BudmanTX
Well-Known Member
i usuallly mix box sand in mine too, it hold water and or moisture in soils
Soil make up
- Thread starter petert
- Start date
NaturalFarmer
Well-Known Member
Sand has a very low CEC. If you want to retain moisture add peat or mulch. This will free up 5% of your mix to allow for things your soil/plants/microbes want and need. I would also rec to the OP to get some gypsum in there.
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petert
Well-Known Member
I saw that and I will! Thanks! I'm also having my final mix tested by a lab in Portland, they do a complete analysis for $40 and tell you exactly what your plants might need in the way of nutrients.
backtracker
Well-Known Member
if they don't have an ingredients list and a soil test results don't get it and make sure the batch you buy is what they deliver. I got burned buying so called soil from a landscape supply place be careful.
Amshif87
Well-Known Member
I'd also be very careful before I filled up 50, 100 gallon pots. $30 a yard is ridiculously cheap. I got really bad soil delivered one year and it wasn't just a matter of what it needed to be amended with, the compost portion was super hot and really whacked out a bunch of our garden.
calliandra
Well-Known Member
haha going by that, there isn't a single soil to be bought in all of mid-europe.
(which in fact, is quite true - I've been taking samples from store soils, and my results are very, very sad.)
petert
Well-Known Member
Yeah. I wasn't checking a price list of another supplier that provides a list of ingredients and test results and its way more $$.
I'm now looking seriously about recycling, amending last yeArs soil.
BudmanTX
Well-Known Member
Thats what i do, its saved me a crap load of $$$ over the years, i think i spend a year maybe $10, for just regular stuff that i mix into the old stuff...
Amshif87
Well-Known Member
Take that $40 bucks and get last years soul tested in PDX. Then you'll have a good roadmap of what you need. Throw your results up here and I'm sure the soil junkies could help you get it doctored as cheap and easy as possible
petert
Well-Known Member
I took my soil sample in to Grow Organics yesterday!!
I think it'll be worth testing before and after I amend!
Amshif87
Well-Known Member
Perfect man. I look forward to getting your results. Did they give you a timeframe? For $40 you can't beat it. I'm about an hour from pdx, did you send it or drop it off?
woodsyn2o
Well-Known Member
NaturalFarmer
Well-Known Member
Numbers look okay. I would up the gypsum from their rec cause Cal and sulfer are glaringly low. I assume most of your calcium is in carbonates?