Is this soil mix ok???

i will def check hd and lowes. my grow store is really cheap and not pushy at all with the sales. but im always down to save a buck. thanx Pattahabi. btw ive been reading some of ur other post......jeez u know ur stuff!

FamMan said:

i will def check hd and lowes. my grow store is really cheap and not pushy at all with the sales. but im always down to save a buck. thanx Pattahabi. btw ive been reading some of ur other post......jeez u know ur stuff!

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yup, pats the man.
And you don't want promix because it's already "limed", it's also more expensive and cut with perlite too.

greasemonkeymann said:

And you don't want promix because it's already "limed"

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^^^^Yup, this. Plus promix/sunshine gets sent through a kiln before shipping to reduce the weight. Not good for the beneficial microbes that are in peat. Also, I'm always an advocate of using some pumice or lava rock over perlite, which promix has a lot of.

Thanks guys, I'm still learning like everyone else. Thanks to Coot and the ROLS crew who totally changed not only the way I garden, but the way I look at life in general. It has been a real eye opening journey!

Peace!

P-

Pattahabi said:

^^^^Yup, this. Plus promix/sunshine gets sent through a kiln before shipping to reduce the weight. Not good for the beneficial microbes that are in peat. Also, I'm always an advocate of using some pumice or lava rock over perlite, which promix has a lot of.

Thanks guys, I'm still learning like everyone else. Thanks to Coot and the ROLS crew who totally changed not only the way I garden, but the way I look at life in general. It has been a real eye opening journey!

Peace!

P-

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I remember hearing that the peat is mechanically shredded as well?
Cooked and shredded... Yup....

Are u referring to the peat in promix?

FamMan said:

Are u referring to the peat in promix?

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Yes, promix is pretty much just peat and perlite.

From Coot:

But here’s the biggest reason to start with straight Sphagnum peat moss – the straight bales are packed onsite. The material destined for mixes like Sunshine Mix #1 or Pro-Mix, etc. is run through a kiln to remove water thereby reducing the weight = lower shipping costs.

When it hits the packing plants the peat moss is hit with yucca root powder (surfactant/wetting agent) and then steam is injected into the mass to re-hydrate to a specific level thereby giving the customer the feeling that ‘this must be really FRESH! Look at how moist it is!!!’

Uh huh……

Re-hydrate the Premier Peat yourself and save 60% and because it wasn’t run through the kiln you’ll have a higher level of bioactivity. Heat kills microbes and these soilless base mixes prove that over and over.

CC
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I don’t want to misspeak about the actual mixing processes in Oregon on the Sunshine Mixes – but I believe that somewhere along the line the material is degraded. You’d have to see the size of the auger mixers that are used. 8 minutes is all that is required to mix an entire trailer full of bagged potting soil mixes – 8 minutes.

The actual mixing cycle is brutal – cone-shapped cylinders are on top of the mixing chamber and the CAM system drops this or that down as prescribed for a specific recipe. Covers are automatically dropped over the mixing chamber and then it’s ramped up to full speed and material is flying around like crazy.

Straight Sphagnum peat moss is handled far differently. The material is off-loaded and placed in a separate mixing machine (much smaller) and it’s only turned 3 or 4 times before the peat moss is pushed to the bagging/packaging machines.
I’m wondering if there isn’t something happening in the speed mixing process – just an idea.

CC

Alright peeps. this is what i have come up with:

12 gallons xl chunky perlite
8 gallons peat moss
8 gallons roots organic(lil less than one bag)
8 gallons ewc
8 gallons garden compost locally sourced(no manures)

3 cups of each(all down to earth products):
Kelp
Oyster shell
alfalfa
neem
crab meal
fish bone meal

6 cups of each:
azomite
rock phosphate
basalt or granite or glacial (im still trying to locate to use one of these)

2 gallons biochar

I plan to activate the biochar and then the soil with tea consisting of grandmas unsulfured molasses(couldnt find black strap in time) and earthworm castings aerated for 24 hours. These measurements should add up to 50 gallons or around 6.5 cuft of mix. i planned to use it for 6 plants that will eventually end up in 5 gallon smartpots. am i making enough/too much soil? Are my mineral and nutrient amounts correct? Please let me know if this mix is ok.....Thanx. PEACE!!

Might add some organic oatmeal to it too....any thoughts....I've read the microbs or something use it to eat?

FamMan said:

Alright peeps. this is what i have come up with:

12 gallons xl chunky perlite
8 gallons peat moss
8 gallons roots organic(lil less than one bag)
8 gallons ewc
8 gallons garden compost locally sourced(no manures)

3 cups of each(all down to earth products):
Kelp
Oyster shell
alfalfa
neem
crab meal
fish bone meal

6 cups of each:
azomite
rock phosphate
basalt or granite or glacial (im still trying to locate to use one of these)

2 gallons biochar

I plan to activate the biochar and then the soil with tea consisting of grandmas unsulfured molasses(couldnt find black strap in time) and earthworm castings aerated for 24 hours. These measurements should add up to 50 gallons or around 6.5 cuft of mix. i planned to use it for 6 plants that will eventually end up in 5 gallon smartpots. am i making enough/too much soil? Are my mineral and nutrient amounts correct? Please let me know if this mix is ok.....Thanx. PEACE!!

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maybe try an alfalfa tea to charge that biochar. It's better to charge it with a lil nitrogen.
I would also recommend putting them in bigger pots than 5 gals, unless your vege time is real short

i bought three and five gallon smart pots prior to knowing i was going this route. im using a 4x8 tent thats only 6'5" tall. i planned to veg til they were 12" or maybe a little more. not sure what strains i will be growing but im guessing they will be indica dom. what size pots do you recommend? how many times do i need to transplant to a larger size before its final pot? should i be letting my soil cook in the pots or in my 50 gal container?
Alfalfa tea got it! thanks Grease.