How to build a quality potting soil?

E

exoticcloud

Member
I heard podcast with Coot, and he stressed the importance of having clean soil to start with, the store bought is very old stale filled with pests, not worth it. Is there any way to build your own base soil ? thank you very much guys !
 
E

exoticcloud

Member
DustBomb said:
Just get promix. No bugs inert media. But if you want to build a soil I would still use promix as a base.
Click to expand...
Im not in states, and the soil in Europe, well , Im not sure of its quality at all, multiple times I bought it it was, wet with wood chips filled with gnats and other pest larvae, it was considered steam sterillized but I dont believe they made the effort.
 
ShLUbY

ShLUbY

Well-Known Member
You can definitely build your own potting mix. all you have to do is poke around in these threads a bit and you will find what you are looking for. there are recipes and techniques all over the place. start with the first 10 or so pages of the LOS thread (pinned near the top of the organic forum). there is plenty of stuff to learn there

also, you should youtube talks by Elaine Ingham and Jeff Lowenfels... look for the longer ones like 40-80 minutes. you will learn much from these. bookmark them and watch them from time to time. it's really easy to understand with these speakers.
 
E

exoticcloud

Member
ShLUbY said:
You can definitely build your own potting mix. all you have to do is poke around in these threads a bit and you will find what you are looking for. there are recipes and techniques all over the place. start with the first 10 or so pages of the LOS thread (pinned near the top of the organic forum). there is plenty of stuff to learn there

also, you should youtube talks by Elaine Ingham and Jeff Lowenfels... look for the longer ones like 40-80 minutes. you will learn much from these. bookmark them and watch them from time to time. it's really easy to understand with these speakers.
Click to expand...
Thank you I will check it out asap :)
 
E

exoticcloud

Member
exoticcloud said:
Probably yes, thx for recommendation, would I need anything else?
Click to expand...
I checked it out, most is stated as sour moss and from Its mostly from Germany since Im in EU but maybe some specialized grow stores would have some kind of branded peat moss, wondering if the german option will suffice
 
D

DustBomb

Well-Known Member
Honestly going straight perlite might be your best bet. Larger yields in comparable containers and depending on environment it's going to be treated the same as soil as far as watering.
 
E

exoticcloud

Member
DustBomb said:
Honestly going straight perlite might be your best bet. Larger yields in comparable containers and depending on environment it's going to be treated the same as soil as far as watering.
Click to expand...
you mean pure perlite plus coots recipe? or just pure perlite? thats hydro, there would be no bacteria, no support for the plant, dry out quickly hard to water since it floats, Plants would be more prone to pest and disease
I have large amount of perlite tho
 
ShLUbY

ShLUbY

Well-Known Member
DustBomb said:
Honestly going straight perlite might be your best bet. Larger yields in comparable containers and depending on environment it's going to be treated the same as soil as far as watering.
Click to expand...
can't water a plant in pure perlite with only plain water to the finish line bongsmilie
 
CoB_nUt

CoB_nUt

Well-Known Member
Works with pure perlite,osmocote and water only. Primitive but effective. I know I know O.P. is looking to build their own soil.
 
D

DustBomb

Well-Known Member
exoticcloud said:
you mean pure perlite plus coots recipe? or just pure perlite? thats hydro, there would be no bacteria, no support for the plant, dry out quickly hard to water since it floats, Plants would be more prone to pest and disease
I have large amount of perlite tho
Click to expand...
Not true at all...why would it float? Yes, it is considered hydro. A passive hydro system. You can add bacteria or run sterile. support for the plant is the same as in soil. Based on environment the perlite dries within 3 days. If he notices it dries quicker then vermicuilite should be added. It destroys soil in every aspect but like @shlulby mention you cant only give it water and have the plant feed on the medium. The reason I brought up Hempy is because hes having trouble sourcing materials.
 
E

exoticcloud

Member
DustBomb said:
Not true at all...why would it float? Yes, it is considered hydro. A passive hydro system. You can add bacteria or run sterile. support for the plant is the same as in soil. Based on environment the perlite dries within 3 days. If he notices it dries quicker then vermicuilite should be added. It destroys soil in every aspect but like @shlulby mention you cant only give it water and have the plant feed on the medium. The reason I brought up Hempy is because hes having trouble sourcing materials.
Click to expand...
because its light and it always floats lol, at least when I hand watered, sounds good if you water it regurarly, I experienced that one day it was hotter outside and plant fell off from it. Vermiculite is quite pricy, would not be a better option to create coco?
what is osmocote btw? what kind of bacteria and funghi do you use in the perlite system and how it compares to soil with immunity and resistance to pest and diseases? does it provides benefits just in the veg state just like all hydro systems or even with flower?

CoB_nUt said:
Works with pure perlite,osmocote and water only. Primitive but effective. I know I know O.P. is looking to build their own soil.
Click to expand...
Im wondering If I would take soil from some field, where workers for example are taking it away because they are going to build a house there, in summer through, there are tons of webs , Im not sure if spidermites are used for some kind of weird invasive control but I saw plants outside on the field got often many pests and as I mentioned I saw webs going from one to another (but never a plant covered fully in web) The spaghnum moss I got access to is mostly sour phed one, I can buy professional soil but it is mostly prefeeded for 8 months
Wetdog said:
Can you source sphagnum peat moss? Canadian is the prefered country of origin, but any will work in a pinch.

Wet
Click to expand...
wetdog would that sour Ph moss will work out? I listened to that podcast with that lady, I learned that there are about 20000species of fungus and couple thousands of pests and beneficial in soil, Its amazing, but nothing about building a soil, but I guess I need to listen to more interviews with her
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top