Cooking Some Soil - Help Please

saiyaneye

saiyaneye

Well-Known Member
I am cooking some old potting soil from planters last year only about 20 gallons.

1 Cups - Blood Meal <-----N
3/4 can of spent coffee grounds <----N :???::confused:
2 Cups - Bone Meal <----P
~3 Cups - Wood Ash <-----K

2 Cups - Kelp Meal

2 Cups Dolomite lime
1/2 Cup Epson Salt

Bad or good so far?

Wanting some neem cake or karanja cake. Beneficial Nematodes.

Been reading about Diatomaceous Earth planning on adding that to add some silica and possible pest deterrent. I know it says it only works for pests when dry though. I thought I would get a big enough bag to dust my area after a good watering (outdoor). Should I add guano when I flower like dig out a 2" top layer and lay a 1"-2" layer?

Bacillus thuringiensis, anyone know anything about this?

Was all the coffee grounds good or bad? Spent coffee grounds have a PH of 6.2



Should I get some red worms in the bin? What else would you add to this?
 
greasemonkeymann

greasemonkeymann

Well-Known Member
saiyaneye said:
I am cooking some old potting soil from planters last year only about 20 gallons.

1 Cups - Blood Meal <-----N
3/4 can of spent coffee grounds <----N :???::confused:
2 Cups - Bone Meal <----P
~3 Cups - Wood Ash <-----K

2 Cups - Kelp Meal

2 Cups Dolomite lime
1/2 Cup Epson Salt

Bad or good so far?

Wanting some neem cake or karanja cake. Beneficial Nematodes.

Been reading about Diatomaceous Earth planning on adding that to add some silica and possible pest deterrent. I know it says it only works for pests when dry though. I thought I would get a big enough bag to dust my area after a good watering (outdoor). Should I add guano when I flower like dig out a 2" top layer and lay a 1"-2" layer?

Bacillus thuringiensis, anyone know anything about this?

Was all the coffee grounds good or bad? Spent coffee grounds have a PH of 6.2



Should I get some red worms in the bin? What else would you add to this?
Click to expand...
hows it going man?
so if it were me, I 'd change a couple things..
And don't get your toes stepped on, cuz i'm not trying to do that at all.
I'd drop the wood ashes, and the bone meal (health risks)
see if you can fine neem, fish bone, and crab meals, those three coupled with your kelpmeal are PERFECT
the bloodmeal you can keep too
also whats the original soil?
reason I ask is the second run after I amend is always my favorite..
may not need a whole lot, depending on the amendments used originally
 
saiyaneye

saiyaneye

Well-Known Member
Well, the stuff has already been added in last night.

Wood ash was in the fireplace so I decided to use some.

The bone meal stinks like crazy!

The original soil is unknown, feels rich it was MG or equivalent that had flowers growing in it last year.
 
greasemonkeymann

greasemonkeymann

Well-Known Member
saiyaneye said:
Well, the stuff has already been added in last night.

Wood ash was in the fireplace so I decided to use some.

The bone meal stinks like crazy!

The original soil is unknown, feels rich it was MG or equivalent that had flowers growing in it last year.
Click to expand...
ahhh I see.... already balls deep....
hmm, well.. the ashes won't hurt anything, but it'll probably be washed away rather quickly, and the effect on the ph is unpredictable at best.
you are cycling the soil, so it'll be fine
and I hope you didn't smell the bonemeal man... that shit literally can KILL you...
i'll pretend you didn't say that...
hope its porcine bone meal?
oh and coffee grinds are just fine man, no issue there
 
saiyaneye

saiyaneye

Well-Known Member
greasemonkeymann said:
ahhh I see.... already balls deep....
hmm, well.. the ashes won't hurt anything, but it'll probably be washed away rather quickly, and the effect on the ph is unpredictable at best.
you are cycling the soil, so it'll be fine
and I hope you didn't smell the bonemeal man... that shit literally can KILL you...
i'll pretend you didn't say that...
hope its porcine bone meal?
oh and coffee grinds are just fine man, no issue there
Click to expand...
:oops::lol::dunce:

Note to self. Do not breath in bone meal

Do i need the container to be sealed or have open holes in the bottom?
 
greasemonkeymann

greasemonkeymann

Well-Known Member
saiyaneye said:
:oops::lol::dunce:

Note to self. Do not breath in bone meal

Do i need the container to be sealed or have open holes in the bottom?
Click to expand...
personally I really like aging soils in whatever container they're to be in, reason is the soilweb starts long before you plant the plant, so why not get a headstart?
but in totes or bins, you MUST have good aeration
I love aging soils in their final containers, with cover crops on them, you'll be able to visually see when the soil is cycled because the covercrop will change to a lighter green
 
Midwest Weedist

Midwest Weedist

Well-Known Member
Greasemonkeymann already nailed it! Only other thing I would suggest would be to add some vermicompost. That stuff is amazing. And if you're using old potting soil that stuff is mostly peat anyways.
I'm not a fan of dolomite lime anymore, lots of bad experiences. I'm much more in favor of using gypsum and different amendments that are calcium rich like oyster shell flour to act as a buffer. Dolo will certainly get you where you need though. I'm actually in the middle of recycling a supersoil mix from a few years ago that was heavy in dolo. Was absolute garbage to grow in then but now that it's mostly been used up or leeched out, it's fantastic!
 
saiyaneye

saiyaneye

Well-Known Member
Midwest Weedist said:
Greasemonkeymann already nailed it! Only other thing I would suggest would be to add some vermicompost. That stuff is amazing. And if you're using old potting soil that stuff is mostly peat anyways.
I'm not a fan of dolomite lime anymore, lots of bad experiences. I'm much more in favor of using gypsum and different amendments that are calcium rich like oyster shell flour to act as a buffer. Dolo will certainly get you where you need though. I'm actually in the middle of recycling a supersoil mix from a few years ago that was heavy in dolo. Was absolute garbage to grow in then but now that it's mostly been used up or leeched out, it's fantastic!
Click to expand...

Will adding redworms to my bin just make vermicompost? Im only gonna cook this for like 6-8 more weeks. I moved the soil to a rubermade tote. Do i need to drill holes in sides or bottom for worms? I will be stirring this mix 2-3 times per week by hand.
 
greasemonkeymann

greasemonkeymann

Well-Known Member
saiyaneye said:
Will adding redworms to my bin just make vermicompost? Im only gonna cook this for like 6-8 more weeks. I moved the soil to a rubermade tote. Do i need to drill holes in sides or bottom for worms? I will be stirring this mix 2-3 times per week by hand.
Click to expand...
no adding worms just adds small amounts of micros, humus, and so on.
you want holes in your bin regardless of whether worms are in it or not, cycling soil needs oxygen
 
Kind Sir

Kind Sir

Well-Known Member
greasemonkeymann said:
personally I really like aging soils in whatever container they're to be in, reason is the soilweb starts long before you plant the plant, so why not get a headstart?
but in totes or bins, you MUST have good aeration
I love aging soils in their final containers, with cover crops on them, you'll be able to visually see when the soil is cycled because the covercrop will change to a lighter green
Click to expand...
What cover crop do you like?
 
Rasta Roy

Rasta Roy

Well-Known Member
saiyaneye said:
:oops::lol::dunce:

Note to self. Do not breath in bone meal

Do i need the container to be sealed or have open holes in the bottom?
Click to expand...
Just a personal suggestion, for the sake of your lungs friend i would invest in a respirator, even if it's one of the cheap white masks you use when sanding. Shit throw a bandana or t-shirt over your face at the very least for when you're mixing up your soil/applying amendments. Especially for anything Guano or manure or animal related.
 
Midwest Weedist

Midwest Weedist

Well-Known Member
Rasta Roy said:
Just a personal suggestion, for the sake of your lungs friend i would invest in a respirator, even if it's one of the cheap white masks you use when sanding. Shit throw a bandana or t-shirt over your face at the very least for when you're mixing up your soil/applying amendments. Especially for anything Guano or manure or animal related.
Click to expand...
I second this. You don't want to breathe in really anything but air. You really don't want to breathe in rock dusts, orgamic particles that will decay in your lungs, possible fecal matter who knows what.. Just all kinds of bad. I keep a fan pulling air away from me when I mix and I use a crude mask. First time I got a lung full of alfalfa meal I said fuck that. Not fun.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top