Soil Composition: 8 gal. Promix organic garden mix 8 gal. Back to the Roots organic potting soil 6 gal. Coco coir (Burpee seed starter) 11.5 gal. Perlite 2.5 gal. Earthworm castings 4.0 gal Mushroom compost (.5 cu ft) 11.0 gal Soil conditioner Compost(High humic. acid) (1.5 cu ft) 1.0 gal. Vermiculite Total: 52.0 gal./7 cu.ft. Organic Additives: 2 cups Espoma organic plant tone 5-3-3 3 cups Espoma organic garden lime 1.5 cups High nitrogen bat guano 10-3-1 1.5 cups bone meal 4-12-0 1/2 cup of Potash 0-0-60 Soil and Coir = 44% Perlite and Vermiculite = 24% Compost and EWC = 34% MIX 50/50 WITH NO NUTE SOIL AND IT'S GREAT!
I think you may have added too much calcium. Bone meal and garden lime may prove too much at those rates. You need to run a soil slurry test after your microbes cycle your nutrients for a month to get a more accurate idea of where your pH is. I believe your promix has already been pH balanced. We add lime to balance peat moss when soil building. You can add CSPM to lower your medium pH.
Thanks, Tim! I haven't used any of it yet, but the soil has sat fallow for over a year. I just added the Potash and ½c of guano this morning and turned it all really well again. It was watered in when originally mixed and it's still moist now though it'll unclump with relative ease. How much CSPM do you think would be ideal? I also have another 2 gallons of coir that I could add as well that might suck up some of the extra calcium? Thanks.
I'd suggest running a soil slurry test first. You can follow the link I've provided. When you know your actual medium pH. Then you can determine how much CSPM to add to make the necessary adjustment. I've changed medium pH from 8.1 down to 6.5 replacing 20% of the mediums starting volume with Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss.
Yeah, man...the slurry test wasn't what I was hoping for but at least I know where I'm at...ph is dead neutral@7.0 (likely because of all the lime?) And the ppm was pretty high @ 1250! Looks like I'll have to add some cspm and possibly more soil components. I've read about using garden sulfur too, but I'm afraid that the soil is too hot. I'll let it set for a month and check it again, but that's going to cook my girls.
Soil? Your pretty much all organic... only MINERAL you have is the 5% or less top soil in the bag of pro mix and the perlite. The word potting soil is Kind of made up by the people who bag up soil conditioners and composts which most all is Organic,,, not mineral/top soil. At no time does potting soil ever break down into soil. About 50% of top soil is silica with about 5 % nutrients
Thanks, my goal is to stay organic and have a complete "soil" that I can pretty much just add water to for most if not all of a 12-15 week grow cycle. Are you suggesting that I add more components like peat, sand, coir, etc?
1 for drainage i mix about 60/40 bagged compost and top soil/ sand pea gravel.. Compost/organic mater is like a sponge .. top soil for the mineral..... sand pea gravel for drainage
I appreciate your insight. I definitely need to make some changes to it's makeup and get the ph and ppm down. Some straight topsoil with no additives, CSPM and some sand...probably another 15 gallons of components in total. Hopefully that will get me in better shape and closer to my goal. I don't want to buy someone else's mix..I like nerding out and perfecting my own. I appreciate everyone's advice!
So I'm and old head, I use humus, perlite, peat mix. I get awesome great tasting bud. I give them worm leachate when and if I see any deficiency's. Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk
i would add mycos or at least when you transplant put some in the hole but that recipe sounds darn good to me the bat guano is what i used my recipe is almost the same as yours but less lime and no coco and i have been water only never measured anything ph or ppm or did a slurry i just went with it water only and my results are amazing check my journal and see my recipe is on there too I suggest putting the meters away it is like chasing ghosts
i also topdress before flower with alfalfa meal and around week 3 and water in mollasses and superthrive once in a while but i dont ph my water it comes from the tap at 6.9
Thanks sosogrow! I've been doing a lot of research and it's not my 1st grow, but it is my first attempt at creating a "supersoil". I'll get some miccorhizae for the mix! I looked through your journals..they definitely look really happy! I ph my water to 6.4 and keep it on an airstone constantly for O² until I water.
Nope no ferts other than worm leachate. I do a 50 humus 25 peat 25 perlite. That is a rough estimate. I never really measure any more, just look for consistency in the soil. Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk
Kitchen scraps, garden scraps anything organic really. I don't over complicate it, just make your own rich organic humus soil. Sent from my moto z4 using Tapatalk
Ok everyone, I heard all of you! I've amended my soil this morning by adding 8 of gallons mushroom compost (derived from horse and poultry manure, cocoa hulls, straw bedding, gypsum and corn cob) and soil conditioner (leaf and grass compost-high humic acid). Now there's 11 gal. of leaf compost and 4 gal. of mushroom compost total. I also added another gallon of vermiculite and will pick up a little more perlite and Mico mix today. I'm grateful for everyone's input and I'll continue to hear opinions, advice, etc..Tokes to you, guys!