Building A Better Soil: Demonstrations & Discussions Of Organic Soil Recipes

Rad's battle with gnats left emotional scars on many of us. It was frustration from beginning to end. Thank goodness that's ancient history, eh Rad? I agree about the neem. One top dressing was all it took. Eliminated those gnats within three days, much to my surprise. They have never returned.
 
after some reading and a couple trips to the garden shop, I am thinking that a mix of:

4 litres sea soil
4 litres worm castings
1.5 litres bone meal
1.5 litres blood meal
1 litre lava rock (maybe less?)
per 3 gallon pot

would be ok from veg to harvest, any comments?
 
That is a lot of blood meal. It's very high in nitrogen and a quickly water soluble. Blood meal is tricky and better used as a soil amendment when you re-use soil. I would substitute the blood meal with Kelp meal. The worm casting will provide your nutrients for a long time. The bone meal will provide phosphorus but is pretty slow and is good stuff.
 
thanks for the reply!

i was wondering about that, and started my recipe with an even mix, thats really useful information :thumb:

would there be any point/advantage to doing maybe 1litre kelp, .5 litre bloodmeal, to give a N boost for veg? or would it be overdone still? I'm not sure if that extra N would be absorbed before flower?

i noticed the shop had smallish tubs of powdered kelp meal, and bottles of liquid kelp; i'll have to do some more reading.
 
Hey folks regarding bugs. They are a living things just like the soil we use. We occasionally will get pests that will harm our ladies, its a fact of life.

What I do is have an IPM (integrated pest management) regimen that we use. This consists of Kelp Meal & neen CAKE foiler spray 2x a week very weak mix. This keeps the plants healthy and happy.

If I see gnats or any insects I will add in a few tbs/gal of Monterrey Insect Spray (spinosad), which is totally organic.

With gnats or any insects really, they have a life cycle. You need to understand what that life cycle is and try and break it. Say if they lay eggs/reproduce every 5 days, we need to spray more often than 5 days (2 times at minimum). That kills the bugs before they get a chance to reproduce AND kill the next round as well, breaking that life cycle.

All that said - healthy plants and healthy soil really are the best defense against pests. In our outdoor gardens we do absolutely nothing and all is well. If you could see whats going on in our worm bins you'd probably never use that soil for anything, but at the end of the process its all good.


Over the years I've had very little issues. The ONE bug that can be devastating and hard to get rid of is spider mites. That's a tear everything down and start over type of infestation. This insect gets out of hand FAST, specially with fans blowing.
 
Hi guys I am making some progress!
Iv managed to find a supply of everything but
Alfalfa meal if just found out this is otherwise known as Lucerne so may find this yet
Crab meal
Langbeinite
Srf they have told me it's a product of rpr and I'm Better to use guano.
Thoughts on this?
And
Azomite

If anyone know of a replacement product for those please tell :)

Also I have application rates for everything for suit 3.8cuf bale but the following.

Rock dust
Crab meal
Langbeinite
Gypsum
Srf
Azomite

Can someone please help with this
Cheers and thank you
 
Basalt can be added to a soil mix at up to 5% by volume - according to my local guy who sells pallets of the stuff every month.

I used about 1.5 quarts for 100 gallons of soil, which is closer to 0.5% by volume. Tht may or may not be right, but I can always add :)

I add about 1 cup per gallon of earthworm castings - but I do it at as 1 TBPS once or twice a month to the earthworm trays.


- That neem cake price is about the same as online - so not bad.
 
bobrown14 said:
Hey folks regarding bugs. They are a living things just like the soil we use. We occasionally will get pests that will harm our ladies, its a fact of life.

What I do is have an IPM (integrated pest management) regimen that we use. This consists of Kelp Meal & neen CAKE foiler spray 2x a week very weak mix. This keeps the plants healthy and happy.

If I see gnats or any insects I will add in a few tbs/gal of Monterrey Insect Spray (spinosad), which is totally organic.

With gnats or any insects really, they have a life cycle. You need to understand what that life cycle is and try and break it. Say if they lay eggs/reproduce every 5 days, we need to spray more often than 5 days (2 times at minimum). That kills the bugs before they get a chance to reproduce AND kill the next round as well, breaking that life cycle.

All that said - healthy plants and healthy soil really are the best defense against pests. In our outdoor gardens we do absolutely nothing and all is well. If you could see whats going on in our worm bins you'd probably never use that soil for anything, but at the end of the process its all good.


Over the years I've had very little issues. The ONE bug that can be devastating and hard to get rid of is spider mites. That's a tear everything down and start over type of infestation. This insect gets out of hand FAST, specially with fans blowing.
Click to expand...

That right there is key. And I'm thinking about a couple people reading this who are using, or plan to use small pots. It's been said that to have a decently stable soil enviro that you need at least 5 gallons, more being better.

Robert Celts top dressing of rock dust, Radogasts neem top dress and BB14s neem/kelp foliar and spinosad sound like an unpenetrable wall of defense if the bad bugs come around.
 
Heirloom said:
That right there is key. And I'm thinking about a couple people reading this who are using, or plan to use small pots. It's been said that to have a decently stable soil enviro that you need at least 5 gallons, more being better.

Robert Celts top dressing of rock dust, Radogasts neem top dress and BB14s neem/kelp foliar and spinosad sound like an unpenetrable wall of defense if the bad bugs come around.
Click to expand...


I'm going to pause and rethink continuing the neem spray.
The spider hasn't minded the neem, but I had a new guest move into Early Veg today.

20151125_122107-1.jpg
 
TheRoach said:
Speaking about biologic control!
Predators live were food is available.
That picture is stunning
Click to expand...

Male Preying Mantis or some specie of mantis??

This time of year the female would have a large abdomen full of eggs - this one obviously does not have that sac.

He's going to reproduce and right after mating will be eaten head chopped off and spat aside by the much larger female! There's many instances in nature where the female is dominant to the point of killing off her mate right after having sex. Actually very many instances.

Good thing we human males are more useful that just reproduction, eh?

Here's a little buggy vid for ya's - this one actually started with the eye! ouch...

Thanks honey that was HOT, now out with your eyes! Ready .... WRESTLE

Female 1 male 0
 
jeffsmith said:
Hi guys I am making some progress!
Iv managed to find a supply of everything but
Alfalfa meal if just found out this is otherwise known as Lucerne so may find this yet
Crab meal
Langbeinite
Srf they have told me it's a product of rpr and I'm Better to use guano.
Thoughts on this?
And
Azomite

If anyone know of a replacement product for those please tell :)

Also I have application rates for everything for suit 3.8cuf bale but the following.

Rock dust
Crab meal
Langbeinite
Gypsum
Srf
Azomite

Can someone please help with this
Cheers and thank you
Click to expand...

Ok I may be able to help a little... skip the azomite - too much aluminum and it will get absorbed into the plant and into you. Not good for long haul.

Granite dust (rock dust) and calcium carbonate (crab meal) will be the substitute - both of which should be able to be found locally around the world. You are already on it...

Langbeinite - Magnesium (in a soluble form), Sulphur (Sulphur Oxide) and Potassium.

AKA: Sol-po-mag, K-mag, Sulfate of Potash Magnesia

All good but not sure what Srf is ?? Slow release fertilizer?? I'd skip that, we need to know whats in the name there??

Alfalfa meal - rabbit food... try your local feed store or your local pet shop - it can be found in pellet form. As soon as it get watered it will break apart - it will be hot and needs to cook a bit so I'd try and find kelp meal and top dress the alfalfa - its a nitrogen source so a good EWC will be fine and kelp meal will fill any voids.
 
olderthandirt said:
SWMBO at this house would argue that one. Actually.... most the gals I know would argue that one (-;
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Not this girl. :laughtwo: Whoa! That's some seriously rough sex!
 
Hey borrows and thanks. The srp is soft rock phosphates.
I think I have finally managed to find enough suppliers to get the amendments off!
The only rabbit.pellets.food.I have found has antibiotics in it. So figured it was no good. I have found a chaff version of it that I think I can use.

Cheers for the info on the langbeinite. Is it ok for the sulphur to go in the soil?
Or am in in the wrong ball park lol
 
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