Living soil
- Thread starter WWmanjr
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EliteCultivation
Well-Known Member
-1 part compost of your choice
-1 part coco coir and/or peat moss1 part perlite
-Kelp meal: 1/4 cup per 5 gallons
-Humic acid: 1/4 cup per 5 gallons
-Mycorrhizal inoculant (endomycorrhizae powder): 1/4- 1/2 tsp per gallon
-Vermicompost (worm castings): up to 20% total substrate
-Bat Guano: up to 5% total substrate
This is a beautiful mix.
All the best to you!
-1 part coco coir and/or peat moss1 part perlite
-Kelp meal: 1/4 cup per 5 gallons
-Humic acid: 1/4 cup per 5 gallons
-Mycorrhizal inoculant (endomycorrhizae powder): 1/4- 1/2 tsp per gallon
-Vermicompost (worm castings): up to 20% total substrate
-Bat Guano: up to 5% total substrate
This is a beautiful mix.
All the best to you!
so I am no expert by any means, but I've been lurking around these organic threads for a bit. someone like @Richard Drysift is a lot more knowledgeable and can hopefully lend a hand.
here's what I just mixed up as a fresh 2.5 cu ft batch of soil a couple months ago. I'm not super accurate with anything, more so rough judgement of mixing a little more of this or less of that.
1/3 peat
1/3 compost (mix or some bu blend I found at a local shop and homemade compost)
1/3 pumice (definitely went more than a third of mix here)
I watered and mixed the peat and aeration first to a good moisture level, then added the compost and mixed everything again. after that came the ammendments.
each of these are total additions to the mix for roughly 17 gallons of soil in the end.
15 large hand shovels full of fresh ewc
3/4 cup alfalfa meal
3/4 cup neem meal
3/4 crab meal
1.5 cups kelp meal
1/2 cup insect frass
1 tsp humid acid
2 cups oyster shell
4 cups basalt rock dust
1 cup gypsum
1.5 cups st George black rock dust
a lot of that is probably unnecessary and can be done a lot simpler. main things being quality compost and proper aeration. after that just need to buffer somehow and use some dry ammendments, tons of choices to either buy in individual packages or a pre mixed box with essentially all the same things. I just bought all my things separately, so cant really help you on the pre mixed options, but some of them seem great.
one last thing I would recommend researching is a worm bin. at first it seemed strange to set up a worm bin, mine is in my closet, but I think that is what has made my learning curve for organic soil so easy (that and reading through a lot of this section, tons of good info out there in the threads). I always have fresh microbes to top dress whenever I want and have really not come across to many issues I could attribute to the soil. my main issue is making sure to keep soil at a proper moisture. when that's all good, plants always seem to thrive.
hope some of this helps, but I'm sure some more will chime in and hopefully get you squared away.
Just use Coots mix. It can be found in the Rols thread (Stickied) at the bottom of the page posted by Cann. It is very similar to Loco41's mix.
The compost, aeration, and amendment components are the most important part.
For example, I follow coots mix to the dot. But I use calcined clay as my aeration and biochar together to mimmic Terra Preta found in the amazon rain forest. My compost is usually horse or cow manure that I threw a bunch of worms into for a couple months. That way it has cocoons throughout and some EWC mixed in. Amendments are coots suggestion. I haven't bothered to change it because it works so well.
The compost, aeration, and amendment components are the most important part.
For example, I follow coots mix to the dot. But I use calcined clay as my aeration and biochar together to mimmic Terra Preta found in the amazon rain forest. My compost is usually horse or cow manure that I threw a bunch of worms into for a couple months. That way it has cocoons throughout and some EWC mixed in. Amendments are coots suggestion. I haven't bothered to change it because it works so well.
dwood8165
Well-Known Member
1 bag 707
1 bag ffoc
1 bag earth worm castings
1 cup guano P
1 cup seabird palettes
1 bag fruit tomato happy frog
1/8 cup blood meal
1/2 cup kelp
1/2 cup potash from burned wood
1 cup fish meal
1/2 cup bone meal
2 cups of lime
1/8 bag of ancient forest excellent humus and bacteria
1 1/2 cup epsom salt
1 1/2 cup oyster shell
organisms roots organic on every layer
yesterday i seen fungus growing on top, mixed the dirt added water, covered and left it alone
after mixing. its 3 shovels full, i shovel perlite, 7.5 ml of organism. continue until container is full
I try to add a fast and slow release of all my nutrients
1 bag ffoc
1 bag earth worm castings
1 cup guano P
1 cup seabird palettes
1 bag fruit tomato happy frog
1/8 cup blood meal
1/2 cup kelp
1/2 cup potash from burned wood
1 cup fish meal
1/2 cup bone meal
2 cups of lime
1/8 bag of ancient forest excellent humus and bacteria
1 1/2 cup epsom salt
1 1/2 cup oyster shell
organisms roots organic on every layer
yesterday i seen fungus growing on top, mixed the dirt added water, covered and left it alone
after mixing. its 3 shovels full, i shovel perlite, 7.5 ml of organism. continue until container is full
I try to add a fast and slow release of all my nutrients
Last edited:
Theres an entire thread for this....ROLS. it's full of amazing organic greatness.
tko2184
Well-Known Member
I have a question I see and know the recipe for coots my intent is to grab the gear today at the local shop would it be easier to order from b.a.s.?, cost effective? I want to run 3 20g pots? Also does the base have to be peat sphagnum coco etc?, could you use a soil as a base that is just a question I do intend to follow the recipe thanks
I wish I could confidently answer your questions. Unfortunately I have not done extensive testing of coots mix with different materials. I do know you can use Coir. I used it in a mix before, it was fine. I'm not sure about using soil, I believe it would be way to heavy for the plants until soil structure was developed.
As for where to buy, I get all my stuff locally so again, no help there.
Bignutes
Well-Known Member
I use soil as a base, about 30 to 60% I've tried in different mixes, can't really go wrong as long as drainage is good and ph is around 6.5. If you use choir make sure it's prepped first.
tko2184
Well-Known Member
I’m not going to use coir I was going to grab them mineral and nutrient from build a soil and grab sphagnum etc locally. There is a hydroponic store I’m visiting Tom and if I knew all I needed I’d not have to use build a soil but I’ve just read teaming w microbes and a few others and don’t assume and get it incorrect ( unless someone has a shopping list) @Bignutes
Bignutes
Well-Known Member
Use a 3 in 1 bagged top soil (loam, compost, peat) as 1/3, add 1/3 aeration, 1/3 peat, 2 cup of alfalfa meal, 1 cup gypsum, 1 tblspn Epsom per cubic foot. Your using 20 gal pots so unless your growing giants this pot volume is going to give you a lot more wiggle room and endurance so no need for a real sexy, hot recipe.
2 cups of alfalfa in 20 gal seems like a lot. Was that a typo? How long do you cook a mix like that?
JoeBlow5823
Well-Known Member
I mix this shit with this shit
PadawanWarrior
Well-Known Member
Well that's organic, not a living soil. Living soil usually has worms and of other critters. But looks like good soil.
tko2184
Well-Known Member
@PadawanWarrior yes that’s it Arthropoda red wigglers etc I’ve got to wait going to just go by coots recipe add worm etc and go from there I’ve seen the aloe and coconut water an I love it. Wish me luck going to hydro store in 2 hours and guessing I’ll order as well today wish I could get it all today
JoeBlow5823
Well-Known Member
Well there is plenty of micro organisms in it so it is significantly more alive than coco but yes i know what you are saying. That is why I am looking at adding worms to my soil mix to make it truly living.
PadawanWarrior
Well-Known Member
Add some molasses too.
tko2184
Well-Known Member
Next few weeks I will piece together the rest of I Frieden to make a good tea and my soil I spoke to a good friend of mine who said a 45 gal fabric pot would serve better than a 2o gallon there fore it would serve a living solid in my opinion very well for bacteria and fungi to do there thing
Also I am going to amend a soil such as big roots for my pots and build my soil food web there does anyone see a problem w this as far as creating a food web
Also I am going to amend a soil such as big roots for my pots and build my soil food web there does anyone see a problem w this as far as creating a food web