recycle soil question?

Wetdog · Sep 2, 2017

im4satori said:
would husks take the place of the pinebark as an alternative option?

Husks of what?

IDK anyway since I've never used anything but the pine bark and have no experience with alternatives there. The base mix has stayed consistant through the years.

im4satori · Sep 2, 2017

peeps are using rice husk in place or perlite

I guess its better for the planet

the rice husk does break down over time but it doesn't float likek the perlite

or so ive read or been told

im4satori · Sep 2, 2017

I don't know where id find pine bark and since ive never laid eyes on it im not even sure whet im looking for unless is clearly says "pine bark"

Wetdog · Sep 2, 2017

im4satori said:
peeps are using rice husk in place or perlite

I guess its better for the planet

the rice husk does break down over time but it doesn't float likek the perlite

or so ive read or been told

Can we say fake news? Or, at least, very innaccurate information.

Yeah, peeps are using rice hulls in place of perlite only to discover what an extremely bad choice that was in a few months time.

Old Chinese saying: Even monkeys fall out of trees

Coot really fell out of the tree with that particular recc.

They do work well in worm bins where they turn into the kind of sludge worms love. This I heard from a worm farmer after he found out just how unsuitable they are for aeration.

Wetdog · Sep 2, 2017

im4satori said:
I don't know where id find pine bark and since ive never laid eyes on it im not even sure whet im looking for unless is clearly says "pine bark"

Outside in the garden section of HD or Lowes. ~$2.50 for a 2cf bag. Marked Pine Bark Mulch, There are also mini nuggets and nuggets for larger sizes. Out west, Fir bark will work, so I've heard, but it's not common here in the east.

im4satori · Sep 2, 2017

is that stuff been treated for bugs

don't they spray chemical on the pine mulch in many cases?

or is this stuff made for amending and hasn't been treated with some sort of chemical like std yard mulch?

im4satori · Sep 2, 2017

ah

I said husk (rice), I meant hulls

oops sorry

im4satori · Sep 2, 2017

about the guano
id be interested to here your response to using it

since youve been gardening for like 500 years lol and never used it

every time I add guano (in moderation) the plants seem to have an explosion and glow (maybe from the ammonium nitrate)

I use it sparingly cuz the stuff aint cheap and its strong

Wetdog · Sep 2, 2017

im4satori said:
is that stuff been treated for bugs

don't they spray chemical on the pine mulch in many cases?

or is this stuff made for amending and hasn't been treated with some sort of chemical like std yard mulch?

Nope, it's untreated.

Comes from lumber mills when they de-bark pine trees for lumber. Not quite a waste product, but close. Not much can be done with it other than gardening. That's why it's so cheap. The chemicals would cost more than the bark is worth. As it is, most of the cost is for the size sorting and bagging equipment. $2.50 for 2cf?

Wetdog · Sep 2, 2017

Oh, I've used guano before, but as you noted, it ain't cheap and there's other stuff that works just a good for a much lower price point. Both blood meal and bone meal come to mind.

im4satori · Sep 2, 2017

Wetdog said:
Oh, I've used guano before, but as you noted, it ain't cheap and there's other stuff that works just a good for a much lower price point. Both blood meal and bone meal come to mind.

I thought bone meal was super high in P mostly

or am I recalling incorrectly

im4satori · Sep 2, 2017

ok
to recap

tell me if this sounds about right

recycling soil 1/3 peat/compost/perlite

to aerate/amand/recycle one #20 pot (little over 2 cubic ft)

2.5 gallons peat
1 gallon perlite
4 gallons biochar (20%)
1.25 cups oyster shell (to offset ph form peat)
1.25 cups gypsum
5 oz feather meal
5oz bone meal

3 or 4 cups mix???
2 parts kelp
1 part alfal;fa
1part neem
1 part crab
1/2 part fish meal

im4satori · Sep 2, 2017

so each pot is going to have roughly an extra 7.5 gallons excess by the time I add al that to the existing soil

hillbill · Sep 2, 2017

We all see the 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 but it's been .25 peat moss, .25 compost and/or castings, .50 drainage. Been with this for several years.

im4satori · Sep 2, 2017

hillbill said:
We all see the 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 but it's been .25 peat moss, .25 compost and/or castings, .50 drainage. Been with this for several years.

so your saying 50% perlite

seems like a lot of perlite

hillbill · Sep 2, 2017

Perlite, rice hulls and NAPA 8822, gravel or pumice or whatever. You betcha! At the end of a Grow my mix looks a whole lot like gravel. Hard to overwater at that level and overwatering is the mother of all deficiencies.

im4satori · Sep 2, 2017

https://www.helpfulgardener.com//forum/viewtopic.php?t=58220

I did a search for the napa 8822

and this is all I got other than napa auto part info

whats the purpose to using it?

is it actually oil?

hillbill · Sep 2, 2017

Oil dri basically the same as turface absorbs and also creates air space. Use about half and half or a little less with perlite. Rice hulls worked well but they themselves became compost after one or two runs.

im4satori · Sep 2, 2017

hillbill said:
Oil dri basically the same as turface absorbs and also creates air space. Use about half and half or a little less with perlite. Rice hulls worked well but they themselves became compost after one or two runs.

any adverse effects on biology?

hillbill · Sep 2, 2017

Positive and remember this is aeration to bring oxygen to the roots. It is much easier to be heavy on a mix with our favorite plant.

recycle soil question?

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