Soil Recipe Comments WANTED

st0wandgrow said:

Have you considered using any rock dusts? If you look locally you might be able to find a rock quarry or something that will give you some. That or it can be ordered from a few different places.

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hmm, well i was thinking about picking up the gaia green glacial rock dust that some folks have talked about but right now i've just got gypsum, greensand, and azomite on hand; what would i ask a quarry for exactly? any particular kind of rock dust? don't think i'm giving anything away by saying I don't live near any glaciers so glacial rock dust is probably out from local quarries...
but idk, at 6 bucks on amazon, if its going to make a dramatic difference, offering both mineral supplementation and a home for beneficial microbial life, perhaps I should add that before I start mixing...anyone know of a rock dust thread?
be easy,
Dr.J

Rock dust is similar to azomite. Many people I know go for azomite over rock dust

deflectohead said:

Rock dust is similar to azomite. Many people I know go for azomite over rock dust

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have any of 'em told you why? i've bee reading a lot of hype around GRD, though azomite is more readily and cheaply available for me...
be easy

They are both trace mineral supplements and like you said its readily available at a low cost. I wouldn't expect to see much difference in end product when using either

They're both powdered rock. I think it's a location difference of where its sourced.

eh, seems to me they're about the same viz. elemental analysis; azomite seems a little richer, they both add silica, which is probably going to be taken care of with my gypsum, but aside from that you're right, its more about where they come from...glacial rocks N. canada (gaia green) or mines in utah). I think with all they shyte in the mix i propose, i could probably get away without adding the GRD, and the DE, so i'll probably do that. i'm going to readjust my ratios to make the mix lighter too..on that note, does anyone have any thoughts on mixing up a large batch with all of my ingredients, leaving that dry, and only cooking what I need right before use (i.e. dry-storing the large mix)? Or is it just more beneficial to cook the whole thing, use what i need, and just keep turning and moistening?
be easy

Sunbiz1 said:

Not sure why it's called earth, since DM is actually ground up seashells.

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That's actually not correct. Unless you consider diatoms seashells. It's a mined rock, similar to limestone, made up of millions year old layers of the remains of aquatic plankton / algae. Only reason I point this out is because you can get ground seashells for their liming (calcium) effect. But DEs claim to fame it is like microscopic razor blades that are bad news for soft-bodied insects.

Think of it as diatomaceous "rock", rock made of skeletons of diatoms.

^^^This is what I thought adding DE to mixes was for, pre-emptive soil care so-to-speak...but, as St0w pointed out, i can just wait and use BTi if f.gnats become a problem and other nasties have other natural fixes that can be utilized should problems present themselves::long and short = DE isn't super necessary, nor is it inert/useless; hence, as deflecto pointed out: its one of the million preferential things we get to decide on!
be easy,
Dr.J

Here's what I'm doing this evening (an adapted 1/4 volume recipe based off of subs supersoil, but without roots/biobizz):
base mix
20% EWC = 6gal
13% Compost =3.6gal
40% sphagnum peat = 12gal
12% coco coir = 3.6gal
15% perlite = 4.5gal
100% ≈ 30gal


————————————
22Gal base mix
10lbs EWC
1.25lbs Blood meal
1.25lbs Bat guano
1.25lbs crabshell meal
1lb bone meal
1/4C Epsom Salt
2C Liming agent: gypsum, dolomite, crabshell meal in 1:1:2 ratio
1C Azomite
1/4C greensand
1.5C Kelp meal
1.5C alfalfa meal
——————————————————
First, mix liming agent.
then, mix base soil
add 10 gal base to 45 gal trash can. add amend’ts up to epsom salt, top with 12 gal of base, add liming agent, azomite greensand, kelp and alfalfa, mix thoroughly.
-transfer 1.5gal of mix to 3 gallon pots, top with extra base, and mix. start molasses, ewc and humic acid tea bubbling::24 hrs later water lightly and begin cooking process.

Only things i'm not sure about are all the differen calcium sources going on and the greensand. I do plan on reusing this soil and reamending so if people are just leaving it out because they don't reuse their soil (i.e. it takes a long time for greensand to break down, so if you're not reusing, it doesn't make a lot of sense to include it).

what say ye all?

I'd say let it cook for 30 days before using. Also depending on the age of plants you may want to fill only the bottom half SS and use a light potting soil to fill in around sides and about 1/2 on the bottom, use mychros when transplanting apply to root area.

I have a quick container recipe that does not need to cook soil prior to use if you are interested in building out containers. It is based on layering and spikes because when all these High N amendments are being adding the cook process begins that is when mixed (global) application. There is a method for layering amendments that allows for immediate use without waiting for the cooking that is induced by the global application of High N sources in the soil

DankSwag

DANKSWAG said:

I'd say let it cook for 30 days before using. Also depending on the age of plants you may want to fill only the bottom half SS and use a light potting soil to fill in around sides and about 1/2 on the bottom, use mychros when transplanting apply to root area.

I have a quick container recipe that does not need to cook soil prior to use if you are interested in building out containers. It is based on layering and spikes because when all these High N amendments are being adding the cook process begins that is when mixed (global) application. There is a method for layering amendments that allows for immediate use without waiting for the cooking that is induced by the global application of High N sources in the soil

DankSwag

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Thanks Dank, I would really like to get my hands on that no-cook recipe, and this layering procedure you're talking about sounds intriguing as well. I was actually planning on doing half my three gallons with the ss at the bottom and then just use my base mix on top, but I may also just go back to the store and do sub's foxfarm blend of OceanForest and Happy Frog ( i believe its either 2-1 or 1-2..i'll have to dig up the thread) or roots org. And, for this batch, i'm definitely going to be cooking it for at least 30 days since I'm doing hot peppers with it and they haven't even started their 4week germination process, so the earliest any plant would be able to get into a pot of this is a good 6-7 weeks away.
I'm still debating whether to try to let the soil cook with base in the 3 gallon pots, or whether it's better to cook the SS all together and just fill the 3 gallons when they're needed for my seedlings...thinking the latter: no sense fucking with a system before we see how it works for us!
be easy,
Dr.J

So i mixed up the soil per the updated recipe. I ended up using slightly more perlite, kelp meal, alfalfa meal, and a touch more coco than I actually wrote down. I also added a half cup of dolomite on top of the liming mix just for good measure. Right now i'm bubbling some compost tea with humic acid and molasses and in 24 hrs I'll use it to start the cooking process.

I'm going to go ahead an cook in a 32gal trashcan with holes drilled in the bottom for drainage. Should I drill holes in the cover too, or is that a little overboard?

Be easy!
Dr. J

Soil mixed; tea no good--not enough air to bubble with, need a new pump. I decided to just moisten it down with plain tap and keep it inside, covered, no holes whatsoever. I'll be dumping it back and forth between two 32gal cans, and will moisten it down next time with some ewc/molasses/humic acid tea and then back to plain de chlorinated tap until she's cooked and ready. I'll start a thread for the grow when i pop seeds, until then
be easy