Question for Bulk soil next year

[Haggardass]

Ive been reading up on soil and compost and i found this. They say its a bloom media, looks to me like a bunch of compost really but thats ok, my question is do these numbers look ok to mix up some of tom hills soil with, more so is it just good for growing in at all? The numbers from what ive researched look good to me but im no expert on soil ive only been organic for two years now thx guys. Im actually gonna put up a few charts each is different soils just wondering which one looks best. Not worried to much about ph i can put that where i need it just more so the fertility of it.

Soil 1:
Compost Testing Parameters

Parameter Unit Measure Product Range
pH pH units 5.5-6.5
Soluble Salts mmhos per centimeter 1.0-1.5
Bulk Density lbs per cubic yard 450-600
Moisture Content % wet wt basis 45%-55%
Organic Matter Content % dry wt basis 50%-60%
Particle Size inches 1/2 minus


Soil 2:
Parameter Unit Measure Product Range
pH pH units 7.0-8.7
Soluble Salts mmhos per centimeter 2.0-5.0
Bulk Density lbs per cubic yard 900-1,000
Moisture Content % wet wt basis 45%-55%
Organic Matter Content % dry wt basis 70%-80%
Particle Size inches 1/4 minus
Growth Screening % germination 100%
Stability Rating Mature-Very Mature Very Mature


Soil 3:

Parameter Unit Measure Product Range
pH pH units 5.6-6.8
Bulk Density lbs per cubic yard 1,200-1,500
Moisture Content % wet wt basis 45%-55%
Organic Matter Content % dry wt basis 8%-12%
Particle Size inches 3/8 minus
Textural Classification Soil Class Name Sandy Loam
Soil Texture-Sand % by weight 62%
Soil Texture-Silt % by weight 26%
Soil Texture-Clay % by weight 12%

 

[Seamaiden]

The reports are rather different, which makes it more difficult to compare. Off the toppa mah, soil 2 looks best, but it has no sand, silt or clay mentioned, so what's in it providing the minerals? For that reason I would actually combine soil 2 and soil 3, perhaps around 2:1 or 3:1 soil 2:soil 3.

 

[Haggardass]

Funny that you mention mixing those 2 soils i got to reading and the third one is actually the second soil which is there compost and its all mixed with sand silt and clay in an 80/20 mixture so im thinking that the third one will be the busisness for sure. Would this be good for mixing organic nutes and making a stronger, better soil, im actually planning on using this as my base for a tom hill recipe, idk if you know his or not but i think this will serve as a good base for a healthy soil. What about you?

 

[Haggardass]

Also if you dont mind helping me just a bit more, what is it that your looking at to judge how good they are? I know the ph and the organic matter content but what percentages would be, i guess standard or minimum?

 

[LexLuthor]

Honestly, I don't know what most of those numbers mean. I like to use soil thats made of a combination of these ingredients, composted forest humus, peat humus, spaghnum peat moss. Then any additives like perlite, EWC or bat guano are good too but I can always add stuff like that myself.

Like I said before, I don't know what most of those #'s mean, I just go by the feel and texture of the soil and also how well it drains, then I add what is needed based on whether its being used indoor or outdoor and also how often I will be able to water if it is outdoor.

I think the 1st one is lighter/fluffier because the bulk density rating is lower, so if you want something thats gonna retain more water for outdoors then go with soil 2 or 3. I would pick soil 2 because of its organic matter % being so high.

 

[Haggardass]

Right on man i was thinking maybe ill get 2 yards of soil 3 and 1 yard of soil 2 then mix em, then put 12 cf of perlite in it then mix my fertilizers in, thinking this should be a good mix for going in the ground next season. Im gonna mix it all in feb and take it out bit by bit hopefully have it all out by march put it in the holes cover it with fencing and let it cook in the holes until planting time in may. Does that sound like it would work out?

 

[LexLuthor]

Right on man i was thinking maybe ill get 2 yards of soil 3 and 1 yard of soil 2 then mix em, then put 12 cf of perlite in it then mix my fertilizers in, thinking this should be a good mix for going in the ground next season. Im gonna mix it all in feb and take it out bit by bit hopefully have it all out by march put it in the holes cover it with fencing and let it cook in the holes until planting time in may. Does that sound like it would work out?

Yeah, that sounds like plenty of time for the soil to cook and it also sounds like a good mix that will work, its hard work mixing all that soil but it will pay off when harvest time comes, good luck bro.

 

[Haggardass]

do you think I could get it mixed completely by hand or would I need to rent a bobcat for a day I don't mind doing it by hand as long as I can get it mixed evenly

 

[LexLuthor]

3 cubic yards of soil is alot to mix, but if done by hand you should do it in batches over the coarse of a few days. If you don't mind spending the money to save time and/or your back from aching, then the bobcat would be a good idea too. But like I said before, definately do it in batches if your gonna mix it by hand, maybe something like a half yard at a time and don't try to get it all done in 1 day unless you wanna do nothing but shovel from sunrise to sunset lol. Thats my opinion.

 

[sox]

NorCal Soil Builders...hit them up, they got a few mixes that are amazing or you can mix your own.

 

[sox]

ive mixed 4-5yrds by hand a bunch of times, it takes time, and two people is nice. One to toss the mix and one to dump the stuff into it all.

 

[Haggardass]

im on the east coast so i think shipping would kill me lol do they have different instructions for mixes and stuff that i can build off of? That works i dont mind gettin out there and throwin a shovel around a few times lol ill get my little brother to get out there and dump while i mix. he wants to try doing a plant next summer with me so i figured ill take him out and show him a thing or two. But for that its gonna cost him some manual labor lol

 

[sox]

im on the east coast so i think shipping would kill me lol do they have different instructions for mixes and stuff that i can build off of? That works i dont mind gettin out there and throwin a shovel around a few times lol ill get my little brother to get out there and dump while i mix. he wants to try doing a plant next summer with me so i figured ill take him out and show him a thing or two. But for that its gonna cost him some manual labor lol

ah, east coaster...ive got nothin. Good Luck!
Id grab some mushroom compost, chicken shit, perlite, sunshine # 4. call it a day.
Add meals or lime if you feel ya need to.

 

[Haggardass]

I was actually planning on grabbing all of the above with the exception of the sunshine mix. The next best thing around here is promix but its almost 50 bucks a bale at the hydro store and no one else around here sells it. I remember living in alaska i could grab busted open bales of promix for 10 bucks a bale i knew the department manager lol. But anyhow my mix was gonna be somewhat of tom hills mix, 2 yds of base soil 1 yd of compost, 8 bags of chicken shit, 12 cf of perlite 100 lbs of bonemeal, 40 lbs of lime or gypsum, probably lime, and then just 2 or 3 bags of mushroom compost. I was also thinking of throwing some alfalfa in there to i have a 50 lb bag i used for compost teas this summer and only used about one lb lol so i was thinking throw maybe 30 lbs of that in there to. Im new to mixing my own soils and such but that mix sounds pretty tastey to me lol

 

[Mississip Hip]

The dirt yard I use has a menu.....they will mix you up a yard of ANYTHING......almond dust anyone?...lol..

 

[Haggardass]

I'm gonna ask em about that to but I still have things I wanna put in

 

[groundscore]

Maiden seems to know her stuff and is saying 2 or 3 parts soil 2, to 1 part soil 3 I think.

 

[Haggardass]

Maiden seems to know her stuff and is saying 2 or 3 parts soil 2, to 1 part soil 3 I think.

Ya for sure man I know what's they're saying I just wanna ask if they will mix stuff for me then deliver it that would be awesome. Then I'm gonna throw bonemeal and some other amendments in it as well.

 

[Seamaiden]

Sorry for not replying, I've been out of town and my Tablet isn't playing very well with the internet. I'm looking at the OM and mineral content more than anything else. However, the particle sizes can have some meaning, too, and they hint to me that perhaps not all is very well composted in that first soil mix. Or they're using big chunks of something.

 

[Haggardass]

its cool maiden this is why I'm starting planning now lol so I'm thinking I should take a drive up there and take a look around check out what's in there stuff, if its not fully composted I suppose just mixing it and letting it cook here at the house for another month or two would finish the job? So I got to reading a little since I posted this and got into mmhos and it said as long as they're above 1.0 its good. Does this hold some truth?