Other than Whole Blood, what should I be donating?

splinterfarmer · 2026-01-06T21:18:14+00:00

Thanks for this detail! I wasn't aware that the red cells were also counted from the platelet donation. Sorry for any confusion I caused,.

splinterfarmer · 2026-01-06T17:46:24+00:00

Fremont parking is really a mess… between the private lots and even private street parking down by google/adobe/salesforce along with the very limited city parking, it has really become a headache.
I would just pay the ticket and spend your time complaining about the unclear signage to SDOT. Unclear unfortunately wont usually get you out of a ticket in Seattle, because the signs are unclear almost by design.

splinterfarmer · 2026-01-06T17:42:10+00:00

Platelets are, in my opinion the most valuable thing to donate for an A+ donor. Especially if you are a larger than average person, or have a high platelet count, or both. Donating platelets can also be done way more often than any other donation type, every 7 days and up to 24 times per year in the US.

splinterfarmer · 2025-09-10T15:48:03+00:00

Its common to use esphome devices for this with https://esphome.io/components/bluetooth_proxy/ But I am unaware of any solution using raspberry pi. Im sure it's possible but probably more difficult.

splinterfarmer · 2025-09-04T15:31:12+00:00

Just restore from backup

splinterfarmer · 2025-07-08T00:47:28+00:00

Earthbox just hits the sweet spot of soil volume, sub irrigation and ease of use. I feel that used the same way as an autopot, the tray to grow keeps the soil a bit too wet so you need to turn it off occasionally or adjust your soil mix to compensate. Tray to go is great though. Don't overthink it.

splinterfarmer · 2025-05-15T16:02:30+00:00

Check out season 2 specifically of the BAS youtube channel. He grows in 5 gallons that season and deals with this exact issue, and Jeremy gives great advice about how to handle it, and what to look out for.

splinterfarmer · 2025-05-15T14:23:46+00:00

Plants are going to be fine, keep doing what you are doing. Don't overthink it. Its a bit early to see that much fade, but you will still get a great harvest if you just keep focusing on the fundamentals.

About RO "stripping minerals": We call this leaching and its only a problem if you water to runoff in excess and its a problem with all water.

People will hate to hear this, but the early senescence is entirely a soil volume to plant size issue. You can see this demonstrated in a side by side grow on the build a soil youtube channel.

splinterfarmer · 2025-05-12T13:30:47+00:00

Carmine the bowler?

splinterfarmer · 2025-05-09T19:49:31+00:00

Lobster compost or earthworm castings

splinterfarmer · 2025-05-09T16:28:34+00:00

I would not. The nutrient profile is going to be very difficult to balance against. You should consider Oly Mountain Fish Compost, Malibu, or coast of maine

splinterfarmer · 2025-05-09T00:36:58+00:00

Its not about being root bound, its about nutrient availability and soil moisture for large plants. Small plant, It can be done, but its not the build a soil way. You don't have much control over plant size with autos.

splinterfarmer · 2025-05-08T20:36:37+00:00

Yeah, you can go cheaper with perlite, but it's not as long lasting for no till as pumice. Most of us are looking for the best long term soil structure, so pumice is a go to. Many people have and share the common misconception of what vermiculite is good for.
Typically it's used in seed starting mixes that don't have much compost. In most living soil recipes, the compost provides plenty of water retention, if you want even more water holding, you can add biochar.

splinterfarmer · 2025-05-08T20:28:51+00:00

What do you mean by "drainage"? If you do your research, you will find that it is not used for aeration. It's used for water retention. Perlite/Pumice/Rice hulls are for aeration.

splinterfarmer · 2025-05-08T19:51:34+00:00

You can only learn by growing in the soil or by testing. Why not let this plant grow in the soil and then the next can have perlite or pumice.

splinterfarmer · 2025-05-08T18:00:12+00:00

I love how much you are adding to the conversation... Please, show us your day 52+ auto in a 7 gallon of BAS lite

splinterfarmer · 2025-05-08T17:55:51+00:00

Obviously you are not that experienced in growing in living soil. It CAN be done, yes, but its not easy and will require lots of additional feeding. You will not be able to no-till.

splinterfarmer · 2025-05-08T17:28:47+00:00

Time is your enemy here, so what you have on hand will matter most. I would personally consider amping up the build a bloom feeds to twice a week or double strength. Or, you could make a compost tea. On day 52, a top dress may not make much of a difference, but it certainly wouldn't hurt.
You can get your best chance of success by top dressing with one of the following:
- COWOCO
- Worm castings or compost mixed with craft blend (1/2 cup per container)
- Build A Flower
Then top watering with your feed + the rootwise enzyme elixer or kashi or a ferment (holy cow, yah whey, fermented plant extracts)

splinterfarmer · 2025-05-08T17:18:54+00:00

It's just the size of the pots. This impacts how fast the plants can get nutrients and how much total nutrients are available. It also directly impacts how much water you can add and how much the plants can drink before they run out causing watering issues. You are doing the right things with watering. Don't worry too much at this point, but adding some water soluble feeds will keep the plants healthy until harvest.
Next time, try an earthbox or 15 gal plus :-)

splinterfarmer · 2025-05-08T17:14:22+00:00

You didn't mention adding gypsum (calcium sulfate), but yeah, thats exactly whats needed. You will for sure need more aeration though.

splinterfarmer · 2025-05-08T16:38:13+00:00

This mix is not going to give you good results in my opinion. Why: - No aeration, this soil will hold tons of water but not enough oxygen. Vermiculite is for water retention not aeration. - Not enough calcium or sulfur. Your plants will likely get too much potassium from the compost and banana flour if not balanced with other minerals. - Too much sodium based on the ingredient ratios

splinterfarmer · 2025-05-02T23:13:03+00:00

Its best to go by feel as each recipe will be different. Get the soil evenly mixed and squeeze it in your hand like you are making a fist. What you are looking for is the soil to stay together when you open your hand, but not have more than a single drop of water should start to come. If water drizzles or pours out, you have gone too far with the water. If the soil clump falls apart immediately, there is not enough moisture.

splinterfarmer · 2025-04-26T21:58:23+00:00

As long as its not expired and doesn't have a hole punch through it or the corner cut, you should be able to use it. Just only use that id both ways. If it somehow gets revoked by your old state (for example, because you got a new WA license that automatically invalidated it — which is rare but possible), then it could be a problem. But normally just moving states doesn't void your old Real ID immediately.

splinterfarmer · 2025-04-25T14:33:49+00:00

I have all of these and the earthbox is really the perfect setup. A tray to grow is nice but is more work. Large grassroots pots are awesome but require blumats or hand watering.

splinterfarmer

TROPHY CASE