Building A Better Soil: Demonstrations & Discussions Of Organic Soil Recipes

[Robert Celt]

I've been contemplating making fabric pots too, using woven weed-blocking fabric. I'm also thinking about making small starter pots out of burlap, with the idea that I get the benefits of air pruning and can just plant the whole thing into the bigger pot when it's time, minimizing transplant shock. Has anyone tried that? Burlap has a pretty loose weave, so roots shouldn't have any trouble penetrating it.

Hello Timmo, that will work, I use 2" and 3" coco coir pots for the same reason

 

[Robert Celt]

Nice Robert! I like the post hole idea. So much easier than excavating a half cubic meter or more, lol.

I've learned to hedge my bet growing outdoors and double up. So besides the planted girls I will have some 20 gal root pouches going too. I can bring them in out of freak hail storms, 3"/hr rainfall or provide shade and airflow when it's 99 degrees F, 1287% humidity and no breeze.

I used to be less enthused about the manure, but since I left So. Cal it's been impossible to find. Used to be I had 5 yards delivered for free, they just wanted it gone. Everyone around here keeps it or sells it, and they always sell out to the same people. I got lucky on the fresh egg trade deal.

I decided to give a pre-made garden mix a try. Mostly for my veggies, but I'm gonna run with it in the other garden.

What would you do with this? Have 20 yards coming tomorrow.

Holy Cow Garden Mix

I asked how much WC they used, it's 20%.

I was thinking add some peat for the acid, biochar, kelp and rock dust at the start. Dole out nitrogen as needed with Alaska fish 5-1-1, foliar with basic manure teas and humic/fulvic.

Well. What ever happens should be ready, lol. I'm better stocked than every garden store around here

Always good to see you around!

Good day Heirloom, good to be able to pop in occasionally again Finally getting the News Dept dialed in so that I can take some time to cruise my favorite threads

If I am reading the mix right, there is some available CEC and the Mg is really low in that soil, especially for our favorite plants. With Ca at 3400 ppm, Mg should be around 800 pmm give or take.

I think if it were me, I would add some Epsom salts and keep some on hand incase you see the leaves cupping or yellowing between the veins. Just my 2 cents worth mate

If you have coir or lava rock available, I would also consider mixing some in to improve aeration. If soil in your area is mostly clay, you might have drainage issues.

 

[Heirloom]

Keep some on hand....check. 30lb picked up a few days ago at the same place I found pelleted gypsum for $6usd for 50lbs.

I do have lava rock and coco on hand. My 5kg blocks of coco and a couple way too expensive bags of peat were one of the few 'grow' things I brought with me on the move. I just couldn't part with 'em.

Yeah, I'm on a very weathered hill that is 99.99 clay and stone. There are certain spots that don't drain at all, but for the most part it drains remarkably well. Must be all the limestone caverns under me... Springs pop out all over the place when it rains.

Thanks for the input!

 

[SweetSue]

I've been contemplating making fabric pots too, using woven weed-blocking fabric. I'm also thinking about making small starter pots out of burlap, with the idea that I get the benefits of air pruning and can just plant the whole thing into the bigger pot when it's time, minimizing transplant shock. Has anyone tried that? Burlap has a pretty loose weave, so roots shouldn't have any trouble penetrating it.

Hello Timmo and to the thread. That's a great idea, dropping the smaller pot directly into the finish pot. It's actually a techique some of us use with fabric one gallon pots. The roots grow right through the fabric to fill the larger pot and the plants can be better producers for it.

In my opinion, the chief advantage of felt pots over burlap would be durability. If I'm going to put the time into making a custom pot for my plants I'm going to want to use them for years. I'm not sure burlap would be that durable.

 

[SweetSue]

Robert it's good to see you out and about again. It's a demanding job, eh?

This thread always feels like I stopped at the feed store and you guys are standing around comparing notes. I love it.

You've distracted me long enough. I need to start Callanetics. Carry on.

 

[Timmo]

In my opinion, the chief advantage of felt pots over burlap would be durability.

Burlap would definitely not be durable--probably even just a one-time use. I'm not really that worried about the time. With my wife's sewing machine, I can whip out a mountain of them in no time. But from a resource perspective, I'm not crazy about single-use stuff, so if there's something more durable available, I would definitely consider trying that. What kind of felt do you use?

 

[Heirloom]

I used to make them out of the blue Walmart bags. They're made from recycled plastic bottles. Take the handles off and separate the seams, you're left with a blue rectangle of material. Somewhere around here I have the patterns for 1 and 5 gallon pots.

Best part was on the 5 gallons, they all had the Walmart printing that said "Save Money, Live Better." Lol, I did. At the time I called them "Smarter Pots" because they were costing me about 50 cents each for the 5 gallon, and I think 12.5 cents for the 1 gallon.

You can find nonwoven PET fabric easily online. Not sure how many stores are carrying it yet.



EDIT:
Found a pic in my gallery of the smaller pots I was making. Don't seem to have one of the the 5 gallon.

 

[Radogast]

I used to make them out of the blue Walmart bags. They're made from recycled plastic bottles. Take the handles off and separate the seams, you're left with a blue rectangle of material. Somewhere around here I have the patterns for 1 and 5 gallon pots.

Best part was on the 5 gallons, they all had the Walmart printing that said "Save Money, Live Better." Lol, I did. At the time I called them "Smarter Pots" because they were costing me about 50 cents each for the 5 gallon, and I think 12.5 cents for the 1 gallon.

You can find nonwoven PET fabric easily online. Not sure how many stores are carrying it yet.



EDIT:
Found a pic in my gallery of the smaller pots I was making. Don't seem to have one of the the 5 gallon.

Nice garden in the background - lush and happy looking

 

[Heirloom]

Thanks! That's in So Cal. Lots of free horse manure, lol. The yellow flowers are Jerusalem Artichoke. On the far right, beyond the path light were pumpkins IIRC. On the left behind the canna plants were my honey dews. Beyond them was the beginnings of a tomato jungle.

 

[Radogast]

Thanks! That's in So Cal. Lots of free horse manure, lol. The yellow flowers are Jerusalem Artichoke. On the far right, beyond the path light were pumpkins IIRC. On the left behind the canna plants were my honey dews. Beyond them was the beginnings of a tomato jungle.

I grew up in Oakland, Ca. lowland So Cal can grow almost every plant you can imagine. After California, outdoor gardening in New England SUCKS! I want to move.

 

[SweetSue]

I grew up in Oakland, Ca. lowland So Cal can grow almost every plant you can imagine. After California, outdoor gardening in New England SUCKS! I want to move.

It's just more challenging Rad. You would have been amazed at what my grandparents could coax out of the ground in SW PA. Of course, you're a bit more severe than we are, but you haven't begun to explore the possibilities where you are yet. You've just started that adventure.

 

[SweetSue]

Burlap would definitely not be durable--probably even just a one-time use. I'm not really that worried about the time. With my wife's sewing machine, I can whip out a mountain of them in no time. But from a resource perspective, I'm not crazy about single-use stuff, so if there's something more durable available, I would definitely consider trying that. What kind of felt do you use?

It's called Ecofelt. JoAnn's sells it in store and on line. Here's a link to Cannafan's tutorial on making your own. You obviously know most of what she shares. If you can add any pointers I'm sure she'd appreciate a drop by the thread to share.

DIY fabric grow pots "Cannabags" made from Eco Felt

I used Velcro with mine. Makes all the difference in the world.

 

[SweetSue]

I used to make them out of the blue Walmart bags. They're made from recycled plastic bottles. Take the handles off and separate the seams, you're left with a blue rectangle of material. Somewhere around here I have the patterns for 1 and 5 gallon pots.

Best part was on the 5 gallons, they all had the Walmart printing that said "Save Money, Live Better." Lol, I did. At the time I called them "Smarter Pots" because they were costing me about 50 cents each for the 5 gallon, and I think 12.5 cents for the 1 gallon.

You can find nonwoven PET fabric easily online. Not sure how many stores are carrying it yet.



EDIT:
Found a pic in my gallery of the smaller pots I was making. Don't seem to have one of the the 5 gallon.

I love the level of professionalism you bring to your DIY projects. It's a trait I see repeated often on this site. And they say stoners are lazy and shiftless.

I'm going to dismember a shopping bag this weekend. I'll tell it you're to blame. Brilliant idea. Why didn't I think to do that? I don't have a sewing machine, so mine are the medative adventure of hand sewing. I'll have to try my hand at one though. I have enough pots, but I also don't have any 5 gallon size. That's reason enough, don't you think?

 

[Radogast]

I love the level of professionalism you bring to your DIY projects. It's a trait I see repeated often on this site. And they say stoners are lazy and shiftless.

I'm going to dismember a shopping bag this weekend. I'll tell it you're to blame. Brilliant idea. Why didn't I think to do that? I don't have a sewing machine, so mine are the medative adventure of hand sewing. I'll have to try my hand at one though. I have enough pots, but I also don't have any 5 gallon size. That's reason enough, don't you think?

Idle hands are the Stoner's Workshop

 

[Heirloom]

What can I say? I'm a professional stoner!

Thank you Sue, I'm happy you find the velcro mod useful. Next box that comes your way I'll throw in a 5 gallon fabric

 

[yankeetoker]

I am in the process of my second grow attempt and discovered that my soil mix was too hot for my seedlings causing them to grow extremely slow. At the advice of PeeJay I made a seedling/veg mix with the following:

The original "hot" soil was made using the following recipe:

The compost that I used in this recipe is a Coast of Maine Lobster Compost.

I am looking to transplant my plants into their final 3 gallon containers and am looking for a suggestion for a soil to use. I have several amendments on hand: kelp meal, alfalfa meal, Espoma Tomato-tone organic fertilizer, azomite, earthworm castings, etc.

I am looking to make a soil that requires the least amount of effort as possible (regular watering and occasional teas).

 

[yankeetoker]

Due to Yum Yum not being available in my area, I am looking for a "substitute" and was looking at Down to Earth Vegan Mix. Has anyone ever used it in building their soil, etc.?

Not a very experienced soil builder, but it seems like a good product...thoughts??

 

[bobrown14]

Due to Yum Yum not being available in my area, I am looking for a "substitute" and was looking at Down to Earth Vegan Mix. Has anyone ever used it in building their soil, etc.?

Not a very experienced soil builder, but it seems like a good product...thoughts??

Never used it but the ingredient list is fine ... you still trying to figure out a base mix for seedlings or is this your soil mix for VEG and Flower??

Your yellow list ^^^ looks fine for growing ladies... I'd switch the amount of Azomite with the Lime - in other words less azomite and more lime - the lime should be from say limestone or oyster shell flower, be sure its an organic product. Most "lime" you can find in stores is not in a readily available (to soil microbes) form and can take YEARS to break down.

The micro nutrients that are very important are:

rock dust - granite dust - glacial rock dust - brix blend basalt @ @ 1 Cup Per Cubic Foot

lime (oyster shell flower or pure limestone) @ 1 Cup Per Cubic Foot

Gypsum @ 1 Cup Per Cubic Foot (for cation exchange)

Neem cake meal and Karanja meal mixed 50/50 @ 1/2 Cup per cubic foot

Acadian Kelp Meal @ 1/2 Cup per cubic foot

Crustacean Meal @ 1/2 Cup per cubic foot

I add that ^^^ to 1/3 peat, 1/3 aeration, 1/3 compost (lobster compost & worm castings for me)

As you can see the mix I'm using has a lot more of the micro ingredients - this mix will be light, meaning after it's damp (not soaked) you should be able to grab a handful and squeeze it and when you open your hand it will
not stay together in a ball but start to break apart. You want a light "feel" to your growing media not compact and not too light...

Notice no azomite ^^^ rock dusts have everything azomite has and more without a ls much aluminum which plants uptake and you ingest. So IF you use azomite go easy on it. Granite and rock dusts have a lot of silica in them too so take that into consideration when building soils and adding in silica later (Pro-tekt or similar - be conservative).

A note about Gypsum - its sort of like the clay in your soil outside in the yard. There's a lot of goodness (cation exchange abilities) in clay believe it or not but you can't grow very will in straight up clay... you need to add in some aeration and hummus to grow flowers or veggies. We really need to have some clay in our soil mix.

Here's a GREAT read on Cation Exchange with links to other really great reads as well. This is the basis of a good soil mix for container gardening and outdoor gardening as well.

Cations and Cation Exchange Capacity | Fact Sheets | soilquality.org.au

 

[SweetSue]

Thank you BB. I knew you'd find your way here sooner or later. I keep thinking I'll get to study soil more, my original intent here, but now I'm caught up in the oil threads and that's become a consuming thing - never enough time for all the reading and writing that's called for. I'm so thankful to have so many talented friends to help here.

 

[yankeetoker]

Ok, another question (I know I have a lot of them)......does anyone have any experience with this product building a soil?

Pro-Mix BX Biofungicide + Mycorrhizae is a general-purpose growing medium that is great for a wide variety of plants as well as for transplanting applications. It provides the protection of a high-quality biofungicide while offering the growth enhancement properties of 100% contaminant-free mycorrhizae.

2.8 loose cu. ft. bag is 25-35lbs., while the 3.8 compact cu. ft. bag is 60-75lbs.

Each cubic foot of loose Pro-Mix fills approximately 10 one gallon trade pots.

-Contains Mycorrhizae: Mycorrhizal inoculum (Glomus intraradices).
-Peat-based growing medium with perlite and vermiculite.
-Ideal for production of vegetable transplants in large cell trays.
-High water retention capacity.
-pH adjusted.

Was looking for the Pro-Mix HP, but found this product at a cheaper price including shipping. I know Pro-Mix makes good products, but just wondered if this could be used for the purpose of cultivating MJ?

YT