Bulk soil recipes?

[Lazyman]

Hey guys, I'm having trouble finding a bulk soil recipe to use for our outdoor run. I see lots of recipes for smaller grows that use lots of store-bought components, but when we're talking around 70 cubic yards of it, store-bought just won't fly.

A local soil company will mix up pretty much whetever I want, but here's the gist:

We're using mostly 300 gallon holes in clay-heavy soil, they are empty so we are starting from scratch this year. The plants will be watched and maintained daily, not a guerilla grow. We will have automatic watering on every plant, most likely with inline fertigators to provide nutes when needed (thinking GH FLoranova for simplicity, but please don't ask me to brew 500 gallons of tea per day, it's not practical.)

So for the outset we can start with organic soil with lots of amendments if desired, and as they get used up we can start to top feed with the drip system. The water table is fairly high due to a nearby creek, and drainage in clay soil is abysmal.

If anyone has a list of what we should include and what percentage or ratios that would be great, but please don't suggest 70 pallets of FFOF! lol

 

[ms try comb]

compost - bulk..........perlite - bulk......ewc-bulk.......ammend.

 

[Lazyman]

Ok, in what ratios? What about kelp meal, feather meal, rock dust, guanos etc? How much per cubic yard of each?

Thanks all,
LM

 

[Brother Bear]

I use this year after year and it always works great.

3.8 cubic ft bail peat
2cf perlite
4cf mushroom compost
9 cups bone
9 cups dolomite lime
4.5 dried blood
4.5 greensand
4.5 kelp meal

multiply up to what ever you need

 

[Papulz]

this year im doin hp promix 80% and 20% EWC
amended with kelp,bone,blood, and dolomite from the organics 4 beginners recipe.

 

[B. Friendly]

take a soil sample to a local lab
they'll examine it and tell you exactly how to amend it to suit your Tomatoes!

 

[Lazyman]

Ok I got a list of what is available, and though I have heard of most of these, I can't find any good ratios to use as a ruler, please help ! I think EWC all got bought up...

MUSHROOM COMPOST is well-rounded compost. This works great as a mulch, when spread on top of soil in the fall or early spring. In addition, it may also be tilled or mixed into vegetable gardens. Mushroom compost is made-up of straw, horse manure, chicken manure, gypsum, peat moss, lime, molasses and cottonseed meal.



GARDEN MIX is our “house blend” which is ideal for flowers and vegetables. This “all purpose mix,” is used directly in the ground or in planter boxes, and is great for the lawn. The garden mix contains mushroom compost, rice hulls, grape pumice, shavings, a little chicken litter, and a small amount of lava sand (to help maintain moisture).



ROSE MIX is used for plants, bushes or trees that need extra strength to hold their roots. Our rose mix consists of sandy loam, mushroom compost, chicken litter, rice hulls, cocoa bean hulls, granite dust and fir shavings. It may also be used in raised beds.



FARMER’S MIX is a blend of local ingredients, which is typically used for breaking up large pieces of ground that have not been worked up. Farmer’s mix is not recommended for general gardening. The mix consists of dirt, grape pumice, chicken manure, cow manure and diatornaceous earth.



SPY ROCK MIX is our hottest mix and is full of nutrients. The mix consists of chicken manure, cow manure, worm castings, mushroom compost, rice hulls, grape pumice and granite dust.

USE CAREFULLY!!!



MANURES (sold by the yard3)

Chicken Litter……………… $ 55 Redwood Sawdust………….. $ 40

Cow………………………… $ 45 Rice Hulls Fresh (Organic) $ 45

Mushroom Compost New… $ 45 Composted…….. $ 50

Old… $ 70 Sandy Loam……………….. $ 40

Sheep……………………… $ 50 Shredded Redwood Bark….. $ 35

Worm Castings……………. $250 Wood Chips……………….. $ 32



AMENDMENTS (sold by the yard3) MIXES (sold by the yard3)

Beach Sand………………… $ 50 Garden Mix new… $ 45

Coco Coir Fiber……………. $180 old….. $ 55

Cocoa Bean Hulls………….. $ 85 Rose Mix…………………… $ 55

Grape Pumice………………. $100 Spy Rock new…. $110

Green Sand…………………. $175 old….. $140

Lava Sand…………………... $ 35 Farmer’s Mix………………. $ 40

Oyster Shell (whole shell)… $190 50/50 Mix (½Farmer;s ½ Dirt) $ 45

Oyster Shell Flour (lime)…. $275



North American Organics

Amendment Price List (as of 2/1/2011)

BAT GUANO nitro $3/lb. (bulk bag)

Phos $3/lb. (bulk bag)



BLACK GOLD $17/BAG (1.5ft3)



BLOOD MEAL $70/BAG (50 lbs.)



BONE MEAL steamed $50/BAG (50 lbs.)

BONE MEAL parcipitated $65/BAG (50 lbs.)



COCO BEAN HULLS $25/BAG (4ft)



COCO FIBER (compressed) $30/BLOCK

COCO FIBER (loose fill bag) $25/BAG (2ft3)



FEATHER MEAL $70/BAG (50 lbs.)



GLACIER ROCK DUST $30/BAG (50 lbs.)



GREEN SAND $30/BAG (50 lbs.)



KELP MEAL (Canadian Kelp) $80/BAG (50 lbs.)



NEEM MEAL $80/BAG (50 lbs.)



OYSTER SHELL FLOUR $10/BAG (50 lbs.)



PERLITE $25/BAG (4ft3)



RICE HULLS $9/BAG (4ft3)



PALM ASH $50/BAG (50 lbs.)



SOFT PHOSPHATE (Colloidal Clay) $25/BAG (50 lbs.)



SOLUABLE SEAWEED POWDER $20/lb.



SUNSHINE MIX #2 $60/BAIL (3.8 ft3)

SUNSHINE PEAT MOSS $60/BAIL (3.8 ft3)



TRACE MINERAL (TMI) $35/BUCKET (30 lbs.)



VERMICULITE $35/BAG (4ft3)



WATER CRYSTAL $15/lb.

 

[Guest 150314]

Ouch 60 bucks a bail for sunshine thats brutal

 

[FunkBomb]

Keep it simple and go with some mushroom compost, perlite, and dolomite lime. You'll save money, provide the necessary elements for your plants, and be happy in the end. I've seen the power of mushroom compost in my vegetable garden and swear by it.

-Funk

 

[Lazyman]

Apparently the garden mix is pretty popular with growers up there, at $45 a yard its not terribly pricey either. Maybe I will order up some top dressing while they're at it, some EWC and guanos, anything else I should have on hand for flowering?

 

[:-(]

Did you say 70 cubic yards of soil? hell yes.

 

[FunkBomb]

I top dress with Espoma Garden Tone fertilizer if the plants look like they need it:

http://www.espoma.com/p_consumer/tones_garden.html

But if your soil mix is strong enough, I'd think EWC or more compost would do the trick.

-Funk

 

[Lazyman]

I was thinking some mulch, straw or something for a cover. Would that be good or is there something better on that list? Thanks to all who have replied! You guys are the bomb.

 

[Papulz]

hey lazy.. now that they are almost done.. use some type of cover indeed. we have straw.

 

[joe fresh]

I would suggest you to ask aeroguerilla for his "momster mix" recipe, he gave it to me but asked me not to give it out to anyone, so I would suggest you to pm him and ask him for it, great mix, extremely complete

 

[TACOE]

go cheap.. you wont be sorry.. this mix is for sure water only. This is a spin off of LC Mix and inspired by someone (can't remember who) and modified by me.

1p peat
1p native soil (important IMO)
1p compost
1p aeration mix (Calcined DE-aka floor dri-, rice hulls-very cheap and sustainable)
doli lime @ 1 cup/cu ft. - Depending on the pH of your native soil, you may just want to lime for the volume of peat, and compost. That's what I did this year.
ferts (i was lazy, and just went with BioTone used at about recommended rate, and Kelp Meal @ .5 cup/cu ft.) Fertilizer mixes are pretty easy to do yourself.. check out organics for beginners.
rock mix (mine is equal parts: granite meal, greensand, Tennesse brown phosphate (or soft rock phos), azomite, and whatever other rock dusts you can get) I apply this at 2 or 3 cups per cu ft. (adopted from Clackamas Coot - modified to be on the safe side)

At the first sign of stretching, I top dressed with a guano mix (i mixed 2p Hi P with 1p Hi N) at about an ounce per hole (very light)

 

[TACOE]

I was thinking some mulch, straw or something for a cover. Would that be good or is there something better on that list? Thanks to all who have replied! You guys are the bomb.

i drop all leaves I pluck, as well as a variety of green weeds (clover, vetch, nettle, comfrey etc.), and hay. basically building a compost pile on the soil as mulch... keep it thick. 12 inches for suppressing weeds, but you also get the nutritional value and much more.

 

[PoopyTeaBags]

I got the best mix for you and no its not 70 pallets of FFOF.....





















its 80 pallets fo0!!!

-=P sorry i couldnt resist....

 

[botler]

I like the soil recipe in youtubes jorge cerventes video the green giants of calif. in the video the third humboldt garden amazing by the way, generously gives their recipe for 300 gal pots, mix it up, let sit for 2months with some moisture you will have black gold!

 

[botler]

I like the soil recipe in youtubes jorge cerventes video the green giants of calif. the third humboldt garden, amazing by the way, generously gives their recipe for 300 gal pots. just pause the video and write it down. further more after mixing moisten with non clorinated water and let sit and cook for at least two months, after it cools down you will have black gold!