I just realized I know nothing. What even is this "soil" you speak of?

R

Relic79

Well-Known Member
Leeski said:
If your going with super/living soil blumat are the dogs balls as you want a constant moisture level to keep you Biology happy I use blumat digital sensor could not live with out it takes all the guess work out for me ☮
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Is that sensor in addition to, or instead of the actual Blumat spike? It looks sort of like a spike, but I don't see the dripper.
If it's just a sensor, do you just use it to know the Blumats are working, or for handwatering?

I am planning on Blumats at some point, but this is the first I've seen the digital sensor.
 
insomnia65

insomnia65

Well-Known Member
This is a brilliant thread, everyone has ups and downs with grow medium, my coco foray was a sad adventure, on this forum I've read cover crops, no till, even urine fert, NKF, these threads are needful.

BTW Socrates said it first, " I know nothing"
 
Leeski

Leeski

Well-Known Member
Relic79 said:
Is that sensor in addition to, or instead of the actual Blumat spike? It looks sort of like a spike, but I don't see the dripper.
If it's just a sensor, do you just use it to know the Blumats are working, or for handwatering?

I am planning on Blumats at some point, but this is the first I've seen the digital sensor.
Click to expand...
I only use the sensor as I hand water/feed with teas my goal is to get to water only scenario but as it stands I’m still haven to use aact and sst and blumat system would block up if/when I get to Water only will 100% be using blumat system I was gifted my sensor I’m U.K. and don’t think I can buy one
 
Rurumo

Rurumo

Well-Known Member
I think it's funny how some people draw such a hard line in the sand between "potting soil" and coco, when "potting soil" is 99% "forest products" and or peat/sphagnum mixed with tiny amounts of other stuff. Sure, they each have their own quirks, mainly concerning watering frequency. Here is a good thread about using coco with organic amendments, it's 500+ pages long so you can see people have been passionate about this topic for decades LOL https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=53792 Also, coco can maintain the "living component" of soil as well as sphagnum/peat or "forest products." I love coco, works great once you get used to it and it's an awesome renewable resource.
 
Aussieaceae

Aussieaceae

Well-Known Member
Relic79 said:
I knew I was gonna take shit for this post. I also do want to say, I understand that basic definition.

I guess another way of putting it. If the soil outside forms over thousands of years from natural processes. At what point does a mixture of ingredients in an organic growers pot or bed become "soil", and why might we call one mixture soil, and another mixture not?

For example, if growing in plain Promix HP with bottle nutrients is soil-less, but peat is in soil, what would you need to add to Promix to then call it "soil" and is there a component of time involved?
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My 2c,

Definitely a large part of the difference between soil and potting mix, is potting mix's own lack of humus and biology in comparison.
Potting mix and indoor soils in general, aren't nearly as fertile as outdoors.
Indoor soil doesn't even come close to the same fertility.

That's not to say plants won't like or prefer either.

Outdoor soil is much more fertile + indoor soil and potting mix needs human intervention to maintain it's fertility.
Outdoor soil generally doesn't, if talking about fertility in general.

Environment and local geology is only a factor.

Outdoor soil is more alive.
 
Richard Drysift

Richard Drysift

Well-Known Member
Organic soil needs constant moisture; no “dry out” period. I was worried about overwatering and runoff disasters at first myself but the blumats have shown me I actually was not watering enough sometimes. Now I can go away for days at a time and not even worry about my plants. Automatic and gravity fed...well at least until the reservoir bucket gets low.
Soil is a big subject and the internet is not very good at in-depth analysis of such things. Soil cannot be fully explained in a single web page; plenty of click bait out there but very little substance. Best way imo to reach a deeper understanding of all this is go read a book on the subject... I highly suggest checking out “Teaming with Microbes” at a library for free or cough up $14 for a copy. It has helped me understand what soil is, what PH is, and many other things I didn’t know I wanted to know; plus lots of things I really didn’t lol. It is a primer into organic growing; not just weed. Cannabis is not even mentioned but the basics of earth science are there. Interesting at the very least if nothing else.
 
R

Relic79

Well-Known Member
Thank you so much for all of the great information. I was very interested to see different opinions and get linked to some expert material. I've already built what I hope to use as a good starting soil that I want to go no till with eventually. i think working back through this thread and watching/reading the referenced material will more than help me on my quest!

I honestly don't have much to add to my own thread, but did want to express appreciation for those that have contributed!
 
speedwell68

speedwell68

Well-Known Member
Rurumo said:
I think it's funny how some people draw such a hard line in the sand between "potting soil" and coco, when "potting soil" is 99% "forest products" and or peat/sphagnum mixed with tiny amounts of other stuff. Sure, they each have their own quirks, mainly concerning watering frequency. Here is a good thread about using coco with organic amendments, it's 500+ pages long so you can see people have been passionate about this topic for decades LOL https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=53792 Also, coco can maintain the "living component" of soil as well as sphagnum/peat or "forest products." I love coco, works great once you get used to it and it's an awesome renewable resource.
Click to expand...
I have just gone "Peat Free". The mining out of 12,000 year old Peat Bogs isn't sustainable, plus Peat Bogs are considered to be Carbon Soaks, drawing excess Carbon from the atmosphere. So I have gone Coco Coir based. I am using a pre-mixed call New Horizon by Westland. They use Coir, composted Wood fibre and composted Leaf matter. They claim it feeds for up to 6 weeks and since starting with it my clones and seedlings have improved no end. At the moment I am just adding a little mycorrhizal fungi. I am looking to amend the mix so I become less reliant on bottled nutes. I notice that at my local Garden Centre they have products like Perlite, Vermiculite, Blood Bone & Fish meal, granulated Chicken Manure, dried Farm Manure, Lime, Worm Castings and composted Tree Bark. I also live by the sea and each spring literally thousands of tons of seaweed washes up and the council pile it up with tractors for people to take away. I can also get a constant supply of Nettles, which I believe makes a good "tea". So with all of this sustainable stuff at my disposal I should be able to mix a decent grow medium. My goal is to get my grow to be 100% Organic, 100% sustainable and free from single use plastics.
 
green_machine_two9er

green_machine_two9er

Well-Known Member
speedwell68 said:
I have just gone "Peat Free". The mining out of 12,000 year old Peat Bogs isn't sustainable, plus Peat Bogs are considered to be Carbon Soaks, drawing excess Carbon from the atmosphere. So I have gone Coco Coir based. I am using a pre-mixed call New Horizon by Westland. They use Coir, composted Wood fibre and composted Leaf matter. They claim it feeds for up to 6 weeks and since starting with it my clones and seedlings have improved no end. At the moment I am just adding a little mycorrhizal fungi. I am looking to amend the mix so I become less reliant on bottled nutes. I notice that at my local Garden Centre they have products like Perlite, Vermiculite, Blood Bone & Fish meal, granulated Chicken Manure, dried Farm Manure, Lime, Worm Castings and composted Tree Bark. I also live by the sea and each spring literally thousands of tons of seaweed washes up and the council pile it up with tractors for people to take away. I can also get a constant supply of Nettles, which I believe makes a good "tea". So with all of this sustainable stuff at my disposal I should be able to mix a decent grow medium. My goal is to get my grow to be 100% Organic, 100% sustainable and free from single use plastics.
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Don't forget that today's fish farming farming practices are raping our oceans. There's. othing sustanable about it. I would also say blood meal a no no for the planet. Modern slaughterhouse and husbandry practices are really what's destroying.
I applaud your effort but really the peat bashing shit is kinda old news.

Anyway on both the threads
I've seen you talking about this I don't remember any op or anyway asking about thia subject. I suggest starting your own sustainability thread.

I believe this is the episode where coot talks about

www.kisorganics.com

Episode 7: Clackamas Coot Talks About Worm Bins, Peat Moss, & Building Soil

This is the 2nd part of a 3 part interview series with Clackamas Coot. We talk more about neem, IPM strategies, worm bins, peat moss, how to evaluate potting soils, and much more! Important links: Functional Blocks of Neem Oil The Growing Importance of Neem in Agriculture, Industry...
www.kisorganics.com www.kisorganics.com
 
speedwell68

speedwell68

Well-Known Member
green_machine_two9er said:
Don't forget that today's fish farming farming practices are raping our oceans. There's. othing sustanable about it. I would also say blood meal a no no for the planet. Modern slaughterhouse and husbandry practices are really what's destroying.
I applaud your effort but really the peat bashing shit is kinda old news.

Anyway on both the threads
I've seen you talking about this I don't remember any op or anyway asking about thia subject. I suggest starting your own sustainability thread.

I believe this is the episode where coot talks about

www.kisorganics.com

Episode 7: Clackamas Coot Talks About Worm Bins, Peat Moss, & Building Soil

This is the 2nd part of a 3 part interview series with Clackamas Coot. We talk more about neem, IPM strategies, worm bins, peat moss, how to evaluate potting soils, and much more! Important links: Functional Blocks of Neem Oil The Growing Importance of Neem in Agriculture, Industry...
www.kisorganics.com www.kisorganics.com
Click to expand...
Fish Farming is sustainable. Fishing is not. I never said I was going to use them, just I could if I want to. I might do none of them and stick with the coir mix I am using.

Thanks for the link.
 
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