How's this for a base?

kkt3

kkt3

Well-Known Member
Just went and mixed up another batch of living soil and was wondering what the gurus thought of this as a base? 3 gallons composted horse manure, 3 gallons rotted wood chunks, 2 1/2 gallons pro-mix growing medium, and 2 1/2 gallons ewc.

Then I added:
- .5 cup fishbone meal
- .5 cup wood ash
- .5 cup oyster shell flour
- .5 cup gypsum
- .5 cup crab shell meal
- .5 cup alfalfa meal
- .5 cup greensand
- .5 cup kelp meal
- .5 cup azomite
- 2 cups glacial rock dust

Then moistened with some rain water from my 45 gallon drum out back.
 

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kkt3

kkt3

Well-Known Member
Hey Wet, does the horse manure and rotted wood chunks work as an aeration component? If not, would you suggest I add some vermiculite and perlite?
 
W

Wetdog

Well-Known Member
No experience with horse manure and I only use rotted wood in my raised beds and pine bark fines in the soil mix. In the raised beds, the rotted wood, for me, is about 75% water retention value and 25% aeration value. If that makes any sense. It is aeration, but a secondary source, IME.

Havent used vermiculite in many, many, years. It's good in seed mixes, where you want the water retention and that's about it.... IMO. I just don't care for it.

GMM uses vermiculite with good results in his mixes. I get good results with not using vermiculite in my mixes. GMM and I also have very similar mindsets AFA as growing, mixes, just the whole deal. Even when we're doing something different, we're doing it the same.:hug: Not gay, more like we have the same T-shirts (Been there, done that,......).

The point is, there's more than one path to the same destination, so don't obligate yourself to just one.

Wet
 
greasemonkeymann

greasemonkeymann

Well-Known Member
Wetdog said:
GMM uses vermiculite with good results in his mixes. I get good results with not using vermiculite in my mixes. GMM and I also have very similar mindsets AFA as growing, mixes, just the whole deal. Even when we're doing something different, we're doing it the same.:hug: Not gay, more like we have the same T-shirts (Been there, done that,......).

The point is, there's more than one path to the same destination, so don't obligate yourself to just one.

Wet
Click to expand...
that's some funny shit man..
and as always so true..
kkt3 said:
Hey Wet, does the horse manure and rotted wood chunks work as an aeration component? If not, would you suggest I add some vermiculite and perlite?
Click to expand...
remember the manure is sorta like a peat base that is a form of slow release nitrogen (has a lil P and K too, but not much)
i'd be concerned with the mix being a lil "hot"
a good idea is to maybe plant a cheap full-sun plant from a hardware store and see if it shoots off after transplanting.
i'd add a good amount of aeration to that mix, and also remember that wood ashes don't affect your mix after it's cycled, it does add phosphorus, and alters the ph a lil, but all those things are really short acting.
another thing is the promix is pre-limed (I think, been a while since I've seen a bag)
if using that much wood chunks you'll want to make sure they are charged, similar to biochar, if not they will sequester nitrogen from your mix as it ages (not a ton, but some)
Actually may not be a bda thing considering the amount of manure involved.
I would go towards a volcanic rock, perlite, or pumice aeration over vermiculite, reason being is if used in conjunction with the wood chunks your media may sty a bit moist.
water retention like that would be excellent for an outdoor grow, but may be a lil much for an indoor.
Hmmm... so after I think about it a lil more, I think to be safe, what i'd do is cut that mix (dilute it) with another bale of promix.
Better safe than sorry, to be honest I've never used horse manure so i'd have some trepidations on using that much.
Keep in mind i'm notoriously a light feeder, so I may just be a lil cautious
BUT you can alwaaaaays add more nutrients.. and NEVER subtract... like salt in a soup..
 
O

old shol4evr

Well-Known Member
greasemonkeymann said:
that's some funny shit man..
and as always so true..

remember the manure is sorta like a peat base that is a form of slow release nitrogen (has a lil P and K too, but not much)
i'd be concerned with the mix being a lil "hot"
a good idea is to maybe plant a cheap full-sun plant from a hardware store and see if it shoots off after transplanting.
i'd add a good amount of aeration to that mix, and also remember that wood ashes don't affect your mix after it's cycled, it does add phosphorus, and alters the ph a lil, but all those things are really short acting.
another thing is the promix is pre-limed (I think, been a while since I've seen a bag)
if using that much wood chunks you'll want to make sure they are charged, similar to biochar, if not they will sequester nitrogen from your mix as it ages (not a ton, but some)
Actually may not be a bda thing considering the amount of manure involved.
I would go towards a volcanic rock, perlite, or pumice aeration over vermiculite, reason being is if used in conjunction with the wood chunks your media may sty a bit moist.
water retention like that would be excellent for an outdoor grow, but may be a lil much for an indoor.
Hmmm... so after I think about it a lil more, I think to be safe, what i'd do is cut that mix (dilute it) with another bale of promix.
Better safe than sorry, to be honest I've never used horse manure so i'd have some trepidations on using that much.
Keep in mind i'm notoriously a light feeder, so I may just be a lil cautious
BUT you can alwaaaaays add more nutrients.. and NEVER subtract... like salt in a soup..
Click to expand...
ive used it greasemonkey,didnt like it at all even with a 30% cut with perlite cow and horse manure turns anerobic after a few feedings,had a hell of a time with air in the pots,you are correct about the promix and also peatmoss limed to dine it down a bit,best thing is the mason jar mix first,1 cup of water ,1 cup of the soil your using and 2 tbsp of calgon soap. shake the crap out of it and let sit for 24 hours and when you look at it it will have sand on bottom clay next then silt,once all these are equal then add amends,just a tip i use when making soil
 
kkt3

kkt3

Well-Known Member
Thanks again guys!!! Much appreciated!!!

Wet, I guess it makes sense that the rotted wood chunks would be more moisture then aeration.

Grease, I used that exact mix for 3 tomato plants. Took 7.5 gallons of it for them. I'm playing with all kinds of mixes for my tomato plants, and a few diff mixes for my pot plants. I only grow outdoors. The sun is the best light any plant can get!!! So with the rest of that mix, I made up another batch using my original mix, and mixed the 2 together. Should be an interesting soil.

old, I have a few mason jars around, as I can pickles, tomatos, peaches, cherries, and whatever else I can find. Gonna have to give that jar thing a go tomorrow. Gonna need 5 jars for sure!!!
 
greasemonkeymann

greasemonkeymann

Well-Known Member
kkt3 said:
Thanks again guys!!! Much appreciated!!!

Wet, I guess it makes sense that the rotted wood chunks would be more moisture then aeration.

Grease, I used that exact mix for 3 tomato plants. Took 7.5 gallons of it for them. I'm playing with all kinds of mixes for my tomato plants, and a few diff mixes for my pot plants. I only grow outdoors. The sun is the best light any plant can get!!! So with the rest of that mix, I made up another batch using my original mix, and mixed the 2 together. Should be an interesting soil.

old, I have a few mason jars around, as I can pickles, tomatos, peaches, cherries, and whatever else I can find. Gonna have to give that jar thing a go tomorrow. Gonna need 5 jars for sure!!!
Click to expand...
just remember that the wood chunks DO have a lot of air in them as well.
Good shit to use, and they disappear VERY fast, I can't see any wood chunks in my soil anymore, and that's just a yr ago, and I had a LOT in there, but being almost all decayed/rotten anyways they breakdown real fast when they are exposed to all our microbe friends
 
O

old shol4evr

Well-Known Member
kkt3 said:
Thanks again guys!!! Much appreciated!!!

Wet, I guess it makes sense that the rotted wood chunks would be more moisture then aeration.

Grease, I used that exact mix for 3 tomato plants. Took 7.5 gallons of it for them. I'm playing with all kinds of mixes for my tomato plants, and a few diff mixes for my pot plants. I only grow outdoors. The sun is the best light any plant can get!!! So with the rest of that mix, I made up another batch using my original mix, and mixed the 2 together. Should be an interesting soil.

old, I have a few mason jars around, as I can pickles, tomatos, peaches, cherries, and whatever else I can find. Gonna have to give that jar thing a go tomorrow. Gonna need 5 jars for sure!!!
Click to expand...
hey its old fashion but so am i ,lol but when you let it sit 24 hrs and the colors are very defining,all that above the water level is compost and air stuff,barks and such all that floats
 
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