Most Important Part Of Soil Mix?? Secret Ingredients?? Lets Get Some Opionions!

[slausongardens]

hey whats up organic farmers.. just wanted to start up a little chat about what you guys think are some of the most important parts of making a good soil?

or if you have any secret ingredients?? like something a lot of people dont add but should..

what do you guys think are some must haves in a soil??

most important amendments??

i'd say besides the peat, compost, perlite basics the most important amendments are bone meal, blood meal and kelp meal. and personally i think rock dust is in there as well. i see a lot of recipes where people dont have rock dust or go light on it and i think its a must have for a soil mix. and also one of my secret weapons. although ive seen a lot of people praising it a lot lately compared with before.

this goes for any type of rock dust that gives you minerals.. azomite, glacial rock dust, etc.. i do a 50/50 mix of glacial rock dust and azomite at 1/2 pound to a pound per cubic foot which sounds like a lot but it doesnt burn them so its ok and its worked very well for me at that amount. also if i have soft rock phosphate and greensand and gypsum i would do a mix of that and throw it in at a cup per cf. TRACE MINERALS!!! i love em. the more the merrier.

also good quality EWC makes a big difference in my experience.. like homeade castings or castings from a reputable company that specializes in them or castings from somebody local.. compared to the big company castings like eb stone and the other big names.. they definitely work and are better then no castings.. i myself use them if i dont have access to anything else but you will see improvement with good quality castings thats for sure. i'd say the same for compost as well. also a soil mix with no EWC and just compost will work but the castings are what makes it go crazy so i do a 50/50 mix of compost and EWC. always use castings!!!

what are your guys' opinions on oak leaf mold??? ive thrown some into my compost/EWC mix with good success. if i made my own i would use it every time but buying it from the nursery at 15-20 bucks a bag isnt worth it to me. i might get a bag on my next mix though if i have extra money. maybe try 40/40/20 mix of compost, ewc and oak leaf mold. ive even done crazy ass recipes with 30% compost 30% ewc 20% oak leaf mold and 20% humus like denali gold or ancient forest haha thats really excessive but was awesome.

so if blood meal, bone meal and kelp meal are necessities and must haves in a soil mix how important are other amendments like alfalfa meal??? i always use alfalfa meal in my mix but ive seen simple mixes that people post without it.

also do you think a mix without a ph buffer and calcium amendment would be ok?? like no lime or oyster shells?? i also see a lot of recipes without these components and i would never go without at least one of them.

and i subscribe to the thought that more is better as long as its in the correct ratios like 70/30 peat/coco mix. 50/50 compost/ewc, 70/30 pumice/perlite, 50/50 rock dust/azomite, oyster shell/crab shell/lime mix.. alfalfa/flaxseed/cottonseed mix, etc etc but ive never been sure if its better, not worth it or even maybe counter productive.

then theres extra goodies which i call luxuries, like feather meal, gypsum, humic acid ore, guano, manure, insect frass, crab shells, fish meal, DE, all purpose fertilizer, bulb food, etc. ive never thought them to be necessities but they do help.. does anyone think any of these are a necessity?

i always put a all purpose fertilizer at a cup per cf just to add more goodies even though its really just a concentrated mix of everything else i already put in.

also does the consistency of the amendment make a difference?? like oyster shells being ground, granular, flour??

these are just a lot of questions that go through my head and ive done a lot of experimenting.. so i just wanted to get everyones opionions on some of these topics.

i know most of our recipes are very similar with small differences and maybe different preferences because there is so many options. as simple as it seems there is a lot to a good soil.

so lets start a discussion and see what different answers we get and why.. i think we could answer a lot of peoples questions in one thread.

thanks for any help anyone offers.. i love talking about soil!

 

[motz]

Good start to hopefully a great thread!

 

[germinator]

A helpful patient recipe ......KISS......found this recently I don't recall where.
It's for a water only program from seed the whole way thru. Its simple and close to organic. I'm going to try this eventually. Hope it can help someone else.

 

[Seamaiden]

Minerals, minerals, minerals.



I've dropped perlite completely, it does not a single good thing for my soil mixes except float to the top. Rice hulls for lightening a mixture, instead.

 

[Bulldog11]

Stick to the albect ratio's. Doesn't matter if you use peat, clay, coco, compost, just stick to the Albect ratio's.

 

[Bulldog11]

I also agree with Seamaiden. Perlite is garbage. Pumic, rice hulls, lava rocks are all superior.

 

[hyzerflip]

Great idea for a thread! Personally, the biggest secret ingredient I use isn't an ammendment - It's Trompf Blumat auto-waterers. I've found that a water-only soil mix + Blumats is the easiest AND most effective way to grow high quality organic medicine. Something about keeping the soil evenly moist through flower really makes a huge impact when you're growing with biologically active organics. I've done a few side by sides with hand-watered plants and the plants on Blumats always outperform hand-watered by a significant margin.

 

[Dunge]

Great idea for a thread! Personally, the biggest secret ingredient I use isn't an ammendment - It's Trompf Blumat auto-waterers. I've found that a water-only soil mix + Blumats is the easiest AND most effective way to grow high quality organic medicine. Something about keeping the soil evenly moist through flower really makes a huge impact when you're growing with biologically active organics. I've done a few side by sides with hand-watered plants and the plants on Blumats always outperform hand-watered by a significant margin.

This is interesting.
It takes me an hour to hand water my garden every four days.
I always water with microbial tea, so automating is problematic.
What water content do you think is ideal?
The weight of my 3 gallon pots travel between 4.5 kg to 7.5 kg.
So three liters water use every four days.
If you wanted to water constantly, holding the water at a constant level, would you keep it on the dry side or wet?
Seems to me, dry side would be best.

 

[tipz]

Rice hulls

 

[hyzerflip]

I keep mine about 5-10% before runoff, pretty moist but definitely not sopping wet.

 

[slausongardens]

Minerals, minerals, minerals.



I've dropped perlite completely, it does not a single good thing for my soil mixes except float to the top. Rice hulls for lightening a mixture, instead.

i totally agree, i think everyone is finally realizing the importance of minerals. it can turn a good mix into a great mix.

and also on the perlite.. i always use pumice and sometimes will add a little perlite but most the time all pumice.. i think ill ditch the perlite completely.. no purpose in keeping it in when the pumice does such a better job. and its cheaper. ive always wanted to use rice hulls but havent been able to source them in my area.. is a feed store the best place to find them?? i havent found a feed store that has them yet but im sure i can if i keep looking.. might be a nice addition with the pumice. and i assume theyre dirt cheap.

Great idea for a thread! Personally, the biggest secret ingredient I use isn't an ammendment - It's Trompf Blumat auto-waterers. I've found that a water-only soil mix + Blumats is the easiest AND most effective way to grow high quality organic medicine. Something about keeping the soil evenly moist through flower really makes a huge impact when you're growing with biologically active organics. I've done a few side by sides with hand-watered plants and the plants on Blumats always outperform hand-watered by a significant margin.

im gonna have to look into this.. what people dont realize with these super soil mixes is you can have your mix down perfect but if you over water or under water it can really screw things up.. and most people have a tendency to over water.. i always let my soil dry out pretty good and i dont like to soak it.. i'd rather water more often and keep my eye on it then to soak it but your idea of constantly keeping it at a perfect moisture might be the key. and the only way to do that is with auto waterers you like the ones you describe cuz hand watering you would be have to wait for it to dry out everytime or risk over watering. im glad you mentioned that.

and good question about the water content dunge.. ive never thought to weigh my pots but thats a good idea.. i usually water till i get a little to come out the bottom and then i keep my eye on it while i wait till it drys out.. really just feel it out, i dont have a set idea of a specific water content but i think it would be a lot better if i did.

 

[Mr.7thson]

[QUOTE="slausongardens,

and also on the perlite.. i always use pumice and sometimes will add a little perlite but most the time all pumice.. i think ill ditch the perlite completely.. no purpose in keeping it in when the pumice does such a better job. and its cheaper. ive always wanted to use rice hulls but havent been able to source them in my area.. is a feed store the best place to find them?? i havent found a feed store that has them yet but im sure i can if i keep looking.. might be a nice addition with the pumice. and i assume theyre dirt cheap.

I stopped using perlite awhile ago.The rice hulls work great and don't float to the top of the mix.As far as where to get them.The feed store should have them and they are pretty cheap also.I get 6 cf for $8.00,GL in your search.

 

[Skuna Tuna]

New favorite amendment = neem cake meal and shredded biochar (not pelletized). But don't tell nobody!

 

[Seamaiden]

Yes, slauson, feed store for my rice hulls. I did find a bulk supplier out in Yuba, though.

 

[kolah]

Real live worms..great for aerating soil and for putting FRESH castings in your soil (which IMO is a thousand times better than store bought OLD worm castings). Some peeps start their own worm farms. I buy batches of red wigglers by the 500 or 1000 count for about 30-50 bucks and toss them in my greenhouse beds. Organic farming is all about having LIVE soil..what better way to induce live worms into your grow.

Plus 1 on rice hulls and avoiding vermic and perlite. My only concern with rice hulls is if they were treated with chemical ferts or sprays.,,, dunno.

Word of caution: always be aware of products being labeled "organic" as it no longer has a clear definition in the commercial markets anymore. When it doubt create your own clean and natural organics...and/ or call the company and have them field your concerns. For thousands upon thousands of years people grew "organic" with great results.... and it wasn't called organic...it was just farming/growing.

 

[WalterWhiteFire]

Langbenite, oyster meal, bio char, rice hulls, myco.

Ill 2nd the blumat suggestion, crushes hand watering.

 

[Blaze]

For outdoor, feather meal is critical for my mix. You need that slow release N over the course of the season, and lots of it. Plus it can't burn the plants like alfalfa or blood meal. Cannaibs also loves lots of soluble organic matter (SOM), not to be confused with just 'organic' matter. I've found composted dairy cow manure to work best for this - lots of SOM but the other nutrients it contains are very mellow and balanced so you can add alot without throwing your mix off. The physical properties of the soil are also very important and often over looked - cannabis likes high aearation, good drainage and low bulk density. Giving the roots lots of space also gives a huge boost to growth rate and finaly yield - always use the biggest container or pot or bed that is practical. For example simply using a 3 gallon pot instead of a 1 gallon pot can cut weeks off your veg time when they are in the greenhouse. Finally - myccos of some sort, especially at transplant.

So that would be my 'secret' for making cannabis plants thrive - lots of N during veg, lots of SOM, a nice light soil with good drainage and aeration, plenty of space for the roots to go, and myccos.

 

[kolah]

I don't agree with always keeping the soil at a constant wet/moist setting. I prefer to have it dry out pretty good between waterings. ......reason being that roots tend to seek out the water during dryer stages thus increasing root mass. Of course there's a fine line (aka sweet-spot) to accurately determine the proper watering regimen because you don't want to stress the plant out too much... but still give it a challenge to thrive and grow (from what I have read a lot of literature says this "water seeking" aspect increases root production) YMMV.

Good thread. I hope it encourages more farmers to grow cleaner and avoid toxic chemicals and big corp products.

 

[Quagmire]

Nice thread.. we can talk about Organics for years and still learn something huh? What better way then to share with others being plant specific too. Lots of good info here already, LOVE the live worms, organics is about creating a living organism of your own afterall... I think 2 of the most important additives in organic mix is your fungi.. Endo & Ecto or Endomycorrhizal Fungi &
Ectomycorrhizal Fungi which creates faster, stronger root growth and affects bud forming later in plant life as it just colonizes and keeps providing your soil with what nature usually does.. not a food a plant uses in any way but remember, organics your not feeding the plant, your feeding your soil.. oops sorry, amendment... lol.

 

[Skuna Tuna]

I don't agree with always keeping the soil at a constant wet/moist setting. I prefer to have it dry out pretty good between waterings. ......reason being that roots tend to seek out the water during dryer stages thus increasing root mass. Of course there's a fine line (aka sweet-spot) to accurately determine the proper watering regimen because you don't want to stress the plant out too much... but still give it a challenge to thrive and grow (from what I have read a lot of literature says this "water seeking" aspect increases root production) YMMV.

Good thread. I hope it encourages more farmers to grow cleaner and avoid toxic chemicals and big corp products.

Just growing roots!