An organic soil mix of mine

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

  1. No re-cycling?
     
  2. I have often wondered this too.

    Sent from my Galaxy Note II. I know you bitchez be jealous.
     
  3. People ought to re-read the first page again carefully, especially the amounts.
     
    Like, 1/4cup of kelp meal/5 gallon container. That works out to ~1/3cup/cf. LC's mix called for 1/2 cup/cf.
     
    Now, the *new* standard seems to be 2cups+/cf. A bit crazy and the 'if some works good, a lot ought to work great' mentality creeping in over time.
     
    I do think he meant 1.5cups of the rock dust and not 1.5cf. Now the new standard is like 4-5cups/cf.
     
    Compare LD's mix and amounts to amounts listed in more recent recipes. Sometimes more is just too much.
     
    Wet
     
  4. #464 waktoo, Feb 17, 2014
    Last edited: Feb 17, 2014
     
    I've always thought that 4-5 cups/c.f. rock dust was WAY too much.  I roll with about 2c/c.f.  Being that recommended application rates for gardens/farms run from 5-10# per 1000 sq. ft. every 2 years, 4-5 c/c.f. seems a bit excessive for potted plants.
     
  5.  
    I totally agree.
     
    But the thing is, somewhere along the line LD said that up to 4-5 cups could be added safely and everyone ignored the 'up to' part and treated it as standard. It might not burn, but sure makes for a poor draining mix. Found that out the hard way and I'm still fixing that mix as I go along.
     
    Look around at many threads that mention rock dust and there is sure to be a post that says 'be sure and add 4-5 cups/cf.
     
    I do about 1 1/2 cups/cf. Mixing 2cf at a pop, I add 2cups of granite dust and 1cup of Azomite. Like I said, this is for 2cf.
     
    Wet
     
  6. I think it all depends on the environment. For some the 4-5cups per cf works well, for me it held way too much moisture and dense. I now stick to 2cups per cf. combined with a mineral mix at 1.5cups per cf.
     
  7. #467 Gandalf_the_Green, Feb 19, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Feb 19, 2014
     
    On that first page that people ought to re-read carefully, in post #12, LD states that he meant to say 1/5 of a cubic foot of rock dust... IOW 24 cups.
     
     
    I don't believe that anyone who has been advocating 4-5 cups (myself included), has been ignoring an "up to" part of LD's posts, or misquoting him at all.  Here are some of his posts:
     
    http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/891264-sonoma-vermicompost.html#entry11854147 "I would take 1 c.f. of the Vital Earth potting soil and to that I would add 4 - 5 cups of Gaia Green Glacial Rock Dust"
     
    http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/960915-organic-nitrogen-rich-foliar-spray.html#entry13193991 "Here's what I use for 1 c.f. of potting soil...... 4 or 5 cups of Canadian Glacial Rock Dust - I do not and will not use volcanic rock dusts. Talking about arguing about how many angels can sit on the head of a pin, eh? LOL"
     
    http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/968697-difference-lime.html/page-2#entry13273252 "Lost Dog- Just as a point of reference, my entire amendments for potting soil is limited to the following: Glacial Rock Dust - 4 to 5 cups; Kelp Meal - 1/2 cup; Crab Meal - 1/2 cup; Neem Meal - 1/2 cup"
     
    http://forum.grasscity.com/gardening/968234-wheat-grass.html#entry13268981 "G45- The complete list of amendments that I now use is just 4: 1. Canadian Glacial Rock Dust - 4 to 5 cups per 1 c.f. of mixed soil2. Kelp Meal - 1/2 cup for 1 c.f. of soil; ........"
     
    http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/976430-mixing-soil-start-here.html#entry13419958 "Amendments per 1 c.f.: 4 - 5 cups of Gaia Green Canadian Glacial Rock Dust; 1/2 cup Kelp Meal;........"
     
    http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/982604-subcools-super-soil.html/page-2#entry13536826 "To each 1 c.f. of mixed potting soil add the following: 4 - 5 cups of Gaia Green Canadian Glacial Rock Dust"
     
    http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/1002661-looking-new-nutrient-line.html/page-2#entry13853328 "That's the soil base. To that I added the following to 1 cubic foot of the mixed soil5 cups of Canadian Glacial Rock Dust; ......"
     
    http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/1014814-worm-castings-get-amendment-question.html#entry14063296 "To each 1 c.f. of mixed potting soil I add the following amendments (only): 4 - 5 cups Canadian Rock Dust; ....."
     
    Page 11 of this very thread: http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/336320-organic-soil-mix-mine.html/page-11#entry11933675 "To each 1 c.f. (approximately 7 gallons in theory), add 2 cups of the Alfalfa, Bone & Kelp Meal mix. On the Greensand & SRP mix, add about 1 cups to 1 c.f. of potting soilTo each 1 c.f. of mixed potting soil add 5 cups of Canadian Glacial Rock Dust - that is not a typo - 5 cups of Glacial Rock Dust to 1 c.f. of potting soil."
     
    http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-grow-journals/946124-jerrys-organic-obsession.html/page-68#entry14050837 "RE: Glacial Rock Dust - I use 4 - 5 cups to each 1 cubic foot of potting soil."
     
    http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/951816-what-soil-recipes-do-you-guys-use.html#entry12965316 "To each 1 c.f. of potting soil I add the following: 4 - 5 cups of Canadian Glacial Rock Dust; 1.5 cups of a mix I make up that consists of equal parts of kelp, neem and crab meals"
     
    http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/655942-first-organic-soil-mix.html#entry8198604 "One friend of mine adds 6 cups of this specific rock dust to 1 c.f. of his potting soil mix. His mix is beyond anal and I've learned a plethora of information from listening to him and studying his methods. Kinda out there for a lot of folks. Glacial rock dust is his hot-button and has some interesting science to back it up."
     
    You can disagree with LD about the 4-5 cups of rock dust..... but please don't act like the several people on here (including me) who are advocating 4-5 cups are mis-characterizing LD's posts or ignoring parts of them.  I don't see the words "up to" anywhere in those many, many posts.
     
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  8. Here's another LD mix... a little newer than this thread I imagine.. "Equal parts of Sphagnum peat moss, some aeration deal (pumice, rice hulls, lava rock - whatever is sitting in the garage) and finally some mix of humus - my compost, worm castings some black leaf mold I bought from the local 'worm guy'

    To each 1 c.f. of this mix I add the following:

    1/2 cup organic Neem meal
    1/2 cup organic Kelp meal
    1/2 cup Crab meal (or Crustacean meal when available - it has Shrimp meal with the Crab meal. It's a local product from the fisheries on the Oregon & Washington Coasts)

    4 cups of some minerals - rock dust

    After the plant is in the final container I top-dress with my worm castings at 2" or so and then I hit it with Aloe vera juice and Comfrey extract. Or Borage. Or Stinging Nettle. Or Horsetail ferns. Whatever is ready.

    That's it.

    To recycle I've just been letting the root ball breakdown and I remove it. I dump the potting soil into an extra large SmartPot container (50 gallons) and add some new potting soil mix as above. I water it down with Kelp meal and Comfrey tea and let it sit until I need it. 

    Ain't rocket science......

    The 'rock dust' term I used should have included an explanation, i.e. it's a mix I had made and bagged:

    4x - Glacial Rock Dust - Canadian Glacial (Gaia Green label)
    1x - Bentonite - from the pottery supply store in PDX
    1x - Oyster Shell Powder - the standard product from San Francisco Bay
    1x - Basalt - from Redmond, Oregon (new product at Concentrates - about $18.00)

    No Dolomite Lime, Greensand or SRP was used. Or Azomite."

    my first grow
     
  9. If it works for ya'll, great.
     
    We all like our chili a bit different.
     
    Wet
     
  10. Yeah I'm doin 5 cups per cf in my current mix n it is working out ok for me. Everyone's situation is different so use what works for ya.

    my first grow
     
  11. While I do of course understand that everybody likes their "chili" :) a little spicier or not, some prefer more hamburg and some prefer da vegetarian variety - and this is of course very cool and if it works at whatever amounts you use then please stick to it. Hell, I've had fantastic results with NO rock dust.

    If it's working then awesome, again, I think most of the advice is given as guidelines. I will guarantee that we all have different mixes and I'll also guarantee that however you go about it, organic gardening WORKS - however you go about it and whatever your mix consists of - providing it drains well and uses a quality humus, a little food and some kind of mineral mix you're gonna get where ya wanna be. I've changed my soil mixes a lot over the years - better? I dunno. Just different I guess. I think I'm finally where I want to be though - I'm running (very successfully) screened, aerated (buckwheat hulls of course! ) homegrown compost that's been amended with granite flour and the usual nutritional amendments. It's probably different than Wetdogs or Chunks or Sticky Fiskars but they're all organic mixes and they all work freaking excellent.

    I'm fairly sure the original "4-5 cups of rock dust /CF" came from the testing done by Gaia Green. I think. It's been a long time. Back when I first started the Rock Dust thread I was asked about this and here's my response -

    "Regarding amounts - Gaia Green recommends 4.25 cups per cubic foot of soil mix. Extensive testing was performed and the benefits ran out at 6 cups per cubic foot. Lets do the math, first understanding that before we add rock dust, our soil mixes are completely 100% organic matter; with the exception of the folks that use lime and/or srp, etc -

    One cubic foot equals around 7 1/2 gallons. There are 16 cups in 1 gallon.
    16 cups times 7 1/2 gallons equals almost 120 cups (119.68 cups, to be exact).
    At 5 cups of rock dust per CF of soil, this equals out to be around 4% of your soil mix.
    At 10 cups of rock dust per CF of soil, this equals out to be around 8% of your soil mix.

    I can only imagine how much rock dust is in the average natural soil - but I can just about guarantee it's a whole lot more than 8%."


    8% being twice the recommended amount - so at 4%, or 4-5 cups/CF leaves our soil mixes at 96% OM & 4% rock dust. 96% OM (and aeration).

    Again, though - mix your soil according to sustainability while following the basic golden rules and you are just about guaranteed success.

    As long as you pH your runoff and flush well.

    J
     
  12. PS - and I just wanted to throw this one out there. Here are the application rates suggested by Cascade Minerals regarding their Basalt dust -

    "House Plants: For best results mix Cascade Minerals with potting soil blends prior to planting using 1-2 cups of Cascade Minerals per gallon of potting soil. For surface application, use 1-2 tsp of Cascade Minerals per every inch of pot diameter and lightly stir into the top of the soil."

    Cite: http://cascademineralsnw.com/application.html

    J
     
  13. So 7.5-15 cups per cu ft.  Wow
     
    By the way I like lobster in my chili…just sayin  :smoking:
     
  14. Shit I think I put 4/5 cups a c.f. too.... shit then at the end I threw in another handfull or so.

    I haven't mixed a new soil yet, and I wanted to amend my recycled soil, but since planting in it I have found no need.
    :smoke: y
     
  15.  
     
    Wow!  That's gonna' be some heavy shit.  Let's not forget that businesses selling product ALWAYS suggest using more than one actually needs.  Gotta' deep you comin' back, ya' know?  $$$$$$$
     
  16. As long as you pH your runoff and flush well. :hello: 
     
    Of course Jerry, that goes without saying.  :ey:
     
    BTW, I like Maine lobsters, my wife prefers 'bugs' (Florida lobsters). Sad we can't afford either. :cry:
     
    Wet
     
  17. Jerry I thought you didn't check ph

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  18. I heard sarcasm in his tone.   :smoking:
     
  19. No sarcasm, I don't know Jerry well enough to be an asshole, just seeking clarification

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