Amending Reused Indoor Mix for Greenhouse Use

Kalyx

Active Member
Hey everybody. This is my first thread as well as my first outdoor effort. I have a small greenhouse that has previously only yielded heirloom tomatoes, peppers, chiles, cukes, and culinary herbs. I have finally decided to grow my meds in the less secure/controlled great outdoors. The plants are vegging great in 5 gallon fabric pots. My questions are about the final transplant mix to be used in 15 gallon fabric pots.

To about 40 gallons used soil (mostly amended living organics mixes) I added:

1 gallon EWC (will add more, just ran out)

2 cups of:
Fishbone Meal 3-18-0
Soft Rock P 0-3-0
Alfalfa Meal 3-1-2
Kelp Meal 1-0-2
Desert Bat Guano 8-4-1
Dolomite Lime
Neem Meal
Karanja Meal

1 cup:
Glacial Rock Powder
Powdered Humic Acid
Azomite
Epsom Salts

My plan is to use a combo of filtered water, AACT, and liquid organics to max out the quality first quantity second (don't think that will be a problem with outdoor). Anything missing? Anything need to be dosed different? I'm open to suggestions and still have a little time before transplant. They are growing FAST out there! Also any other outdoor in the desert tips will be greatly appreciated.
 

kamut

Active Member
FWUW, I think the dosage for dolomite is 1 cup per cubic foot/7.5 gallons, but you may have some already present in your used soil. I like to use a little less.

Sounds pretty good, man-doesn't look like too hot of a mix.

There is a 'desert grow' thread by Hasbroh, if you haven't seen it. A search for that member should bring it up. He is recommending perlite as a top mulch to cool things down in the soil a little. I am using that now and it seems to help. Also, I give them a little shot of water around 3pm when it's real hot outside. I hit them with the 'mist' setting on the hose sprayer. It's not a true watering, it's just to cool the surface of the container, get the plant a little wet, and I kinda wet down the area around it and get some evaporative cooling on the plant. If you are already having good growth now, maybe you don't need this procedure. I feel sorry for those things being out in 100F+ temps.

I am doing something similar with younger plants (less than 1 month old) and 20 gallon containers. It's hard for them to be babies in this heat. If I could do it again, I would start them in cooler temps, earlier or later in the year.

Good luck!
 
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