cubic ft vs gallon vs how much do I need for soil?

[Volga Budmen]

If this info already exists somewhere, it is not easy for me to find and I have not found it yet!

I would like to learn how to figure out exactly what I need before buying it and buying too much or more often way too little. All this math and conversions is giving me a headache! I see for instance in some thread that a cubic foot of soil supposedly equals a 3 quart saucepan, and yet I thought I read that there are 7 gallons of soil in a cubic foot. A 3 quart saucepan is no where near 7 gallons so which is it?

1). what commonly available household measuring device can measure out a gallon or cubic foot of soil at a time?

2). how do I figure out in advance how much soil I need? Say for instance I want to transplant 20 grow bags of 2 gallon size into 20 grow bags of 5 gallon size. Most soil I know of comes by cubic feet and most formulas use gallons.

PLease help! thanks

 

[Volga Budmen]

oh, I have used organic soil, like 2/3 of a big plastic drum full. I have 2 bags (2 cu ft each?) of Black Gold, blood meal, azomite, greensand, and 2 bales about 1/4 their former size of compressed Pro Mix. A little bag of bat guano, out of kelp and bone meal. Can I make due with a mix of these and if so what proportions? I can supplement with liquid nutes. thanks

 

[Granger2]

http://www.onlineconversion.com/volume.htm
Here you go...-granger

 

[Volga Budmen]

thanks
I thought liquid and dry gallons were different, but when I transplanted from 2 gallon to 5 gallon bags, I was surprised to find 5 gallons of loose soil was used per bag. but any handy measure how much soil a cubic foot is? In other words, what size container holds that much?

 

[Ziggaro]

1 Cubic foot is about 6.5 dry gallons.
They are different BTW 1 cubic foot is about 7.5 wet gallons

 

[watts]

1 cubic foot is around 6 gallons

 

[RomulusUSA]

Interesting I've always heard it quoted at 7.5gal. I now see the possibility for confusion...

I'm going to keep using the 7.5gal/cf ratio as I find it works nicely for mixing up soil.

I use a 5 gallon bucket with graduations on it. And I use a bathroom scale for mixing organic mixes.

Going from 2 to 5 gallons is a 3 gallon difference, times 20 = 60 gallons divided by 7.5 = 8 cf. Your total volume for 20 x 5gal will be roughly 13.33cf ((20 * 5) / 7.5).

 

[Volga Budmen]

thanks dude! Some of the bags are lopsided and with settling have voids but the plants seem ok, got some spare soil though, so will push soil in around the sides I think. btw, when you transplant, you do it at the same level right? I don't know what precisely you call it, but where the stem meets the soil: when you transplant, you want it that same level or deeper? The plants seem to tip over and have like 3 appendages coming down like forks into the soil. Too deep or too shallow?