20 Gallon Smart Pot Soil Mix

Okay, so one 20 gallon Smart pot will hold about 3 cubic feet of soil. I figure this would be a good mix to start off with. Any help, input, criticism, whatever is strongly encouraged.

2 cubic feet peat
1 cubic feet EWC
enough perlite *meaning I'm not sure how much I'm going to need*

2 cups kelp
2 cups alfalfa
3 cups tomato tone
3 cups Gypsum
3 cups azomite
3 cups garden lime

Soak it, Let that cook for 4-6 weeks and plant, sound good?

I like the first part... the peat and ewc blend that is. However, why the hell do you think you need 6 cups of calcium? I wouldnt even add lime personally but I assume you have it so might as well use it, sparingly.

How bout something more like this, and it doesnt need to be exact:

2 cups kelpmeal
6 cups Alfalfa
4 cups tomato tone
1 cup azomite
1 cups gypsum
1 cup garden lime(limestone)

Soak it with an 18 hour Alfalfa/ Blackstrap/ Dandelion/kelpmeal tea and let it cook over a month.

VOO

I like the first part... the peat and ewc blend that is. However, why the hell do you think you need 6 cups of calcium? I wouldnt even add lime personally but I assume you have it so might as well use it, sparingly.

How bout something more like this, and it doesnt need to be exact:

2 cups kelpmeal
6 cups Alfalfa
4 cups tomato tone
1 cup azomite
1 cups gypsum
1 cup garden lime(limestone)

Soak it with an 18 hour Alfalfa/ Blackstrap/ Dandelion/kelpmeal tea and let it cook over a month.

VOO

Thank you very much. I'm still very much a student with all this. I appreciate your input.

By the way, what is the purpose of the dandelion in the tea? It's the only ingredient I don't have.

Edited by Mashiro, 22 May 2012 - 10:14 AM.

The Dandelion is common in almost every temperate zone, Depending on where you are Im sure you can find some growing wild in the lawn or any field. Its a good FREE source of Phosphorus and Potash with built in CAL-MG. Not to mention some iron and copper to boot. Been using them out of my yard all season in my Teas. The whole garden seems to like it. Thats right, I grow some of my own food too. Why let a wide spectrum of great knowledge be focused on only one aspect of your life.... Diversify.

VOO

Edited by VooDoom, 22 May 2012 - 12:53 PM.

Okay, so one 20 gallon Smart pot will hold about 3 cubic feet of soil. I figure this would be a good mix to start off with. Any help, input, criticism, whatever is strongly encouraged.

2 cubic feet peat
1 cubic feet EWC
enough perlite *meaning I'm not sure how much I'm going to need*

2 cups kelp
2 cups alfalfa
3 cups tomato tone
3 cups Gypsum
3 cups azomite
3 cups garden lime

Soak it, Let that cook for 4-6 weeks and plant, sound good?

This mix is skewed and so is VOO's IMO. No offense VOO, just experience

I've been running a basic peat/perlite/stuff mix for close to 40 years and a peat/perlite/EWC mix for 3 years.

The basic mix is, more or less:
50% peat moss
30%perlite
20%EWC

Much more than 20% EWC and you will just get mud. Use the 50% you're thinking of and find out.

Use lime 'sparingly' in a 50% peat based mix and you will also find out why this doesn't work so well. The 1 cup/cf is fine.

You're also hot in places and perhaps missing some stuff, we'll see. I really don't see a P source and a bit too much N.

I'll tell you what *I* do for 2cf (wheelbarrow full)
5 gallon buckets for easy *rough* measurements.

1 1/2 buckets of peat moss (~7.5 gallons) with the clumps broken up
1/2 bucket + a little of EWC a schootch over 1/2, ~3 gallons
1 and a light 1/2 bucket of perlite. The perlite gets added last and it's a sight thing after the full bucket is added. When it looks like there is too much, it's just right.

That will get you right at 15 gallons or 2cf.

Amendments for 2cf:
2 cups of lime. If it's powdered, it's the first thing added to the peat
1-2 cups Azomite
1-2 cups granite dust
1 cup kelp meal
1 cup Greensand
1 cup Gypsum
2-3 cups bonemeal
3 cups +- of a 50/50 blend of alfalfa and soybean meal. or 2 cups of just alfalfa. Alfalfa is hot, even though the soy has 3x the N.
~1 1/2 cups of Garden Tone. I add some, but mostly use it as a top dress later on. Too much with the alfalfa makes things a bit too hot at first.

Don't concern yourself with 'super soil' types of mixes. They just aren't the best thing for inexperienced growers. Way too hot and way too easy to burn up a grow. Get a feel for the soil first and go slow.

Wet

This mix is skewed and so is VOO's IMO. No offense VOO, just experience

I've been running a basic peat/perlite/stuff mix for close to 40 years and a peat/perlite/EWC mix for 3 years.

The basic mix is, more or less:
50% peat moss
30%perlite
20%EWC

Much more than 20% EWC and you will just get mud. Use the 50% you're thinking of and find out.

Use lime 'sparingly' in a 50% peat based mix and you will also find out why this doesn't work so well. The 1 cup/cf is fine.

You're also hot in places and perhaps missing some stuff, we'll see. I really don't see a P source and a bit too much N.

I'll tell you what *I* do for 2cf (wheelbarrow full)
5 gallon buckets for easy *rough* measurements.

1 1/2 buckets of peat moss (~7.5 gallons) with the clumps broken up
1/2 bucket + a little of EWC a schootch over 1/2, ~3 gallons
1 and a light 1/2 bucket of perlite. The perlite gets added last and it's a sight thing after the full bucket is added. When it looks like there is too much, it's just right.

That will get you right at 15 gallons or 2cf.

Amendments for 2cf:
2 cups of lime. If it's powdered, it's the first thing added to the peat
1-2 cups Azomite
1-2 cups granite dust
1 cup kelp meal
1 cup Greensand
1 cup Gypsum
2-3 cups bonemeal
3 cups +- of a 50/50 blend of alfalfa and soybean meal. or 2 cups of just alfalfa. Alfalfa is hot, even though the soy has 3x the N.
~1 1/2 cups of Garden Tone. I add some, but mostly use it as a top dress later on. Too much with the alfalfa makes things a bit too hot at first.

Don't concern yourself with 'super soil' types of mixes. They just aren't the best thing for inexperienced growers. Way too hot and way too easy to burn up a grow. Get a feel for the soil first and go slow.

Wet

I was told that Tomato Tone contained all of the goodies like greensand and bonemeal and more.

No offence taken Wet, I was just using what he mentioned he had on hand. I assumed tomato tone had plenty of P to get him started since its an all rounder. I use jamaican/indonesian bat guanos for P in my mix and topdressing/teas throughout flower. I skip the perlite altogether because of the need to frequently water isnt a good thing for me. I understand for some its a must. Your mix looks good to me bro.
VOO

Would there be any other ingredients that would be a good idea to add?

Neem?
Bat Guano?
Feather Meal?

I'm still not sure what each product carries as far as NPK goes.

Are you growing indoors, backyard, or guerrilla? Containers or Ground? Makes a difference.

VOO

Indoor containers.

Definitely Neem meal @ 1/2 cup per each 1 c.f.

In your case of 20 gallons that would almost equal 3 c.f. so you'd add 1.5 cups to this batch. Pre-hydrating both the Neem and Kelp meals is helpful.

CQ

Definitely Neem meal @ 1/2 cup per each 1 c.f.

In your case of 20 gallons that would almost equal 3 c.f. so you'd add 1.5 cups to this batch. Pre-hydrating both the Neem and Kelp meals is helpful.

CQ

CQ, what would your ideal mix be with the ingredients I have on hand here?

You have received excellent information and advice from others, i.e no reason to muck things up for you.

You're in good hands even without an Allstate Insurance agent around.

HTH

CQ

You have received excellent information and advice from others, i.e no reason to muck things up for you.

You're in good hands even without an Allstate Insurance agent around.

HTH

CQ

Haha

Even if you didn't hold my hand, I'm glad that you've helped so much.

Thanks for the laugh as well.

Read over the ingredients on your Tomato-Tone. Now you know. :-)

No offence taken Wet, I was just using what he mentioned he had on hand. I assumed tomato tone had plenty of P to get him started since its an all rounder. I use jamaican/indonesian bat guanos for P in my mix and topdressing/teas throughout flower. I skip the perlite altogether because of the need to frequently water isnt a good thing for me. I understand for some its a must. Your mix looks good to me bro.
VOO

It was the 6 cups of alfalfa plus the 4 cups of 'tone' in 3cf that made me go whoa ........

Been there, done that, burnt the hell out of some plants.

Wet

I was told that Tomato Tone contained all of the goodies like greensand and bonemeal and more.

It does. I like the 'tones' and use Garden tone myself.

The thing is, you need to be careful using individual amendments AND the tones in a mix. Things can get hot real quick.

I much rather do a *normal* individual N-P-K and a light tone in the mix and then top dress with the tone down the line as needed.

Wet

I would rep that if I could.

I would rep that if I could.

Thanks!

"A wink is as good as a nod ...."

Wet

It was the 6 cups of alfalfa plus the 4 cups of 'tone' in 3cf that made me go whoa ........

Been there, done that, burnt the hell out of some plants.

Wet

I see your concern if you were to plant directly in it immediately:)

He/she said they were going to cook it 4-6 weeks though.

I cooked a strong mix for 2 months and planted directly in it with no burn what so ever...

As with most things timing is everything.

VOO