Soil Mixes!

[Mr.Head]

Here's a thread from ICmag I've used over the years, the few different methods I have used have all worked great. Some of the list is not organic, but I would say most of it is.

List of different Soil Mixes---Soil Directory

just thaught i would compile a list of different soil mixes all in one place for everyone to see. A Good Seed Starting Mix You want a seed starting mix to retain moisture, yet be well draining. There is little need to add very many nutrients at this point. You can purchase commercial...

www.icmag.com

Here's my current Mix

For 160 Liters of Soil = 35.5 Gallons = 4.75 Cubic
Fish Emulsion 2.5 Tablespoons
Bone Meal 2.5 Cups
Blood Meal 4.75 Cups
Aflalfa Meal 4.75 Cups
Crab Meal 4.75 Cups
Langbeinite 4.75 Tablespoons
Kelp Extract 4.75 Teaspoons
Mineral Sand 4.75 Cups
Dolomite 4 Cups
Epson Salt 1/4 cup.
Humic/Fulvic 1 Cup
Bokashi Bran 2 Cups

This is given a simple EWC/Compost Tea with molasses at week 2. Give it a little extra boost.

The wet ingredients were added to a sprayer and sprayed on as it was mixed. I put seedlings right in this mix and don't have burning with a 2.5-3 week cook, it should have gone 4 but I needed it

It will be fed a simple tea biweekly on tea Tuesdays.

 

[Green_256]

here's a few more mixes...

 

[ThatSpudGuy]

Here's a thread from ICmag I've used over the years, the few different methods I have used have all worked great. Some of the list is not organic, but I would say most of it is.

List of different Soil Mixes---Soil Directory

just thaught i would compile a list of different soil mixes all in one place for everyone to see. A Good Seed Starting Mix You want a seed starting mix to retain moisture, yet be well draining. There is little need to add very many nutrients at this point. You can purchase commercial...

www.icmag.com

Here's my current Mix

For 160 Liters of Soil = 35.5 Gallons = 4.75 Cubic
Fish Emulsion 2.5 Tablespoons
Bone Meal 2.5 Cups
Blood Meal 4.75 Cups
Aflalfa Meal 4.75 Cups
Crab Meal 4.75 Cups
Langbeinite 4.75 Tablespoons
Kelp Extract 4.75 Teaspoons
Mineral Sand 4.75 Cups
Dolomite 4 Cups
Epson Salt 1/4 cup.
Humic/Fulvic 1 Cup
Bokashi Bran 2 Cups

This is given a simple EWC/Compost Tea with molasses at week 2. Give it a little extra boost.

The wet ingredients were added to a sprayer and sprayed on as it was mixed. I put seedlings right in this mix and don't have burning with a 2.5-3 week cook, it should have gone 4 but I needed it

It will be fed a simple tea biweekly on tea Tuesdays.

whats your base mix dude?

 

[Mr.Head]

whats your base mix dude?

My bad. My base mix is Coconut, Promix, Worm Castings, Sea Compost, vermiculite for Aeration.

Something like 30 Liters of Worm castings,
60 Liters of Compost
1:1:1 Coconut, Promix, Vermiculite for the rest of the mix. (the 1 part vermiculite takes into account the Aeration already in the promix)

I would have liked to use more castings but they are expensive to buy. I'll add 30L more next run, I'll add 30 more liters of compost then too.

 

[Goats]

if you're over at IC and want some ongoing info on living soils and soil mixes, dank.frank is a good resource. guy has taught me so much just from reading his posts.

 

[ThatSpudGuy]

ive been going through this trying to source all the amendments needed for my first organic soil run

Easy Organic Soil Mix for Beginners

So you want to go organic but don't know where to start? Here's a recipe for an easy, organic, water-only soil that will provide more than enough...

forum.grasscity.com

hard enough to get the stuff for cheap around UK/Ireland

 

[Mr.Head]

ive been going through this trying to source all the amendments needed for my first organic soil run

Easy Organic Soil Mix for Beginners

So you want to go organic but don't know where to start? Here's a recipe for an easy, organic, water-only soil that will provide more than enough...

forum.grasscity.com

hard enough to get the stuff for cheap around UK/Ireland

Initial input can seem high. But for $10 in blood meal I get like 500 liters of soil.

If it's your first time just go simple simple. Blood/Bone/Kelp meal or extract/Compost/Castings/Promix.

Castings can be hard to find, post a Wanted add in your local/online classifieds, someone has worms near you. Or go to a hydroponics store if you have them, that's nearly the only place I can buy them in Canada. There's one nursery locally the carries castings but they aren't open ever.

The other stuff should be easy to find it's just waste products from other industry save for the kelp.

 

[quiescent]

ive been going through this trying to source all the amendments needed for my first organic soil run

Easy Organic Soil Mix for Beginners

So you want to go organic but don't know where to start? Here's a recipe for an easy, organic, water-only soil that will provide more than enough...

forum.grasscity.com

hard enough to get the stuff for cheap around UK/Ireland

I'd go for the oyster shell flower, gypsum, whatever rock dusts are cheapest and just add a general purpose dry organic mix of various sources, shoot for an even npk. Look for neem or karanja meal/cake if in the budget. Ezpz. Don't short yourself on the mineral side to get amendments. Calcium is what makes this living soil thing work, put plenty of it in there from various sources.

I have done the individual amendments and the general mix and didn't notice too much of a difference other than cost on the first couple runs tbh. I will say I do the individual method to make top dressing my huge smart pots filled with reused soil more situational.

 

[Inf Flux]

I'm the laziest organics guy ever.
I pick plants around my house, yarrow, dandelion, clover, whatever.
I chuck it in the worm bins or top dress.
I love a good crawfish boil. After I boil, I take the excess seafood shells and shit and make stock, washing the salts away in the process. Delicious for etoufee or in a ramen soup. Then I mash whats left and add to soil.
Kelp, powdered molasses, neem meal, rock dust, all goes a long way

 

[quiescent]

You put the powdered molasses in the soil? I top dress it a couple times during flower, never thought to use it in my initial mix. You use food grade or feed grade? I use feed grade stuff for cattle, it's ridiculously cheaper.

Even you truly personal guys should try to get a few ingredients from the feed store, huge savings.

I love going to the feed store and having this old guy scratch his head watching me putting 2-300lbs of bags in the trunk of my lincoln. Probably the only person he sees all day not in a pickup truck.

 

[Hillbill]

You put the powdered molasses in the soil? I top dress it a couple times during flower, never thought to use it in my initial mix. You use food grade or feed grade? I use feed grade stuff for cattle, it's ridiculously cheaper.

Even you truly personal guys should try to get a few ingredients from the feed store, huge savings.

I love going to the feed store and having this old guy scratch his head watching me putting 2-300lbs of bags in the trunk of my lincoln. Probably the only person he sees all day not in a pickup truck.

Also fall markdowns on amendments and grow mixes at Big Box Stores are substantial and I get a lot of good stuff when it doesn’t raise eyebrows.

Alfalfa and Kelp meal or pellets can also be had at feed stores and some may have rice hulls.

 

[Hillbill]

My last couple mixes have been 60% used mix from past grows with excellent results. New high for me.

 

[Hillbill]

Found local perlite for $29 instead of $40 the last few years. Paid $16 ten years ago. Reusing mixes is great to make things last.

 

[Green_256]

here's a bunch of other people's recipes that I've found over the years, I usually take a pic of any decent one's that I find, it's helped me build my own recipe over the years, plus it's nice to be able to look at some of things that everyone has in common!

hope it helps someone!

 

[J.James]

J.James Soil Recipe:

1 Part Base (Coco Coir, Peat Moss, PittMoss)
1 Part Aeration/Drainage (Pumice, Rice Hulls, Grow Stones)
1/2 Part Premium Thermal Compost (Compost is the single most important ingredient, Don't be cheep.)
1/2 Part Vermicompost or Worm Castings

Per Cubic Foot of total soil volume add:
1 Cup Gypsum
1 Cup Oyster Shell Flour
1 Cup Basalt
3 Cups BuildASoil Craft Blend

Mix and plant right away or tuck away and let compost for a couple of weeks first.

Re-amend Old Soil Recipe:

Per Cubic Foot of Old Soil add:
1/2 Gallon of Premium Thermal Compost
1/2 Gallon of Vermicompost or Worm Castings
1/2 Cup Gypsum
1/2 Cup Oyster Shell Flour
1/2 Cup Basalt
1/2 Cup Kashi Blend
2 Cups BuildASoil Craft Blend

Compost for 2 - 3 weeks before use.

 

[Chunky Fool]

I used to mix lots of individual amendments but lately I’ve been using blends like bio live.
Dr Earth also makes a good starter mix.
And I’ve gone “no till” in large pots cause I’m lazy.

 

[Ginger Viking]

Looks like my mix is similar to J.James. 2 parts base, 2 parts compost, and 1 part aeriation. My compost is equal parts EWC, mushroom compost, and black kow. I use the craft blend at about 1/2 the ratio that he does tho. Seems a little hot for seedlings at 3 cup/ft3. I also use 1 cup of bokashi,1/2 cup dolomite, and 1/4 cup Epsom per ft of soil. I top dress with the craft blend every 3 weeks unitl week 4 of flower and top my pots off with compost after the soil settles in the pots from watering which is usually 2-3 weeks after a transplant.
If I am lacking anything I would say it's minerals but I cannot say that for sure because i have seen no ill effects yet. I've only recycled this soil once so far but may see deficiencies at 3+. I would say time will tell but I will probably add that into the mix on the next round of recycling. Some will say I'm lacking in aeriation but when I use equal parts base, compost, and aeriation the plants dry out too fast for my liking which defeats the purpose of organics imo.