Peace fellow blades! I just mixed my soil up, and used azomite, and greensand for my mineral mix... I've read azomite isn't truly a rock dust, so will I be alright with these two? I used 2 cups of each per cubic foot. Also, I mixed it all up in a 30 gallon bin, I drilled a few holes to allow the soil to breathe. Should I leave the top off or on?
Your minerals should be fine. Leave the top off and make sure the soil stays damp but not wet. Did you add any other fertilizer amendments?
Peace Chuck! I did bro, here's the entire mix... Base: 1/3 Majestic earth peat moss 1/3 Bagged EWC (gardenville), fresh EWC sourced locally, Ladybug revitalizer compost, all mixed up about a third each 1/3 perlite Oyster shell flour (1 1/2 cups per cubic foot) Fert mix: Soft rock phosphate neem cake alfalfa meal kelp meal diatomaceous earth plant tone budswel (seabird and bat guano with EWC) Mineral mix: azomite ladybug greensand Appreciate your help, rock on!
Looks good to me, next time I would recommend mixing rec and compost 50/50 for more diverse microherd working the soil, I have also read that more than 20% wormcastings in a mix can stunt root growth though I'm not positive about that one. Crab shell meal is another great ammendment supplying chitin and improving fungal activity. Glad to are you have the kelp and alfalfa and I'm sure your mix will do great.
Boogieman, thanks for the input brother! I considered crab meal, but was a bit concerned it could possibly draw animals since I'm going outdoors. is it too late to add more compost and peat?
is it too late to add more compost and peat How long before you plant? As long as you've got another few? weeks you could still adjust your mix - if you really feel you need to... If I'm reading your mix correctly, you have 1/3 peat, 1/3 castings and a third compost? Sorry, I got a bit confused. If this is the case then yes you could add some more peat anyhow - your castings and compost combined shouldn't exceed 40% max of the mix - it might just get too wet and heavy. Maybe you could bury some crab mixed in down deep but you're right - I've had aminals digging through my compost heaps going for the piles of lobster shells (same as crab) that I had added to the heaps. If you have any extra compost when you're done why don't you add two or three inches of it spread across the top of your soil as a top dressing. This will also help keep your soil moister during the heat of summer. Mulching with a thick layer of straw helps with this too - just try and avoid having the compost and straw touching the stalk of your plants themselves. Let us know how you make out! Organic plants outside (make sure you have FULL SUN) can do really well. Do nice big holes if you have enuff soil. Mix some straight compost and a light dusting of kelp meal after you dig the holes mixed a little into the native soil before you fill the holes too - gives a nice healthy burst of organics right where your soil meets the native soil. Keep 'em moist and in full sun all summer and you'll be a happy camper come fall! J
Jerry, your feedback is much appreciated brother! I mixed fresh castings, bagged castings, and compost, they only make up 1/3 of the base. 1/3 peat, 1/3 perlite, 1/3 casting/compost mix. I'll be planting late June. I also have to keep it mobile, so I'll be running in 10 gallon smart pots. I failed last year in a half assed, happy frog and earth juice, bottled organic attempt. I decided to go real deal Holyfield this time, and I'm pretty stoked. This forum is motivation!
I will tell you that: A. It's pretty damn hard to pick up a 10 gallon smart pot, especially when wet/damp. B. You will be root bound quickly in a ten gallon pot outdoors, and C. A 10 gallon smart pot will dry out FAST in the heat of summer. Just my thoughts. J
I totally agree about them drying out fast. They aren't really that hard to move, but there's no point moving around a dried out dead plant. Last season I used 15 and 20 gallon pots that I moved around a lot. The 15 gallon ones with handles aren't that bad to move short distances. I wound t want to hike a mile in the woods with one though. The main problem was they dried out daily during the hottest parts of summer. Keeping something like that watered is almost impossible unless it's in your back yard.
I hear ya mama - I've done it before myself. If you're not out there EVERY DAY without fail you are almost guaranteed dead plants. By putting them into the ground you gain more room for roots; hence bigger and better plants, and it's much much easier to keep them moist by visiting every several days. I won't grow outside in small containers again unless its my 125 gallon pots. J
One option I almost forgot. This is really handy IMO. You can bury the smart pot. Let the roots grow through into the ground. It gives you more root space and keeps the plant moist longer. But if you HAD to move it in a pinch, you can rip the smart pot out of the ground and keep the main rootball intact. 10 gallons is still a little small though. I'd at least go 15.
Hugelkulture for outdoor plants is what I have been thinking ever since Irie67 posted about it the other day.
They will be in my yard, I have to move them to maximize the sun they get, so I won't be moving them too far. I'll also be tending to them daily. I thought smart pots were immune to root binding?