Chunky Stool
Well-Known Member
I recycle my dirt and recently added a second pile for dirt that's aged longer. Basically I pull the root ball out of the pot, then pulverize it with a little hoe that looks like a hatchet. Big roots get yanked out. Worms will eat the remaining roots or they will rot & become humus. Either way, there's lots of time for mother nature to do her thing. I've got a buddy who grows & doesn't like dealing with used dirt, so he gives it to me. I've used the excess in my vegetable garden with great success.
Anyoo... the point of this thread is to get ideas for the best way to amend recycled soil. I've got 2 piles: new & cooked. My buddy & I are on the same schedule so the new pile gets about 30 cu ft of fresh stuff every 10 weeks or so. Right now there's nothing on the cooked pile because I just added it.
Lately I've been adding a little crab & biochar to the tub, then mix & dump on the "new" pile. I occasionally throw in little kelp, oyster shell flour, fish bone, neem, or alfalfa. Whatever's handy at the time. I've been conservative in an effort to not make it too hot or screw up the PH.
This isn't scientific, and could lead to problems when I try to use it next year in my potted plants.
Both piles are open to the elements, which means it will get soaked to the max during fall & winter. Because of this, I don't worry about leftover salts from previous grows. All of that will wash away & go right to a row of evergreens. This is also why I don't add more soluble things like guano or blood meal.
How would you amend used soil with a 2 pile system? Right now I only add nutes to fresh dirt because it seemed like the best time to mix (small batches). But I could do it when dirt pile 1 is moved to pile 2.
I've also got some compost from a local farm. It's fresh (still warm) with lots of twigs. They do a good job blending it so it breaks down at a steady rate over a long period of time. I've also got a worm bin and have a few tubs of castings that I can throw on the pile. I let my castings age a little after pulling them out of the bin because there's always a few residual food bits. It also gives any insects time to leave or starve after the food is consumed.
I could add compost or castings at any time. I've also got just about every organic amendment that Down-to-Earth makes.
(@Gary Goodson @Indacouch -- Didn't you guys just do this with FFOF?)
Anyoo... the point of this thread is to get ideas for the best way to amend recycled soil. I've got 2 piles: new & cooked. My buddy & I are on the same schedule so the new pile gets about 30 cu ft of fresh stuff every 10 weeks or so. Right now there's nothing on the cooked pile because I just added it.
Lately I've been adding a little crab & biochar to the tub, then mix & dump on the "new" pile. I occasionally throw in little kelp, oyster shell flour, fish bone, neem, or alfalfa. Whatever's handy at the time. I've been conservative in an effort to not make it too hot or screw up the PH.
This isn't scientific, and could lead to problems when I try to use it next year in my potted plants.
Both piles are open to the elements, which means it will get soaked to the max during fall & winter. Because of this, I don't worry about leftover salts from previous grows. All of that will wash away & go right to a row of evergreens. This is also why I don't add more soluble things like guano or blood meal.
How would you amend used soil with a 2 pile system? Right now I only add nutes to fresh dirt because it seemed like the best time to mix (small batches). But I could do it when dirt pile 1 is moved to pile 2.
I've also got some compost from a local farm. It's fresh (still warm) with lots of twigs. They do a good job blending it so it breaks down at a steady rate over a long period of time. I've also got a worm bin and have a few tubs of castings that I can throw on the pile. I let my castings age a little after pulling them out of the bin because there's always a few residual food bits. It also gives any insects time to leave or starve after the food is consumed.
I could add compost or castings at any time. I've also got just about every organic amendment that Down-to-Earth makes.
(@Gary Goodson @Indacouch -- Didn't you guys just do this with FFOF?)
