Have some great local soil/compost available, but I'm not sure which one to use.

Hi guys,

I figured you organic growers might be able to steer me in the right direction.

There is a small local soil company here in NorCal that appears to have to great soils and composts. They're also having a compost sale right now. I'm not sure which compost, but their sign says $13 a yard.

Only problem, is I'm a noob, and I'm not entirely sure which one(s) to choose.

Here is a product list from their website:
http://www.grabngrowsoil.com/pProduct List.htm

They also sell a "420 mix" but it's rather expensive ($135 a yard), and I'm pretty sure it's this stuff http://www.northcountybounty.com/home.html

I'll probably add about 20% perlite to whatever I chose, and add some dolomite lime as a PH buffer and to provide some cal/mag.

I also have the option of choosing more than one and mixing them together.

I was thinking of using "Organic Nursery Planter mix" and maybe mixing it with one of the composts like their "Mango Mulch".

I will be using this as my final container soil for 8 plants once they outgrow their current 2 gallon pots of Roots ORganic soil.

2 follow up questions:
I notice their potting soil has lava rock in it, does this replace the perlite I usually see used?
Also, I see oyster shell flower in several of their mixes, does this work the same as powdered dolomite lime?

Thanks!

I forgot, I'll probably also add worm castings.

Here's what I'm thinking of using:
Organic Nursery Planter Mix
Organic Nursery contains organic horse compost, 1/8- red lava sand, 5/16- crushed red lava rock, 1/4-fir bark, Oyster shell flour, Blood meal, Bone meal, Kelp meal, Azomite® and Soil Sulfur. This mix is great for growing vegetables, herbs and fruit trees in containers 18 gal. and smaller.

I was thinking of mixing it with this: (not sure in the ratio, maybe 2:1?)
Our Mango Mulch Organic Compost contains horse and cow manure, grape and apple pomace, rice hulls, greensand and soft rock phosphate. What, no mangos? That's right. Our OMRI Listed organic compost was inspired by the dark, rich soil found under mango trees in Hawaii. It's Mango Mulch in name only... No Mangos... Great name.

Mango Mulch is a fertilizer and soil conditioner in one. It has enabled professional organic farmers and home gardeners to grow quality fruits and vegetabels for years. Great for tomatoes and the whole salad bowl. It can be used on flowers and shrubs, too. Fine in texture and black in color, it loosens soil and boosts nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium content. Try Mango Mulch in your vegetable garden.


anyone have any input?

Thanks!

What soil you buy depends on what your planning to do with it
I personally stay away from soils that say "fertilizes for 60-90 days"

The Organic Garden Mix sounds similar to what I use as a base soil. While mine is a good starting point, it holds too much water and is not nutrient dense enough to be a water only mix. I use it as a base for super soil 2:1 with coco coir and it works well.

The 420 mix from the other company sounds wonderful just like it is.

If you want to do something a little cheaper. Buy 1/2 of each and mix em together. I understand that they said the soil does not have pathogens, but I would still inoculate with em-1 and nematodes as well.

Also, Dolomite lime is NOT a pH Buffer. It sweetens the soil...AKA brings the pH of an acidic soil up. If your soil and local water is not acidic you probably shouldn't do that. Too high of a pH is just as bad as too low of a pH.

Thanks for the info. I will look into your suggestions. I am leaning towards mixing one of their soils with one of their composts and adding worm castings, perlite, and maybe coco or peat to it as well.

My goal is to come up with something both cheaper and better than bagged soil without too much work. I've been using roots organic bagged soil, and it's been working fine but it's expensive and I can't help feeling like there might be something better. Filling my truck with local compost for $40 or less sure sounds better than spending $45 on 4 bags of roots. Especially when I know I'm going to need about 12 bags.

My problem with the 420 mix they sell isn't only the price, it's also that it says it has "added fertilizer". Doesn't sound organic to me, and while I don't grow completely organic, I'd rather add fertilizer my self so I know exactly what's going into my plants, and in what amounts.

Almost every soil recipe I've read has dolomite lime in it, everyone claims is stabilizes PH and provides cal/mag. I'm on a well and don't know what the PH of my water is, but my plants have done fine on it so far. I plan to get a test kit and test the water soon. Just so I know what I'm dealing with. I figured 1 tbsp per gallon of soil probably couldn't hurt. Am I wrong?

Not everyone claims that dolomite lime is a pH buffer on here.
Some people on here come from areas that have acidic water, or they are using bottled products and bagged soils that are naturally acidic. To bring their pH back into the proper range, they have been told to use dolomite lime to "buffer" the acidic environment they are creating. Next thing you know, these people - without understanding the science involved - begin to report that dolomite lime is a "pH buffer".

This is not true. Dolomite lime, like all other limestone products is made up largely of a chemical called calcium carbonate - a strong base. As this dissolves....it raises your pH. If you are trying to neutralize an acid, this is wonderful. But if your soil is too sweet (too high of a pH), it does nothing but make the condition worse.

Bottom line, you need to know what you are dealing with from the start to be truly successful. The only pH buffer in organic soils is a balanced micro life. That takes a balanced soil, and time to create.

Test your water, and the runoff of your soil. And learn about the products that you are adding to your mixture and what they do as they decompose. If you aren't reusing your soil - start....it gets better as it ages and gets re-amended. As for calcium and magnesium supplements. The green leafy vegetable bits that I feed my worms are FULL of magnesium and the calcium shells that I crush up and feed them provide ample amounts of grit and calcium for the little guys. Their is no substitute on the planet for the quality of humus that is made in a home based vermicompost bin. If you are serious about mixing your own soil and doing a quality organic garden, please set one up. They are worth their weight in gold. I have found that not only has my garden gotten nicer since I began raising worms, but I have started eating more fresh fruits and vegetables - to make sure that they little guys have enough scraps.

Thanks for the info. I do plan to re use my soil after this grow. I was thinking of composting it in some large trash cans through the winter after re-amending. I'll work on tracking down some PH testing equipment, and I'll look into the worm farm thing.

Fabulous....pH soil tests can be purchased at your big box home improvement stores. Trash cans can work well for composting or worm bins - but they need tiny air holes in the sides to keep things from going anaerobic. For some bin ideas look at this website:
http://vermicomposters.ning.com/forum/topics/diy-flow-through-bins-a

It can be a lot easier and cheaper than you would think.