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After 10 years on this forum, I would have to agree with you 420%! Wet

Yup, now is the time to consider planting some Comfrey. *My* primary worm food is fresh/frozen comfrey leaves and used coffee grounds, but I keep several used coffee jugs with alfalfa, soy meal, kelp meal and chicken laying mash near the bins (7), for light top dressings. Be very careful about...

First thing *I* would do is get a worm bin started. This is, perhaps, THE most important thing you can do AFA organic growing. The quality of 'homegrown' castings is far above ANY bagged castings, even the most expensive. BUT, it does take a couple of months before a new bin becomes...

Pretty much any RD will be too heavy @4cups. I guess I do much the same as @rkmcdon since I also add 1cup of gypsum & 1cup of dolomite, although I don't consider either RD's in the sense of RD's. Not cheap, but if you can snag a small bag of Greensand, that would be my #1 choice, if you can...

Looks good, except for the amount of granite. 2cups should be about the max. That 4-6 cups just makes the mix too dense, VOE here. I've now quit using granite dust (despite it being nearly free here), in favor of azomite & Greensand @ 1 cup of each and have had better results. Wet

FWIW, I've used molasses for over 10 years, starting out with regular feedings throughout the grow cycle. But, with observation over the years I've used less and less. Now, I only use a fairly heavy dose in the water used to moisten a fresh mix to give the 'crobes a boost during the cook and...

Yep, running it through the worms first usually gives the best results. Then to the mix. I do remember reading that ~8-10% OM is the ideal amount in a mix. Wet

A very knowledgeable gardener and canna grower once said, "A large bag of kelp (40-50 lbs), and a small bag of neem (10lbs). Over the years I've found myself using pretty much the same ratio of each. No experience with Zeolite, but, try and search around for Greensand. Even if it's the small...

I don't understand the "controversial" bit, but I've always used Bone meal and sometimes blood for special applications, but mostly seed meals for my N sources. I don't use any bat Guano because of cost, but do use some Seabird guano in fresh mixes for slow release. Not likely to buy more...

Not Needed: Rice hulls; perlite is all you need and rice hulls break down too quickly to be much use in aeration. They are Ok for other applications, but not if expensive. Rock dust. The Azomite has you totally covered there. Even a small bag. Gypsum, good stuff, but you don't need it to get...

Trust me, that combo pack will be more than enough. Do you have anything rotting? If not, get it going. Worms don't *eat* anything (no jaws or teeth), but rather slurp up the bacterial slime from decomposing organic matter. Have something ready for them for when they arrive, otherwise they...

SURPRISE!!! They do put everything you 'need' in those mixes, but, that doesn't mean they add ENOUGH of those things. Profit comes first here. IDK though, in the 48 years I've been making my own mix from scratch,i've never seen the need or expense of using any pre made soil mixes. You need...

I'm not sure if it'a actual overwatering, but there is MOST CERTAINLY a lack of adequate aeration.drainage. That I can tell just by looking. OP, you need much more perlite. I personally add right at 40% perlite and with other aeration used (pine bark fines/mulch, it ends closer to 50% of the...

The name Azomite is also a description... A-Z Of Minerals Including Trace Elements. Totally complete, where some (most?), rock dusts are missing something. I use Azomite to make sure I have *everything* covered and Greensand which is particulary rich in K and iron and IIRC very complete by...

Totally agree that both pine bark fines and Greensand are neglected/ignored and they both bring so much to the table. I think the only 'recipe' I've seen greensand listed in was a very old LC's #1, or #2 mix from over 10 years ago. I use both Azomite and Greensand, but if I had to make a...

Even with pine there is a big difference in benefits between the bark and interior 'wood'. Try some, but *I* would certainly make sure the pine bark is incorporated into the mix. Wet

YES!! When did dry fertilizer mixes become conflated with individual dry amendments? I love my Espoma 'tones', but they are mixes and not individual amendments where you control amounts of each. My 'list' is slightly different, but very close to yours. The 'tones' are mainly used for...

I was never given a reason for the pine bark, it was just "add a couple shovels full to the wheelbarrow", type of thing. I was providing the sweat labor and the nurseryman was providing the amounts and the 'how to'. I was 23 then and am pushing 72 now. Always got my best advice from...

My worm bedding mix is a basic peat moss/perlite/pine bark mulch and limed with dolo to match the combined amount of the peat moss and pine bark. Perlite is inert and also makes up close to 20/30% of my bedding mix. No real need to add lime for it. Anyway, the peat moss is brown AND the worms...

The only "mix" I use is Espoma Tomato Tone, because I also grow tomatos. But it also does VERY well with Canna. Beyond that, pretty much everything is single source in 40/50 lb bags. The P and K never change. They are: P; Steamed Bone Meal, Hy Yield 20lb bag from the feed store ~$20 K...