Mikedin’s Living Soil Adventure and Living Soil discussion topic

[ktram]

Nice work! Lots of tents to maintain though. Just a thought, line your entire place with EPDM roofing rubber. It makes that life infinitely easier.

 

[ktram]

Nice mix! Yeah the aloe will only be added as a wetting agent only, I wanna start mixing some homemade soil as well, once I get this run underway that’s my next plan.

Just talking to a new earthworm casting producer doing R&D and I’ll be working with him shortly as my EWC supplier met him over on Instagram got into garden talk and it went on from there lol, he’s just getting started and needed some testers so I figured why not he’s producing them with 100% organic inputs for the worm food, basically following Colorado worm castings method

Lots of cool opportunities out there if you reach out to people! He also will walk me through his process of making them so I can try to replicate the process

Powdered Aloe products are a joke. Put a large freshly peeled arm through the blender and into 5 gallons of water and tell me it does nothing for you.

 

[Mikedin]

Powdered Aloe products are a joke. Put a large freshly peeled arm through the blender and into 5 gallons of water and tell me it does nothing for you.

Oh that’s the plan lol, gunna pick up an aloe plant to keep in the 2x4 I had one but for some reason wife got rid of it (was in the bathroom lol)

 

[Crazyformes]

Alright not to sound ignorant...what is the difference between soil and living soil.?

 

[Mikedin]

Nice work! Lots of tents to maintain though. Just a thought, line your entire place with EPDM roofing rubber. It makes that life infinitely easier.

It’s really simple actually, but I don’t run them all at once, being living soil between each run I do cover crop cycles, the 4x8 is my n a cover crop cycle atm

Lights out still, got a camera in the 4x8 and 4x4 in the back room, got another one in the 2x4 but gunna move that one to the new 4x4 to watch the new 60 gallon pot

 

[Mikedin]

Alright not to sound ignorant...what is the difference between soil and living soil.?

Well, the “soil” is the same (I run 100% peat moss) then mix in your amendments, organic is what I could consider something like Gaia Green (love the stuff and use it on the outdoor)

Living soil is a bit of a different game, you’re feeding only the base materials and letting them break down and feed the plant over time

During a run for example, I top dress at planting, then again about 4-6 weeks later right before flip, at that point I’ll add in something like Pushin P from build a soil with is a high Phosphorous oat bran, i feed this about 2 weeks before flip, then as it breaks down through stretch it’s ready to be taken in by the roots,

I make the FFJ (Fermented fruit juice) you can mKe it a lot of ways with all different fruits I chose apples and mangoes, next one I make I have a gallon of blackstrap molasses (unsulphered) to mix in

when I ran organics like the Gaia green I would swap out the soil every run, with living soil you’re looking to keep the soil for multiple runs, we feed the soil , the soil feeds the microbes, microbes feed the plant in unison with the rhizosphere

You try to feed the soil so it has everything the plant could need at all times and let the plant decide what it needs, the uptake is regulated by the rhizosphere which is directed by root excretions back into the rhizosphere, once you start really digging deep into it it’s a really wild ride

End of the day once those feeds are done every 4-6 weeks I just water with my sprayer, sometimes a bit of the FFJ or some FPF etc to keep those microbes dancin, some people say it dosent work that easy… I have tents full of proof lol

 

[Mikedin]

For example here’s the ingredients in craft blend, I feed 4 cups of this to each 30 gallon pot every 30-40 days

EWC 4 cups as well, even with the 70+ worms per bag

Thorvin Premium Kelp Meal​

This nutrient-rich kelp meal is packed with natural growth hormones and trace minerals that boost plant vitality. It improves resistance to stress, enhances root development, and promotes lush, green growth.

Black Soldier Fly Insect Frass​

Insect frass is an organic fertilizer that stimulates soil microbiology, enriching the soil with essential nutrients. It brings strong nutrients, trace minerals and has very low metals. It’s like giving your plants a probiotic boost, leading to stronger, healthier growth.

Alfalfa Meal​

Alfalfa meal is a natural source of nitrogen and growth stimulants, encouraging vigorous plant development. It also helps improve soil structure, making it easier for roots to penetrate and access nutrients.

BuildASoil Organic High P Bran​

High in phosphorus, this bran is essential for flowering and root development. It supports a robust bloom phase, leading to bigger, more bountiful harvests.

Camelina Meal​

Camelina meal is a unique source of omega-rich nutrients that improve soil fertility. It promotes healthier, more resilient plants by enhancing their natural defenses.

Crustacean Meal​

Rich in chitin, crustacean meal helps plants build stronger cell walls, increasing resistance to pests and diseases. It also enhances soil structure, leading to better water retention and nutrient uptake.

Fish Meal​

Packed with essential nutrients and high in organic Nitrogen

Fish Bone Meal (3x)​

Packed with essential nutrients, fish bone meal is the backbone of any thriving garden. This wild caught all natural fish bone provides slow-release and Calcium and phosphorus, ensuring sustained growth and vibrant blooms.

Organic NON-GMO Food Grade Soybean Meal​

This plant-based protein source is rich in nitrogen and has a complete amino acid profile perfect for building living soil and supporting robust vegetative growth.

Sul-Po-Mag (K-Mag or Langbeinite)​

This natural mineral complex delivers potassium, magnesium, and sulfur – all vital for healthy plant growth. It promotes strong stems, improved photosynthesis, and enhances flavor and aroma in your harvest.

Organic Malted Barley​

Malted barley is a powerhouse of enzymes that accelerate plant growth. It improves nutrient availability and supports a thriving soil ecosystem.

Volcanic Tuff & Micronized Basalt​

These volcanic minerals provide a rich source of trace elements that nourish your plants and improve soil health. They enhance root strength, support vigorous growth, and increase overall plant vitality.

Gypsum & Oyster Flour​

Gypsum and oyster flour improve soil structure, increase calcium availability, and help prevent nutrient lockout. They’re essential for strong cell walls, leading to sturdy, resilient plants.

 

[Mikedin]

Nice work! Lots of tents to maintain though. Just a thought, line your entire place with EPDM roofing rubber. It makes that life infinitely easier.

I know lol I thought about it, but with the sprayer it’s really nothing to worry about as far as spills on the carpet, it can tip no problem, even any liquid feeds all go right n there

Morning time for the girls, night time for me

Apples and bananas x Okie

Project 4516 x okie

 

[Mikedin]

Well well well what do we have here, got some new puzzle pieces! Time for work though, no rest for the wicked

glad everythings here and in once piece, got a bit of work and switching around to do for it to be ready, I’ll get to that this weekend when I’m off a few days

How’s everyone today

 

[BearWater]

Well well well what do we have here, got some new puzzle pieces! Time for work though, no rest for the wicked

glad everythings here and in once piece, got a bit of work and switching around to do for it to be ready, I’ll get to that this weekend when I’m off a few days

How’s everyone today

You’re an animal, dude! congrats on another new tent!

moving right along on our end! school is actually going well so far! take care homie!

 

[Mikedin]

You’re an animal, dude! congrats on another new tent!

moving right along on our end! school is actually going well so far! take care homie!

It’s gunna be fun haha I did a 2 minute assembly on the light so I could check it out, I really like the light perfect fit for the 4x4 bit of space around the light, gotta check out the wire lengths later see if I can get the controller on the wall next to the tent

I’ll grab some pics before I leave

 

[Mikedin]

Couple pics of the new setup!

New spiderfarmer 4x4
G5000
6” exhaust and carbon filter kit,

Gunna mess around with some of the smart gear from the 3x3 and see what I can come up with got a few ideas

 

[Week4Bytch]

also hope you dont take my comment above as negative lol, just a metaphor. i hope nobody ever takes anything i take as negative or offensive

im always open to new styles, theories, methods, you see how much i try new methods, i believe anything's worth a shot, you never know if it works for you. growing should be relaxing for everyone no matter what it is youre growing! so choosing your own style that works well for you is always the most important step, if you dont enjoy doing it youll eventually quit.

thats one of the biggest reasons i try so many diffent ways of growing

What ..me? No way man ..lol, I know how we fuck around with each other here .. I have most of you guys figured out, all about fun here. Shit, I honestly forgot about that topic. Not sure how I missed your response. I was sceptical and laughed that video off when it was shared to me .. then got bored and checked it out ..and my jaw dropped how he sounded so sincere ..then ..oh by the way, I have my bag of soil here... INFOMERCIAL. I don't think I'll ever try growing weed in straight sand... Anyone here ever try that? How's that the "best soil" there's a method to what he's leaning on but I don't think it's straight sand. Someone shared that video somewhere around here ..it's a rabbit hole.. see if I can find it. Tag me next time please, sorry for the late response. ( I did grab a bag of his soil to check out .. hook line and sinker! )

 

[Mikedin]

Love your grows.
So, you like the big pots? What do you think are the pros and cons?
Askin' 'cause I may set up an inside grow this winter.
(the outside is not working like I hoped.)

Sorry I missed your post!

I love the large pots, if you want large plants it’s really nice

If you’re planning to go living soil or organic that is, if you run synthetics I would suggest sticking with 10’s or 15’s mainly because you want the ability to have runoff with synthetics, with living soil and organics your goal is no runoff ever, it takes time for all those raw base materials to break down and be worked over by the worms and microbes, flushing wastes all that time,

But it’s nice to not have to replace soil every run, with that 60 gallon pot it’s gunna be a learning experience, even running the 30’s for awhile that 60 is gunna be a tough nut to crack, whole new learning Curve water management etc but it’ll be fun to learn, outdoors next year I was thinking either more direct in ground in the 5 gallon buckets with bottoms removed like I have in the garden, was also considering upping those to 25 gallon pots with bottoms removed, i plan to exhaust outdoors to reduce humidity

What are your goals on an indoor grow? Variety or bulk?

With say a 4x4 you can run 3 plants in 5 gallon containers or do what I do and pack the tent with a single plant

I know off one of those I can pull a low of 400g and that’s running the lights at 65-70%. I tend to run my lights no more than 75% power at that point you can bring the lights closer if needed (in my opinion overpower the lights by about 25-30% over what you need to you know you’ll always have what you want, but you’ll have that leeway to bump it up a bit more on strains that can handle it

If you’ve never grown indoors before the first run or 2 will be a learning Experience, learning how the lights affect the plants etc, it’s not quite like sunlight can easily toast em, The LED’s are really powerful nowadays.

 

[Mikedin]

No

What ..me? No way man ..lol, I know how we fuck around with each other here .. I have most of you guys figured out, all about fun here. Shit, I honestly forgot about that topic. Not sure how I missed your response. I was sceptical and laughed that video off when it was shared to me .. then got bored and checked it out ..and my jaw dropped how he sounded so sincere ..then ..oh by the way, I have my bag of soil here... INFOMERCIAL. I don't think I'll ever try growing weed in straight sand... Anyone here ever try that? How's that the "best soil" there's a method to what he's leaning on but I don't think it's straight sand. Someone shared that video somewhere around here ..it's a rabbit hole.. see if I can find it. Tag me next time please, sorry for the late response. ( I did grab a bag of his soil to check out .. hook line and sinker! )

No problem haha I’ve never tried straight sand, now sandy loom, that’d be interesting that’s basically all my ground around me (I live in orchard and vineyard country) it’s all that’s around me
I actually live right on a old riverbed, back of my property is a 60’ cliff right down to the water so many…many years ago the river bed was my yard

If I go to the back of my yard and dig a hole, fill it right back in with the same soil and water it it turns into straight wet sand, wild shit lol

I combat that in the garden by mixing in about 25% leaves, 5-6 tablespoons of organic feed like Jobes tomato and vegetable or True organic tomato and veg. Both excellent organic feeds been using them for years, still got a 25lb bag in the basement for next year


I have used it to grow bud before (I had to try it ) and it ran excellent, very similar results to my Gaia green runs

The soul he shows as farmers soil is 100% correct I can go dig that outta any field around me

Issue with weed is it like a faster wet / dry cycle, living soil still does that but not to bone dry, just reduced moisture percentage then re water, that farmers soil will retain moisture for weeks after it rains, for us I look at that as root rot city

But I would say 15-20% sand wouldn’t be horrible but worth a shot

If you wanna use sand, check out green sand (not Gaia green although they sell it too)

 

[Week4Bytch]

No

No problem haha I’ve never tried straight sand, now sandy loom, that’d be interesting that’s basically all my ground around me (I live in orchard and vineyard country) it’s all that’s around me
I actually live right on a old riverbed, back of my property is a 60’ cliff right down to the water so many…many years ago the river bed was my yard

If I go to the back of my yard and dig a hole, fill it right back in with the same soil and water it it turns into straight wet sand, wild shit lol

I combat that in the garden by mixing in about 25% leaves, 5-6 tablespoons of organic feed like Jobes tomato and vegetable or True organic tomato and veg. Both excellent organic feeds been using them for years, still got a 25lb bag in the basement for next year


I have used it to grow bud before (I had to try it ) and it ran excellent, very similar results to my Gaia green runs

I think I tried that Jobes once.. do they make a mix for oranges and lemons? It had a mean organic smell to it. My dog loved to roll in it...

I can't grow shit in my yard.. it s sand too but don't think it's that loom stuff. I mean there's lif back there, but nothing like what you got going.

I found that video . Sure you seen it before. Is kind of coincides with that other one and to me it's very similar to the way earth boxes work. (Some of it)

 

[Mikedin]

I think I tried that Jobes once.. do they make a mix for oranges and lemons? It had a mean organic smell to it. My dog loved to roll in it...

I can't grow shit in my yard.. it s sand too but don't think it's that loom stuff. I mean there's lif back there, but nothing like what you got going.

I found that video . Sure you seen it before. Is kind of coincides with that other one and to me it's very similar to the way earth boxes work. (Some of it)

Sandy loam is basically a mixture of sand and soil it’s more gritty like he said in that video sand is mainly quarts and minerals

Here’s a quick actual discription of it (I said look it’s actually Loam!)

Sandy loam is a soil type composed of a mix of sand, silt, and clay, with a higher proportion of sand (typically 43–50% sand, less than 50% silt, and less than 7% clay, according to Merriam-Webster). It’s known for its balanced texture, offering good drainage due to the larger sand particles while retaining enough moisture and nutrients from silt and clay to support plant growth. This makes it ideal for gardening and agriculture, often described as a “magical soil” for growing vegetables, flowers, and crops like tomatoes, green beans, peppers, and potatoes. It drains at a rate of about 6–12 inches per hour, preventing waterlogging while keeping roots hydrated.

Dig up your planned planting area and mix in about 30-40% peat moss then fill back in the holes being in a bit of top soil not too much maybe 10%

After that when you plant in the holes I’d dig the hole out, put in organics like composted leaves etc maybe 25% volume of what you took out

Over time it’ll work into the soil, worms will distribute it and you’ll have a nice healthy bed to plant in

Similar to what they call the duff layer in that other video leaves and plant materials on the surface that fell to the ground

I put the leaves right in the holes when I plant

Did you listen to what he said about how the myco fungus is what actually feeds the plants from the leaf materials? That’s what we are trying to replicate with the living soil that brings it down to where the rhizosphere can facilitate nutrient uptake

Think of it as an exchange point

 

[Mikedin]

Simple Breakdown of the rhizosphere and how it functions

The rhizosphere is the narrow region of soil or substrate directly surrounding and influenced by plant roots. It’s a dynamic zone where roots, soil, and microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, and other microbes interact closely. Root exudates—chemicals like sugars, amino acids, and organic acids released by roots—attract and support microbial communities, which in turn help plants with nutrient uptake, disease resistance, and stress tolerance. Physical factors like pH, moisture, and oxygen levels also differ here compared to bulk soil, making the rhizosphere a hotspot for biological and chemical activity critical to plant growth and soil health.

 

[Week4Bytch]

Sandy loam is basically a mixture of sand and soil it’s more gritty like he said in that video sand is mainly quarts and minerals

Here’s a quick actual discription of it (I said look it’s actually Loam!)

Sandy loam is a soil type composed of a mix of sand, silt, and clay, with a higher proportion of sand (typically 43–50% sand, less than 50% silt, and less than 7% clay, according to Merriam-Webster). It’s known for its balanced texture, offering good drainage due to the larger sand particles while retaining enough moisture and nutrients from silt and clay to support plant growth. This makes it ideal for gardening and agriculture, often described as a “magical soil” for growing vegetables, flowers, and crops like tomatoes, green beans, peppers, and potatoes. It drains at a rate of about 6–12 inches per hour, preventing waterlogging while keeping roots hydrated.

Dig up your planned planting area and mix in about 30-40% peat moss then fill back in the holes being in a bit of top soil not too much maybe 10%

After that when you plant in the holes I’d dig the hole out, put in organics like composted leaves etc maybe 25% volume of what you took out

Over time it’ll work into the soil, worms will distribute it and you’ll have a nice healthy bed to plant in

Similar to what they call the duff layer in that other video leaves and plant materials on the surface that fell to the ground

I put the leaves right in the holes when I plant

Did you listen to what he said about how the myco fungus is what actually feeds the plants from the leaf materials? That’s what we are trying to replicate with the living soil that brings it down to where the rhizosphere can facilitate nutrient uptake

Think of it as an exchange point

Gonna have to try that simple soil test he did (just to know for sure what I have back there). I haven't really even attempted to grow any vegetables outside, just the citrus tree my father n law dropped back there. And we do have the extreme summers here, so not 100% committed yet. Retirement is around the corner, I'm sure the walls caving in will push me outside to try something then. Mixing in compost top soil is a great idea.

 

[Mikedin]

Gonna have to try that simple soil test he did (just to know for sure what I have back there). I haven't really even attempted to grow any vegetables outside, just the citrus tree my father n law dropped back there. And we do have the extreme summers here, so not 100% committed yet. Retirement is around the corner, I'm sure the walls caving in will push me outside to try something then. Mixing in compost top soil is a great idea.

hell yeah i mean my garden i started by laying cardboard on grass, the covered with 6-8" of organic dark leaf compost on top of it (i have a local ish source and they provide testing results if requested) but i bought 10 cu yd (full dump truck)

first year was good 2nd better 3rd crazy you need to create that duff layer like he was saying, i did that with the leaf compost (this was very well looked down and looked like clean new fresth black dirt) that lets the cycle start then we start feeding the organic feeds etc and encourage it but it works awesome


The outdoor girls