Post your Organic Soil Mix

Seamaiden · Jul 19, 2015

Well.. now you know why! :D

rubthe nub · Jul 19, 2015

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 · Jul 19, 2015

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 · Jul 19, 2015

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 · Jul 19, 2015

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 · Jul 20, 2015

@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.

rubthe nub said:
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 · Jul 20, 2015

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 · Jul 20, 2015

Seamaiden said:
@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.

rubthe nub · Jul 20, 2015

Both(actually all 3) are listed in my recipe I posted BTW so this has become a moot point

Lazerus00 · Jul 20, 2015

rubthe nub said:
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 · Jul 20, 2015

@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 · Jul 20, 2015

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

tobh · Jul 20, 2015

@Newtogrowing here you go bud. Should put you on the right direction.

Ogfresh · Sep 17, 2015

rubthe nub said:
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?

phoenixfire · Sep 18, 2015

...and what temp is the middle at when it's done ;^}

Sinner D · Sep 23, 2015

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...

shemshemet · Sep 24, 2015

@Sinner D

Try and see if you don't have to mix any soil up at all

Bulldog11 · Oct 3, 2015

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.

Bulldog11 · Oct 3, 2015

I cut off TEC. The TEC was 20.

Seamaiden · Oct 3, 2015

Bulldog, I know what CEC stands for, I've completely forgotten what TEC means.

Post your Organic Soil Mix

Post your Organic Soil Mix

Seamaiden

Living dead girl

rubthe nub

Lazerus00

Tnelz

Tnelz

Seamaiden

Living dead girl

organix4207

Tnelz

rubthe nub

Lazerus00

Lazerus00

rubthe nub

tobh

Ogfresh

phoenixfire

Sinner D

shemshemet

Bulldog11

Bulldog11

Seamaiden

Living dead girl

Post your Organic Soil Mix

Post your Organic Soil Mix

Seamaiden

Living dead girl

rubthe nub

Lazerus00

Tnelz

Tnelz

Seamaiden

Living dead girl

organix4207

Tnelz

rubthe nub

Lazerus00

Lazerus00

rubthe nub

tobh

Ogfresh

phoenixfire

Sinner D

shemshemet

Bulldog11

Bulldog11

Seamaiden

Living dead girl

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