An organic soil mix of mine

Discussion in 'Growing Organic Marijuana' started by LumperDawgz, Feb 10, 2009.

  1. #1 LumperDawgz, Feb 10, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 10, 2009
    So I'm new here and perhaps this isn't the correct sub-forum to post this but I would like to share the organic soil mix that I use for my MMJ garden. It's based on the 'LC Mix' that appears all over the web.

    I start of with Sunshine Organic Growers Mix which consists of 40% organic peat moss, 30% organic coir (washed and inoculated with trichoderma spores), 10% perlite, 10% vermiculite and 10% pumice (medium size). The reasons that all 3 are added by the manufacturer has to do with the CEC (cation exchange capacity) of these 3 aeration amendments. The soil is ph adjusted with dolomite lime and is treated with organic yucca extract as a wetting agent.

    This is a professional 'soilless mix' for the nursery plant industry. All of the products used are the best available.

    BTW - Sunshine Mix is manufactured by Sun Gro Horticulture which also manufactures Black Gold products (their consumer line) and some other products that appear at Home Depot and Loews, etc. Sunshine Mixes are generally available in the Western US and ProMix is manufactured and distributed in the Eastern US. There is no difference between the 2 products if you're comparing apples to apples.

    To the soil I add 25% organic compost, 1 cf. of pumice or rice hulls and that's the basic soil

    To that I add 1 cup (per 1 cf.) seed meal (equal parts of canola, cottonseed, flaxseed and alfalfa) to replace the bloodmeal ('N') and organic fish bone meal (4-20-0) to replace the bonemeal in the original LC Mix.

    About 1/4 cup of kelp meal and 1 tablespoon of mycorrhizal fungus to each 5 gallon pot and I sprinkle about 1/4 cup of neem seed meal as a top dressing.

    That's it other than applying aerated compost teas at the beginning of the veg cycle and then again at the beginning of the flower cycle (a high-fungai tea facilitates the take-up of phosphorous). Just water and I hit them with a foiliar spray of fish enzyme and seaweed extract 1x a week and neem seed oil 2x times a week through veg and the first couple of weeks in the flower cycle to prevent mites and powdery mildew.

    It works without any burning, stunted growth, whatever. Just add water.

    HTH

    This soil costs me less than $6.00 per cf. to put together.

    LumperDawgz
     
  2. Real nice information. And welcome to GC btw! So the neem oil doesn't burn with the sun, cool. Nice tip on the seed meal, the neem as topper, and the tea for phosphorous etc... Great post!
     
  3. #3 LumperDawgz, Feb 10, 2009
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 10, 2009
    Corto

    I am an indoor grower and your point is well taken about applying neem seed oil mixtures, i.e. do it at the end of the 'on cycle' whenever possible.

    I also forgot to include one of the most important ingredient - glacial rock dust. I add about 1.5 cf. of this to the soil mix. This is important because the fungai use the exudes created by the bacteria (a slime is produced) that are 'mainlined' into the root hairs from mycorrhazie attached to the root hairs.

    Sometimes when I remember I add some dolomite lime to the mix but it's not a big deal for me. The soil is made within 100 miles of me and they adjust the mixes to the proper PH with far better equipment than I can afford to purchase. The same with the organic compost that I use. It's packed by a nursery company for their own use. They process tons and tons of this compost each year and the PH is adjusted for this product as well.

    Basically in a pure organic garden, PH is hardly and almost never an issue.

    LumperDawgz
     
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  4. ok man, no problem. Thanks for the tips. You know you're stuff :D!
     
  5. That "on cycle" you speak of,you mean to add the neem oil FF at the end of the day for outdoor growers and at the end of the indoors light cycle so leaf burning is eliminated right?

    This organic soil being fully resistant to pH shifts is very interesting to me.

    So your saying with the right mix of soiless medium,rock dust and organic goodies the pH will be stable with any tap water available or is their any benefit to using R/O in any % with tap water?
     
  6. Soil, at its very basic, is shattered rock (or rock dust if you choose) and composted and rotting organic material (dead mammals, reptiles, birds, insects, worms, plant materials, etc.) - that's it. Anything else in the soil would be considered an amendment.

    RE: Potting Soils in general - a read of the "Cornel Mix" is a good place to start.

    Composted organic material contains humic acid(s) and fulvic acids. These acids neutralize water's PH across a wide range of numbers. If it didn't happen this way, and food producers had to tend to their plants like cannabis growers have been led to believe that they have to, the price of a strawberry would be about $80.00 - less if you're buying volume like say 3 or 4 strawberries at a time.

    Some organic growers will use 'pure humic acid' in their waterings every 10 days or so to keep the levels up if the quality of the compost that was used perhaps was lacking.

    Not all compost is created equally. The best composts are EWC (earthworm castings) and even there homemade is better than 'store bought' because most of the worm castings available at garden centers come out of Canada and are high in nitrogen but little else because the worms live on a diet of paper and cardboard.

    Canada uses vermiculture for its paper trash rather than sending it to a landfill - that's a good thing. Worms love paper because they're high in carbon. The castings are 'okay' but not as good as worm castings you can do yourself and there are a few commerical worming operations which crank out 'da kind' castings.

    HTH

    LumperDawgz
     
  7. Excellent info,but can you also address my specific questions listed above too?:p
     
  8. ocitown

    RE: Neem oil application

    Corto Malteze was correct to point out that it's best to apply neem oil mixtures on your plants in the evenings (outdoors) and in the last 1/2 hour (if possible) for indoor growers, i.e. they do perform better if given several hours in the dark with hopefully cooler temperatures, lower humidity, etc.

    The 'Dyna-Gro Neem Seed Oil' is a terrific bargain if you buy it in the 32-oz size. That will last you a couple of years - literally. And if you're a real purist there are 'human food grade' neem seed meal products available - bring cash.

    Most of the big neem seed meal importers live in California and that's where you find the best prices on neem seed meal, oils, bark, leave mulch, etc. The Indians have really figured out how to market the products from this ancient tree and good on them. California has a huge Indian population so kudos to our friends in the Golden State - they get to pay real world prices for neem seed products. Check out what the prices are in NY by the time you add shipping costs. A 50 lb. bag in Los Angeles cost more to ship it to Portland, Oregon than the product cost.

    We use neem seed meal on our farm animals and pets. A monthly bath/rinse of this keeps the fleas, ticks, etc. away without poisons and work just as effectively.
     
  9. Thanx for that,your a wealth of knowledge here.:D

    I did get the Dyna-gro neem in the 32oz just a few weeks ago for SM and im here in Calif. and i unfortunately went to a hydro shop:eek: and paid $25.99,did i get bent over the hood of my truck,and for how long?:eek:
     

  10. I've never paid less than $30.00 from a 'grow store' and $28.00 from a standard nursery center.

    I'd say that you did rather well for yourself!
     

  11. did you mean to put something else after the 1.5, or am i being retarded?
     

  12. No - it was me being too lazy to edit my post correctly.

    What I meant to type was 1/5 of a cubic foot meaning that the various rock dusts usually come in a 50 lb. bag which is about 1 cubic foot (sort of) and so what I was trying to say is that you want to use about 1/5 of the bag per mixing lot.

    You can add more. It is impossible to burn a plant with rock dust. Adding it has benefits long after the harvest in that it prepares the soil for those who (wisely) re-use the soils that they've built. They're better the 2nd and 3rd time out.

    HTH

    LD
     
  13. Tagging and bumping this!! Gonna have to give this a try.
     
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  14. Could you go into more detail about the reuse aspect? In fact, if you want to just type away any and all info most of us will be forever grateful :)
     
  15. Unforunately Lumper hasn't been around.... very missed.... I've taken in a lot of his info when making my soil remix
     
  16. Oh what a bummer, the guy seemed to really know wtf he was taliing about.
     
  17. That's very unfortunate to hear.
     
  18. Do a search and read as many of his posts as you can.........his knowledge is your gain. Every post he made was enlightening..........
     
  19. first thing I did dude :)
     
  20. His info is awsome !!!!!!!!!!!!:hello:
     

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