Okay i found the mix recipe I was referencing that you posted:
Growing Style
-Growing Organically in 3 gal grow bags(w/perlite lined bottoms)consisting of an amended version of Fox Farm Ocean Forest:
-1.5 cu ft(11 gal approx.) Fox Farm Ocean Forest
-3 gal(64 cups)Wiggle Worms Earthworm Castings
-1 qt(4 cups) Gia Green Glacial Rock Dust
-Roughly 2 gal(36 cups)Perlite
-4 tsp Hi-Cal Lime
-3/4 cup Espoma Green Sand
-3/4 cup Espoma Tomato Tone
-3/4 cup Algamin Kelp Meal
-2 tbsp Sunleaves Indonesian Bat Guano(later addition)
So, okay, for starters, it seems like that is a lot of extra worm castings to mix to my already existing mix, I'm totally paranoid about making it too hot. Maybe I'm wrong though, I guess you are adding a lot of extra perlite too which will help to balance that to some degree... just real paranoid about burning with worm castings because I felt like that happened with my last batch... but well... I guess if this mix has worked for you already I can take some comfort in that.
So, I see you are using kelp meal, and tomato tone together.. so there must be a reason why you wouldn't just do one or the other, can you explain that?
Do you feel the above recpie is still ideal, or would you change it for any reason if you were to be mixing it at this point?
What does the Green Sand do for ya exactly?
And I noticed that the Hi-Cal lime is only 4 tsp TOTAL, but I already added 2 TBSP of dolomitic lime per gallon! Those figures are worlds apart... so is the Hi-Cal lime a lot stronger than dolomitic or do I have way too much lime? I was always told 2 TBSP per gallon of media.
Worm casting DO NOT BURN haha! Not at all. I've read that you can grow in them alone lol..And that it wasn't ideal, but possible WITHOUT A DOUBT!
And I haven't burned anything using them yet! It had to be something else that burnt ya....Think about what you used and get back to me...Wasnt the worms tho!
They do help hold moisture tho, so you right about adding the perlite to help with drainage...The green sand also helps retain moisture while adding trace elements and minerals to the soil..Also it just improves the soil structure. All soil has some sand in it! Just trying to mock nature..
The green sand take FOREVER to break down tho...I'm talking a year or years haha so its mostly just a soil conditioner at this point...As it breaks down it provides a finite amount of K, but that wont be for another year haha or half one...
YOU ALSO REUSE YOUR SOIL OVER AND OVER AGAIN! So you don't gotta by anymore...You just amend it again ans let it sit after you use it.
So one day that green sand will be noticed!
Kelp Meal and Tomato Tone together for variety bro....The kelp meal also serves as food and a soil enrichment as it adds to the mineralization of the soil, as well trace elements. So it double as both...
MORE IT BETTER in terms of VARIETY....NOT QUANTITY...Put too much in the soil and you ruin it...
My first mix was just that lol my first mix, so I went light on everything to see how I'd do....
My second mix is mixed as it should be! I didn't go light on anything...I would copy the second one if I were you! I know it's gonna be a BEAST of a mix!
And as far as your lime....like it said I only added a little becuase I didn't know as much about soil and I read over and over again adding too much lime raise my PH....So I added just a bit...
Ppl are out there hating on Fox Farm Ocean Forest for whatever reason...saying it's ph is unstable and blablablaaaaa....
I test the PH of the bag I just bought at 6.5 outta the bag. That's WEED HEAVEN....Fuck are they going off on? Saying it's not organic and it's shit blablaba.....
My plants disagree haha!
But yeah that at lot of lime bro! 22 tbsps per bag! thats 66 teaspoons haha! Just seems like a lot!
Less is always better than more, becuase you can always add to ya know..
I'm gonan start a nice thread here soon and post everything I know there....hopefully it'll catch on and we can get some more learning done