chikita banana hey !!! very inspiring
to my journal twinsun, even if it was only to drop a link to yours!
Hooray for Chiquita Banana, baby!!!!
FTFY! Thanks Boo.
I’m sure of that. You know how some people say that Ocean Forest is kind of a “hot soil”? It has an NPK of 0.30-0.45-0.05 with 1.00% Ca. Happy Frog has an NPK of 0.30-0.30-0.05 with 1.00% Ca. So pretty much the same and also in the decimal range.
I know right! I used to think the same thing until I saw folks using nutes starting with the second set of leaves and having no troubles (MrS comes to mind).
I’m thinking the mixture may not have the texture that it would if you mixed in some peat. With just perlite it may just be like muddy perlite,
Damn good point Big D!
You could mix up a small amount, see how the texture is, then water and see how it is, and then see how it looks after a day or two.
Nah, testing soil mixes is not anything I want to get started with. Good idea though!
A lot. I can get a 3.8 cu. ft. of Black Gold peat moss for $23 at Ace Harware. Perlite is a lot more expensive than that.
Interesting, but with all your information, that probably turns out not to be the main reason (see muddy perlite comment above
).
LOL!
coco may not be as environmentally friendly as some people make it out to be.
Good article! Nothing is perfect it turns out.
Loved this quote though...can't imagine why
:
"While being acidic may be a disadvantage in cultivating many plants, it can be an advantage if you water your plants with tap water, which is often alkaline."
Whoopee!
BTW, Shed, I am bookmarking your post for no particular reason!
Thanks GDB! You bookmark for whatever reason you want.
Highya ITS, guys,
Coco coir has an issue with calcium. I think if you soad in calcium slurry for awhile, it won't develope a calcium deficiency through the grow (or something like that). Haqppy Smokin'
Thanks Bode! Luckily I have no intention of growing in straight coco. Phewf!
Sorted!
The soil pubas seem to go with 33% each of coco/peat, worm castings/compost, and pearlite/rice hulls for the main bulk of the soil if that helps in any way.
Thanks Otter! I don't plant on building my own soil, but if I did I would use Van Stank's recipe.
Also, on my phone this morning I didn't understand what soil pubes were and thought I missed a post by Maritimer! Then I read it again and figured out what you meant.
I’m using coco more and more in my soils. Seeing only good results. Yes it also has some sustainability issues but is much much less iffy that peat/SPM. There’s also some difference between SPM and just peat moss (which is not as old and often full of bark etc.) so buying straight peat can be hit and miss outside of known brands.
It’s also true, what Bode said, that you’ll want to buffer/calcium charge it. Any plain peat/SPM would be the same tho. In the ProMix products the buffering/calcium charge already done for us.
I’ve been buying a coco coir (nutrifield) that is pre-buffered with calcium. It’s worked well.
Thanks Amy!
I am definitely not going to be blending soil mixes (other than adding perlite), but I appreciate the info. I'm looking to use something basically out of the bag.
-----------------------------------------------------
What do you all think of this then (it's the Patio Plus mix from Kelloggs that BigD linked to earlier):
Aged recycled forest products, aged rice hulls, composted poultry manure, perlite, peat moss, hydrolyzed feather meal, dehydrated poultry manure, dolomite & oyster shell limes (as pH adjusters), bat guano, kelp meal, worm castings.
(0.30-0.10-0.10)
Our premium outdoor potting mix is perfect for all of your container gardening projects. PATIO PLUS is ready to use with no mixing required.
www.kellogggarden.com
They sell that at Home Depot for $6.25 for a 1.5cuft bag. I'd still cut it with perlite because they state "This great soil environment retains moisture" which is not my #1 goal.
Shedding moisture is more my style of growing.