Most Important Soil Amendments?

[JuiceDaLeaves]

Hello!

So I am just getting into organics; previously I've just used organic liquid nutes but now I want to get into AACTs and building my soil and microherd..

So I went out and got some organic soil, earthworm casting, kelp meal, alfalfa meal and greensand. I'm thinking this will do me good and using what I have left of biobud/biothrive and some AACTs I will be ready to rock and roll.

I guess my question is, is there ANY other soil amendment that I just MUST purchase in order to have good success with this grow?

Will I be lacking anything if the above is all I use for my girls?

Thanks in advance for the advice! I'm stoked to be heading down this path and want to achieve as much greatness as possible the first time around =D

Cheers!

 

[Eighths-n-Aces]

"MUST" is kind of a relative thing.

neem seed meal or karanja would be a good thing to track down. crab meal would be a plus, and i don't see a good source of P on your list .

have you read gascan's recipe at the begining of the ROLS thread? it works really well IMHO. some of the stuff in there is not easy to find but it is worth the effort

 

[JuiceDaLeaves]

Thanks for the tip, I will go read that now!

For P I was thinking of going with Rock Phosphate -- Not sure if I should try to source some guano's for N and P

All the recipes I've read have SOO many ingredients, little overwhelming to take in, I've been trying to read as much as I can each day..

Thanks again

P.S. as a MUST I guess I am referring to something that would coverall bases in terms of nutes; macro and micro with enzymes and other perks =)

 

[Tonygreen]

I use bone meal.

 

[John Deere]

ROLS thread is awesome. Also read FTI's sticky at the top of the page. It breaks it down super simple.

Making Organic Potting Soil 101

 

[Veg N Out]

Ones that have protein.

 

[JuiceDaLeaves]

Ones that have protein.

Any examples? Sorry I am new to all this.

And thank you everyone else for the help.

I think I am just going to follow Rev's TLO soil recipe or at least try to get everything on the list, maybe with some variation.

 

[OrganicOzarks]

Rock phosphate is not bioavailable to a plant for 12-14 months. It then is good for up to 5 years. Not the best choice for potting soil.

Basic soil recipe

40%-50% peat moss
20%-25% perlite/vermiculite/pine bark fines/rice hulls etc, for aeration
20%-25% compost/worm castings
3%-8% fertilizer

The fertilizer can be many different things, but if you are starting out I would suggest just buying a ready made organic fertilizer like this one
http://www.espoma.com/p_consumer/tones_garden.html
Mix in 4-6 cups per cubic foot of soil. I would start with 4.

I would also add a either lime, or oyster shell flour to help with the PH

The epsoma does have greensand in it, but greensand is not readily available in potting soils. So you would want to add a mineral mix. Azomite seems to be a go to for most. You may be able to find some rock dusts locally. I know clackamas has a blend, but I can not think of the recipe for it right now. I am sure you can search for it.

Application rates for the rock dust can vary. I started using 1/2 cup, but now use 1 cup per cubic foot. I have seen others use up to 4 cups per cubic foot. 1/2 to 1 cup would be a safe place to start.

I would also suggest using kelp meal, neem cake, and crab shell meal. You can add 1/2 cup of each of those to 1 cubic foot of soil. The neem, and crab will help with insects, and the kelp will help with micronutrients.

Do not add more of the neem or crab as you may run into problems with your plants. The kelp however can be upped as you feel comfortable with. I have used anywhere form 1/2 to 2 cups per cubic foot with no discernible difference in the plants.

With what I just gave you you should be able to grow a plant form start to finish with only the application of a few teas.

Now you will have to research teas.

 

[OrganicOzarks]

Any examples? Sorry I am new to all this.

And thank you everyone else for the help.

I think I am just going to follow Rev's TLO soil recipe or at least try to get everything on the list, maybe with some variation.

Patient is a virtue. Instant answers to things people have taken years to learn makes you sound like a 20 year old kid with little to no respect for this information.

If you follow "REV" you are going to go down a road that will be filled with voodoo, witch doctors, and shaman. Might be ok for some, but I would rather follow science.

Stick around here. Everything I have learned has been spawned from this site. Either directly or indirectly. there is a lot of good info on here, and a lot people that know what they are talking about.

I bet you don't even realize that we have the "king of compost tea" posting on here daily. I am joking about the title, but he is literally the world authority when it comes to compost tea.

If you slow the fuck down, and give it some time you will have so much information in front of you that you will get anxious from the overload.

Have a safe trip.

 

[dreadlock]

Welcome aboard, I'm in a similar situation..There's plenty of info around here along with experienced growers ready to help. All the best dude

 

[Mr.Fastcast]

I looked at the REV mix when he had it in Skunk mag awhile back.All I can say is,that's probably the hottest mix I've ever seen.Once you look at the list,you think,this is fricking crazy!

Look here,Nutrient Pack | Keep It Simple

 

[JuiceDaLeaves]

Thanks again for all the advice - best forum ever.

I got Teaming with Nutrients on hold at the library and I plan on reading as many threads as I can.

My buddies about to cut down his patients plants in a couple days here and I'm trying to get him off the heavy synthetic train and get him to give organics a shot; so sorry if it seems like I'm trying to grab all the info as easily as I can without putting in the hard work, but that's what I'm doing at the moment. Maybe ill just slow it down, read my ass off and just focus on my own grow and get him to convert in another 10 weeks when I've got a foot hold on some of this incredibly epic information.

Again thanks everyone for your input; I'm excited to learn what you all have to offer.

 

[John Deere]

Organics isn't just following exact recipes. It's about using your local resources. There's lots of things you can add that will work well. It's not complicated at all.

The first two posts in my link above lay it right out for you. OO also explained it very well. The KIS nutepack works well if you prefer one stop shopping. No heavy studying needed to get started with any of these methods.

 

[bigshrimp]

Yep, don't forget the phosphorus. Crustation/ crab/ shrimp meal would be my first choice. Fish bone meal is also good. If you cant find either of those go for bone meal.

Other than that the neem meal would be the best buy imo.

 

[VerdantGreen]

imo some important ones are EWC or some other good quality compost, kelp meal, neem seed meal.

 

[DARC MIND]

cant stress enough
quality compost and or worm casting

along with a minimum of 20% diverse rich rock mineral/clay content & or rich loam topsoil

this link may help some with mixing soil
Organic Potting Mix Basics - eXtension

to me a soil mix thats high in organic matter yet low in soluble nutrients,
well aerated and loose but able to hold moister & drain well is far more important then "any" coin purchased amendments

hth

 

[Weird]

i picked up these castings at a wholesale farm supply. http://www.fertilizeronline.com/wormcast.php

I like the line card, ill have to see if they live up to the description

 

[vonforne]

Quality EWC. All others can be sourced locally.

It is the single most important item.

 

[Microbeman]

compost - vermicompost - life

Stay away from solubles unless using itsy bitsy containers.

On the alfalfameal use it very sparingly or as a topdress unless you are prepared to compost your mix.

In my growing experience of old I did not use the high rate of aeration/drainage materials as have been recommended by many (25 to 33%). I did try this in some of my mixes recently but I've now reverted to my old ratio of 12 to 15%. My personal preference is for this with a higher ratio of organic matter and to count more on the 'soil drillers' to provide aeration/drainage. Of course this applies to no-till actual living soil. (Living = I see bugs)

 

[DARC MIND]

.....