Help with my mix

Yes, my current soil mix is just pro mix, little extra perlite, espoma flower tone, compost, cow manure, kelp meal, and.... Rabbit food make sure their alfalfa pellets when you get em. Oh idk if you said you got an aeration amendment but if not you need that. Perlite, rice hulls ect.

 

Why not?

 

Hmmm I'm no professional so maybe pm'ing wet or Jerry or one of those guys would be your best bet, they'd have a definite answer

 

Your welcome, personally i like the way jerry describes stuff it's very easy for me to understand, but to each his own

 

Sulfur is needed by plants just like everything else, I use the same gypsum with great results. Mix your lime and gypsum together applying at one cup per cf.

Your mix is missing rock dust, try and source some granite dust or azomite or gaia glacial dust, granite is almost always free just call a place that makes headstones.

 

Ah rock dust, yes sorry you def are gonna want that in your mix

 

Whres - disregard my PM. Looks like I found it.

You're definetly on the right track and will be able to make a fantastic mix with these products. Do this -

50% Peat
30% worm castings
20% perlite

To this add, for every cubic foot (7.5 gallons) of the "base" above:

1 cup kelp meal
1 cup Epsoma Plant Tone
When you get the alfalfa add a half cup of it.

1/2 cup gypsum & 1/2 cup of lime

Crush up the crab shells as fine as you can. Drying them will help considerably.

This is an excellent mix. Excellent. After you mix this up, wet it down thoroughly and set it aside to Nutrient Cycle for 3-4 - (or more, if you have the time) weeks.

Plant, keep moist, harvest, enjoy.

HTH

J

 

Also, I see you have the "Coast of Maine" worm castings - fantastic choice. If its possible for you, pick up a bag of thier "Lobster Compost" and throw a few handfuls into the mix; just don't let it get heavy and wet by any means. You're looking for a springy, airy mix that won't hold water and will allow the roots to easily reach through. You can adjust your peat and aeration to fix this - but don't overdo the perlite too much.

I also use this (lobster compost) product. It's top shelf. It makes a great (2" or so) mulch top dressing.

Rock on! You're on a good path with good products - I have no doubt whatsoever that you'll do extremely well with this mix. This is a professional mix, not to be confused in any way with the crap Fox Farms and Roots Organics puts on the market.

Excellent job.

One other thing - both So Haggard and JPinkham have you excellent advice regarding the rock dust. Now, you WILL do very, very good without it, but if there's any way to come up with it, it will make this mix that much better. Don't let this be a deal breaker; if you can get it wow! - if you can't, then start out with this mix, keep reading and learning, and you can always add it to your next mix.

Rock dust can definetly be a magical thing in any soil mix. Do some reading about it - basalt dust, granite meal, rock powders/dust, etc. I believe that So Haggard has a link to "Bread From Stones" in his links in his signature line - fantastic book. I also, some time ago started a thread that has good info on rock dusts in it and their effect on soil -

http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/1111289-rock-dust.html

Again, fantastic job on your soil mix - I'd be proud of this one if I were you.

Welcome to the Organics Forum. Stick around.

J

 

You really should need to read the thread regarding rock dust and its uses. It is added at the rate of four to five cups for each cubic foot of soil mix.

As for the compost, I basically just use a mix of both it and worm castings, and then apply per the usual rates for your soil mix - I believe it was around 30%.

Remember - every soil mix, every one, is different and nothing is set in stone.

Top dress with small amounts of compost and castings too.

J