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

 

[Joe Brewster]

Hi Kosar sounds like your compost is not finished composting
How do they compost ? you may just have to wait for it to finish
turning it will help bring down the ph
I like to use wood ash
Finished compost should balance out between 6- 8 ph
Check out this link StackPath.

 

[SmokingWings]

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

Welcome to the group.

You are running out of time but I feel you can pull it off. To help us all be talking on the same project we would need to know if you are going to be planting in pot or directly into the ground?

I pick up compost from landscape supply businesses and it is always hot as in still cooking. The pile from which they load pick-up trucks from or from which gardeners load up buckets to take home will often still steam on a 55 degree F afternoon. Once I get it home I store it in out of the way areas in the garden. Some gets long term storage in out of the way areas in large plastic growing pots.

There are several in the group who grow outside very successfully and they should find this thread soon.

Have a good day.

 

[skirk]

My 2cents, stay away from peat moss as it's anti-microbial. Not good for an organic compost.

 

[KosarZiga]

Welcome to the group.

You are running out of time but I feel you can pull it off. To help us all be talking on the same project we would need to know if you are going to be planting in pot or directly into the ground?

I pick up compost from landscape supply businesses and it is always hot as in still cooking. The pile from which they load pick-up trucks from or from which gardeners load up buckets to take home will often still steam on a 55 degree F afternoon. Once I get it home I store it in out of the way areas in the garden. Some gets long term storage in out of the way areas in large plastic growing pots.

There are several in the group who grow outside very successfully and they should find this thread soon.

Have a good day.

I will plant them in pots first. Already have them 1 week old.

 

[KosarZiga]

Hi Kosar sounds like your compost is not finished composting
How do they compost ? you may just have to wait for it to finish
turning it will help bring down the ph
I like to use wood ash
Finished compost should balance out between 6- 8 ph
Check out this link StackPath.

Hey.
Not sure how they compost it, it's on industrial scale..
It's not finish yeah, they recommend to mix it. 1 part compost 2 parts soil. (for regular garden use )

 

[SmokingWings]

Not sure how they compost it, it's on industrial scale..

My impression is that commercial or municipal composting operations are large scale operations. For the most part the organic material is separated from other rubbish by the residents. It is collected as part of the weekly or bi-weekly pick-up program. The system I am familiar with is sometimes called the windrow style. The material is put in long piles, 16 to 25 feet wide and up to 8 feet high and can be several hundred feet long. Large equipment is used to regularly turn the piles over to introduce oxygen. Properly maintained a commercial pile can get to 155 degrees F which is hot enough to kill off weed seeds and disease causing organisms.

Most composting on this scale have finished compost in 3 months to 9 months. A lot depends on the size of the pieces added and how well they manage the turning of the piles to keep the oxygen levels up. Piles that are not turned and are allowed to settle start to compact and will be anaerobic (decomposing without oxygen). These piles are the kind that will smell bad. An aerobic compost pile might have a smell for a couple of days and then it starts to smell like rich moist soil.

As the pile is finishing end-loaders and bulldozers will push, carry and load the stuff into huge sifting machines so large pieces of wood, stone and junk can be removed. When it is ready the commercial compost is often better than what a homeowner can do themselves because of the greater variety of plant material that is collected. Homeowners are basically limited to the leaves, trimmings, weeds and grass clipping from their own property.

Anyone who has an interest in soil, organic or otherwise, should go to visit one of these operations if they get the chance.

This type of composting is different than vermicomposting. That method is getting popular for homeowners often involves worms. Michigan State University has such an operation going for composting kitchen scraps from the student and faculty cafeterias. Every so often they will advertise that vermicompost is ready and state residents can pick up a load for their use. Bring your own truck since there are no small amounts so no car trunks and bushel baskets.

 

[SmokingWings]

It's not finish yeah, they recommend to mix it. 1 part compost 2 parts soil. (for regular garden use )

I was thinking more like 1 part compost to 3 or 4 parts garden soil. You can plan on where each plant will be put. Dig a large hole for each plant. Mix some of the new compost with the soil from the hole and start to refill. Keep mixing in new material until the hole has been filled. There will be a mound. Move on to the next hole and do it again.

If you do it as soon as possible you should be able to get a month or more with the micro-ogranisms in the garden soil helping to break down the new added material. I have been able to mix like that and plant in the vegetable garden in a couple of weeks. Another option is to just make piles of the compost near where each plant would be placed and then in a month or two mix that into the garden soil.

If there is any compost left it can be piled up and left to do its own thing until needed. I filled 10 and 15 gallon pots and then stacked them two or three high. As the compost cools down the earthworms will find their way in to eat what they can and leave behind the worm castings. The material settles so it looks like there is less but it will fluff back up with just a couple seconds of turning with a small shovel.

The first picture is of 6 pots. Two years ago all of the pots were filled and there were 3 stacks of 3 pots and one stack of 2 tote boxes.

 

[KosarZiga]

Thanks for good suggestions!

 

[KosarZiga]

I was thinking more like 1 part compost to 3 or 4 parts garden soil. You can plan on where each plant will be put. Dig a large hole for each plant. Mix some of the new compost with the soil from the hole and start to refill. Keep mixing in new material until the hole has been filled. There will be a mound. Move on to the next hole and do it again.

If you do it as soon as possible you should be able to get a month or more with the micro-ogranisms in the garden soil helping to break down the new added material. I have been able to mix like that and plant in the vegetable garden in a couple of weeks. Another option is to just make piles of the compost near where each plant would be placed and then in a month or two mix that into the garden soil.

If there is any compost left it can be piled up and left to do its own thing until needed. I filled 10 and 15 gallon pots and then stacked them two or three high. As the compost cools down the earthworms will find their way in to eat what they can and leave behind the worm castings. The material settles so it looks like there is less but it will fluff back up with just a couple seconds of turning with a small shovel.

The first picture is of 6 pots. Two years ago all of the pots were filled and there were 3 stacks of 3 pots and one stack of 2 tote boxes.

Do you have any recommendations about dosages of fish meal, bone meal, alfalfa pellets, azomite, gypsum, neem, bat guano ..
Whatever I will find to buy..

 

[Odjob]

100 gallons is a big pot. I wouldn't try to over think it with amendments. The local composting facility here makes a cannabis blend for outdoors and it's 75% finished compost and 25% mineral soil, that's it. Top dressing with anything more than that is a bonus. The top few inches is the most important part! Good luck and send pictures!

 

[SmokingWings]

Do you have any recommendations about dosages of fish meal, bone meal, alfalfa pellets, azomite, gypsum, neem, bat guano ..
Whatever I will find to buy..

100 gallons is a big pot. I wouldn't try to over think it with amendments. The local composting facility here makes a cannabis blend for outdoors and it's 75% finished compost and 25% mineral soil, that's it. Top dressing with anything more than that is a bonus. The top few inches is the most important part! Good luck and send pictures!

Yes, I agree with Odjob, 'don't over think it'. If the pots are that large and mixed 3 parts compost to 1 part soil that could be enough for the average grow. If there is a deficiency in the P and K macro nutrients it should start to show up soon enough that a top dressing could be enough to finish the season's grow. Then next year whatever is missing to take care of what is missing.

My opinion is that the compost mix will not reach its peak performance until the second or third grow, especially if outside.