Making soil - Peat and Vermiculite mix okay for base?

[georgyboy]

I have a bale of peat and a giant bag of chunky vermiculite I didn't end up using outside this year. Will mixing this 2-1 and then adding 1 part amendments (mostly compost and ewc, with moderate amounts of guano, kelp, blood, bone, greensand, and lime) make an okay soil. How hot is this soil on a scale of 1-10, 1 being little or no nutrient value and 10 being too hot for any plant, with a 7-8 being a subcool super soil use only water strength. I'm new to organics and still don't really know how to dose these organic foods. All the good soil recipes are for making very large amounts of soil, and I'm only trying to run 5-3gallon root pouches. Any help would be great.

 

[+ WitchDoctor +]

Vermiculite isn't a good medium, but I guess if you're just trying to use it up it won't be so bad. If you're using peat just make sure you mix in some perlite or something for drainage. Coco coir is great to mix in as well. You can use up to 20% EWC, I'd use at least 10%....

And if you want it to be as hot as super soil, then follow the super soil recipe as far as the bone/blood/poop amounts. I think his soil makes 65 gallons, so if you're making less just use less amendments.

 

[Wetdog]

No to the vermiculite. Peat retains enough water on its own.

Peat + PERLITE + all those other goodies will get you where you want to go.

A 4cf bag of perlite is ~$18 here.

Wet

 

[georgyboy]

I thought I could use the vermiculite in place of the perlite, in square foot gardening for "Mel's Mix" he uses peat vermiculite and compost.

 

[+ WitchDoctor +]

Vermiculite retains water, perlite does not. That's the biggest difference. Vermiculite also has a very alkaline pH, I think 8 or 9. And that's no good for you my friend. By if you want to use it up, like I said, it will be ok, just don't let it dominate the mix. Maybe 20% vermiculite, and then don't use and lime in the mix.

That being said, I also do sq ft gardening outside, and I don't like perlite, indoors or outdoors. In my outdoor garden I mix in woodchips that have been composting a bit into the mostly coco/peat mix for better drainage and places for organisms to live. Indoors I use 5% coco chips in my mix instead of perlite.

But with the mix you're talking about throwing together, I would recommend just getting some perlite and throwing in about 5% perlite. Otherwise you'll end up with some serious dry pockets in the soil, and that is no fun. It's a total buzz kill.

 

[georgyboy]

Thank you. The only reason I don't want to use perlite is because I can only find mg perlite with nutes. One store here sells 8qt espionage perlite for ten dollars a bag. Kinda pricey.

 

[georgyboy]

What are coco chips? I used cocoa bean shells as a mulch in my outdoor garden.

 

[+ WitchDoctor +]

No problem. I can't find the product I was thinking of, but it looks like this http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.victorycocoproducts.com/images/coco-chips-medium-enlarge.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.victorycocoproducts.com/image-cocochips-04.htm&h=264&w=380&sz=47&tbnid=uoX4_tUZoOE2gM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=130&zoom=1&usg=__r9fEpMPF1wEBf0RoivLxpzxD-Cs=&docid=pcZ-0EBQ3v9EuM&sa=X&ei=Om7fT7aXE-j56QGB25m6Cw&ved=0CKMBEPUBMAM&dur=310

I'm using 5% of this in my mix right now until I find a better kind of coco chips that I can buy locally https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ix=sea&ie=UTF-8#hl=en&output=search&sclient=psy-ab&q=hydrofarm coco planting mix&oq=&aq=&aqi=&aql=&gs_l=&pbx=1&fp=15d75812b8b4e1a0&ix=sea&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1138&bih=509

But I don't see why you couldn't use the coco bean shells you're using outside indoors, as long as there are no bugs and they weren't already used outdoors.

 

[Wetdog]

Thank you. The only reason I don't want to use perlite is because I can only find mg perlite with nutes. One store here sells 8qt espionage perlite for ten dollars a bag. Kinda pricey.

Check out builders supply places. Perlite (Vermiculite also), is used as insulation in concrete block walls. Same stuff, just no nursery prices.

Wet

 

[Wolverine97]

Check out builders supply places. Perlite (Vermiculite also), is used as insulation in concrete block walls. Same stuff, just no nursery prices.

Wet

I was always under the impression that horticultural grade was different somehow. Any insight?

 

[georgyboy]

I was always under the impression that horticultural grade was different somehow. Any insight?

Me too. I thought that's why there were grades. The grades are probably just there so they can over charge us.

 

[no clue]

Probably. And I just bought a giant bag at rip-off nursery prices

 

[+ WitchDoctor +]

I thought the grades were just the size of the pieces?

 

[Wolverine97]

I thought the grades were just the size of the pieces?

There's that too, but my bag of Mother Earth perlite says "horticultural grade" (I know, I know, don't trust etc...), #4 perlite.

 

[Wetdog]

Me too. I thought that's why there were grades. The grades are probably just there so they can over charge us.

Pretty much ^^^^^^^^

Grades are usually the sizes.

I asked the owner of the garden supply/feed store where I get mine. He is big into organic gardening on his own right. Told me there was no real difference other than the bags. I had ~1/2 of a 4cf bag simply marked PERLITE on it and another (Krumb), marked horticultural grade. Put side by side, you couldn't tell one from the other. Both came from the same store. He orders according to shipping cost since there are several mines relatively close. Prices for both were the same, ~$18 for a 4cf bag.

Wet