Organic Soil Mix Recipe

[duggy]

I'd been growing using 50% black dirt, 25% Perlite and 25% vermiculite for a while, and finally decided it was time to get real. Had my buddy (who's own grow is producing fat, succulent buds) mix me up some stuff. He didn't measure out exactly, but tossed some stuff in. It's about like this:

Base: black dirt with about 20% well composted cow manure.

plus

rice hulls,
tree bark,
powerdered lime
ground egg shells,
pelleted bone meal
powerdered bone meal
pelleted bat guano
powerded bat quano
and a sprinkeling of stuff that had iron, magnesium, et al. in it.

What do you think? If I can grow them half as juicy as his, I'll be mighty pleased.

duggy

 

[Guest]

No real measurements 20% manure could be improved.BTW i hate bark.

 

[duggy]

Sorry for no measurements. I know it's not quite scientific. It seemed more spiritual when it was happening. . . I balked at the bark, too, but bowed to the master soil mixer in the end. You think more manure?

duggy

 

[Guest]

I am thinking somthing other than cow manure. Like bat manure the N type and the P type the cows manure is too much N worm castings are good also. Cow manure is good for vegging not so much flowering. Sorry about my syntax english is difficult.

 

[Guest]

I still hate bark.

 

[Guest]

I have re read the recepie and the manure is being used as soil. It will work in correct amounts.

 

[duggy]

Just re-potted two confirmed female B52s in the new soil mix. One will continue in 12/12, and one i'll put back into 24 as a mom. Not sure if this soil mix is suited to veg or flower, but the experiment is underway.

I can't help but want to throw in a bunch of perlite and vermiculite. I haven't done it, though.

Water drains through really fast, and I wonder if all that powdered stuff got pissed out already. I guess that's why the pellets are in there, too.

duggy

 

[Guest]

Most likly experimenting is the best way. I cant afford 25$ dirt I played around untill i had some good dirt that will take plants through flowering with a few bumps. A new pheno needs new custom dirt. I am getting tierd of the GF and have seeds so I bloomed and smoked the mom. The new pheno must be potent or it will not see any cloning. The GF is such a fertilizer hog its a little hard to grow.

 

[Guest]

octodiem, why do you hate bark? an explanation would do us novices some good.

duggy, when your roots start to develop more, the water drainage will decrease. if it's still too much, next time add more of something that will make the soil heavier, something that will retain water.

perlite has good water retention, but it can also loosen up the soil more thus defeating the purpose. same goes for vermiculite. or at least, that's what my research has yielded. here's an interesting article on vermiculite:

http://www.vermiculite.org/pdf/horticultural.pdf

please anyone, correct me if you know better! just looking to learn after all.

 

[jaykush]

seems like your mix is suited for veg. and water only no added nutrients for a while just water. this is going off with no measurements but hey i never really use measurements, what i feel is good goes and im sure your friend is the same way.

 

[Guest]

The bark takes up space in the soil needed for soil. When I used barky soil I had to use a lot of suppliments (Fertilizer). I like to water and only suppliment when necessary. The next batch of soil I will measure everything and you will see that watering is better than CONSTANT feeding. The plants must have available nuets at the correct time in the soil not waiting for you to add them. This maintains a constant vigorous groth cycle throughout the flowering stage.Pax

 

[Guest]

octodiem, what you say makes good sense. looking forward to reading your mix next time around.

 

[Guest]

I am less than 1 week from next soil mix Ill just post here.

 

[smokeymacpot]

bark/woodchips tends to grow mould and little mushrooms.

also what do you mean by "black dirt" ? garden soil? or compost ?

 

[Guest]

say, why we've got this great thread going here, just thought i'd throw a wild card at y'all. every heard of spraying plants with carbonized water? it's supposed to give them a good dose of CO2. Kind of makes sense doesn't it? actually, i used to do it a lot, and I actually think it made a noticeable difference. it certainly didn't harm them. anyone?

 

[Guest]

I have heard of this never tried it. wont hurt though.

 

[vonforne]

I still hate bark.

But tree bark helps off set the peat acidity. It is also one of the best compost additives there is. It has a great C/N ratio. You can get varios types of tree bark. I find the finer the better. I always use pine bark in a compost pile.

 

[Suby]

I don't have a problem with bark, generally I dislike it when it appears in a abg of expensive soiless mix because I'm payinf for composted elements with alot of peat not something that would make good compost lol.
If you have a chipper and a compost bin them bark makes a very good additive, the real problem is very strong or sticky pine residue, plants don't seem to like pine much, just look at lawn under a pine tree, both the needles and bark are of varying quality so be selective.


Duggy the elements seem well chosen but that's half the battle, they also have to be well measured out and in proportion to each other, let us know the measures you use in the end.

S

 

[Guest]

Leave bark in the flower beds as a mulch....It doesn't belong in a potting mix unless it's been "fully" composted and ready for plant uptake....Most barks/forrest products is a "sign" of cheap mixes...If you can "lay yo eyes" on bark in a mix, stay away from those mixes.....JMO...LC

 

[vonforne]

I have been using all types of organic matter in a compost bin lately. Tree bark has its place. I do agree that if it dominates the mix it is cheap but if it is a part of a larger make up, it has its place. I prefer to have about 35% wood fiber which will include some tree bark.

And I would only use it after it has been composted properly.