masshole61 said:

Thank you guys. That's why I love the farm!

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Anytime bro. Can u please help me out though. With the lime. Pretty sure it's a cup of lime per cubic foot of total mix. But I could be understanding wrong and it's a cup per cubic foot of peat. Actually going to be using promix hp as my peat source. I have a Ton of it. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Feed store's are the cheapest way to go.I bought mine at one and it was $8,and change.Got to be one in Mass,oh, that was 6cf of hulls.

That's my favorite way, through the local feed store.

Tnelz said:

So I plan on making a batch of my own soil soon. Have all the components just a question. If I start with one cubic foot of peat then add my cubic foot of rice hulls and a cubic foot of ewc/compost mixture that's three cubic feet. Do I add my lime at one cup per cubic foot of mix or one cup per cubic foot of peat. I'll gladly post my mix if that would better help answer. Just a little confused on the lime issue.

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I would lime for the volume that doesn't include the rice hulls, so I would lime for the castings/compost and the peat. You can always add more, but if you've put in too much, it's tough to get back out. ;)

masshole61 said:

Sea, is there an online source for rice hulls you can direct me to?
Or what type of local businesses should I look to that may use rice hulls?
Thanks.

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I don't know of any other than brewery supply outfits. I get mine from the local feed shop OR, since I'm in California relatively near the Central Valley, I have also found some bulk suppliers. But I've got to go pick up the hulls myself and they're not bagged, so it *must* be covered.

If you can't find rice hulls locally, then see what you can find. For example, in the south it might be peanut hulls, pecan shells, that sort of thing. Out here it's not just rice hulls but also walnut shells. Keep these terms in mind: agricultural waste, sustainable, renewable.

Seamaiden said:

That's my favorite way, through the local feed store.
I would lime for the volume that doesn't include the rice hulls, so I would lime for the castings/compost and the peat. You can always add more, but if you've put in too much, it's tough to get back out. ;)

I don't know of any other than brewery supply outfits. I get mine from the local feed shop OR, since I'm in California relatively near the Central Valley, I have also found some bulk suppliers. But I've got to go pick up the hulls myself and they're not bagged, so it *must* be covered.

If you can't find rice hulls locally, then see what you can find. For example, in the south it might be peanut hulls, pecan shells, that sort of thing. Out here it's not just rice hulls but also walnut shells. Keep these terms in mind: agricultural waste, sustainable, renewable.

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Seamaiden said:

That's my favorite way, through the local feed store.
I would lime for the volume that doesn't include the rice hulls, so I would lime for the castings/compost and the peat. You can always add more, but if you've put in too much, it's tough to get back out. ;)

I don't know of any other than brewery supply outfits. I get mine from the local feed shop OR, since I'm in California relatively near the Central Valley, I have also found some bulk suppliers. But I've got to go pick up the hulls myself and they're not bagged, so it *must* be covered.

If you can't find rice hulls locally, then see what you can find. For example, in the south it might be peanut hulls, pecan shells, that sort of thing. Out here it's not just rice hulls but also walnut shells. Keep these terms in mind: agricultural waste, sustainable, renewable.

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Thanks sea. I'll be posting my mix soon as I get out of work today. Wanna get it right out the gate.

I was always under the impression that walnuts and their hulls can become toxic to plants and animals sea,here is a link to what im talking about,
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/info_walnut_toxicity.htm

fishwhistle said:

I was always under the impression that walnuts and their hulls can become toxic to plants and animals sea,here is a link to what im talking about,
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/info_walnut_toxicity.htm

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When I worked at a cabinet shop we made wood trim and the wood shavings and dust were sold to a horse farm, apparently it was a lot cheaper then straw?

Any time we ran the walnut or pecan, we had to turn off the giants vacuum that sucked all the shavings up into the shoot. If we didn't the horses would get the walnut in their hooves and the oils made the horses sick.

fishwhistle said:

I was always under the impression that walnuts and their hulls can become toxic to plants and animals sea,here is a link to what im talking about,
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/facts/info_walnut_toxicity.htm

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Allelopathy! Oaks also use it and I'm sure there are plenty of other plants that use chemistry in this manner. The link is talking about live walnuts, as well as the issues for equines and canines (my dog eats a lot of the acorns that drop from our black oak, which are supposed to taste awful without processing and are also said to be rather nasty while raw, yet there she sits, eating the damn things up, then eating a stick).

I guess the question I have is what amount of juglone is left in processed hulls? IIRC, they are used for bedding for some animals, no? And now I'm wondering if you charred them, would any remain, enough to be an issue if it even is an issue in the first place? Hmm...

I think I'm gonna spend some time working on my old show tack today.

Stay away from walnut. the juglone takes quite awhile to break down. have dumped a hopper full of walnut sawdust on our property and noticed the weeds and grass were stunted for over a year. hickory sawdust on the other hand has no neg effect when slightly broken down from composting. all sawdust especially softwood species can rob the soil of nitrogen in my opinion. but when u take the sawdust and line horse stalls with it the urine is soaked up and is supercharged with nitrogen (piss like a racehorse). after composting the sawdust manure mix becomes a very balanced and excellent fertilizer. the size of the sawdust particles have a big say in how much water holding capacity and oxygen the finished product has. the larger size like from our sawmill does better for gardening. as they say that shit is like black gold. peace

You shouldn't be using sawdust to bed stalls, should be using good quality shavings. ;)

My sister is buying my parents' place. There's a few years' worth of straight manure as well as all those stalls I cleaned out while showing that are piled up in a couple of areas that, IMO, should be being used to grow some produce. They won't do it, though, I'm sure of that. Too dirty!

Terribly clay soil of central california here so I amend big and deep holes and drop my plants. I still think it is best to drop them IMVHO. I ordered through Amazon and had shipped to a farmer friend with almonds for convenience cause I work too much to make trips to the hydroshop.

Spring mix; 45 day cook in raised hoop-house beds
BASE-
1 bail PROMix HP
2 bags Happy Frog
2 bags FFOF
MINERALS-
3 c. Azomite powder (Sourced from )
4 lb. Hawaiian Black Volcano rock; medium grade (Sourced from Amazon but not seeing it now)
4 lb. appx. of Glacial Rock Dust (Sourced )
MICROBIALS-
1 Kilo Mykos (Sourced from )
1 Kilo appx. Crab Shell (Sourced from )
2 liquid cups of Ocean Magic (Sourced from )
1/2 bottle General Hydroponics Organic Kelp
1/2 bottle GHO Sea Weed
1/2 bottle GHO Bio
AMENDMENTS-
1 Kilo Morton Natural Epsom Salt
1 Kilo Worm castings (personal worm bed)
'3 large shovels' full of home made compost: hay, a little topsoil, coffee grounds, kitchen produce scrap and egg shells

This all gets mixed up in the raised beds
Beds are raised from the natural ground
My aim is to amend and build up the natural terra firma under the beds to increase root growth as time progresses
This same mix is also put into plants dropped straight into the ground with layers of compost, then mix and a 8" gap around the sides before 5 gal pots are transplanted to the holes
Once mix in raised beds, it is topped with a bag of just promix and 2 bags of FFOF and mixed liberally throughout the entirety with the trusty pitchfork.
This is season 1. Looking good so far. I have been keeping a journal. I will transcribe it and put it up at some point in the near future.

I share your passion, but...
It looks complicated, or rather, over shopped. Did you make friends at the garden shop?
I see the home grown compost and worm beds in your list.
These are the power lifters to anything you concoct.
I'm warning the new grower that this many additions only complicates an already complicated subject.
Particulars:
Three types of base soil?
Minerals:
Rock dusts are cool for amending but take a long time to become bio available.
This goes for bio-char, rice hulls, ping pong balls, etc.
Microbials:
You are already well populated with microbes. Why add so many more?
Crab and kelp looks interesting, but the rest run the risk of being redundant.
Amendments:
Love the worms and compost. Make more.
What is your thinking on the Epsom Salt?
Again, I like that you are putting this effort into your soil, and that you are sharing it with us.
Reader- don't try this at home.

The GH products are added conservatively since mixing, via the watering once a week. I have the same bottle of each that I purchased back in March fwiw.
The epsom is because the soil is very dense and slow. It is being used as a soil conditioner.
Ultimately, I am trying to build a natural bed that is healthy and sustainable on its own.
I am working this raised bed into the ground and am hopeful that by next spring, the bed itself will be healthy and rigorous and with the stamina to be a producer for years without too much more fuss.
The hoop-house is for produce production for my family, though I do have a bare ground spot where I dropped 4 of my ECSD BX (BX4) plants in the ground with the above regimen. They all seem healthy and I am currently harvesting fabulously healthy black beans, beets, radishes, onions and cucumbers from the raised beds.
Of course minerals take a long time to break down. That is specifically why I chose so many that are diverse in their micronutrient availability over time so that this soil is more alive and capable to be self-sufficient.
Even with all the overkill, I still see a increase in productivity and general plant happiness when I apply more compost as mulch which is a sign that even with all the microbes, I am still deficient of particular micronutes.
I have already germinated black beans from this season directly into the beds and they popped in a day. I have since transplanted them to my aquaponics system, so the mix is not too hot or otherwise rich for even seed germination so I am curious how my regimen is any more overmixed or produced than any other list I have seen here?
I was able to make enough fine soil with this blend in this ratio to fill a 3' wide x 3' deep L-shaped bed that is 5' long on one line and 4 on another. Paramagnetism is also behind this blend thus several minerals selected. I also really like the results I have seen with a blend closely crafted after this one...
EDIT: Sorry, wrong yt link first time. Should be [
The real point of this thread is the transference of information on what other growers are using for organic soil. Obviously, not everyone will have the same regimen. Just because you have not explored one or another does not mean it should not be explored or recommended against.

Just making some observations.
Sorry I couldn't soften it up enough.
I'm glad it's working for you.

I am on this thread to get information more than give. If someone sees a slight in this recipe I am more than open to it. Especially if it saves on time and $$$. Please do not think I am offended. I just was answering the 'why' questions you posed as best I could.

INbreed312 said:

I am on this thread to get information more than give. If someone sees a slight in this recipe I am more than open to it. Especially if it saves on time and $$$. Please do not think I am offended. I just was answering the 'why' questions you posed as best I could.

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Great answer, and thanks for that epsom as soil conditioner thought.
I get overly excited about microbes.
At present I have entrusted my ecology to Down To Earth compost and worm castings.
To this I am introducing my worm runoff and worms themselves.
And into each alfalfa tea I'm dosing some of Capulators inoculant.
So I will admit to an overly complicated approach.
But I have spent time deciding not to use more.
Can't say I've learned anything, but my worms swarm the tea solids and the mix is enjoyed by my plants.
Oh, and all the biologicals are expensive.

Some rock dusts are 'more' available than others, not all will take years to become bio-available. I'll have to look for the report/assay/article I read on that (was it via Eliot Coleman... or the Kerr Center? I can't remember!).

This heavy clay soil is a BITCH. I'd love to dig a hole and drop plants right into it, but it's usually more rock than clay and I'd have to use the tractor to dig each hole. We went with a giant raised bed that we'll eventually enclose in a hoop house type of structure (or straight up GH, who knows?), and want to add another long bed to the southwest facing slope.

Yes the clay in the Central Valley is just terrible for anything but making mud unless you've been cultivating it as a media for a long time with crop rotation and amending.
I spoke with Dunge outside the thread and he thought it would be nice to shAre my work with this particular blendo thus far. Outside the reveg that caused all the larf on my two shorties, all looks good and healthy from what I see. What say you all? The first 4 pics are LA Con x bubba (pre 98) and the last 4 pics are the ECSD BX I have taken to a bx4.

Is this good or bad??? I can't transplant and there's no more room to top dress ....

I have covered lightly with mulch when in this similar situation myself.
Mulch is less likely to wash away, and is most likely to retain moisture under its layer which will keep those little roots moist and shaded.

caveman4.20 said:

View attachment 430186
Is this good or bad??? I can't transplant and there's no more room to top dress ....

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I can't really tell what it is we're supposed to be looking at here.