Fast organic soil for micro grow, without cooking, is it possible?

[POLISHSTONER]

What's up guy's, when doing a micro grow, is it possible to create a living organic soil fast(no long cooking) ? I have accces to alot of ammendments like bone meal and compost. I was thinking of adding compost to a base soil (regular store soil, sterile and some peanut shells for aeration) and then top dressing nutrients like the bone meal, dried banana peels, wood ash and more, to have them broken down and made available to plants. Then plant and continue to top dress and mulch in nutrients, building an organic soil. Is this possible? Keep in mind plant will be under 2 feet so it will not use that many nutrients. will this be enough?

Thanks guys, any input is appreciated, and pls better ideas if I'm wrong.

 

[JayBio420]

You are describing a slow process and wanting it to happen fast. Soil microorganisms need time to reproduce, breakdown organically and digest them into plant friendly forms. You can create a hot super soil, and cover it with less hot soil, and plant in that.

The best way is to allow the soil to do the work slowly. Life takes time.

 

[POLISHSTONER]

You are describing a slow process and wanting it to happen fast. Soil microorganisms need time to reproduce, breakdown organically and digest them into plant friendly forms. You can create a hot super soil, and cover it with less hot soil, and plant in that.

The best way is to allow the soil to do the work slowly. Life takes time.

I understand. But lets say I planted in the compost and soil mix straight away, there should be nutrients in the compost already, would they be used up before the microorganisms could break down nutrients from top feeding (seaweed, bone meal etc)?

 

[JayBio420]

I understand. But lets say I planted in the compost and soil mix straight away, there should be nutrients in the compost already, would they be used up before the microorganisms could break down nutrients from top feeding (seaweed, bone meal etc)?

You got it, there are nutrients in the compost immediately available, and the compost will help introduce microbes to the amendments.compost and earthwork castings forms a good portion of my soil mixes. The amendments I add get broken up at various times as I recycle my soil and re-amend. Some of the particles are a year old, some 6 months old, some is new bone meal, kelp, gypsum etc.

 

[JayBio420]

What's up guy's, when doing a micro grow, is it possible to create a living organic soil fast(no long cooking) ? I have accces to alot of ammendments like bone meal and compost. I was thinking of adding compost to a base soil (regular store soil, sterile and some peanut shells for aeration) and then top dressing nutrients like the bone meal, dried banana peels, wood ash and more, to have them broken down and made available to plants. Then plant and continue to top dress and mulch in nutrients, building an organic soil. Is this possible? Keep in mind plant will be under 2 feet so it will not use that many nutrients. will this be enough?

Thanks guys, any input is appreciated, and pls better ideas if I'm wrong.

I don’t know a lot about peanut shells so can’t reccomend them, but Perlite holds its texture nicely for aeration. Things like banana peels are more what should go INTO compost, not your soil. You will attract bugs and they will take forever to break down.

 

[Richard Drysift]

The problem with adding raw organic material to the soil is that it usually drops the ph a bit too acidic for most plants. An active soil only needs like 30 days to normalize the ph after adding a bunch of stuff to it. You could save all that stuff and add it to recycle your soil after your first harvest or into a compost pile to give time to break down.
There's also no reason you can't just make up a mix of garden soil and compost to plant into right away. Some amendments you can add without cooking at all. Anything that's already composted like chicken or cow manure and ewc is fine as is. You can top dress with fish bone meal or kelp in small quantities. You could use something like Jobes organic spikes or even diy your own spikes if you wanted to feed slowly over say a full bloom phase.

 

[POLISHSTONER]

The problem with adding raw organic material to the soil is that it usually drops the ph a bit too acidic for most plants. An active soil only needs like 30 days to normalize the ph after adding a bunch of stuff to it. You could save all that stuff and add it to recycle your soil after your first harvest or into a compost pile to give time to break down.
There's also no reason you can't just make up a mix of garden soil and compost to plant into right away. Some amendments you can add without cooking at all. Anything that's already composted like chicken or cow manure and ewc is fine as is. You can top dress with fish bone meal or kelp in small quantities. You could use something like Jobes organic spikes or even diy your own spikes if you wanted to feed slowly over say a full bloom phase.

I don’t know a lot about peanut shells so can’t reccomend them, but Perlite holds its texture nicely for aeration. Things like banana peels are more what should go INTO compost, not your soil. You will attract bugs and they will take forever to break down.

Thanks for the responses guys. I have dried all material like the banana peels and seaweed (I can get alot of this stuff to) and ground them into meal, I heard that this is the way you are supposed to top feed organic soil, but I may be wrong about that.

As for the peanut shells as perlite replacement, I heard they are a great substitute if you ground them. I have to order perlite or rice hulls from the internet in order to get them, so that's whats aids. I will be using small textile pots so hopefully the soil will have good aeration eitherway.

I am currently on vacation, so I have access to pretty much every ammendment for super soil.

I also have access to alot of what should be humus from a pine tree forest, should I pick it up for microbial life, or is it most likely infested with bugs?

Keep in mind I'm lazy because the textile pot that im going to use is small. Would seem like a waste to make a big batch for a small grow. Maybe a smaller batch of super soil for that pot would cook faster? I don't have access to compost or any other ammendments in the city (without ordering). Maybe I could cook up a very small batch of super soil and it could cook for a week ortwo, what do you think about that?

 

[JayBio420]

You can make a weak batch with EWC, some amendments and compost. If you make true “super soil” it needs a few weeks at least, if not a month or more.

Make a big batch and save some?

 

[POLISHSTONER]

You can make a weak batch with EWC, some amendments and compost. If you make true “super soil” it needs a few weeks at least, if not a month or more.

Make a big batch and save some?

The real problem is space and smell in my apartment, I can't have it around also hard to bring that much soil to the city, but not impossible. My micro grow will be very small, about 2x1x2, but with side lighting, which produces big yields and reduces the space problem. Like this:

Do you think that the weaker will batch be enough?

 

[JayBio420]

The real problem is space and smell in my apartment, I can't have it around also hard to bring that much soil to the city, but not impossible. My micro grow will be very small, about 2x1x2, but with side lighting, which produces big yields and reduces the space problem. Like this:

Do you think that the weaker will batch be enough?

“Enough” is subjective. Lots of people grow herb with store bought soil. It is often enough for a couple months of vegetation. I would make a lightly amended soil, try and get a bit of either compost or earthworm castings also. This will help you get started and then top dress; I recommend a bat guano or something to help in flowering. You can always make AACT (compost tea) to add any nutrients you think you may have missed.

 

[POLISHSTONER]

“Enough” is subjective. Lots of people grow herb with store bought soil. It is often enough for a couple months of vegetation. I would make a lightly amended soil, try and get a bit of either compost or earthworm castings also. This will help you get started and then top dress; I recommend a bat guano or something to help in flowering. You can always make AACT (compost tea) to add any nutrients you think you may have missed.

Thanks for the help, BTW what did you think about collecting humus from the nearby pine forest

 

[Dumbguyneedshelp]

I made my own in about a week. I'm no pro but is this doing ok for being in home mixed soil?

 

[JayBio420]

I made my own in about a week. I'm no pro but is this doing ok for being in home mixed soil?

What did you make in a week? You mixed up some stuff? Hey if the plant isn’t dead that’s a good start. A huge priority in soil, especially for smaller plants is aeration. It’s too easy to provide water in soil but you need to account for air in the soil as well as the texture. Don’t get those roots too wet, they should be allowed to get a little drier, helps the roots grow faster.

 

[POLISHSTONER]

I made my own in about a week. I'm no pro but is this doing ok for being in home mixed soil?

What did you have in it?

 

[JayBio420]

Thanks for the help, BTW what did you think about collecting humus from the nearby pine forest

I wouldn’t want to give any advice that might contaminate your plants with foreign pests. I would just add one of the typical sources of microbes if that’s your goal. But I’m no pro either so you can always experiment.

 

[IIReignManII]

Just mix up some subcool style soil and plant straight into it....seabird guano, alfalfa, blood meal, langbeinite, and lots of kelp for NPK.

 

[POLISHSTONER]

Just mix up some subcool style soil and plant straight into it....seabird guano, blood meal, and lots of kelp for NPK.

From what I've heard the mix gets hot andit can kill roots

 

[IIReignManII]

From what I've heard the mix gets hot andit can kill roots

I had to do this last grow and didnt have any issues...I think I maybe got a week into the cook before I thought my plants were too rootbound in the small cups and threw them in....I cook my soil in the growbag in the tent and never noticed any heat issue

 

[Dumbguyneedshelp]

What did you make in a week? You mixed up some stuff? Hey if the plant isn’t dead that’s a good start. A huge priority in soil, especially for smaller plants is aeration. It’s too easy to provide water in soil but you need to account for air in the soil as well as the texture. Don’t get those roots too wet, they should be allowed to get a little drier, helps the roots grow faster.

I started with a huge container of soil from the drain side if a pond. Mixed in some soil from a patch if woods. Mixed in some decaf coffee grounds .. Few small banana peels. Got 2 dozen worms from the bait shop. Let them have at it for a week or so and boom. Has mine going so far. . the more top soil from the woods the better drainage you'll have.