Planning a new grow, looking for advice

 
 
Listen here Mr. Fancy Pants. Most of us that have been around for a while in The City have seen you gunslinger types come and go, sashaying along, pontificating about this or that, usually with Sub Par's label attached to it. You'll find help in the Sick Plants thread which is where you'll be whining about 3 weeks after you turn your lights on. One thing the more learned of us know is it is easier to prevent a problem than try to correct one. In other words, you can catch more flies with honey than you can vinegar.
 
Some of us don't care for one another for one reason or another or no reason at all. But we're always respectful to one another.
 
I did think you were good to go    now I'm not so sure

 

Quick question. Does the 'friend' that reccomended the SS in the first place have any experience using it? Seems like he would be the one to ask, since no one that I know of here uses that particular recipe. I also looked at the one you linked to and franklt was less than impressed, mainly with his amendments and amounts.

Dolomite lime @1cup/cf will eliminate the need for your 'organic cal/mag' andd buffer your mix to boot.

We'll be glad to help with specific questions, but will not do your homework for you.

Wet

 

I wasn't going to respond again but either way I guess. Maybe this will help out; maybe it wont. This post probably wont answer a specific question but may help in an offhand way.
 
There are hundreds and probably thousands of soil recipes out there and I've no doubt that most work perfectly fine. Different people live in different places and have different soil components available to them but at the end of the day there are still some basics that most of these recipes follow.  
 
RULE NUMBER 1 - Compost and/or Vermicompost is THE most crucial component of ANY organic soil recipe. In the words of our old buddy Lumperdawgz/aka Coot - You cannot amend your way to a viable soil. Get the Compost/EWC dialed in and you won't have many questions that need an answer.  Using the highest quality compost/vermicompost you can source will make or break a soil mix. 
 
We rely on the microbial life found in the compost/vermicompost components to break down organic matter - ANY organic matter into its most basic forms; forms that can then be utilized by growing plants to be used as nutrition. Without soil microbes - bacteria and fungus our plants would literally starve to death. 
 
Heres a very quick breakdown of a basic soil recipe:
 
1/3 Spahgnum Peat (Youve got your "Roots" bagged soil and thats basically the same thing with a few amendments mixed in)
1/3 Compost/vermicompost
1/3 Aeration
 
This is a "base mix". To this, for each cubic foot (around 7.5 gallons) of your base mix add somewhere around 2-3 cups of "nutritional" amendments - kelp, neem, alfalfa, blood meal, bone meal or even a blended mix such as those sold by Epsoma - "Plant Tone" or "Garden Tone" etc. Whatever. The choice is up to you but some work better than others.
 
Sphagnum Peat is a bit acidic so many like to add a "liming agent" at the rate of around a cup per CF of base soil. This can be Lime, crustacean meal, some gypsum, whatever. Make sure its got Calcium Carbonate.
 
Many like to add rock dusts to their mix for a number of reasons. I see anywhere from 2 cups to 5 cups added per CF of mix.
 
That's it and its as simple as that with whatever ingredients you personally choose to add. Concentrate on the quality of your compost/vermicompost, make sure your mix drains properly, make sure you've got a few cups of "nutritional" type soil amendments and you're good to go.
 
Soil, after mixing, should be thoroughly wetted and left to Nutrient Cycle for around a month before use - for best results. This is the time needed for any soil amendments to start breaking down to become usable as plant food. Warm area is best and free flowing oxygen is important. Once your month is up plant into it and just keep moist with water. Plain water.
 
These people are here to help. For your own best results I'd stop the "Pretentious" and "Organic snob" comments and overall negative attitude. This is the internet and you're the one coming in and asking for help. Sometimes you need to weed through a few posts to get the answer you want but coming in with an attitude will get you nowhere fast. Many of these folks are very successful organic gardeners who get great results. If they (and I) dont like "Subcools" recipe then theres a reason for it.
 
Best,
 
j

 

i wanted to isolate a quote here but it was all good! A nice summary of organic soil Jerry


http://forum.grasscity.com/index.php?/topic/1357118-Scotty%27s-first-grow

 

 
Sub'd... this should be interesting 
 
thread-jacking warning!!
 
Newb question... So is that also true for something like Build A Soil living organic soil? Or they took care of that sort of stuff for me? 
 

 
Thanks.
 
 
blah ba blah, ba blah, blah blah! blah?
-- Alex Lifeson, RUSH. Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame 2013

 

No, much like a model airplane, they sell you the parts but you have to put it together. The mixing, water and cycling is on you.

Wet

 

 
Unless he bought the pre-mixed ready-to-use soil that they sell. Rush Fanatic, if that's the case then I'd give Jeremy at BAS a call and ask him. Chances are that they've already let the soil sit and cycle before they sell it but I just don't know.
 
j

 

 
It's the Living Soil.
http://buildasoil.com/collections/frontpage/products/living-organic-soil
 
Feels fairly moist when it arrives. I'll post the question to their website 
 
Thanks.

 

I stand corrected.

Figured they would ship it dry to avoid the water weight. But it does make sense, especially with organic noobs with no patience. Fried seedling complaints would abound.

What a beautiful business model BAS has.

Wet

 

LOL

J

 

Wow.


Chef.

 

 
Not sure of the purpose behind molasses and potassium when dealing with a living soil and using kelp in the mix. ACT's are fine and dandy though I wouldn't advise anyone to use them regularly, as long as a humus source (finished thermophilic compost / vermicompost / EWC) is provided in sufficient quantity there isn't really a need.
\nJerry gave you one of the single most important pieces of advice available for this growing paradigm; Get the compost/EWC dialed in and you won't have many questions that need answering.  
\nThis pertains to your entire gig, in that ANY kind of soil mix relies on microbial interactions to drive forward nutrient cycling and plant processes. The microbial communities stem from your humus source, so your quality of humus dictates the quality of the soil, without considering nutrition which is only a small aspect of a living soil (even the sup par recipe is based on living soil principles like that found in nature, only twisted to fit his particular gimmick and to help sell his brand.) Google sequestered nutrition for more information.
\nThe compost sounds like a good price but I would be skeptical of the quality until I used it. From what I've read Diestal Turkey compost and Bu's Biodynamic Blend are both made on the west coast, along with Oly Mountain Fish compost which is highly recommended by gardeners here that have used it. 
\nUnscreened vermicompost (EWC) is fine but how much are you using per cubic foot ( One c.f. =  roughly 7.5 gallons) or in your total mix? Don't know how well your soil will hold up for you because we have no gauge to measure how much of what was supplied to the soil; I'm not digging through links to help, post up the recipe or use it as is.
\n\n\nRealistically I should not bother helping you after the disrespect you've shown multiple people who have actually tried to offer you valuable information for both your immediate and long term gardening plans.
\nDon't make a thread asking for help to only become arrogant and willfully ignorant of the advice being given.

 

 
 
Perhaps a change in medicine. More "dank" perhaps. Benzos ain't exactly working for ya there sport.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Olo49ATSMg

 

You'd be better off over at RIU.

 

could of fooled me