :) I love me some ProMix HP.

[@IIIDaemon]

..good nfo.. but the video locked up.. stuck on the intro screen

[@kisorganics]

This is really a podcast that gets published on youtube so there's not going to be any video on these unfortunately. Thanks!

[@IIIDaemon]

..wow, put the bong down dood.. sarcasm

[@jamesbutterson5218]

☝💚💨👍

[@laurieedeburn2449]

wow... u got an ad r 2... utube anaomoly

[@theophrastus9029]

He is all over the place can’t stay on the same track.

[@vishshfucker6428]

Yeah this tad is an idiot.

[@theophrastus9029]

Clack the majority of houses in the UK have central heating my grandmother burned coal 60 years ago,Have you ever heard of Coalburn or Blackburn or Newcastle, These are coal mining towns that supply Coal for the whole British Isles. Peat is used in the countryside of Ireland and a few outland islands of Scotland but most and I mean over 99% of the homes in the UK have central heating. It’s statements like that that make me doubt your science.I am a living organic soil grower like you but stop talking in such generalities or you’re going to come off as a buffoon.

[@sb.1666]

?

[@kiyomiheinrich2147]

SHUT UP!!!

[@svenjorgenson3224]

You guys lost me in the first 10 minutes...Bla bla bla....soil....Bla bla bla

[@kisorganics]

Thanks for your feedback.

[@xx7101]

Way too much pore riding in these comments.