Question about my soil??

Do you still have your receipt?

J

 

All I can say is that you get what you pay for.

You would be so much better off with a cheap bag of sphagnum peat, some compost from your local farm and a couple dollars worth of a blended organic fertilizer such as Epsoma Plant Tone or Tomato Tone. Mix those three together for, lets say $15-$20 and it might actually do something. What you have bought is only going to waste your time.

Is your time only worth ten dollars?

J

Edit: ps- I'm serious about the 3 item mix above. Add 60% to 70% peat, 30% compost and several cups of blended organic fertilizer to every 7.5 gallons of the soil. Moisten, put it aside for 3-4 weeks for the organics to break down. Now you have an actual organic soil that will work.

 

With a well mixed organic soil, no nutes, just water. A ACT tea now and then if you want to.

Look at Inthe gardens organic soil for beginners, mix in some of the amendments she suggests and your soil should be great! (disclaimer I am totally a beginner but my lil ones are doing great in the soil)

 

Follow my directions. Bring back the soil you bought and try and pick up what I suggested. The soil you bought is, unfortunately, as bad as it gets.

While I understand that you are anxious, using that soil will only put you further behind the game. Gardening is a hobby of patience - you WILL learn that. It's inevitable.

We do not use bottled nutrients here in the organics game. We add everything necessary to grow healthy, vigorous plants directly into the soil itself. Once you construct a quality soil, you really only need to keep it moist with water.

Like Shubbie suggested, read here as well - http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/1116550-easy-organic-soil-mix-beginners.html

Peat, compost and organic fertilizer will get you started much better than what you bought.

Trust me.

J

 

Diddy, which brands are you referring to?

 

Sphagnum peat - brands do not matter. Buy what is cheapest. Your MOST important item will be worm castings and/or compost. Look on Craigslist and type in "worms" or "compost" in your area. Go to a local farm and see if they will give you some OLD composted manure. West coast "Malibu" something or other compost. Northeast use "Coast of Maine" lobster compost. You NEED compost - worm compost or thermal compost.

Did I mention you need compost. Get compost.

To this mix (let's say 2/3 peat and 1/3 compost or worm castings) please add 2-3 cups of a blended/mixed organic fertilizer, such as Epsoma organic Plant Tone, Tomato Tone or similar. Dr. Earth and Down To Earth also makes blended organic fertilizers. They are a mix of different organic soil amendments such as kelp meal, alfalfa meal, bone meal, etc.

After you mix these 3 items, wet it down thoroughly and just set it aside for 3-4 weeks so that the bacteria in the worm sayings and compost have a chance to start breaking down the organics into usable plant food. As soon as this time is up - and please be patient, you can plant directly into it.

This mix will actually work, and should work well. If you use the junk you'll end up with junk - shit in/shit out, right?

This is your chance to break into real organic gardening! Trust me, if you follow these ridiculously simple directions you will not be disappointed

Did I mention how important good compost and worm castings are?

J

 

lol a few times..............I am even making my own worm castings now! Have a tub of worms in our bathroom (warmer than the basement)

 

Can always set your tote on a propagation heating mat

 

That would work, except we don't have one. Right now the bathroom works, one we don't use a lot, they are in the tub. Note to self, if visitors come move the worms! lmao