Soil for 70 50 gallon smart pots, Make my own for cheaper?

[pacificdunes74]

Do you know if I can have a decent soil delivered by the truck load and mix it with the stuff I need that would normally come in my Roots Mix. So basiclly can I make my own Roots soil for cheaper that buying it. I am not doing wrom castings becuase I use live earthworms in my soil. We only use 100% organic in our greenhouses.

 

[BlueWater]

you'll need about 20yds of soil and a pallet or so of perlite. my upper garden is 75 100s and it took 40 yds w/ 2 pallets of perlite to fill them. we get the soil delivered and mix in the amendments with the bobcat.

 

[ncga]

You will always get a better deal when buying in bulk. Check with a good landscaping company and see what they have. In Mendo we are getting killed on the price of around $100 a yard. But in Sonoma good compost soil mix can be had for around $50. But then you have truck time.

I deliver my amendments and organic WEED free rice hulls to be mixed in when they mix the compost. I just cant stand seeing that perlite hang around on my property. The rice hull do the same thing but breakdown

BW
Nice to see someone else refer to their "upper garden" LOL not a lot of flat around here

nc

 

[BlueWater]

i need about 160yds lol. would be nice if it stopped raining!! trucks won't be able to get in.
luckily my friend has a double transfer and he'll do it asap. going to be an assload of work in a short period of time. rice hulls are good, I get those as well. but I still like perlite, meh.

 

[NomaadsGarden]

I am running a bunch of Mallard Mix from Sonoma Compost vs. Roots Greenfields vs FFOF in 800 gallon rectangular "smartbeds", custom made by smart pots. There will also be a number of 65 gallon smartpots involved.

I'll be doing this in a Light Deprivation environment. Since the unamended soils will have plenty of N for the 2 weeks of veg they will undergo before I start to force flowering, I will not be amending with anything but dried kelp in the Sonoma Compost and Alfalfa meal in everything. Oh... and I add norcal perlite 1:6 to everything...

I do add amendments to my 200 gallon smartpots that will go the full season.

I have seen excellent results in "truck dirt"...after this season I will have definitive beliefs as to whether or not Bulk Dirt, at 1/3 (or better) the price of Bagged Dirt is really a bargain.

 

[NomaadsGarden]

i need about 160yds lol. would be nice if it stopped raining!! trucks won't be able to get in.
luckily my friend has a double transfer and he'll do it asap. going to be an assload of work in a short period of time. rice hulls are good, I get those as well. but I still like perlite, meh.

Sonoma Compost's mallard mix is a mix of composted duck shit and composted brown rice hulls. Very yummie stuff.

 

[Seamaiden]

Do you know if I can have a decent soil delivered by the truck load and mix it with the stuff I need that would normally come in my Roots Mix. So basiclly can I make my own Roots soil for cheaper that buying it. I am not doing wrom castings becuase I use live earthworms in my soil. We only use 100% organic in our greenhouses.

Yes! It's what we did last year, just got a full load (10yds) of good topsoil, amended with good compost and other organic & natural goodies and MAN oh man! Neither of us were prepared for what was to come.

You guys are paying through the nose for your dirt. I think we paid around $200 for the full load, delivered.

 

[NomaadsGarden]

I paid 200$ for 8 yards... unfortunately, I ordered from far away and paid 300 for the delivery. I know... madness... but not if you compare it to a single pallet (bout 3 yards) of bag soil @ $500+. If you live close to the source, its often very inexpensive delivery.