DIY super soil math help

[Natep]

Your going to layer a hot layer at the bottom. Then put a light mix on the top. It’s a pretty old school way of growing. If you like mixing soil and building layers? I would look at some of Leighton Morrisons videos and Jeremy Silva from build a soil. I think the organic way makes a ton more sense to me.

 

[cannafarmer420]

Good afternoon Growmies. I'm attempting to make my own super medium, but I'm a little confused. The majority of these recipes out there don't use actual amounts. It's always one part peat and half part bone meal, for example. Now when it comes to peat or soil, they sell them in different quantities. 1.5 cf, 2.8 cf, 3 cf, etc. How do I know what size bag to use? Also, if you use 7.6 cf total of peat, that means each of your amendments has to 3.8 cf of bat guano, for example. Am I missing something? 3.8 cf of each amendment seems like it would scorch a plant. What am I missing? TIA. How do you guys alter recipes to increase/decrease the volume of soil you want to make.View attachment 2122735

I would recommend following a recipe like sub cool or clackamus coot. I don't recommend diving right into making your own mix. Good luck

 

[cannafarmer420]

Do you think that 200 lbs. of guano is overkill for a 316 gallon batch of soil? That seems like alot to me.

Depends on the guano, too many variables for a generic answer.

 

[cannafarmer420]

Your going to layer a hot layer at the bottom. Then put a light mix on the top. It’s a pretty old school way of growing. If you like mixing soil and building layers? I would look at some of Leighton Morrisons videos and Jeremy Silva from build a soil. I think the organic way makes a ton more sense to me.

Jeremy is legit he follows clackamus coots way, I like him.

 

[Natep]

Okay. We'll use 60 gallons as the amount of soil to make.

All those "parts" add up to 6.5 total parts.

Let's say that a "part" equals one gallon. If so, this recipe would make 6.5 gallons of soil mixture.

To make 60 gallons, multiply by 6.5 by 10.

10 x 6.5 = 65 gallons (65 is close enough to call it good. Some extra soil can be useful.)

In the recipe, it would look like this:

10 gallons peat moss
10 gallons compost
10 gallons perlite
10 gallons worm castings
5 gallons bone meal
5 gallons blood meal
5 gallons fish meal
5 gallons kelp meal
5 gallons rock phosphate
===================
65 gallons of

Jeremy is legit he follows clackamus coots way, I like him.

He seems like a smart guy. What he says makes a lot of sense. The results don’t lie either.

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

I understand, but alot of the dry nutrients don't give their product quantities in dry gallons. Take kelp meal for example. The bag I have says 4 lbs.

Most can be converted, but it may require a Google search. Maybe not pounds, though. So, another way is to measure using a container of a known size. I mentioned that I use an old two-quart saucepan (which is half a gallon) and a five-gallon bucket. So, if I need a gallon of something, I just add two scoops of it using the saucepan. Such a pan can be found at a thrift store.

For me, the five-gallon buckets work well because I also use five-gallon pots. I measure out the ingredients into a bucket and then dump them into a mixing bin. I repeat that for as many pots as I'll be using. Then I stir and mix all of it in the bin before putting it in the pots.

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

Your going to layer a hot layer at the bottom. Then put a light mix on the top. It’s a pretty old school way of growing. If you like mixing soil and building layers? I would look at some of Leighton Morrisons videos and Jeremy Silva from build a soil. I think the organic way makes a ton more sense to me.

I've read about layering, but I haven't tried it. Maybe someday...

 

[cannafarmer420]

Most can be converted, but it may require a Google search. Maybe not pounds, though. So, another way is to measure using a container of a known size. I mentioned that I use an old two-quart saucepan (which is half a gallon) and a five-gallon bucket. So, if I need a gallon of something, I just add two scoops of it using the saucepan. Such a pan can be found at a thrift store.

For me, the five-gallon buckets work well because I also use five-gallon pots. I measure out the ingredients into a bucket and then dump them into a mixing bin. I repeat that for as many pots as I'll be using. Then I stir and mix all of it in the bin before putting it in the pots.

Google search has devolved into paid results, I use alternatives

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

Google search has devolved into paid results, I use alternatives

I wasn't recommending Google. It was only an example. Use whatever search engine you prefer. There are many conversion tables out there.

 

[BearWater]

I wasn't recommending Google. It was only an example. Use whatever search engine you prefer. There are many conversion tables out there.

Navigating the internet these days is a craft in of its self! I’m ok at it but will always check info here if its something Im going to implement.

 

[cannafarmer420]

I wasn't recommending Google. It was only an example. Use whatever search engine you prefer. There are many conversion tables out there.

I know, I just like to put it out there for people to keep an eye on their own search results. Just raising awareness, it still works well for certain searches.
I dont want any trouble
Have a good day @LoveGrowingIt ✌

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

I dont want any trouble

Likewise.

Have a good day @LoveGrowingIt ✌

Same to you, @cannafarmer420!

 

[Natep]

I've read about layering, but I haven't tried it. Maybe someday...

I went out and harvested silts and clays for my layers. It works really well. I’m on my third grow in my large bed and it keeps getting better.

 

[Stonedhenge]

I would recommend following a recipe like sub cool or clackamus coot. I don't recommend diving right into making your own mix. Good luck

The recipe listed in this thread has 9 ingredients with a part sum total of 6.5. So if you want to mix 15 gallons for example, divide 15 by 6.5 and this number will be your multiplier for all ingredients. In this example, 15/6.5 = 2.3. For the first ingredient, peat moss you would need 1 * 2.3 or 2.3 gallons. Use this multiplier for all ingredients and result should total 15 gallons. Doing volume and weight conversions can easily be done by opening the Windows Microsoft calculator on your PC and clicking on the three lines in the upper left corner. Scroll until you see conversions and you can select volume, length, weight and mass, etc.

 

[PlanetOfTheSeeds]

105L high quality potting soil

• Primary medium – Any good quality potting soil will do –

10-15L of worm castings

• N-P-K (trace – depends what the worms ate)/Micronutrients/Microbes/Moisture retention –

3 cups blood meal

• Nitrogen – N-P-K ratio is 12-0-0, and the N is readily available.

6 cups bone meal

• Phosphorus – N-P-K ratio is 4-10-0, and P is also readily available. Some N in there too.

3 cups dolomitic lime

• Calcium + Magnesium – Plants need Ca and Mg for vital plant processes. Also important as it helps to keep the soil from becoming too acidic by acting as a buffer as Ca- and Mg-.

1 heaping cup of Epsom salts

• Magnesium/Sulfur – Not much to say here but, very important. You can get this from the garden stores, or buy the big jug from WalMart/Costco/etc. Just be sure it is unseated

5-10L Perlite/Vermiculite (or more if you prefer)

• Drainage – Most mediums have some perlite/vermiculite already mixed in but, not enough for the amount of extra organic material added to this mix. I the past I personally always have used perlite as vermiculite has,

5 heaping spade-fuls of sifted compost OR ½ bag (8-10L) store bought compost/steer/sheep manure

• Water retention/drainage/microbes/Macro & micronutrients – Garden compost is amazing stuff. It promotes proper and even drainage but at the same time helps with water retention (makes sense right? ?) .

And that’s it! Mix it all up nice and evenly, moisten (a good 4-6 L of CLEAN, chlorine-free water is usually lots), cover and let sit (also known as cooking – I use a 60 gallon drum for this) for a minimum of 1-2 weeks but preferably 3-4,mixing and turning occasionally.