I have a quick question about re-amending recycled soil.
I have 2 5gallon buckets mostly full (~9 gallons) of used ocean forest. Half of it was straight out of the bag used for about 1.5-2 months and plants were healthy when chopped (males). The other half was used for a full flower run and I think I added a little coco and perlite, extra ewc and maybe some high p guano to that one not sure it has been quite a while.
Anyway I usually just buy a 1.5cu ft bag of FFOF for $20 and just toss it into outdoor beds/planters once I use it. A bag lasts me 1-2 runs depending on number of plants and size of grow bags (micro grow).
I could keep getting a $20 bag of fresh FFOF every 1-2 grows but seems about half the time lately they have been coming amended with root aphids for free.
I can get a bag of amendments for a 1.5 cu ft bag of soil for $18.60 shipped and the bag includes:
"Super Soil Amendment for 1 Large Bag (1.5 cf) of Soil Mix
Approximately 3 lbs of organic fertilizer soil amendment, with the following ingredients:
10 oz Bat Guano (1-12-1)
10 oz Bone Meal (1-15-0)
10 oz Blood Meal (13-0-0)
8 oz Potassium Sulphate - Potash (0-0-50)
1 cup Kelp Meal
2 tbsp Epsom Salt – Magnesium Sulphate
2 tbsp Azomite
2 tbsp Endo Mycorrhizal Fungi (134 spores/g)
2 tbsp Dolomite Lime
2 tsp Granulated Humic Acid
(add to the mix ~6lbs EWC mentioned below, which I have about that much EWC left hanging around)
This mix should be combined with 1 large bag (1.5 cf) of high quality organic potting soil mix and approximately 6 lbs of organic earthworm castings to create a long lasting “super soil” that will take your vegetables, flowers or herbs through the vegetative and blooming stages. Best if pre-mixed with water at least one month ahead of planting to allow the fungi to become established in the soil and the fertilizers to begin to break down. Make sure to keep moist until planting. Note this mix is too hot for seedlings, as it will burn the roots. You can transplant seedlings after a good root system has already been developed, or you may place the amended super soil in the bottom of the planter, and place your seedling in a layer of un-amended soil at the top."
Do you guys think this amendment mix would do me well if I mix it with the used FFOF and water with a compost tea or lacto bacillus and keep moist/turned for about 6-8 weeks until I need it for the next batch? It is roughly the cost of a new bag of FFOF which may or may not come with pests included so I am thinking I might like the option of trying a recycled amended soil mix, which I have been wanting to do for some time now anyway.
I guess I am just looking for a go ahead or not to purchase the amendment mix and start composting it. But if its not a good mix I might pass, it would cost me a lot more to buy amendments separately, though I would get more of each but I would use so little of each it might not be cost effective in my situation to build my own amendment mix.
Just dont want to buy it if its got bad ratios of amendments or anything that stands out as bad to you guys more experienced in re-amending soils.
I have 2 5gallon buckets mostly full (~9 gallons) of used ocean forest. Half of it was straight out of the bag used for about 1.5-2 months and plants were healthy when chopped (males). The other half was used for a full flower run and I think I added a little coco and perlite, extra ewc and maybe some high p guano to that one not sure it has been quite a while.
Anyway I usually just buy a 1.5cu ft bag of FFOF for $20 and just toss it into outdoor beds/planters once I use it. A bag lasts me 1-2 runs depending on number of plants and size of grow bags (micro grow).
I could keep getting a $20 bag of fresh FFOF every 1-2 grows but seems about half the time lately they have been coming amended with root aphids for free.
I can get a bag of amendments for a 1.5 cu ft bag of soil for $18.60 shipped and the bag includes:
"Super Soil Amendment for 1 Large Bag (1.5 cf) of Soil Mix
Approximately 3 lbs of organic fertilizer soil amendment, with the following ingredients:
10 oz Bat Guano (1-12-1)
10 oz Bone Meal (1-15-0)
10 oz Blood Meal (13-0-0)
8 oz Potassium Sulphate - Potash (0-0-50)
1 cup Kelp Meal
2 tbsp Epsom Salt – Magnesium Sulphate
2 tbsp Azomite
2 tbsp Endo Mycorrhizal Fungi (134 spores/g)
2 tbsp Dolomite Lime
2 tsp Granulated Humic Acid
(add to the mix ~6lbs EWC mentioned below, which I have about that much EWC left hanging around)
This mix should be combined with 1 large bag (1.5 cf) of high quality organic potting soil mix and approximately 6 lbs of organic earthworm castings to create a long lasting “super soil” that will take your vegetables, flowers or herbs through the vegetative and blooming stages. Best if pre-mixed with water at least one month ahead of planting to allow the fungi to become established in the soil and the fertilizers to begin to break down. Make sure to keep moist until planting. Note this mix is too hot for seedlings, as it will burn the roots. You can transplant seedlings after a good root system has already been developed, or you may place the amended super soil in the bottom of the planter, and place your seedling in a layer of un-amended soil at the top."
Do you guys think this amendment mix would do me well if I mix it with the used FFOF and water with a compost tea or lacto bacillus and keep moist/turned for about 6-8 weeks until I need it for the next batch? It is roughly the cost of a new bag of FFOF which may or may not come with pests included so I am thinking I might like the option of trying a recycled amended soil mix, which I have been wanting to do for some time now anyway.
I guess I am just looking for a go ahead or not to purchase the amendment mix and start composting it. But if its not a good mix I might pass, it would cost me a lot more to buy amendments separately, though I would get more of each but I would use so little of each it might not be cost effective in my situation to build my own amendment mix.
Just dont want to buy it if its got bad ratios of amendments or anything that stands out as bad to you guys more experienced in re-amending soils.
