Soil recipe - Seeking feedback

[Timmo]

Here's what I currently use for soil. If anyone has any suggestions for improving it, I'm all ears.

18 gal peat moss
18 gal compost
18 gal perlite
16 cups worm castings
1-3/8 cups soil sweetener
1-1/2 cups bone meal
3-1/2 cups bat guano (9-3-1)
2 cups greensand
1/4 cup Ful-Humix
3-1/2 cups Azomite
2 cups Mykos

For my next batch, I'm thinking about getting a 20-lb bag of hardwood charcoal, smashing it up, and adding it.

I'm currently growing White Widow, AK-47, Northern Lights, Cactus, and Mystery Bagseed in this soil. I water with Earth Juice Grow and Bloom.

 

[Radogast]

With that soil, you probably don't need much Earth Juice Grow and Bloom, in fact your plants might grow better if you never used fertlizer before flower. If the Mykos are well established, they will provide as much nutrients from the soil, in the ratios the girls want, as will be found in the liquid fertilizers.


Consider starting a grow log and posting a few pictures. That way lots of yor questions can be answered in one place. Also folks can follow along and enjoy your growing triumphs without needing to know the answers to your questions.


It is hard to know the answer to your charcoal question until you decide to commit to either A) a living soil powered by Mykos and soil nutrition, or B) soil that holds the plants roots in the path of bottled nutrition. I dont know much about packaged nutrients or soil building, and maybe Earth Juice line is more like sterile teas than standard nutrient salts. Again, I don't know. In most cases a well made soil and bottled nutrients are redundant, with the nutrients killing the mycorrhizal relationships and various life in the soil.

From the sounds of your lighting/tent question, you are off to a very good start on this grow. I wish you well.

 

[Radogast]

You might ask the same question again on this thread

Building a Better Soil - Demonstrations & Discussions of Organic Soil Recipes

 

[Timmo]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll post it there.

I'm definitely interested in the "living soil" route. I knew that the bottled fert was probably at least somewhat redundant, but I hadn't heard that it can actually harm the soil critters. Good to know. I just got a copy of Jeff Lowenfels's Teaming with Nutrients, and Teaming with Microbes should be arriving today. I guess I have some reading to do.

A grow journal will be in the offing--as soon as I have time.