Post your Organic Soil Mix

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rubthe nub

rubthe nub

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Knowing is 1/2 the battle

@Lazerus00 yes, oyster can act as a buffer BUT can generations of farmers be wrong?
Dolomite or sweet lime has been used a long time. I suppose it 'could' tighten up the soil but my guess would be you overdosed the lime or didn't have a proper ratio of aeration/permeable amendments ie perlite, rice hulls, etc...
Crushed shell probably is going to take a long time to affect/buffer pH. Crushed shell is what ya feed to chickens;)
That's the same reason why you don't want granular lime, it takes a long time to do anything.
 
Lazerus00

Lazerus00

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thats the crazy thing about this hobby, so many different things get results and there is no 1 right way....makes it a lil more difficult to find your way but at the same time I feel it weeds out people that "think" they wanna grow!..lol
 
Tnelz

Tnelz

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So I'll say this. Dolomite is great stuff but u don't need all that mag. The mag is what tightens ur mix. Dolo is fine. I agree millions of gardeners do have it right if u want a solid cal source and ph buffer dolo is great. However oyster shells is imo a better choice. It buffers every bit as well and provides all the cal dolo does without all the uneccessary magnesium. Both products work. This isn't a question with a correct answer. It boils down to preference. After using both I feel oyster shell meal or flour is a better choice.
 
Tnelz

Tnelz

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Oyster shells really don't take any longer to buffer for the record. Of I mix up a fresh batch with either dolo or osm and pour water through the oyster shells will buffer ph every bit as fast. Just want to be clear that either will do the job.
 
Seamaiden

Seamaiden

Living dead girl
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@Tnelz -- I avoid dolomite lime for that reason, my soils are very, very tight and heavy and very poor in Ca levels. Adding Mg makes the tightness worse. I use gypsum to loosen it up without affecting pH. It also gives S.
Knowing is 1/2 the battle

@Lazerus00 yes, oyster can act as a buffer BUT can generations of farmers be wrong?
Dolomite or sweet lime has been used a long time. I suppose it 'could' tighten up the soil but my guess would be you overdosed the lime or didn't have a proper ratio of aeration/permeable amendments ie perlite, rice hulls, etc...
Crushed shell probably is going to take a long time to affect/buffer pH. Crushed shell is what ya feed to chickens;)
That's the same reason why you don't want granular lime, it takes a long time to do anything.
Generally Ca loosens while Mg binds. How quickly the crushed oyster shell works is like DL--very much a function of the acidity of the soil or water column it's exposed to. At a pH of about 4-4.5 oyster shell fizzles, which means it's reacting. My experiments using DL in a water column of a pH of about 6 is that it will bring it up to about 8 or so within 1-2hrs.
 
organix4207

organix4207

729
143
I use both crushed oyster shell , oyster flour and chipped dolomite lime in my mix. I also use peat and recycle my mix's. Once the Peat starts to compost the pH can go wonky!! I have had good luck using all three with buffering etc.
To each their own , I don't think there is a right answer.
peace, love & Positive Vibes y'all
 
Tnelz

Tnelz

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263
@Tnelz -- I avoid dolomite lime for that reason, my soils are very, very tight and heavy and very poor in Ca levels. Adding Mg makes the tightness worse. I use gypsum to loosen it up without affecting pH. It also gives S.

Generally Ca loosens while Mg binds. How quickly the crushed oyster shell works is like DL--very much a function of the acidity of the soil or water column it's exposed to. At a pH of about 4-4.5 oyster shell fizzles, which means it's reacting. My experiments using DL in a water column of a pH of about 6 is that it will bring it up to about 8 or so within 1-2hrs.
Very well said. I too use gypsum for the same reason. Awesome stuff that gets over looked a lot. As always ur a fountain of information. Respect.
 
Lazerus00

Lazerus00

2,030
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Both(actually all 3) are listed in my recipe I posted BTW so this has become a moot point
hahahahaha....I noticed that like a day after I posted my comment! I didn't realize the first time that you listed it as an ingredient!...lol...sorry bro...but hey, I learned something!
 
Lazerus00

Lazerus00

2,030
263
@rubthe nub but for real are you saying that if I mixed everything just as you wrote that I could get by on just water thru bloom? Or would I have to supplement anything??
 
rubthe nub

rubthe nub

775
143
Tea and some high P guano after/during bud set. Top dress or scratched into top of soil.
If they need anything additional I got some GO and Roots products laying around
 
Ogfresh

Ogfresh

170
63
Simple and easy, cheap too.
1/3 sphagnum peat
1/3 compost
1/3 perlite
You'll need to add lime to that mix.

I like the following recipe,

1 3.8 cu. ft. bale of sphagnum
1 4 cu. ft. bag of perlite
8 packed FULL 5 gal. buckets of compost, you'll want 4 cu. ft.
(bags of compost from a box store 'should' work in a pinch, I'm sure EWC would be great, although a little pricey)
5 lbs of Dolomite lime

that will yield close to 12 cu. ft. or 90 gallons of soil

you can use 'as is' with any nutrient line
OR
go organic(this is where you'll start adding costs ;)) this what I like to add
5-7 lbs bone meal
5-7 lbs alfalfa meal
4-5 lbs greensand
4-5 lbs kelp meal
4-5 lbs oyster shell flour
4-5 lbs gypsum
4-5 lbs all purpose organic fertilizer, espoma, sustane, etc..
2 cups of azomite(rock dust)
Hey rub the nub! How long do you let your soil cook?! Or do you even?
 
Sinner D

Sinner D

150
43
It's funny to read the post above I made over two years ago. I'm in a completely different place as a cultivator now. I no longer use FF products, especially their dirt. I failed to notice the disclaimer that it 'may cause cancer'. It was a bit of a turn-off. Also, if you spend a bit more on your medium, (being organic bagged soil that I'm talking about) you'll get a bit more on your plant. This goes hand-in-hand with "the bigger the root, the bigger the fruit", or container size. My go-to choice for the affordable style in which I grow is currently Roots Organics Original. It's yielded 150% of what the FF Happy Frog or Ocean Forest ever did for me. In some cases nearly double the yield! I did nothing to change my nutrients, the General Organics line. I do however have to combat the gnats, but this is not the end of the world if you already have a trusted organic pesticide regiment. All this just works for me because I haven't the privacy outdoors or the space indoors to mix the amount of soil medium I require each cycle of my perpetual indoor existence. For now...
 
Bulldog11

Bulldog11

2,709
263
Still no soil tests in this thread? You guys just guessing what works and doesn't work? Here are some test results of the best first year soil I have used. I suggest you guys start testing your soil, or you have no idea how good it is. The difference between a healthy plants, and a perfectly healthy plant is huge. Use Logan Labs, and stop guessing.

Coots
 
Seamaiden

Seamaiden

Living dead girl
23,596
638
Bulldog, I know what CEC stands for, I've completely forgotten what TEC means.
 

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