2.5 gallons peat moss 2.5 gallons ewc/composted cow manure 2.5 gallons perlite 1 cup lime 1 cup kelp meal 1. 5 cups tomato tone 1 cup alfalfa meal 1 cup neem cake 1 cup crab shell 2 cups azomite 2 cups glacial rock dust Open to help and criticism as always. Don't be too harsh on me.
Hey Mashiro . Your base mix looks good. You've got the right amounts of lime and rock dust/azomite, too. Your list of amendments is excellent, but you're adding too much of them. Remember that you want to add about 2-3 cups total of your nutritional amendments per cubic foot of soil. That means 2-3 cups of everything combined, not 2-3 cups each. You can make a blend of your kelp meal, tomato tone, alfalfa meal, neem cake, and crab meal and then just add 2-3 cups of that mix per cubic foot. Then toss in a little extra kelp (I always like a little extra kelp). Or something like this (per cubic foot=7.5 gallons): 3/4 cup kelp meal 3/4 cup tomato tone 1/2 cup neem meal 1/2 cup alfalfa meal (remember that the tomato tone has alfalfa meal in it as well) 1/2 cup crab meal You are going to have an excellent soil! The ratio of 2-3 cups of total nutritional amendments per cubic foot is really helpful, because regardless of what amendments you're using, you know how much to add in total. hth and happy gardening!
Thanks so much, ITG! It's the math that always gets me. I actually used your other Beginners Soil Mix thread as a template so it's nice to hear from you personally. May I invite you to sub to my journal?
It can be hard to keep it all straight. That's why I use the 2-3 cups of total amendments, it makes it a lot easier. I'm glad the thread was helpful, I'm going to finish it to include amendments like alfalfa meal, crab meal, etc. and amounts for them. I would love to sub your journal!
Looks like a good mix to start off with. If anything I always recommend pumice > perlite! Just a better aerator all together.
[quote name='"Kesey"'] Even better is par-boiled rice hulls [/quote] I'm not sure if I agree with this. PBH, initially, is a great aerator, and a good source for silicone (6-10%, IIRC); however, if one plans on using soil over and over then perlite or crushed lava rock is superior since PBH will turn to mush after a few seasons. Since PBH is a good source of silicone, I use the ground up version of rice hulls not as aeration, but as an amendment. BTW, PBH in either form does not affect pH, or at least that is what a study conducted by the university of Wisconsin (IIRC) found.
Its the degradation that turned me on to it. I don't re-use soil and the absence of white chunks of perlite allows for more discrete disposal (Even medical grows have to be sneaky, sad ain't it). I'm also keen on it when comparing to lava rock or perlite because it doesn't float to the top of your pot by harvest. I did not know of its silicone content and what a relief! I've been searching for a silicone ammendment...but after reading that bottled products could destroy my microbial life I was just gonna go without. Managed this whole run on my soil and teas, wasn't ready to compromise that just yet... When you grind your PBH, what consistency are you looking for and can you give me a rough amount that you ammend per cu. ft? Appreciate it brother!
Kesey....you throw out your soil! Why oh why my friend? You know it just gets better with time right? Stinging nettles (made into an FPE) are also a good source of silica, as well as horse chestnut and comfrey, per LD (IIRC).
[quote name='"Kesey"'] Its the degradation that turned me on to it. I don't re-use soil and the absence of white chunks of perlite allows for more discrete disposal (Even medical grows have to be sneaky, sad ain't it). I'm also keen on it when comparing to lava rock or perlite because it doesn't float to the top of your pot by harvest. I did not know of its silicone content and what a relief! I've been searching for a silicone ammendment...but after reading that bottled products could destroy my microbial life I was just gonna go without. Managed this whole run on my soil and teas, wasn't ready to compromise that just yet... When you grind your PBH, what consistency are you looking for and can you give me a rough amount that you ammend per cu. ft? Appreciate it brother![/quote] I'll try to post a pic of the PBH "meal" when I get home. I buy it already ground up. also, there's an article/study online about using PBH as an aeration product. it stated that using 20% Rice hulls had no effect on soil pH (u can use more than 20% but it would be a waste); however, the silicone in the hulls proved beneficial as the hulls degraded. so a base mix of 60% peat moss, 20% PBH, and 25% worm castings would be a great mix (of course you'll need to add ur amendments). btw, since I use perlite as my aeration product, I add a cup of PBH "meal" to my mix as an amendment. also, Dyna-Gro's Pro-tekt is an awesome silicone foliar spray.
I've been doing my best to source comfrey, but its kinda hard around here. I've actually got a buddy who's got a ton on nettle growing on his property, perhaps adding it to my tea once or twice a grow would do the trick? Dried, then mortar and pestle I assume?
Just add fresh plant material, add water, let it rot for a couple weeks or longer, dilute, apply. Also, I still don't understand why you are throwing away your soil instead of just re-using it. I don't see how a house in the hills has anything to do with it. Way less sketchy to re-use your soil than throw it away and haul in new soil every time. There's nothing wrong with your old soil! In fact, it's superior to what it was when you first planted in it! Organic amendments take a loooong time to break down. Add a little extra ewc and a handful of kelp meal and toss another plant in there.