I'm getting back into this whole thing and I was wondering if someone more experienced in the organic growing field could tell me if this organic soil mix seems solid - for a beginner, of course, not trying to go all out yet, as long as it gets the job done, I'll be happy! I am growing an auto under a ~250W true watt LED, so I am thinking maybe a 15 Gal pot will do the trick. That being said, here is what I have planned to mix and cook for 3-4 weeks. Base Soil: -7 1/2 gallons of Peat Moss -7 1/2 gallons Earth Worm Castings -7 1/2 gallons of Perlite -3 Cups of Dolomite Lime Nute Amendements: -3 cups of Kelp Meal -3 cups of Espoma Tomato Tone Fertilizer -3 cups of Neem Meal Mineral Amendments: -8 cups of Glacial Rock Dust Does this seem appropriate, especially in the amendments? Is 3-4 weeks enough time for this to cook? Finally, will I need to do any extra feeding, or will this suffice? Ideally I am trying to make it so all I need to do is water and not worry about extra feeding. Am I missing anything? Is 15 Gal pot too big for an auto, or should I try to go even bigger? Any assistance would be godsend.
Omho, the mix wouldn't need to cook for planting, but that seems heavy on the kelp and neem while using that fertilizer. I have done similar, and my plants did ok. Plenty of people grow in cheap bagged soil and the tomato tone only. Hell, I grow lots of vegetables in similar fashion even now. The only thing I know about dolomite lime, it has a higher mg/Ca ratio than is optimal. I have never used it in a grow, maybe some others will chime in. Seems you will have about 23 actual gallons of soil, I would switch to a 25- 30 Gallon bag instead and mulch it heavy.
I would just use 1 cup of lime total. I lime peat only, at 1 cup a cuft. I don’t worry about the perlite or compost. A ten gallon pot is plenty for a really big auto. If your just running one cycle, 7’s are pretty sweet. Leave extra room for top dress and mulch. Pop in over at my auto thread and meet the gang if ya want. I would also read post 1 in that thread. It will answer your next questions. Cheers Os
I want to grow organically instead of having to use the general hydroponics flora series liquid nutrients. I already have some potting soil that i plan to mix with the dirt in my yard so will ewc & kelp meal be all i need? I might get the neem thing as well as i dont want to deal with pests
I wouldn't recommend any pre-mixed and bagged potting soils. Usually they are not composed of high quality material and may have slow release nutrients. Ideally you want your soil to be mixed with the best quality raw ingredients you can find. Preferably use high quality compost (try looking in a local organic growing shop), a soil base (usually peat moss) and perlite (aeration). The EWC and kelp meal is a good start, I would add 1 or 2 more amendments for more diversity in nutrients that would be beneficial to your plants. I consider myself a novice organic grower though, so others here may be able to give you more detailed and accurate information.
Can I just activate the bio char while cooking the soil and amendments? Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
This is what I was thinking. I bought 4 bags of Coast of Maine Bar Harbor. Sure I’ll have some sphagnum peat moss, some mj leaves I’ve pulled through the year for humus and pelletized lime. I’ll add some rock powder, kelp powder and after I blend everything up it will sit. I will add necessary amendments as the soil is used over time. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Okay so after reading this guide I'm thinking this would be a good mix? I'm trying to get 3 cubic feet of soil out of this. Base Soil (3 cubic feet): 1 cubic foot peat moss 1 cubic foot worm castings (30 lbs) 1 cubic foot perlite 3 cups lime Minerals: 12 cups azomite Amendment mix (6 cups): 1 cup Dr. Earth vegetable fertilizer 1 cup neem meal 1 cup alfalfa meal 1 cup crab meal 2 cups kelp meal TIA for anyone who has tips or advice
Looks like a good start. You might think about cooking it first but yep looks like a fantastic base to work with. Sent from my SM-J320V using Grasscity Forum mobile app
Any advice on cooking it in the hot California sun? I’m planning on laying it out on a tarp and folding it over. Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
IMO instead of the lime, I would add gypsum. A cup total of lime might be ok, but my tap is usually 7.8-8.0 and the sulfured gypsum keeps the watering from creeping my ph up. Cooking isn’t really necessary unless there’s high N inputs like Alfalfa meal and Feather meal. I lost three weeks of growth in my last run due to the hotness but once they settled in they took off.
you could, but a compost tea with some LABs with a 36 hr brew will put some major life into your soil
So how do I activate it? Make a tea w LAB and pour on top of bio char or pour over the entire soil mix? I’ve got some LAB ready to go Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
741 pages...I of course read the first page top to bottom, but it was from 2012. Is there an updated soil mix by chance? Just like the first page explains, but updated version?? Or are you guys just sticking to that still? I need to fill two 15 gallon pots I have a 4x8x7 tent and nearly 1,000 watts total. 480 watts on each side of the tent. I want to grow a plant on each side in a 15 gallon pot. Looking to get 1lb off each plant (if possible)
Could you explain how this process works? I understand the intent (production of sulfuric acid), but I can't find any peer reviewed science that supports the addition of calcium sulfate to buffer soil alkalinity. Elemental sulfur, yes. Gypsum, no.
i can’t find any either. Just a common misconception. I found a good article to prove me wrong though, lol. Soil pH…Does Gypsum Help? Read below to find out. I guess it’s more along the lines of letting the higher ph water buffer the peat as it decays into a lower ph. I, along with many others have had issues with too much lime and a higher ph water source and it’s not fun
Gypsum can be decent nutrient for microbes in the soil. I wouldn’t bet the farm on it for any pH control. Nothing wrong with pH i get your water, just as you would with a tea, if you water is super alkaline. Peat moss should provide enough acidity. You could always bump your peat moss, to customize your blend to your water. I have to do stuff like that for my grapes, raspberries and blueberries outside because they love acidic soils and we have lots of limestone rich clay. I just got in some neem leaf powder. I thought I ordered 12 Oz., but needed new readers and only had 1/2 Oz actually ordered. I was wondering how much with the powder? I plan on eventually having almost 30L of organic soil. I “of course “ haven’t gone through the entire thread but highly believe in customizing soil to your area. Soil and microbes can be almost as important as lighting and genetics, but I still believe in regional variation. I han add some crushed acidic shale, red limestone (Ca and Fe rich), a bit of silica rich powdery sand from the south shores of the Great Lakes and a touch of gypsum also from Upstate NY. Yes, the blanched out coffee grounds, and kelp surely aren’t local or even regional, but it’s good to have some slightly unique soils. I’ll have some old creek bad dirt in the mix but after it has cooked. Yep, back to the neem. Surely not local but the areas Apple and cherry orchards as well as the thousands of vineyards use neem oil instead of stlyet oil for red mite management. Anyhow, thanks in advance for neem powder amounts. I guess I could put some neem on some cooked crushed tree bark, but I would rather stick with the leaf powder, even if I have to wing it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
When making your own nutrient blend, could you use a cup of bio live, a cup of tomato tone and two cups of kelp meal, or does it ha e to be individual amendments? Sent from my iPad using Grasscity Forum
When making your own nutrient blend, could you use a cup of bio live, a cup of tomato tone and two cups of kelp meal, or does it ha e to be individual amendments? Sent from my iPad using Grasscity Forum
Yes but... I would just combine the bio live and kelp, or the tomato feed and kelp. Biolive and the tomato tone seem similar but the biolive seems more diverse. Sent from my LG-H933 using Tapatalk