Goodmorning GC, I have a few questions and you seem like the right group to ask! After reading thouroughly through the "easy organic soil recipe" by InTheGarden I am a bit hung up on the base soil mixture. ( I have all of the required components except perlite). 1.) Is peat moss considered the base soil? 2.) Is the aeration choice of perlite, etc.. needed in addition to the peat moss? I have been thinking peat moss was the aeration mix component but perhaps I am wrong. 3.) Do i need to continuously re-wet the final mixture while it cooks as in over the course of 2 months time? Dry out..re wet..dry out.. re wet..or do i just wet it the first time after the intial soil build then let it do its thing from there on? Thanks so much. Im excited to give organic soil a shot! Cheers!!
I don't have al ot of time, but 1. no, the peat + aeration + compost/ewc is considered your base soil. 2. yes in addition, peat is not your aeration 3. It should be fine after an initial watering unless you have it in a smart pot. Then you might have to re-wet the sides a little (or just turn it a bit) hth, P-
I knew I had one more question! Am i correct in assuming I will still need to PH balance my water to 6.5ph for soil watering once the mix has fully cooked and I begin to grow in it? Or will the lime buffer into the correct limits? Tap is about 8.2ph
Seems there's a lot of talk about pH'ing lately. All I can say is, I have never pH'ed my water, but I have also never had 8.2 pH tap water. That's pretty high. P-
Here’s how I break it down CCSPM + humus (composted chicken manure, EWC, compost, etc...) = base. 60% Food : meals = 2-3 cups per cf Minerals : 1-2 cups per cf Rock dust: 1-2 cups per cf Aeration : use the squeeze test. If you take a clump if your base and 40% aeration, clump in your fist if you open and it breaks apart at the slightest touch you’re good to go. Otherwise add more.
I think I have everything ordered as that link suggest. Enough to make (2)batches @ 7.5gallons each which will cook in 10g smartpots per InTheGarden who says within the link above that the soil can cook in your intended planter until you are ready to plant.
if your tap water is 8.2 and if you're adding oyster shell flower (OSF) and/or lime (both have high calcium carbonate levels) to your soil mix i suggest you purchase some pure citric acid, some very tiny measuring spoons, and some means of testing your resulting water's ph (citric acid is an organic means of lowering ph). otherwise it would be a no-risk bet that your plants wont be all they can be somewhere around the start of month 3 (maybe sooner), but certainly by month 4 (last weeks of flower). the accumulated carbonate levels are going to drive your ph way up. ommv but 8.2 water ph is not going to be easily managed for a container plant over a 3-4 month period. i'd shoot for a ph range in the 6.5-7.0 (the 'sweet spot') for the irrigation water and that is easily achievable with citric acid. or, one might consider the calcium carbonate sources they're adding to the soil mix and think about reducing or eliminating them altogether. in your case if i were to eliminate one of either OSF or dolomite lime (both of these ingredients are bantered about for soil mixes), i'd drop the OSF and go with dolo. reason being is dolo is typically slower in affecting ph but it does supply a soluble Mg source whereas OSF is almost 100% pure calcium carbonate and nothing else. ... i dont care what anyone says contrary but ph does in fact matter in organic-only gardening. how one manages ph in organic-only gardening varies based on the situation. not appreciating this fact will only cause frustration and problems for the chlorophyll manager. just saying, ph matters and 8.2 ph water is a problem from the get-go.
that's a good mix. I would mix it in one 2 cubic ft batch, that way you can use a 5 gallon bucket to measure your SPM, aeration and compost/EWC, 1 bucket of each per 2 cf.
Possum, thank you for taking the time to write that up! I have been growing in miracle grows entey soil to the cannabis market "Black Magic" with good results and FF trio of nutes but 1 time around and am realizing the benefits of Organic/Bio soil. I do PH all my water after it gases out over a 24hr period to remove chloramines etc..to 6.5ph with a really nice lab quality PH meter. Very reliable and I calibrate it often. I plan on doing the same with the organic mix and sticking with the dolo lime and other products at 6.5ph now that I hear you agreeing with the need to moderate PH regardless of grow type. Thanks!