Subcools Soil Mix Help

Hi BYOW.

I've never messed with the Subcool soil mix so I'm sorry, I wouldn't be able to help with that. The (big) trouble with a mix like this is that by using Roots as your base soil. You never know exactly what's in it. This is really not a quality soil to be using. Of the items that they list on their bag, who knows how much of what is in it, or the quality of the products in it?

It's very simple to make your own soil from scratch - in then you know exactly what's in it, in the quality of the products that you put in it. Take a look here to see just how easy it is to make your own soil -

http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/336320-organic-soil-mix-mine.html

Best of luck with whichever method that you end up using.

J

 

This recipe is for 1.5 cf of potting soil based on subcools method. I'm using Kellogs Patio potting soil instead of RO and have added a few more optional amendments....

One bag = 1.5cf
1.5 cf Kellogs potting soil or...
3.5 # ewc
1 1/4 c blood meal
1 1/4 c fish bone meal
1 1/4 c alfalfa meal
1 1/4 c kelp meal
1 1/4 c bat guano
1 1/4 c starter fertilizer(optional)
1.0 c xtreme myco(optional)
1/4 c azomite
6 tsp lime
4 tsp epsom salt
2 tsp humic acid
10% xtra perlite/pumice(optional)

EDIT:
Recalculated the amendments and what was .75 cups is now 1 1/4 cups based on subcools recipe.
I would say between 1-1 1/4 cups of amendments depending on the pre mix soil you use. Better soils go lighter and lesser soil go higher amount.....

 

In addition to that recipe I will do a slurry test for ph and may need to ammend with more lime to neutralize the ph or, sulphur to lower....Then ditch the ph pen...

 

Gypsum and/or Oyster Shell Flour is another good option, however, if a quality compost is used in your soil mix, the compost will automatically buffer the soils pH making the liming agents unnecessary - from a pH point of view. These items DO contain valuable nutritional elements, though, so from a nutritional point of view it's nice having them in your soil. I don't use lime, but I do have both Gypsum and Oyster Shell in my mix. The Oyster Shell also makes a great aeration amendment. I get mine from the local Paris Farmers Union (hardware/farm/feed type stores) for cheap money - they sell it as chicken scratch, as it adds mucho calcium to help with egg shell hardness.

So - good compost/vermicompost and all checking of pH is out the window. Damn, but Organics makes things easy!

J

 

Jerry...What do you think of chicken as a compost?...Chicken and ewc is the compost used in the Kellog PS. Debating on whether to add some more chicken but, think the xtra ewc should do alright...
Where I'm from, were limited on organic products and compost from cow poop is available.

 

Yes....

 

Hi Colafarmer.

Yes, I use composted chicken manure in my soil mix. Chicken manure is a fantastic source of N, but keep in mind that it's not true thermal compost. As long as you have sufficient EWC you should be just fine, but of you're going to be doing this for the rest of your life like most of us, ya simply can't beat regular compost made from leaves, manures, kitchen veggie scraps, etc. if you have the room, I would have to suggest starting your own compost pile/heap sooner than later. Each fall I collect all of my yard leaves in a gigantic pile and then add horse manure and veggies to it, and after it has set for a year or more I start amending it with alfalfa, fish meal, kelp meal, mineral dusts - you name it, it ends up in my homemade compost, after which I run it all through a 1/2" screen ; wow, fantastic stuff!

Btw, the cow manure (composted) is an excellent additive too, like you asked.

I love the fact that Organics allows us, if we want to do a minimal of labor, to be at least partially self sufficient! At that point we KNOW our own compost quality, which, if made properly over a long period of time, and with the right ingredient, simply cannot be beat and blows away anything you can buy from the store. It's the same thing with our earthworm castings - quality in, quality out.

J

 

Yep - it does.

Any idea how much of each is in there?

J

 

If that's what it takes to get you into our world, then this is a very good thing.

Once you see just how well Organics works, how easy it is to maintain your garden and the quality of the flowers that you will no doubt produce, just keep in mind that it can get EVEN BETTER.

Btw - get yourself some kelp meal (NOT kelp or seaweed extract - kelp meal) and top dress your plants with it. Kelp meal contains natural PGR's (plant growth regulators) that limit stretching; ie: they will limit the space between nodes, making for shorter, fuller plants with tighter and bigger flowers, besides the massive nutritional benefits it provides.

Best of luck to you!

J

 

Subcool"s mix is a good place to start and you will learn a lot from this mix the next time you blend your soil....
I'm not using roots or, ffof as my base and they are great potting soils. I chose the Kellog's because it is readily available here and 5$ for 1.5 cf. They also make Gardner & Bloom organic potting soil, another fine soil. I would use the G&B but have no local source. Kellog's has been around a long time and arep company.....

I'm not going to layer my pot as Subcool dose. I start seedlings with organic peat and ewc only. When I transplant to 1 gal pots I use the base(kellog's) mix
with some starter fertilizer. When they go into the 5 gal containers they get the hot mix and nice ACT drink and a foliar fed.
This is a water only grow and every couple watering will be with Maxicrop seaweed xtract and an occational ACT in veg and flower.....

Best of luck in your grow and keep us posted.....

 

Sub recommends that mostly to avoid another recipe and endless questions for a *base* soil.

But, if you look at the ingredients in Roots and the amendments CF and or Sub have listed, you are missing very little besides peat moss and perlite to duplicate the roots at less than 1/2 the cost.

The spagnum peat moss is easy, HD carries it. Premier brand, the best IMO. The 4cf bags of perlite might be harder to source locally, but besides the feed&seed stores, check out builders supply houses. Perlite is also used as insulation in CBS walls and is the same thing. ~$18/4cf bag (30 gallons).

You're going to be mixing stuff anyway, might as well mix it all and save money.

Wet

 

Blood meal 12-0-0
Bat guano 0-5-0
Fish Bone Meal 3-16-0
Alfalfa Meal 2-1-2
Kelp meal .6-.5-2.5
Starter Fertilizer 2-4-2

Will probably never know how much of the meals they use but, could almost imagine not enough for a 4+ month water only grow without top dressing.
The meals have a little of everything in the NPK range the plant needs and the reason I add the starter fertilizer(optional)is mainly for the added beneficial soil microbes plus Ecto and Endo Mycorrhizae.