First time organic attempt

MR.NICE.GUY.1990

MR.NICE.GUY.1990

Well-Known Member
First time at an organic grow. Would eventually like to make the transition to full organic. After some internet research, I've learned that a super soil recipe that works well for one plant may not work as well for another. Main thing I took from that is that every plants different. Anyway found a recipe for a soil mix that is said to be a decent base to work off of. Any tips, opinions, or advice would be greatly appreciated. I find the info I recieve here very helpful and thanks as always. Here it is;

(BASE SOIL)

* 30% Spaghnum Peat Moss

* 30% Premium Worm Castings

* 25% Small Lava Rocks

* 15% Top Soil

(Amendments)

* Neem Cake (1/2 cup per cubic foot)

* Sea Kelp Meal (1/2 cup per cubic foot)

* Crustacean Meal (1/2 cup per cubic foot)

* Mineral Mix (azomite i have to assume‍♂, 5 cups per cubic foot)

* Comfrey Leaf (a handful top dressed over the medium and covered with worm castings)

*Mulch with straw once it's in the container
 
ShLUbY

ShLUbY

Well-Known Member
MR.NICE.GUY.1990 said:
First time at an organic grow. Would eventually like to make the transition to full organic. After some internet research, I've learned that a super soil recipe that works well for one plant may not work as well for another. Main thing I took from that is that every plants different. Anyway found a recipe for a soil mix that is said to be a decent base to work off of. Any tips, opinions, or advice would be greatly appreciated. I find the info I recieve here very helpful and thanks as always. Here it is;

(BASE SOIL)

* 30% Spaghnum Peat Moss

* 30% Premium Worm Castings

* 25% Small Lava Rocks

* 15% Top Soil

(Amendments)

* Neem Cake (1/2 cup per cubic foot)

* Sea Kelp Meal (1/2 cup per cubic foot)

* Crustacean Meal (1/2 cup per cubic foot)

* Mineral Mix (azomite i have to assume‍♂, 5 cups per cubic foot)

* Comfrey Leaf (a handful top dressed over the medium and covered with worm castings)

*Mulch with straw once it's in the container
Click to expand...
grab some alfalfa and a couple aloe plants while you're at it! i would run less minerals if you're not doing no-till. gypsum would also be a great addition to your mix, good source of sulfur!

also, i would advise you to make your aeration 30-40% of the mix, drainage is CRUCIAL with these compost heavy mixes.
 
MR.NICE.GUY.1990

MR.NICE.GUY.1990

Well-Known Member
ShLUbY said:
grab some alfalfa and a couple aloe plants while you're at it! i would run less minerals if you're not doing no-till. gypsum would also be a great addition to your mix, good source of sulfur!

also, i would advise you to make your aeration 30-40% of the mix, drainage is CRUCIAL with these compost heavy mixes.
Click to expand...
would I mix the alfalfa and gypsum in at the same amounts, 1/2 cup per cubic foot? And then more peat moss for aeration?
 
bearded.beaver

bearded.beaver

Well-Known Member
You could even keep it as a no till. And maybe add a little biochar. If your doing that. It give the microbes a home as well as adding pure carbon. Just make sure to "charge" or inoculate the biochar. And it's cheap. Just burn some wood and collect the charred wood crush it up.
And worms would be a good addition if you want to keep using the soil
 
MR.NICE.GUY.1990

MR.NICE.GUY.1990

Well-Known Member
bearded.beaver said:
You could even keep it as a no till. And maybe add a little biochar. If your doing that. It give the microbes a home as well as adding pure carbon. Just make sure to "charge" or inoculate the biochar. And it's cheap. Just burn some wood and collect the charred wood crush it up.
And worms would be a good addition if you want to keep using the soil
Click to expand...
Would you suggest using the "biochar" as a top dressing. I've seen a few things concerning biochar and it looks to be pretty good stuff. My question is how to inoculate or charge the biochar? I read something about making a tea out of brown rice? Correct me if I'm wrong, cause I'm new to the organics. I've been hydro since Ive started growing
 
ShLUbY

ShLUbY

Well-Known Member
MR.NICE.GUY.1990 said:
Would you suggest using the "biochar" as a top dressing. I've seen a few things concerning biochar and it looks to be pretty good stuff. My question is how to inoculate or charge the biochar? I read something about making a tea out of brown rice? Correct me if I'm wrong, cause I'm new to the organics. I've been hydro since Ive started growing
Click to expand...
use the biochar in the soil. you must charge it first. fish hydrolysate makes a good charge. just charge it like an aerated compost tea. i used a mesh bag with the char in it, some fish hydrolysate, kelp meal, alfalfa meal, and let the brew for about a week. then i added 1tsp per gallon H2O of molasses and some worm castings to inoculate the char with organisms after charging it. after 24 hrs, pull the char out and it's ready for use.

you can also charge it in worm bins (and regular compost piles). just mix the char with the bedding and you'll have perfectly charged and inoculated char. adding neem meal and malted barley flour in with the bedding will really get things going according to coots.
 
MR.NICE.GUY.1990

MR.NICE.GUY.1990

Well-Known Member
Hey guys.

I have 3 questions.

First, do I need gypsum pellets that are going break down over time, because build a soil is out of that and I'm trying to find an alternative

2nd, would I receive any added benefits from using clover living mulch over straw

3rd, the mix calls for aloe, but no specific way to implement it, do I use it as a foliar spray or mix it in as a soil amendment.( May be a dumb question)
 
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