Peat vs. coir

[green_machine_two9er]

Hello riu.
I received a large bale of peat for free. I want to try my super soil recipe and sub peat for coco coir. As of now my base is 25% coir. Can I use the same amounts for. Peat. Also

How does peat affect drainage? Ph? Should more or less lime be used compared to coir? Any ideas or info is appreciated.

 

[greasemonkeymann]

Hello riu.
I received a large bale of peat for free. I want to try my super soil recipe and sub peat for coco coir. As of now my base is 25% coir. Can I use the same amounts for. Peat. Also

How does peat affect drainage? Ph? Should more or less lime be used compared to coir? Any ideas or info is appreciated.

you may get better results with the peat, i'm not sure why, but for me when I had a coco based soil instead of peat, and all the other things were the same, but I got about 15-20% less yields, no visible problems, other than the flowers being smaller.
I think it was @stowandgrow that had similar results as well.
I was tryin to be more eco friendly.
Peat will go acidic eventually over time, but if you amend with oyster flour, oyster shells, crab meal, biochar, and gypsum/minerals and you'll be good.
some also use dolomite too, be careful that it doesn't already have some in it.
I prefer to go without lime.
If you use the supersoil recipe you may have issues with ph over time of you don't use oyster flour, crab meal and the like.
I also prefer the 33/33/33 ratio as opposed to the 25/25/50.
equal parts aeration, compost/vermicompost, and peat.

 

[green_machine_two9er]

you may get better results with the peat, i'm not sure why, but for me when I had a coco based soil instead of peat, and all the other things were the same, but I got about 15-20% less yields, no visible problems, other than the flowers being smaller.
I think it was @stowandgrow that had similar results as well.
I was tryin to be more eco friendly.
Peat will go acidic eventually over time, but if you amend with oyster flour, oyster shells, crab meal, biochar, and gypsum/minerals and you'll be good.
some also use dolomite too, be careful that it doesn't already have some in it.
I prefer to go without lime.
If you use the supersoil recipe you may have issues with ph over time of you don't use oyster flour, crab meal and the like.
I also prefer the 33/33/33 ratio as opposed to the 25/25/50.
equal parts aeration, compost/vermicompost, and peat.

Great ! Thanks for reply. My base as of now has been 25% each. Roots bagged soil. Coir. Perlite. Ewc. I would love To leave out the bagged soil. Andgo to 33/33/33. I do use dolo lime. But I have ROed water and was more for ca and mag instead of ph control. If info go 33/33/33 do you think I will need to up my amendments at all to take into account the lack of nutrients in that were in the baged soil. ??

 

[greasemonkeymann]

Great ! Thanks for reply. My base as of now has been 25% each. Roots bagged soil. Coir. Perlite. Ewc. I would love To leave out the bagged soil. Andgo to 33/33/33. I do use dolo lime. But I have ROed water and was more for ca and mag instead of ph control. If info go 33/33/33 do you think I will need to up my amendments at all to take into account the lack of nutrients in that were in the baged soil. ??

you can get much better sources of calcium and magnesium an organics grow.
Neem meal, kelp meal, and crab meal will have pretty much all your needs, and if you ever do AACTs you have cal and mag from the molasses as well.
the 33/33/33 ratio and the recommended 4 cups of nutrients per cubic foot is perfect.

 

[green_machine_two9er]

Ok 4 cups includes minerals or no.

 

[green_machine_two9er]

And I usually aact once a month or so

 

[greasemonkeymann]

And I usually aact once a month or so

The minerals are a diff thing, you want 4 cups of nutrient per cubic foot, and then add another 3-4 cups of minerals.
I used one cup oyster flour, one cup greensand (I re-use my soil, like the slow release), one cup azomite (won't use again), one cup rock phosphates, one cup gypsum
yes, I can add, and yes I know that's 5 cups, but I don't count oyster flour. That's just to help the peats acidity

 

[green_machine_two9er]

Kelp. Feather. Alfalfa. Crab. Meals. Oyster shell. Blood an bone meal. Then also humic acid. Gypsum. Rock phosphate. Greensand. Azomite.
That's all the amendments in my testing batch of soil I've been working with. To reuse I was planning on adding kelp alfalfa. And dry cannibus leaves
Does that sounds like enough for re-amending? Or so I need something else.

Also. When i go to mix my peat based soil. Anything specific i should stay away from.? Thanks bro. Your post and advice always have helped me a lot. Cheers!

 

[youraveragehorticulturist]

You gotta add some crab shell with the re-amend.
2-4-0 with Cal and Mg.
Also, when the crab shell is gone, you know your soil is ready.

 

[green_machine_two9er]

Cool I have tons on crab shell. Another random question. How moist should the used soil be once re amend ?

 

[greasemonkeymann]

Kelp. Feather. Alfalfa. Crab. Meals. Oyster shell. Blood an bone meal. Then also humic acid. Gypsum. Rock phosphate. Greensand. Azomite.
That's all the amendments in my testing batch of soil I've been working with. To reuse I was planning on adding kelp alfalfa. And dry cannibus leaves
Does that sounds like enough for re-amending? Or so I need something else.

Also. When i go to mix my peat based soil. Anything specific i should stay away from.? Thanks bro. Your post and advice always have helped me a lot. Cheers!

well, i'm not a fan of the slaughterhouse stuff, the blood meal is too damn soluble and the bone meal is just plain scary.
they just found another case of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy.... in Canada.
scary shit man.
that and the blood and bone meal don't do anything else, I prefer my nutrients to have a multipurpose type of thing.
For example the neem is a great NPK nutrient, and is loaded with micros and also has a purpose for pest management.
same with crab meal.
Personally i'd drop the feather, bone, and blood meals, in favor of neem meal, kelp meal, crab meal, and alfalfa meal. I'd also drop the azomite if you re-use.
if you have issues with bugs, I'd go with some insect meal as well.
Don't get me wrong you can grow fantastic herb with that recipe, I just would do it differently.
for re-amending, it depends on the original recipe.
Per cubic foot I half my re-amending to just 2 cups of nutrients.

 

[green_machine_two9er]

I

well, i'm not a fan of the slaughterhouse stuff, the blood meal is too damn soluble and the bone meal is just plain scary.
they just found another case of Bovine spongiform encephalopathy.... in Canada.
scary shit man.
that and the blood and bone meal don't do anything else, I prefer my nutrients to have a multipurpose type of thing.
For example the neem is a great NPK nutrient, and is loaded with micros and also has a purpose for pest management.
same with crab meal.
Personally i'd drop the feather, bone, and blood meals, in favor of neem meal, kelp meal, crab meal, and alfalfa meal. I'd also drop the azomite if you re-use.
if you have issues with bugs, I'd go with some insect meal as well.
Don't get me wrong you can grow fantastic herb with that recipe, I just would do it differently.
for re-amending, it depends on the original recipe.
Per cubic foot I half my re-amending to just 2 cups of nutrients.

Any good sources of neem meal. I looked once and price seemed a bit outrageous.
I'm an organic newbie 100%. And really want to try many different recipes. I will give your ideas a shoot this next round. That bovine shit sounds scary as fuck.

 

[greasemonkeymann]

I

Any good sources of neem meal. I looked once and price seemed a bit outrageous.
I'm an organic newbie 100%. And really want to try many different recipes. I will give your ideas a shoot this next round. That bovine shit sounds scary as fuck.

it is man, especially when you consider that alzheimers and madcow do the EXACT same thing to your braini, meaning it damn well may be an epidemic already, coiple that with the extremely LONG time for it to show itself...
Scary shit.
Oh, and honestly, i'll NEVER have another grow without neem meal, great shit.
Stinks though.
Neem is worth three times what I pay for it, easily.
I get mine at the cool homesteader nursery place I shop at.
it's worth it though man, and it goes a long way too.

 

[green_machine_two9er]

what do you think of this recipe
33/33/33 peat perlite ewc
1/2 osyter flour
1 cup crab meal
1 cup kelp meal
1 cup neam meal
1 cup alfafla

1 cup greensand
3/4 cups gypsum
1 cup humic acid
1/2 cup rock phosphate
1/2 cup azomite

1 cup rice
4 cups compost

 

[green_machine_two9er]

This is the free sample I got. look good???

 

[greasemonkeymann]

View attachment 3370284
This is the free sample I got. look good???

wellllll, it's not organic man, but sure it won't kill your plants, but personally i'd get something different, but you CAN have an organic (kinda) grow with that in your mix, it has a lil chemicals in it, but if you are on a budget you are ok.... (dodging lightning bolts from the organic grow-gods)

 

[greasemonkeymann]

what do you think of this recipe
33/33/33 peat perlite ewc
1/2 osyter flour
1 cup crab meal
1 cup kelp meal
1 cup neam meal
1 cup alfafla

1 cup greensand
3/4 cups gypsum
1 cup humic acid
1/2 cup rock phosphate
1/2 cup azomite

1 cup rice
4 cups compost

looks ok, but I need to know one important thing how much soil are you making?
And remember you pretty much ignore your greensand for the first 2-3 harvests at least.
If you re-use i'd avoid the azomite (wish I did)
Also if you have 33% compost/vermicompost you won't need humic acid.

 

[green_machine_two9er]

wellllll, it's not organic man, but sure it won't kill your plants, but personally i'd get something different, but you CAN have an organic (kinda) grow with that in your mix, it has a lil chemicals in it, but if you are on a budget you are ok.... (dodging lightning bolts from the organic grow-gods)

Haha that's what u was thinking. Funny what the grow store people will say

 

[green_machine_two9er]

looks ok, but I need to know one important thing how much soil are you making?
And remember you pretty much ignore your greensand for the first 2-3 harvests at least.
If you re-use i'd avoid the azomite (wish I did)
Also if you have 33% compost/vermicompost you won't need humic acid.

I plan on making about 4-5 cf

looks ok, but I need to know one important thing how much soil are you making?
And remember you pretty much ignore your greensand for the first 2-3 harvests at least.
If you re-use i'd avoid the azomite (wish I did)
Also if you have 33% compost/vermicompost you won't need humic acid.

I plan on making 4-5 cf. and I'm planning recycling. What would input in lace of the azomite ? And what does the azomite do after reusing ?

 

[greasemonkeymann]

I plan on making about 4-5 cf

I plan on making 4-5 cf. and I'm planning recycling. What would input in lace of the azomite ? And what does the azomite do after reusing ?

the aluminum in the azomite breaks down, and aluminum in large amounts is bad.
any minerals can replace the azomite.
gypsum, granite, rock phosphates, etc.