When I recently started trying to put together a usable nutrient rich "soil" I realized that I don't know what soil is. I want to clear up my fundamental understanding on this so I can become more informed. I feel like I've got something basic completely wrong.
If peat is peat, and coco is coco, and compost is compost, and ewc is ewc, and all the various organic ammendmants are just organic matter, minerals, etc. At what point does that mixture become "soil"?
For example, when some one says they want to add coco to an organic mix, most would seem to suggest to use coco for hydro only and stay with a peat based "soil" for organics. (No one specific, this just seems to be the general sentiment and advice).
Then I see a lot of mixes start with something like 1/3 peat, 1/3 ewc and 1/3 aeration (give or take). I know annecdotally peat seems to perform better for organics, but is a peat based mix a "soil" and would it still be "soil" if the peat was substituted for coco?
Then I thought, is my garden soil outside, actually soil? It's pretty heavy clay, and I need to work it quite a bit to make it usable, but stuff does grow.
Up north near the peat bogs, I imagine the soil is very peaty, here is seems to be clay, in the tropics, wouldn't that soil have a lot of old rotting coconut in it?
My "what is soil" searches have not been terribly fruitful, so I thought I might engage with the community to try set my brain right!
All my assumptions aside, what even is soil?
Thanks
If peat is peat, and coco is coco, and compost is compost, and ewc is ewc, and all the various organic ammendmants are just organic matter, minerals, etc. At what point does that mixture become "soil"?
For example, when some one says they want to add coco to an organic mix, most would seem to suggest to use coco for hydro only and stay with a peat based "soil" for organics. (No one specific, this just seems to be the general sentiment and advice).
Then I see a lot of mixes start with something like 1/3 peat, 1/3 ewc and 1/3 aeration (give or take). I know annecdotally peat seems to perform better for organics, but is a peat based mix a "soil" and would it still be "soil" if the peat was substituted for coco?
Then I thought, is my garden soil outside, actually soil? It's pretty heavy clay, and I need to work it quite a bit to make it usable, but stuff does grow.
Up north near the peat bogs, I imagine the soil is very peaty, here is seems to be clay, in the tropics, wouldn't that soil have a lot of old rotting coconut in it?
My "what is soil" searches have not been terribly fruitful, so I thought I might engage with the community to try set my brain right!
All my assumptions aside, what even is soil?
Thanks