Easy Organic Soil Mix for Beginners

First again is, cool that Wak chimed in. Not by choice, but he is our water expert, especially with dissolved solids similar to what you have. Some extensive VOE here, with him.

Pine bark mulch (not nuggets or mini nuggets), is the closest thing you can get to "fines". Used to be able to get graded pine bark fines, but I haven't seen them for well over a decade. The pine bark mulch is about 90% fines though and plenty 'good enough'.

*I* don't use any *rock dust* rock dust anymore, just the Azomite and Greensand at a healthy 1cup/cf. Have a 2 cup measuring cup that holds a bit over 2cups filled to the brim and this is how I measure for my 2cf mix. Over 1cup, but less than 1 1/2cups.

Before I forget, your EWC .... Do you have a worm bin going, or using store bought? If store bought, I would strongly suggest starting a worm bin as a first priority. Even before building the soil mix! The bedding for my worm bins is pretty much the same as the beginning of my soil mix, so everything is on hand anyway.

It really is about the most significent thing you can do AFA organic gardening. Close to it is starting a compost pile if you have the space and source material to feed it. But all you need for a worm bin is an unused corner somewhere.

Wet

 

Thank you wet! I’ll listen to anything weak has! I’ve pm’d.

I sourced your recommendations and will follow your directions. So much appreciated!

Yes! That is my top priority and I have a simple 2 tote ready I’m just researching care and maintenance right now. I do have a compost but would gladly divert the scraps to a worm bin. The ewc I have are bagged but I have to make do for 6months until a bin produces. I will definitely heed your recommendation and get worms ordered ASAP. I have plenty of paper, cardboard and leaves to lay a bottom layer. Suppose I should just jump in with both feet?

 

I have been sourcing the 'small bark nuggets' at Lowe's, "Greensmix" brand I think. That is the closest thing to fines I can find. The small size fits thru a 1/2" screen and has worked well in my mixes and vmc bedding. Another thing that bark is great for is holding water. If you grow inside during winter and have dry conditions from heating, it really helps keep things moist.
hth
cheers
os

 

For starting out with worms I would suggest a simple, repeatable, bedding & feed before experimenting. I use a peat moss, perlite, lime, pine bark bedding mix that is simple to make, cheap and gives constant results.

@Organic sinse has taken that basic mix and has tried & used more than a few variations on it. He also has the homegrown compost pile, leaf mold & etc to make that happen. Stuff that I'm not physically able to do, but they should be checked out vs what you've got going on to see what fits for your situation.

Once you have one well established bin the sky is the limit for experimenting and improvement since you will have a nearly constant supply of worms. I keep 2 totes for use as "nursery" bins for whenever I need worms. It's slow at first, but once established you have more worms than you actually need.

Wet

 

Thanks again wet. Going to go checkout a local worm farm and pick up some worms.

For the bedding you mentioned. You are right! I have all that on hand already. Is it equal parts of those 3? How much is it lined? I wouldn’t be going crazy to start just 10 gallon totes to get my feet wet. Not sure how to lime that. Does the bedding need to sit for any length of time (for the lime)?

 

checkout @wetdogs thread in this forum "Converting to Vermiculture based Gardening". My recipes as well as wetdog's are in there. Its a great read. Most current recipes toward the end.
Welcome to the wonderful world of worm farming!
cheers
os

 

First, let me ask, just what exactly are you using for lime? The "mesh size" (how finely ground it is), is way more important than the actual source of the CaCO3. It should be about the consistancy of all purpose flour for best results. Much coarser than that and it just takes too long to become available.

My go to is the pulverized dolomite lime from HD or Lowes (same brand at both), it's cheap, ~$4.50/40lb bag and the consistancy is like very fine flour.

When I'm making bedding I'll add ~1 1/2 cups of lime for every 5gal bucket of peat moss, the little extra is for the pine bark also used in the bedding.

Yes, the lime needs some time to start working. This is usually not a problem because it's so easy to make it in advance of when it's actually needed. BUT, if you need it right away the worms should still be Ok for the couple of weeks it takes to start having an effect.

Just make sure the bedding is totally saturated/wet. Water is what gets all this stuff going and the reactions between the lime and peat moss happening. I usually use 5gal buckets w/drainage to keep it in, but pretty much anything with drainage will do. The drainage is essential. The 5gal buckets just make it easy to move around as needed, since I usually leave the buckets outside (except winter), and bring into the basement as needed.

Wet

 

Thanks wet. I contacted the worm farm. Y me and they actually invited me to check out their facility. They seemed very happy someone was interested in their line of work. I’m going to take them up on the offer I think.

It’s Espoma branded garden lime, derived with dolomite lime. It’s definitely not as fine as flour, maybe even pellets. I did take a pinch and toss it into a glass of water and the majority dissolved rather quickly but turned the water brown. This is the same stuff I tossed into the soil mix that’s currently cooking.

 

hey
Did anyone notice this post was started yesterday in 2012! Happy happy!

 

Yeah, the Espoma is fine, if a bit spendy. LOL It's powdered dolomite, held together with a clay binder (the brown stuff). It's for ease of use in mechanical spreaders/applicators. I also keep a bag of the cheapo lime in pellet form for top dressing/hand spreading.

If you've ever tried to spread pulverized lime on a breezy day .... the pelletized makes a LOT of sense! You're GTG with either.

Funny, but totally understandable with the worm wranglers and the invite. I've noticed the glassy eyes when I get started on the benefits and wonders of worm wrangling. I'm guessing it's very similar to my expression when someone starts on the benefits and wonders of tofu. When someone is actually interested, as you are, of course they are happy to show you around. *I* would certainly go. Snag some worms and some of their castings at the same time. Just get the bedding started and something rotting for when the worms come home. Be sure and snag some in use bedding along with the worms. You should ALWAYS add some of the bedding from a harvested bin to the fresh bedding of the bin you're starting. Think of it much like sourdough starter and keeping some for the next batch.

Wet

 

Is Rock Dust really necessary?? will the grow be affected greatly?

 

Wellllllllll .....

Kelp meal has all the trace elements and minerals required, so you got the minimum covered at least and it's a "must have", but most prefer additional mineral inputs. There are several sources with rock dust just being one of them.

No, rock dust really isn't necessary if you have kelp meal in your mix. You're GTG. *I* no longer use RD in my mixes, but do use other mineral sources besides the kelp meal, namely, Azomite and Greensand, for several sources of trace and minerals that complement the kelp meal.

Wet

 

Back with a question.. again.

Things are cooking along nicely, and I prepped a pot for later use. Filled it up and figured what the hell, I’d water it and see how watering acted in this mix.

The mix itself
Clumps when squeezed, falls apart into larger chunks when tension is released. A slight touch will continue to break it up.

When I watered the test pot to test out drainage and see the behavior I was pretty surprised how heavy, muddy it became. It retained so much water.

Is this normal? Should I add more pumice? More pine bark? It seems like the mix is just too heavy to plant anything in its current state.

Edit tldr; good way to describe it is it looses its structure when adding more water. There’s no ‘fluff’ to it. It settles a lot.

 

Sounds like your aeration is A) Not enough, or B) Too chunky/large

About what is the size of your pumice? Should be in the neighborhood of 1/4" or so, but I also have no personal experience with pumice, so if anyone would like to chime in .... What % of your mix is the pumice?

*I* would suggest using some perlite if you need more aeration, the regular horticultural grade. It's fairly small (~1/8" to 1/4") and creates a lot of tiny air pockets that will add "fluff". I run about 40% aeration.

For the pine bark, I keep that at ~10-15% and is considered seperate from the 40% aeration and bring the total to ~50% aeration at first. But it does become humus over time and the reason it is considered seperate.

Wet

 

Hey Waktoo can you give me your thoughts on my water? Comes out at 200ppm usually, mostly calcium carbonate. ph 7.8

Thanks for your thoughts. I used to be worried, now im not so worried, but would appreciate a proper educated analysis and confirmation from a pro. thx water boss

 

Use the @ symbol next to his name. Like @waktoo

 

Fair enough but I have to laugh since, not too long ago on SEP 28, you were indeed engaging with individuals on this thread, asking for their water report. Then I go ahead and post up mine, and apparently its in the past now.

I understand basic water quality, just wanted your opinion since you seemed above common knowledge levels.

Thanks anyways, sorry that your advice giving did not work out. Don't let a few stubborn people bring ya down. It always helps someone, and they appreciate it. Even if you weren't told or don't know the. Someone will read it at some point.

 

Hey everyone,

I've decided to try and mix my own organic soil and stumbled upon this forum and thread, which has been a lot of help so far, so thank you all!

However, I do have a few questions;

I've managed to source:

Worm castings
Peat moss
Perlite

But I am having trouble with rock dust and kelp meal.

1) When it comes to rock dust, the offer in my country is pretty messed up. Most of it says Zeolite, while some bags just say "vulcanic rock dust" and that's it, leaving me in the dark about what it actually is, or it'll say something like "a mix of basalts and zeolites". If I'm not mistaken, I should be looking for pure basalt rock dust, is this correct? In case I can't source it, can I just opt for Zeolite (I'd rather avoid it to be honest though).

2) As for kelp meal, I can only find products meant for human consumption which contain Ascophyllum nodosum , which is an issue, as they of course have some crazy mark-ups going on, trying to sell you the whole "it'll make you healthier than ever" mentality, bringing the cost up to 5 USD for 5 ounces of the stuff lol.

I did run into a product meant for horses though, which contains the same ingredient and runs at like 25 USD / 4.5 lbs, which is a more reasonable price. But I have no idea if this is even suitable for gardening?

The product I've sourced is this one: Equimins Seaweed - Equimins

3) Can I substitute peat moss with coco coir in this mix, as I have quite a lot on hand? I would not use limestone if I opt for coco coir, of course.

4) My water isn't all that good. The pH is around 8.5-9 (tested with a digital meter, as well as a liquid test kit), but when it comes to organics, everyone says not to worry about adjusting pH. Would this be true even if the pH is as high as mine? My water also contains small amounts of chlorine dioxide, but as long as I let it sit out for a day or two, it should be safe to use with this soil, am I correct?

Thanks for any help in advance!

 

The horse stuff is more than fine, but still a bit spendy. Here, I get Thorvin organic for ~$58 for a 50lb bag. It is labeled for general livestock not just horses, but is the exact same kelp. It is mostly the horsey set that buy it though. The 'just for horses' bit just adds $$ to the price. If you can check feed & seed places you may find a better deal. Comes from Iceland IIRC, so closer to you than me. I've been using it for ~9 years now. Good stuff and a "Must Have".

I would STRONGLY suggest staying with the peat & perlite for your first mixes. Nice that you have a lot of coco, but it won't go bad. Once you have a few organic runs/experience, the do some experimenting with subbing the coco for peat. There is a healthy learning curve with organics and a repeatable soil mix goes a long way here.

Water, I can't help much with other than to say don't sweat the chlorine in the water. The organic matter in the soil mix neutralizes the chlorine in short order, just like adding organic matter to a bucket of water will dissipate the chlorine. It works both ways.

It's not the pH of the water so much, but the amount and make-up of the dissolved solids in the water like calcium. It can cause some really subtle and serious problems. I'm blessed with nearly RO water out of the tap, so no experience, but there have been more than a few discussions.

The soil/mix will buffer the waters pH to match it's own in short order. The part that keeps getting left out is, "in a well buffered soil", before the 'adjusting the pH isn't necessary'. This is where your lime comes in, get it right from the git go and you're pretty much done there for the grow, likely longer.
HTH

Wet