Wasup everyone. I'm a long time member who's finally decided to take a dive into the organic world. I've been doing extensive research for the past few years and I think it's time to finally take a full swing at a no bottle grow. I will be first trying to create my own super soil using the dank soil mix recipe. I wanted to see what soil mixes are you organic experts running at the moment looking for info from growers who really take it the next step and test there soil.
I never test my soil but I get good results based on my plants. Base soil mix I make 30 gallons of base soil: 1/3 Canadian sphagnum peat moss (10 gallons) 1/3 EWC/compost (10 gallons) 1/3 aeration (My aeration mix is 7 gallons pumice with 3 gallons of biochar) Amendments for 30 gallons of base soil I use 2 cups each of: (rule of thumb is 1/2 cup each for 7.5 gallons, aka 1 cubic foot of base soil) Kelp meal Alfalfa meal Crab meal Neem cake Fish bone meal Minerals for 30 gallons of base soil I use 16 cups of this mixture: (rule of thumb is 4 cups of minerals for each 7.5 gallons/1 cubic foot) 6 parts basalt 3 parts glacial rock dust 1 part bentonite 1 part soft rock phosphate 1 part gypsum 1 part oyster shell flour I moisten the soil mixture with an ACT and then I turn it inside out once a week for 4 weeks. Then it's ready to use.
The picture shown is just an example of how well an organic soil garden can work, and just how unnecessary overpriced bottles of fertilizers from the Hydro Store are. Gardening should be simple and enjoyable, not expensive and complicated. Construct a quality soil using good ingredients, a soil based on compost and vermicompost and you will be using that soil for years to come. I agree - it's a great pic. j
I do organic outdoors and nutrients indoors but thinking about organic indoors to. Should I leave some worms in pots or take them out and just add the castings? Heard mixed reviews but I've always taken them out. First time using kelp meal and bran meal this year to (my organic mixes have been poor so far)
If I had to pick a single amendment to use it would be kelp meal. Not only does it contain a myriad of assorted micronutrients but more importantly are the natural plant growth regulators and organic compounds it contains - Cytokinins, Indoles, Auxins and Gibberellins. I dont put put worms in my pots on purpose but many live and thrive in there due to cocoons from my compost and vermicompost hatching. Having worms in your pots is a very good thing. Think of them as a natural "barometer" which will show you that you have a healthy living soil. Not only do they create pathways for water and nutrients to move freely throughout your root zone, they also help keep your soil aerated and leave castings throughout your soil. They help break down organic matter (Nutrient Cycling) and are overall a really good addition to any soil garden. Have you looked through Blue Jays No Till gardening thread? You'll find much good information and tips for organic gardening indoors there. http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/1299862-no-till-gardening.html#entry19925986 j
looked at a bit but there's so much info on here and other threads its hard to take it all in plus people contradict each other a lot. Thanks for your tips much appreciated Peace!
How come everybody pots their organic plants in 15 gallon pots & super huge pots? Would it be possible to put this organic soil into 3-5 gallon pots indoors & reuse that through the years?
I grow in 5 gallon pots myself. Big pots will grow big plants because of big root systems. I don't have enough ceiling clearance in my cellar to grow big plants. Hence I use 5 gallon pots. It works fine for me and my grow area.
Nice. I have the same problen as my room only has a height of about 5 ft. That's why I was wondering why everybody was using these super huge buckets.
while I do like my 15's, I occasionally grow my plants in 3-5 gallon pots. It does work fine, like Pakalolo said but the only problem I run into occasionally is plants growing so big so fast they outgrow their pots and become a little root bound. They always finish fine but I really like my bigger pots just because I want more weed dammit lol You'll be fine in smaller pots though man. Good luck. J
I may use 15's for the next outdoor season but I definitely can't use any pots that big indoors. Thanks a lot for your input! I can't wait to get into organic gardening!
you'll never find an easier method of gardening - indoors or out. It is a little more work on the front end but once you source your materials, mix, and then cycle your soil it's a matter of keeping it moist. With water... Lol I'm still using soil I mixed 5 years or so ago with excellent results. A little freshening up and it's good to go. What are you thinking of using for soil components? Btw, worms are just fine in your pots. J
That's what makes me want to start this organic gardening so bad! I'm not really sure exactly what soil components I am going to use. I see a lot of different recipes early on in this thread varying from 5-6 components to upwards of 30. Perhaps I'll just use a recipe that someone listed here.
check out the recipe on the first page of the No-Till thread. Very basic and effective. http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/1299862...
I got a recipe down I'm just a little confused about the per cubic foot of compost part. And I also noted that worms are a big +. Would this be earthworms that roam in the outside soil or going to buy worms?
The base soil mix of equal parts of sphagnum peat moss, EWC/compost, aeration is what you measure in cubic feet. A cubic foot is 7 1/2 gallons. I mix 30 gallons at a time or 4 cubic feet. So I add 10 gallons of peat moss, 10 gallons of EWC/compost and 10 gallons of aeration. The amendments are added per cubic foot of base soil mix. I hope this clears it up for you.
Yes thanks a lot! I'm ready to get started on my organic garden now with this soil recipe I have! Will go to my outdoor soil and get some worms to mix. How often do you feed your girls?