For those of you mixing up your own organic soil I am about to jump on the bandwagon as well. Quick question though, I am going to follow the coots mix recipe and was wondering when they say 1cf of CSPM do they mean compressed? I have found some OMRI listed CSPM at a local greenhouse in 1cf bales but they said it fluffs out to 3 something cf. So am I supposed to follow the recipe with compressed or fluffed out? If fluffed out whats the best way to measure 1cf. Thanks and sorry for a newb question.
The ratios in that recipe refer to hydrated peat. I've seen great results with that mix. I've also noticed that some people who follow this recipe rigidly end up with actively composting soil if they use a very strong compost. just remember that the peat will break down over time. so if you have a hot compost blend you might want to make sure your mix isn't too heavy on organic components that will continue to break down over time.
personally, I like to use whatever organic resources are available cheaply and/or locally. I'd recommend any tweaks to the recipe that allow you to take maximum advantage of your local growing environment.
I grow in native clay soil, amended with perlite, worm castings, a little bit of chicken compost, seaweed, neem meal, and oyster shell flower. I feed the soil by mulching/top dressing with lemon balm and sage. sometimes I add a little bit of worm castings to break down the leaf material in the mulch. I occasionally top dress lightly with a dusting of seaweed or neem. I grow outdoor in raised beds and smart pots. my outdoor plants were strong, stable, and low maintenance, with no issues even late into a rainy harvest. really excellent outdoor medicine.
I'm now using the same soil in my indoor grow with good results.