Organic soil question
- Thread starter Spman50
- Start date
Richard Drysift
Well-Known Member
You are describing pretty much any organic bagged soil. You can always DIY a simple soil recipe but it is easier & likely cheaper to use a soil that's already formulated for mj and ph balanced. You don't have to top dress either although that is an option; you can just amend the soil after first harvest. In the meantime increase the microbial activity in your bagged mix through a regiment of AACTs and by adding organic fertilizers like guano, manures, and/or liquid fish.
"Super" soil is like a brand name; it's a marketing term. It is just regular garden soil that is "super" active with microbes. Add a bunch of compost and/or active organic materials plus extra aeration to any decent garden soil and you can call it super dirt or mega soil or whatever you want. Compost and aeration materials like perlite do not need time to cook in but dry amendments like lime or alfalfa meal do. These amendments need to be broken down by microbes in order for plants to absorb them; that's what the "cooking" time is for.
I started out with 2 bags each of FFOF and sunshine mix #4. Added in some worm castings, chicken manure, crushed oyster shell, and 1/2 bag of perlite. No cook time; just mixed it all up real good and gave an AACT every few weeks. After first harvest I recycled the spent root balls with dry amendments, worm castings, and dried cannabis leaves for 30 days and have been re-using it over & over again for years now. It takes a few recycles before your mix begins to work as it should. It gets even better every time you recycle it.
"Super" soil is like a brand name; it's a marketing term. It is just regular garden soil that is "super" active with microbes. Add a bunch of compost and/or active organic materials plus extra aeration to any decent garden soil and you can call it super dirt or mega soil or whatever you want. Compost and aeration materials like perlite do not need time to cook in but dry amendments like lime or alfalfa meal do. These amendments need to be broken down by microbes in order for plants to absorb them; that's what the "cooking" time is for.
I started out with 2 bags each of FFOF and sunshine mix #4. Added in some worm castings, chicken manure, crushed oyster shell, and 1/2 bag of perlite. No cook time; just mixed it all up real good and gave an AACT every few weeks. After first harvest I recycled the spent root balls with dry amendments, worm castings, and dried cannabis leaves for 30 days and have been re-using it over & over again for years now. It takes a few recycles before your mix begins to work as it should. It gets even better every time you recycle it.
What Richard says. ^^
Understand that the 'cook' is not something you do, it's what happens when you first add water to a mix. This wakes up dormant microbes that get to work breaking down the dry amendments (now moist), in the mix. The microbes generate heat doing this and it's called the cook. It's also known as cycling, or cycling the mix, a better term IMO.
Understand that the 'cook' is not something you do, it's what happens when you first add water to a mix. This wakes up dormant microbes that get to work breaking down the dry amendments (now moist), in the mix. The microbes generate heat doing this and it's called the cook. It's also known as cycling, or cycling the mix, a better term IMO.
ANC
Well-Known Member
Old soil from a flower pot that stood outside, preferably with lots of weeds in.
I'm serious as cancer. If I compare the pots I had to fill with purchased potting soil and amendments to the old pots I just mulch over and replant they showed a massive backlog in having nitrates ready.
The old pots just keep on pumping due to all the microbial life.
ANC
Well-Known Member
You can, but there is a period of time (the four seasons of the year) everything needs to go through, using cover crops will keep the nutrients in the soil rather than washed out and reduce weeds at a rate that increases with every year. Chuck some biochar (about 10%) in to help absorb elements and microbes. Even this can lead to short term nutrient deficits, but it will reward the soil for 1000s of years to come.