Hey all, I’m about to embark on a complete revamp of my space… The first step is figuring out a soil mix that I can use that works for me. My biggest obstacle is I am allergic to shellfish/ crustaceans, so I am unable to use crab/ crustacean meal in any of my mixes. I will be moving to two beds (3’ x 4’ x 14”, and 3’ x 6’ x 14”) and have decided to start over with fresh soil. I’ve been reusing/ reamending my soil for the last 3 years, without soil tests. After listening to a few podcasts and seeking advice from a few very trusted sources I feel it’s time to start over and find a mix I can move forward with. Im planning on going with a peat moss, ewc, and lava rock, as my base. Kelp, alfalfa, biochar, bone meal, gypsum neem meal, rock dusts, are also on my list.... I’m still a little new to the soil science aspect, so any help/guidance is greatly appreciated!! Thank you GCO!
Sorry, I didn’t put all of my actual amendments down! Absolutely on the lime/eggshells. Really just trying to get it simplified so I can get to mixing. Hoping to have everything mixed, and done. want to plant in the new beds in 5 weeks... I truthfully have always followed the beginners guide to soil mix and taken out the crustacean meal...I figured a little out on the way and added more aeration and P, but realized/ felt I was putting in unnecessary ingredients.
i saw this the other day when i was looking for no till recipes and noticed that it is shellfish free for those who have allergies. he doesn't give out the recipe but i think that it would be very easy to figure out myself. i put what i was thinking about doing in bold lettering but i literally just saw this two days ago and was really excited to try something new than the regular coot mix. i just thought i'd share with you. BuildASoil 3.0 More clay, topsoil and amendments make this a powerful long lasting soil that is exceptionally microbe friendly. This is the latest recipe created in 2017 after years of tinkering with different additions to our basic Living Organic Soil. This version has significantly more ingredients and is more challenging to make but we all feel that it's worth it. Ingredients: Canadian Sphagnum Peatmoss 50% of Base. Composts: Oly Mountain Fish Compost BuildASoil Colorado Pinto Bean Compost BuildASoil #1 Worm Castings Aeration and Drainage: Pumice (3/8" x 1/4") Par Boiled Rice Hulls Charged Bio Char Mineral Additions: BuildASoil Basalt 1-2 cups per cuft BuildASoil Premium Montmorillonite 1 cup per cuft Gypsum Soluble Pellets 1 cup per cuft CalPhos not sure yet but i was gonna ask around Soil Amendments: Organic Malted Barley Milled Organic Alfalfa Meal 1/2-1 cup per cuft Terviva Karanja Cake 1/2 cup per cuft Organic Kelp Meal from Thorvin 1/2-1 cup per cuft
That’s very interesting! I’m tossing the idea of getting a kiss nutrient packs, but I really wanted to do it myself so I know what’s going on and can learn a little more… I understand them not wanting to give it out, but I'm just a diyer, and want to understand more! I do have about 60% of the amendments I need, But it would really be nice not to have to deal with it and just throw it in there and go after I mix up soil. Thank you for the recipe! Time to make a decision!
i bet KIS uses fish products like crab or fish meal. i think what is causing any allergic reaction is the actual mixing, the dust from fine ground crab gets in the lungs? or are you just avoiding it completely as precaution? i'm not allergic to fish but i am interested in some of the other things he is using like the clays and calphos.
I've contacted them and I would be getting a special pack without crab meal...still makes me paranoid, I'm really allergic
that is really nice of Tad!! i bet that it will turn out alright. i know when i mix soil i can taste the crustacean meal sometimes when i dump it in. sometimes it creates a cloud sorta because it's like powder almost.
so are you looking for a replacement for crab meal for the nutrient pack that you'll be getting or you haven't ordered it yet and were looking for another option/new recipe? i know a lot of people don't like calphos but it would work along with regular bone meal. it would involve some testing on your part to develop an allergy free recipe, but if you did successfully develop one, i would love to share it with those who have asked me before. its not a really common question but it does get asked often enough i would like to have something for them other than what i told you. i bet everyone would offer up help and it could be really fun!
I’m still a little worried. Last time I got a chance to go there an employee said to not touch the nutrient pack bag they use so much crab meal... That’s what I figure! Don’t like to cut corners, but since I’m starting over, I figure it’s time to let the experts handle it!
Either way I guess. I can always just follow the recipe I always have. Things started to get good when I started using my own worm castings, and chicken poop! I’m probably making this harder than it should be. He did offer a few ideas for substitutes, I really am not sure what I’m going to do. I just don’t like not knowing what I’m putting in, but I don’t think I have the time to figure it all out.
Ok @skunker~ I’m a little less overwhelmed now. Lol. I think I have the plan...I’m going to use the Kis packs and mix up a batch of soil for my raised beds. I have full confidence in Tad and his crew! It is really about the crustacean meal, me myself not being able to see them mix it, and my paranoia because my airways cinch up and I kinda go into anaphylactic shock...it freaks me out. I’m also going to mix up a couple of small batches and put them in 15 gallon pots with a trial mix for the crustacean unfriendly among us. I understand there isn’t a ton of people in this boat but I’m sure it’s at least a little bit of a normal occurrence...have to figure out someway to give back to his forum!
I did a lot of trial mixes over the last year so I get how long it takes. You’ll be glad when it’s over. I learned a lot. All I need to buy for the BAS recipe is the clay. I have 100 gallons of coot mix and I’d like to build more before winter so I was looking for a new recipe to try out. Maybe I’ll join your trial and we can compare notes. We both have different objectives but the same goal in the end.
That's a good list of ingredients, I would add fossilized oyster shell flour, Human/food grade fish meal and malted barley powder 1 cup per cf of each, IMO you don't need the crab meal.
Fish meal is good food for fungal growth in your soil, MBP is gonna give you a lot of enzymes and has chitin which is one of the reasons for using crab meal, OSF is gonna buffer your soil or you can use garden lime.
If you are looking for a replacement for crab shell meal, Coot said on one of KIS podcast's, that he doesn't use expensive crab shell meal anymore, and uses cheap easy to source alfalfa instead. It will require a short cook period. He said mbp supplied chitanase, so he didn't need chitin from crab meal. There was also some talk about calphos on the preceeding posts. I have used it for years, its a mined mineral. It is handy if you just want P, and nothing else, and works fast. I prefer fishbone meal instead, cause it brings more to the table. Alfalfa at 2.5-0.5-2.5 in conjunction with calphos 0-3-0 makes it pretty easy to balance a mix. cheers os