Soil preparation for outdoor grow

[KosarZiga]

Hello guys.
I will start preparing soil for this year. (I'm a bit late, plant to plant then outside in 2 months max)

At our municipal compost site I got first grade compost. I work for a company controlling compost site, so i got detailed chemical analysis of it.

Here are nutrients:
N: 18220 mg/kg
P2O5: 9380 mg/kg
K2O: 18000 mg/kg
Ca: 6.3%
pH: 9

It's a bit strong, pH is also high, I know i need to mix it with something else,to lower pH. Peat moss? Any experience how much? What's the ratio?

I also have 2 years old composted cow manure available..
Plan to add perlite of course.

Other supplements.
I can't get everything, since it's not available in my country and ordering it from abroad could take to long or with to high shipping costs..

I can get chicken manure, fish meal, bone meal, alfalfa pellets, azomite, gypsum, neem. Kelp is expensive.. Like a lot.
And mycorrhizae.

What would be recommended doses for those.
Im planing for around 100 gallon pots per plant.
And cooking time would be around one months, since it will take some time to get all the ingredients, so far I only have compost, and garden center has perlite and peat moss.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Even useful links :)

 

[GDub51]

Hello guys.
I will start preparing soil for this year. (I'm a bit late, plant to plant then outside in 2 months max)

At our municipal compost site I got first grade compost. I work for a company controlling compost site, so i got detailed chemical analysis of it.

Here are nutrients:
N: 18220 mg/kg
P2O5: 9380 mg/kg
K2O: 18000 mg/kg
Ca: 6.3%
pH: 9

It's a bit strong, pH is also high, I know i need to mix it with something else,to lower pH. Peat moss? Any experience how much? What's the ratio?

I also have 2 years old composted cow manure available..
Plan to add perlite of course.

Other supplements.
I can't get everything, since it's not available in my country and ordering it from abroad could take to long or with to high shipping costs..

I can get chicken manure, fish meal, bone meal, alfalfa pellets, azomite, gypsum, neem. Kelp is expensive.. Like a lot.
And mycorrhizae.

What would be recommended doses for those.
Im planing for around 100 gallon pots per plant.
And cooking time would be around one months, since it will take some time to get all the ingredients, so far I only have compost, and garden center has perlite and peat moss.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Even useful links :)

I'd like to see your 100-gallon pots! I'm jealous of your compost! I have just one suggestion. Bat manure is the new hot additive. There are two types. One for the veg cycle is high in nitrogen from insect-eating bats (Nitrobat) and the fruit-eating bat guano (Cavern Culture) is for topping the soil at the switch to flower. The other big revelation for growing is using your own urine, in early veg, diluted of course as the most explosive reaction I've experienced with pot. A new shade of green, much deeper than before resulted in a few days! About one good pee in every 2 gallons of water is about the right dilution. I also pile on vitamins the day I take the urine, since they mostly pass out thru the urine I figure it's a good way of getting some trace elements into the plants. The kelp is important for plant strength and rigor you've got most of the rest already in the compost so if you have enough to be a third of total soil mass or so you should need little else. Kelp and Silica (applied foliar) are important if you have climate issues. I have high temp's to deal with, last year a couple of days in the 100's drove me to move all into the garage!! We also deal with "Santa Ana winds" here, hot dry blasts that last a day or two happen a few times a season so I have to top a lot to keep height under control and stake all plants. I also prune away most inner growth for better airflow through the plant. So if you have days that get over 90 where you are, Kelp extract will be worth your investment, and think about all the money you'll save using your own urine for plant food!

 

[fishbuds]

ph of 9 for finished compost? something is not right somewhere if that is really the ph. finished C should land between 6-7. At least, the test sheets i have seen, for the compost I get/got. I dont take someones compost unless they have a test to show me.

 

[KosarZiga]

ph of 9 for finished compost? something is not right somewhere if that is really the ph. finished C should land between 6-7. At least, the test sheets i have seen, for the compost I get/got. I dont take someones compost unless they have a test to show me.

As it seems its not finished since they recommend it to mix it with 2 parts of soil.
Will have to do this year..

For next year i will make my own compost..
Will also start worm composting.

 

[KosarZiga]

I'd like to see your 100-gallon pots! I'm jealous of your compost! I have just one suggestion. Bat manure is the new hot additive. There are two types. One for the veg cycle is high in nitrogen from insect-eating bats (Nitrobat) and the fruit-eating bat guano (Cavern Culture) is for topping the soil at the switch to flower. The other big revelation for growing is using your own urine, in early veg, diluted of course as the most explosive reaction I've experienced with pot. A new shade of green, much deeper than before resulted in a few days! About one good pee in every 2 gallons of water is about the right dilution. I also pile on vitamins the day I take the urine, since they mostly pass out thru the urine I figure it's a good way of getting some trace elements into the plants. The kelp is important for plant strength and rigor you've got most of the rest already in the compost so if you have enough to be a third of total soil mass or so you should need little else. Kelp and Silica (applied foliar) are important if you have climate issues. I have high temp's to deal with, last year a couple of days in the 100's drove me to move all into the garage!! We also deal with "Santa Ana winds" here, hot dry blasts that last a day or two happen a few times a season so I have to top a lot to keep height under control and stake all plants. I also prune away most inner growth for better airflow through the plant. So if you have days that get over 90 where you are, Kelp extract will be worth your investment, and think about all the money you'll save using your own urine for plant food!

Thanks for suggestions! :)

I have enough compost if i mix it.
Plan is 25% compost, 25% perlite and 50% something else. Not sure if peat moss or regular native soil or cow manure compost..
I plan on peat moss to bring pH down..

Heard of fertilising with pee. You would suggest it after i transplant them outside?
Or already when they are inside in transplanter pots?

I'm gonna make my own pots. Fence wire and landscape fabric. So basically fabric pots :D
And part of it will be dug in soil to be in contact with native soil, so even more space for root grow. Or corse protected with chicken wire, my garden has voles. Last year sucker ate all my potato :D

 

[mancorn]

Hello guys.
I will start preparing soil for this year. (I'm a bit late, plant to plant then outside in 2 months max)

At our municipal compost site I got first grade compost. I work for a company controlling compost site, so i got detailed chemical analysis of it.

Here are nutrients:
N: 18220 mg/kg
P2O5: 9380 mg/kg
K2O: 18000 mg/kg
Ca: 6.3%
pH: 9

It's a bit strong, pH is also high, I know i need to mix it with something else,to lower pH. Peat moss? Any experience how much? What's the ratio?

I also have 2 years old composted cow manure available..
Plan to add perlite of course.

Other supplements.
I can't get everything, since it's not available in my country and ordering it from abroad could take to long or with to high shipping costs..

I can get chicken manure, fish meal, bone meal, alfalfa pellets, azomite, gypsum, neem. Kelp is expensive.. Like a lot.
And mycorrhizae.

What would be recommended doses for those.
Im planing for around 100 gallon pots per plant.
And cooking time would be around one months, since it will take some time to get all the ingredients, so far I only have compost, and garden center has perlite and peat moss.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Even useful links :)

I’m leery about municipal compost as I don’t trust what other people throw in their green bin. Think a lot of people just figure it’s a way to get rid of nasty shit from the basement/garage and dump in a bunch of crap. I’m sure your city cooks the shit out of the compost, so hopefully disease and pests aren't a big issue, but the pesticides and motor oil isn’t getting cooked out.

 

[KosarZiga]

I’m leery about municipal compost as I don’t trust what other people throw in their green bin. Think a lot of people just figure it’s a way to get rid of nasty shit from the basement/garage and dump in a bunch of crap. I’m sure your city cooks the shit out of the compost, so hopefully disease and pests aren't a big issue, but the pesticides and motor oil isn’t getting cooked out.

I have seen full analysis (7pages of parameters) report and its ok. I work in this field so i know what to look.
But i totally get you and i had the same concerns.
So for next year im making my own compost

 

[fishbuds]

If this were me? I would not use that c until next year, if at all. You would be much better off with 'anything' else, or nothing at all. ph of 9 says something is wrong somewhere. Just my opinion, perhaps there is something i am missing.

Ive grown in peat, perlite, and worm castings, with just a little gypsum/lime/epsom. Not 8' trees in pots, but harvested good weed.

.02

 

[LexLuthor]

Peat moss with a wetting agent, maybe 2:1 Peat:Compost, some perlite too. Add some lime and whatever else you feel is necessary. Maybe keep a weak batch for seedlings and a 'hot' batch for transplants.

 

[KosarZiga]

Peat moss with a wetting agent, maybe 2:1 Peat:Compost, some perlite too. Add some lime and whatever else you feel is necessary. Maybe keep a weak batch for seedlings and a 'hot' batch for transplants.

Wetting agent?

 

[LexLuthor]

When you buy peat moss look on the package to see the ingredients list. It should say something about a wetting agent and sometimes mycorrhizae. Thats good for beneficials and helps with root growth and overall health of the media.

The wetting agent helps reduce the surface tension of water so the media will absorb water better. Most good soils and peat moss will have it. You can buy your own too like raw yucca powder or something like that.

 

[patiofarmer]

My neighbor is experimenting with nutrient specific worm beds. I haven't read about it yet but apparently you can feed worms specific foods so that they produce only or mostly Nitrogen, Phosphorus or Potassium. He says this way he can prep very specific soil for diff stages of growth with his own worm castings. I really like the idea of mixing my own ratios of worm castings that I know the source of. If he gets good results I know what my Winter project will be to prep my soil for next year.