2 quick questions for subcool bout worm castings and "cOOking" ?

i know subcool says only to use the supersoil on the bottom half or so of the final pot but would it be harmful or benifital to add just wormcastings to the top half as well?

and after subcools mixing process he refers to "cooking the soil mix" ..well my question is - is it the sun that is benifital to the soil or is it the heat? cause mines mixed up in a pool so it would be hard to let mine soak in the sun without getting infested with tejas bugs,but if its just heat that does it i could leave it in the shed that gets like 105 during the day

any help or advice from people who actually know what their talking about would be greatly appreciated -END

Yes leave in shed u will be fine and top dressing with worm castings is ok , castings won't burn your plants.

Most just mix the top half 50/50 (super soil/base mix) and full strenght mix on the bottom. Worm castings are always a great things as they not only feed your plants they buffer your mediums pH.

I never cooked my soil in any sunshine, just in a room in a container, it cooked itself, the mix heats up a bit as some things break down a little and become more available in the soil

thanks for the replys, also any of yall know what kind of store would sell azomite or whatever the hell its called

My super soil puts off serious heat the first two weeks it composts. There's no need for sunlight. I do it in the basement in big ass rubbermaid tubs. Just make sure you don't get it too wet or the bacteria could go anaerobic on you and go bad.

Try to get it to that just-out-of-the-bag perfect soil moisture. Squeeze a clump and if it sticks to together but doesn't drip, you're right where ya need to be. Add a little water at a time every day until you get there rather than dumping a bunch on all at first and then having to hassle with trying to dry it back out.

watchhowIdoit said:

Most just mix the top half 50/50 (super soil/base mix) and full strenght mix on the bottom. Worm castings are always a great things as they not only feed your plants they buffer your mediums pH.

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Great post. Thanks for that. So many mix 50/50 for the top half? And most use 1/2 SS in pail, not 1/4 to 1/3? I like both these ideas

when he says cook he means cook not bake in the sun. you can bag it in garbage bags will be better then open air. the ingredients when mixed together and add water i starts breaking down decaying leaving off alot of heat. enough to sterilize your soil. i find it easier to keep it in one big pile or garbage cans. i like to contain the heat. and make sure the hole pile heats up good.

shizz said:

...it starts breaking down decaying leaving off alot of heat. enough to sterilize your soil.

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Hot enought to kill eggs and larvae? Really? I had imagined you would need a bigger pile to get that sort of heat. This is great news to me.

i only fill 1/2 the pot at the most. the top half is just the best quailty organic soil i can find. You dont need any super soil on the top half, just the best organic potting soil you can get. The roots need to be in the soil and since roots dont grow up you would be wasting the good soil. you can also reuse the soil if you like up to 3x, i reuse the flowering soil and redress it a bit and use that in the next veg cycle, then i throw it out. I also keep the super soil in my high quaility garbage cans with the lids on. easy to move around with wheels. if there is anything you cant find, just search it in ebay and youll find it.

watchhowIdoit said:

Most just mix the top half 50/50 (super soil/base mix) and full strenght mix on the bottom.

Click to expand...

Nice vid from SubC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcun2j-WX8A