Building a Better Soil - Demonstrations & Discussions of Organic Soil Recipes

UncleCannabis;2609900 said:

Hello folks.
Here are a couple of re-post from my journal as requested by SweetSue.

Only one of a million ways to grow organic Mary Jane.

UncleCannabis;2557045 said:

My Soil Mix

Ingredients:
Soil Base. Consist mostly of composted black soil containing lots of leaf matter.
Worm Castings
Bone Meal
Blood Meal
Bat Guano
Chicken Shit
Sheep Shit
Alfalfa Meal
Crushed Pumice Stone
Crushed Oyster Shells
Ground Egg Shells
Used Coffee Grounds
Neem Cake Meal
Rice Hulls
Coco Coir
Dolomite Lime
Epsom Salt
Humic Acid
BioChar
EM (Effective Microorganisms)

After mixing I put into clear plastic tubs with clear covers and let it set outside in the sun for at least 4 to 6 months before using. While simmering I turn and water a few times per week until it's ready to use.
Before using the mix for potting up plants I add a bit of perlite along with more coco coir, more worm castings, more bat guano, more bone meal, more dolomite lime (based on ph adjustment needs), more epsom salt, and more neem cake meal. I mix everything well then use.

Ingredient Quantities:
To be honest my gardening habits are similar to my cooking habits in that I don't really measure ingredients when making a batch of soil. I just know from experience about how much of which ingredients to add for different purposes. I was raised on a farm and I've had many years of organic growing experience with fruit and vegetable crops so it's not like I'm just throwing darts at a dart board hoping that I get close to bulls eye. There is a bit of knowledge and experience at play but it's probably an even mix of luck and skill that gets me by by the skin of my teeth sometimes. LOL!

IMHO due to variations and inconsistencies in regards to the ingredients that are contained in most organic based products that are the standard fare when making a custom soil mix it's really an imprecise science. Example...If two groups of bats are eating different diets, the bat dung from both groups of bats will not contain the same NPK ratios. Same goes for worm castings. All worm castings are not the same. Anyways, you all get the picture.

I sometimes compare building a healthy soil to what it takes to build a healthy body. If you want to build a healthy body you need to feed the machine with a WIDE ASSORTMENT of CLEAN and HIGH QUALITY foods. Eating too much of anything is usually a bad thing but eating too little of those same things are bad as well. Same goes for building a healthy and balanced soil. In most but not all cases the amounts of each ingredient are not as important as the variety of the ingredients that are used and getting the soil texture right. I won't get into soil cation exchange capacity (CEC) but those who may have a real interest in organic soil gardening monster should read up on this subject as this is they key as to how plant uptake and utilize nutrients.
I guess the point I'm trying to make is that IMHO there is no PERFECT SOIL RECIPE folks!! There are however some recipes that are better than others and the key reason lies in the variety and quality of the ingredients used. There's more to gardening than just N-P-K and Cal/Mag.
I like to try to not over complicate things unless complicated is the ONLY route to success and growing good weed ain't as complicated or difficult as most folks make it out to be.

Anyways, now that I've probably ruffled up a few feathers with the organic soil growers as well as the hydro gardeners my work is done here. LOL!

One of these days I'll take notes of the quantities of ingredients that I use when mixing up a new batch of soil.

Have a Great Day Everyone!

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UncleCannabis;2609096 said:

Transplant Up

Some of the first clones that were taken were itching to get transplanted into larger pots so today was the big day.

After cleaning up from the bubble hash session it was time to mix up some transplant soil.

Begin by adding some of my pre-mixed and pre-simmered composted soil mix to a plastic container for mixing.

Add a few last minute amendments before mixing.

Mix well.

Place plastic screen into wicker baskets.

Clones waiting to be placed into their new homes.

One day sometime back when topping this LA Chocolat clone I stuck the part that I snipped off into the corner of the pot.
The cutting took root so I went ahead and removed it and potted it in it's own pot.

When transplanting I like to massage the root ball and break up the roots a bit before covering with soil.

After giving them a good B-1 infused watering the newly transplanted clones were then placed inside of my spare tent with a Mars-Hydro 144x5 providing artificial sun.

This tent has proven to be useful for so many things I've begun referring to it as my Swiss Army Tent. LOL!

They'll be left here recovering from transplant shock and left vegging under 18/6 lighting schedule for at least a week or 2.

Have a great day 420 friends.

Keep your plants green and your headlights shining red!

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