Just another mixing soil thread, SoCal

Hello everyone

I'm mixing my 2nd batch of soil. I'm going to go outdoors in a pot. Also I'm trying to get a decent organic mix for cheap. My plan so far is to use Happy Frog soil and cut it with some compost mix consisting of denali gold humus, redwood compost, and ewc.

To this mix I am adding pumice, perlite, charcoal, and vermiculite.

My amendments available to me at this time:

Soft Rock Phosphate
Azomite
Greensand
Gypsum
K-Mag
dolomite lime

As well as what I would call the "nutrient amendment" which consists of:

1 part Happy Frog All Purpose
1 part Rainbow Mix
1 part EB organics Sure Start

The rest of my thought process is based on Clackamas Coot's Recipe

I am using Happy Frog as a base and cutting it with a compost mix as well as a variety of aeration amendments. My other amendments I am adding in as I've found ratios all over IC mag over time

Soft Rock Phosphate @ 2tbs/gal or 1 cup/cuft
Azomite @ 1 tbs/gal or 1/2 cup/cuft
Greensand @ 1 tbs/gal or 1/2 cup/cuft
Gypsum @ 1 tbs/gal or 1/2 cup/cuft
K-Mag @ 1tsp/gal
dolomite lime @ 2tbs/gal or 1 cup/cuft

My "nutrient" amendment is a 3 part combination of meals that list as ingredients:

• bone
• fish
• fish bone
• alfalfa
• blood
• bat guano
• seabird guano
• kelp
• gypsum
• chicken manure
• steamed bone
• cottonseed
• neem
• langbeinite

Happy Frog Soil Lists as ingredients:

• humic acid
• myco
• humus
• ewc
• bat guano
• oyster shell
• dolomite lime
• granite dust

So since my base soil is already amended I just want to lighten on up regular ratios based on recipes I'm basing this on.

I'm mixing around a 12 gallon batch consisiting of 8 gallons of happy frog with 1 quart each of perlite, vermiculite, pumice, and charcoal. Then adding in 3 gallons of compost consisting of humus, ewc, and compost.

Since already amended, CC's recipe calls for 1 cup amendment per 5 gallons, this would put me at 2.4 cups of amendment but will probably cut it down to 1.25 cups. This will be the 3 part nutrient amendment.

CC's Mix of Minerals include: Soft Rock Phosphate, azomite, glacial rock dust, greensand, and limestone.

Dolomite lime as well as granite dust in already in Happy Frog so what I want to add is SRP, azomite, greensand. For my batch I will be adding:

• SRP @ 1 cup
• Azomite @ 1/2cup + 4tbs + 2tsp
• Greensand @ 1/2 cup + 4tbs + 2tsp
• KMag @ 1/2 cup
• Dolomite lime @ 4 tbs

CC's Lime Mix calls for dolomite, oyster shell, gypsum. Dolomite already amended with Happy Frog with an extra 1/4 strength dose as well as oyster shell. Gypsum will be added @ 3 tbs.

So yes thats what I'm planning to do with what I've been gathering now for the last couple weeks. And just a little background on my choices of products... I am located inland of Southern California... an urban empire with very little access to agriculture resources. Their are some in the area but can only provide with what I have now. I've been reading the Organic Forums now for 3 years and can understand what organic growing is all about. Why I didn't mix my own base soil this time was because of money, If I had more funds I'd go out and get the coir and peat myself but find it cheaper on a bale of Happy Frog. You get more bang for your buck making your own but I gotta work with what I got.

I'm choosing outdoors for my grow because summer is upon us and I'll try my odds at indoor during this winter.

As for the rest of the grow, once my soil is mixed I plan on mulching the top of the planter which is 14 inches and holds just about a cubic foot.

I plan on using tea only three times:
1st a Basic bacteria @ after 1st week of transplant into 14 inch pot
2nd a Alfalfa/Kelp @ last week of veg
3rd 2 Fungi tea @ 2-3 weeks after flower
& maybe basic teas x1/week while in smaller containers till 14 inch pot

Thats the plan... any reflections, opinions, criticisms, etc... welcome please.

-Metatron

Just something I have found.
If your plants are showing signs of overwatering or lack of oxygen to the roots, get a thick piece of wire or a long thin screwdriver or a stick and poke it into the soil right down to the bottom all around the plants. They will look better after 24 hours.

Sounds pretty thought out...the best thing you can do for these types of mixes is allow that time for the components to fully break down.

Continue to recycle and you won't have a need for the word 'foxfarm' in your life.
Peat works just fine with CC's 3-way lime mix....and is VERY cheap as just a bail of peat moss that doesn't have the attached cannabis/hydrostore price increase of 1000% if you buy it at a garden center.

Remember that CC's mix was designed as an indoor medium....not sure how well it performs outdoors,but it should be fine considering you have the correct drainage material incorporated at the right amount for the outside environment you are growing withen.

I'm happy to report back that I decided to go with bales of peat and coir as well as mushroom compost.

Mixed per CC recipe with the exception of charcoal instead of vermiculite

Mineral Mix is only 2 ingredients of 5 that is called for. Soft rock phosphate and Azomite.

Lime Mix is 2 parts of 3 that is listed. Dolomite lime powdered and gypsum. Oyster shell flour/powder is just hard to find out here. I have oyster shell its just granular not powdered.

Just rained today despite a mild winter and beautiful days these last couple weeks.

Used what I could catch into a tea consisting of molasses, ewc, denali gold, mushroom compost, kelp meal.

Will moisten batch with whats brewing at the moment.