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I was going to suggest Linseed oil because that's what I have experience with and none with hemp oil. Natural sealants just seem to work a bit more in harmony with wood. I use it on all wooden handled garden tools that may get left out in the weather and Boiled Linseed Oil for older...

Oh, yeah! They reproduce quite well. They have both male & female reproductive organs and if no partner is handy, no problem. They can DIY. Wet

I've found that freezing it works the best for me. It keeps the leaves fresh & green, the leaves seperate easily and breakdown time is much, much shorter. Mainly, it's used for worm food, along with used coffee grounds and the resulting VC is used for top dress. Let the worms add their own...

Not enough water at the start. Water is the 'starting fluid' for the bacteria and 'crobes that begin the decomposition/cooking process. Dry amendments can sit for years not doing anything with the bacteria dormant until moisture is added to wake them up. Use a container with adequate drainage...

Been wrangling worms since 2009 and have 7 bins going ATM. Sometimes they like to go 'sploring, but most often when they pull a runner something in the bin is not to their liking. Usually, too wet or dry, too little or too much food and sometimes too acidic bedding if you use a peat based...

You mentioned EWC, do you have a worm bin going, or, is this store bought stuff? I've found, that for me, FRESH VC works better than Labs or compost tea. Worms have some bacteria that are unique to their gut besides all the other beneficial microbes that VC contains. Besides going into the...

Safe to add at any time. Wet

LOL, not a problem, I'm working my way to that point right now. Ok, no till. Yes the perlite does wear down over time and the peat breaks down also. What I've found, for me, is, even recycled/reamended the mix is pretty well shot after about 5 seasons or so and I make fresh mix. The old mix...

This is not the oyster shell sold for chicken scratch, is it? That is pretty much useless for buffering due to its screen size. Way too big. Oyster shell flour has about the same consistancy as all purpose flour as does pulverized lime. This is what you want for pH. Wet

Perlite is totally inert and does not 'break down'. Rice hulls DO break down and will most certainly clog your soil. You've got your aeration totally backwards and I'm speaking with 45+ years experience using perlite for aeration AND reusing my mix. All my mixes are made from scratch. Wet

Not as a liming agent. Gypsum is the wrong form of calcium (sulfate), to affect pH, where the carbonate form is needed. I use both, but for different applications. Wet

First, educate yourself on this whole "sustainabilty" thing about peat moss. In Canada, where they keep a VERY close eye on the peat bogs, they've found the bogs are increasing faster than it is being harvested. Do a search or 2 and be sure to stick a .edu on the end so you get actual...

First off, let me say, I use dolo lime totally separate from everything else. That is my liming agent that I mix 1cup/CF of mix. or, 2tbl/gallon of mix. Once, fully releasing, the dolo pretty much takes care of any cal/mag issues. I have never used, or needed a cal/mag supplement using dolo...

What is the expanded/fluffed out, amount of the bale of promix, in CF or gallons? The amounts of stuff you want to add makes no sense until you have the amount of 'base' mix you're adding it to. *I* make from scratch, but my 'base' mix is always 2cf and I measure stuff accordingly. Wet

Why no lime? It is, by far the simplest thing to use and use accurately. Plus, once the Mg in dolo begins to release (takes a couple of weeks longer than the Ca), cal/mag issues are no longer a concern. I use gypsum and crustacean meal as adjuncts, but not as main sources for anything really...

As noted, good stuff! Wet

Pine bark mulch has been a part of my soil mix for well over 40 years (learned the mix in 1972 and it was pine bark fines back then). Using the mulch AS a mulch is more recent, perhaps 10 or 12 years. I've never really noticed any super pH drop from using bark, but my mix is always well limed...

Stang, Good post and great link. Did a quick read and bookmarked it for a much more detailed read later. In fact, I'll be going back over this entire thread more slowly and paying close attention AFA mineral relationships. Good job! Wet

OSF is over 95% Ca, where's the Mg? Not arguing (too much), but for 'container' mixes like we use, I've just found dolomite to work better. Agricultural (field), use is a different ball of wax. Wet

You do realize that homegrown VC will provide ALL the humic/fulvic acid you need and adding supplimental usually causes weird growth. Still have 3/4 bag of Humi Solve from 9 years ago when I found that out the hard way. Plus, the worm bin covers the microbes and even some special crobes from...