greasemonkeymann
Well-Known Member
I don't blame ya brother, it's time and $ consuming.
But if your little ones are into it...
Some things are best shared with family, am i right?
Mixing this soil MON.....all opinions welcomed.
- Thread starter FamMan
- Start date
But if your little ones are into it...
Some things are best shared with family, am i right?
Dr. Who
Well-Known Member
I'm moving away from Perlite and into Buckwheat & Rice Hulls etc. to replace it......Less stuff working it's way up in the soil.
I prefer gypsum to dolomite or oyster shell.
I like no more then 1/3C of SRP per sqft and 1/4 is better. I do agree on the GLC as better too. But SRP will work.
Azomite to 1/2C per cft so maybe 4 total !
Fish bone meal = way better then steamed bone meal!
I like not seeing Blood meal!
OK then
Drop the dolomite and swap with gypsum - keep the Oyster or do Gypsum for both!
Cut your SRP to like 2C (3 at the most) and the Azomite to like 4C and your good in my book !
Next time try some alternative to The perlite...
Doc
I prefer gypsum to dolomite or oyster shell.
I like no more then 1/3C of SRP per sqft and 1/4 is better. I do agree on the GLC as better too. But SRP will work.
Azomite to 1/2C per cft so maybe 4 total !
Fish bone meal = way better then steamed bone meal!
I like not seeing Blood meal!
OK then
Drop the dolomite and swap with gypsum - keep the Oyster or do Gypsum for both!
Cut your SRP to like 2C (3 at the most) and the Azomite to like 4C and your good in my book !
Next time try some alternative to The perlite...
Doc
Pattahabi
Well-Known Member
Buckwheat and rice hulls break down and will need to be reamended. If you don't want floating perlite, get some pumice or scoria. Gypsum in and of itself is not a liming agent. You want gypsum for the sulfur (which turns into sulfuric acid and breaks the carbonate bonds), and then you need either oyster shell or dolo as you need the calcium carbonate to buffer your pH.
Agreed on the FBM and blood meal. No more slaughter house byproducts in my soil!
Peace!
P-
FamMan
Well-Known Member
I mixed my soil last night. It was work(mixed more than 40 gallons by hand in a 50 gal rubbermaid) but very enjoyable. i have a couple quick questions. here is what i mixed:
First i combined and mixed my base:
12 gallons extra perlite
7.5 g locally sourced compost(needed 8 g but i ran out)
8 g roots organic
2.5 g EWC(also ran out of this, was supposed to be 8 g....goin to pick up a few more bags after work today)
8 g (hydrated) peat
2 gallons (charged) Biochar
Then minerals and amendments were added and mixed(3 cups of each):
azomite(i wanted different but kinda ran out of time)
rock phosphate
kelp
oyster shell
alfalfa
neem meal
fish bone meal
crab meal
I thoroughly mixed all this(did i mention by hand....ugh). When it looked fully mixed i watered with 1 gallon tea that consisted of 1.5 cup compost, 3/4 cup ewc, 1 tbsp kelp, 1 tbsp FBM, 1 tbsp rock phosphate, and aerated for 24 hours with lil less than one tbsp unsulfured molasses.
OK so my questions.
1. When i watered i really didnt get to the bottom of the container because i wasnt sure if it was ok to move the soil after adding the tea. I didnt know if i would be disturbing the microbs that i just watered in.....so i left it alone and covered it. I went and took the lid off this morning and ran my hand through it(ITS ALREADY GETTING REALLY WARM!!!!). The top four inches of soil are pretty moist however the bottom 4 or so inches arent. Can i turn it by hand or with a shoval it distribute the moisture? Was that enough liquid to get it moistened enough or should i add more? Straight water or should i do another tea?
2. I ran out EWC and i planned to get the right amount today. Is it ok too add them now after i started the 'cooking' process?
3. Hey Pat this one is for you.....whats ur soil cooking technique? I mean what do you to your soil after mixing(ie how often and when do you turn it and do you add any teas or water at any point and if so when)?
4. Can i put my journal in the Organics section? Or does it have to be In the actual Journal folder?
Anywayz thats it for now. Im not sure why but i wanted to stay away from blood meals and guanos. Maybe somewhere in my head i thought it would be a more natural way to go. I guess i made the right choice. In 3-4 weeks i will be beginning a 15+ year goal! Thank you so much to the people that have got me to this point. Peace!
First i combined and mixed my base:
12 gallons extra perlite
7.5 g locally sourced compost(needed 8 g but i ran out)
8 g roots organic
2.5 g EWC(also ran out of this, was supposed to be 8 g....goin to pick up a few more bags after work today)
8 g (hydrated) peat
2 gallons (charged) Biochar
Then minerals and amendments were added and mixed(3 cups of each):
azomite(i wanted different but kinda ran out of time)
rock phosphate
kelp
oyster shell
alfalfa
neem meal
fish bone meal
crab meal
I thoroughly mixed all this(did i mention by hand....ugh). When it looked fully mixed i watered with 1 gallon tea that consisted of 1.5 cup compost, 3/4 cup ewc, 1 tbsp kelp, 1 tbsp FBM, 1 tbsp rock phosphate, and aerated for 24 hours with lil less than one tbsp unsulfured molasses.
OK so my questions.
1. When i watered i really didnt get to the bottom of the container because i wasnt sure if it was ok to move the soil after adding the tea. I didnt know if i would be disturbing the microbs that i just watered in.....so i left it alone and covered it. I went and took the lid off this morning and ran my hand through it(ITS ALREADY GETTING REALLY WARM!!!!). The top four inches of soil are pretty moist however the bottom 4 or so inches arent. Can i turn it by hand or with a shoval it distribute the moisture? Was that enough liquid to get it moistened enough or should i add more? Straight water or should i do another tea?
2. I ran out EWC and i planned to get the right amount today. Is it ok too add them now after i started the 'cooking' process?
3. Hey Pat this one is for you.....whats ur soil cooking technique? I mean what do you to your soil after mixing(ie how often and when do you turn it and do you add any teas or water at any point and if so when)?
4. Can i put my journal in the Organics section? Or does it have to be In the actual Journal folder?
Anywayz thats it for now. Im not sure why but i wanted to stay away from blood meals and guanos. Maybe somewhere in my head i thought it would be a more natural way to go. I guess i made the right choice. In 3-4 weeks i will be beginning a 15+ year goal! Thank you so much to the people that have got me to this point. Peace!
Pattahabi
Well-Known Member
Fam, I'll try and answer some of this real quick. Obviously lots of ways to skin a cat, this isj ust my method.
1. Water it, mix it up. Water it more if needed. Just make sure you get it all well hydrated, but not saturated if that makes sense. I mix my soil in an old bed sheet by turning it over end to end. Works pretty well imo. Straight water will be fine to water in your mix. If you want you can add some saponins (aloe, yucca, etc) to your water to help hydrate it. You already have castings in your mix, so the microbes are there.
2. Yes, totally ok to add after cooking, and I would hold a little back to top dress with.
3. I don't usually cook my soil. The last few mixes I have mixed and planted into it that day without an issue. I do think this is relative to what you are adding in your mix, so you might 'cook' it to be on the safe side. Maybe experiment and throw one plant right in it - or grab a cheap plant from home depot or something and test it out.
Peace!
P-
Pattahabi
Well-Known Member
Fam, I was trying to find something specific in my notes, but I'm not seeing it. I think the 'Alaskan Humus' is basically just peat moss. Pretty much the only things I buy from the grow store are lights, some venting, etc.
P-
Dr. Who
Well-Known Member
That's true, I use the soil once and put it in my veggie garden (trying to build the soil in that area as it's kinda week and will take some time to) so the hulls are not there for the long run......Pumice is go to otherwise.
Dolo seems to be Mag heavy sometimes,,,,,that is why I tend to use as little as I can......I have to use more Oshell as I feel it looses it's effectiveness in longer term Sativa runs if I don't......I like another short term solution too,,,,,dried ground egg shells. Living on and running a farm leaves me with a large ready supply......sooo.....Be aware that DG egg shell is a short term soil Calcification solution as it can become ineffective in as little as 3 months if you use smaller amounts.......2Tbl per gallon of soil mix or 1/2C per 5 gallons works longer term for me. Egg Shell does have an NPK value in the 1.1 - 0.5 - 0.2 area, keep that in mind if your mixing a "hot" batch!
Leaf "type" plants love this Ca, as seedlings do too. I really like DC egg shell for seedling mix's.
Pattahabi
Well-Known Member
I'm not a dolo fan either. I much prefer oyster shell. And have you seen Gil's recipe for egg shells? You might find this interesting.
http://theunconventionalfarmer.com/recipes/calphos/
Peace!
P-
Dr. Who
Well-Known Member
OH! I like that idea for a good "fast acting" Ca for just how he supplies it to the plant and why!!!
@Pattahabi Thanks for the link - printing that one out for the notebook!
PS I wonder why I keep hearing Johnny Winter songs? Ah the blues.....I like Keb Moe and Taj Mahal among other old style blue men.....any blues is good blues though!
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Dr. Who
Well-Known Member
Oh yeah, I normally simply dry the shell out (with the membrane intact as there is good nutrition in that for the way I use it) well and crush then grind to a coarse grain (not a powder) and use as above......
I still REALLY like what you supplied us with......ah the old days here = +rep to you!
I still REALLY like what you supplied us with......ah the old days here = +rep to you!
Pattahabi
Well-Known Member
Hell yeah! Master of the Texas Geetah! lol! I love the Blues. Muddy Waters and Johnny are at the top of my list!
I think Gil has some really cool ideas. I need to find more time for experimentation!
Peace!
P-
greasemonkeymann
Well-Known Member
that's an interesting article, I already knew that regarding the crab meals and eggshells but somehow never thought about fish bone meal, that would be a cool way to get some available phosphorus.. if you needed it anyways...
Not sure i'd need it.. But it is a cool thing to know
Thank you thank you thank you