Is Subcool's Super Soil hot?

SubFool's supersoil will work as long as you follow his instructions.

You may have better results playing around with different mixes and dialing one in that works for you. His mix is nothing more than a "hot" base mix on the bottom of a container. You can get far better results with a little research, a little thinking, and giving your plants exactly what they need. And when I say base mix, I mean exactly that. Such as LC's mix, it's a good place to start, but eventually everyone wanders off the beaten path seeking perfection.

His mix works, but it's far from perfect.

 

Wont take but days- a week for to it to take effect at that ratio, Works wonders

 

Mix your own and you'll end up with Uber-Super Soil.

Nail down the humus component (thermal compost and/or worm castings) and you're 90% done. Relying on commercial bagged potting soil as a basis for something better, while interesting, is a weird (nee obtuse) way to go, IMHO.

YMMV

LD2

 

LionInTheJungle

Premier Horticulture (Pro-Mix(es)) and Sun Gro Horticulture (Sunshine Mix(es) are THE standard for professional horticulturists (nursery stock growers).

They own it. Period.

The Canadian government maintains very tight control on the harvest of the various forms of 'peat moss' through the Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association and as you can see from their member list, both Premier and Sun Gro pull their base material out of the same provinces with Premier pulling out of a couple different ones.

I use Alaska Peat because their pull is from Alberta which it is claimed to provide the highest levels of microbial activity available. Premier Peat (Pro-Mix) is equally viable according to MicrobeOrganics.com after thoroughly testing over a 4-day period. [cite]

What this means is that all of the potting soil companies in the USA have to buy their base peat moss components from a registered company out of Canada - there are no exceptions.

Now consider this for a minute - if you were in charge of distribution at either major company and you are designating which customers get which pick - nursery operations like Monrovia Nursery with 12,000 acres in production around the USA vs. the spot (niche) market of grow store soil?

Sun Gro Horticulture has their main packing plant located about 10 miles from my home. Their packing machines move 40 c.y. every 10 minutes, i.e. 240 c.y. per hour.

For example Sun Gro Horticulture sell all of their mixes (Sunshine Mix #1 - Sunshine Mix #4) with several 'flavors' as it were in 110 c.f., 55 c.f., 3.8 c.f. and 2.8 c.f. packs.

In the case of Roots Organic (specifically) they buy their base materials for their soil at the same 'nursery house' that I shop at. The main difference between them and me is that I pick only the best components to work with while they certainly don't have such a need.

There's far, far more money in selling 'nutrient programs' then there is in building a viable soil.

Pro-Mix and Sunshine Mix can/will provide you with the best Sphagnum Peat Moss available, wetting agents (yucca extract), aeration amendments, etc.

Mix one of these base soilless mixes at 3x with 1x viable humus and 1x pumice or lava rock (available at Loew's and HomeDepot) and you're almost done. Now you'll have a 'real super soil' and not have to deal with the gunk and junk that goes into commercial potting soils.

Then again I could be wrong.

LD2

 

ProMix is basically just peat moss and perlite. You're just paying for them to mix it up.

I make my own base, and the peat moss comes from the same people who make ProMix (Premier). The perlite is mined ~75 miles away from me.

I'm not sure what all ProMix has in it, but since I add something like 12 different amendments to my base, I'm sure I have everything ProMix has and then some.

IDK what the 3.8CuFt bale of ProMix goes for here, but the 3.8CuFt bale of peat moss is $12 and a 4CuFt bag of Perlite is $17. So, ~$30 gives me ~10CuFt+ of base mix. The bale of peat expands out to ~7CuFt+- and the 4CuFt of Perlite.

The *sticker shock* of getting all the amendments together for the first time is jaw dropping, but they do run out at different rates (some last for years), and is not nearly as costly to replace. In fact, it's way cheaper in the long run, especially if you recycle the soil.

You can make the mix as hot or as light as you like and tailor it to specific crops, if you grow other stuff.

I've been 'rolling my own' for better than 35 years and have never bought, or even considered buying, any bagged mix/soil. It's just too easy and cheap to make your own.

Wet

 

Wet Dog is giving you good advice.

Loew's sells Premier Peat (Pro-Mix) for the prices that Wet quoted. HomeDepot sells a brand of Sphagnum Peat Moss under the 'Lakeland' logo.

Both products are these company's respective 'top Sphagnum Peat Moss' lines at < $13.00 for 3.8 c.f.

You'll be way ahead of the process going this route with cost control & quality assurance being the 2 major benefits.

LD2

 

I'd rather cut my wrists than use any potting soil from Fox Farms.

That or start mainlining China White again.

YMMV

LD2

 

LionInTheJungle

RE: dry fertilizer mixes

There is absolutely NO ONE that packs their own dry fertilizer mixes. There are about 20 companies that 'co-pack' for any number of 'fertilizer companies' and there's a blessing in this paradigm - seriously.

All of them use products sourced and distributed by Wilbur-Ellis. Period. Whether you buy DTE, FoxFarms, Dr. Earth, E.B. Stone, whatever - they're all using the very same 'fish meal' or 'crab meal' - whatever.

Shop price and avoid any dry mix that includes 'cottonmeal' - other than that you're gold.

HTH

LD2

 

all you;re replies are dead on mate, Thanks for spending the time and effort to set a lot of people straight.

I have been buying for my indoors tons of 3.8 of promixBH for years, think since i always buy chunky perlite anyways maybe should just add all the agents myself from now on to save the cash. Thanks broski and bookmarking this

best beneficial bacteria company is Extreme gardening ( 2.2 lb bag cosr 45 bucks versus great white 230 price tag)

 

Burned Haze

Thank you for the kind words. I'm all about helping people become self-sufficient and nothing more - save money. Grow viable medicine. Avoid chemicals at every turn of the road. They're not necessary at all.

Be healthy. Live healthy. Spread the word about living a centered and healthy life.

Pretty simple.

LD2

 

I'm the exact same bro, too much of the population forgets the true morals of nature, exp in growing! so many growers out there that overdose their plants with unneeded doses, like many things: small doses does not mean it wont work, exp in some brands.

 

Hey lumperdawgz I live in oregon too and I was just wondering where this nursery house you get your stuff is at because I've been wanting to find somewhere around here I can buy larger amounts of all the organic amendments because down to earth is really expensive would that be a good place to go?

 

Concentrates in SE PDX

Price List

 

sorry to derail thread. but just curious why avoid mixed cotton meal? and that means mixes that included cotton meal in them only, and not cotton meal in general?