Can I use Redwood soil?

I have access to free soil found in a redwood forest. I need about 200 cubic feet for this seasons grow. I was wondering what information is out there about growing in this type of soil? I am guessing it is acidic. But the soil is moist and dark under the foliage on top.

Can I get some help linking me to threads or helpful information about how I could use this soil?

My goal is to get free soil and if I was able to amend it correctly, could I be successful? Any ideas on what amendments would be best in this particular soil? This will be my first outdoor, and with my past experience I hope to have great success.

I will be searching while I wait for responses, but I couldn't find too much about Redwood soil for growing the GANJ specifically.

Thank you all

Lebniis said:

I have access to free soil found in a redwood forest. I need about 200 cubic feet for this seasons grow. I was wondering what information is out there about growing in this type of soil? I am guessing it is acidic. But the soil is moist and dark under the foliage on top.

Can I get some help linking me to threads or helpful information about how I could use this soil?

My goal is to get free soil and if I was able to amend it correctly, could I be successful? Any ideas on what amendments would be best in this particular soil? This will be my first outdoor, and with my past experience I hope to have great success.

I will be searching while I wait for responses, but I couldn't find too much about Redwood soil for growing the GANJ specifically.

Thank you all

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Please leave the soil where it is....where it is needed. Just think of the nutrients necessary to support those trees.

Redwood isn't exactly the best soil amendment...I imagine that the forest humus/litter below those trees is a bit acidic eh...

mad librettist said:

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=215776&highlight=wildharvesting

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Cool thread, but it seems to be on the topic of harvesting wild plants? But I can see how it applies.. Knowing what you are harvesting. I need to learn more about the soil under redwoods.

conifer forests are typically acidic in the dirt...and what microbeman said

Microbeman said:

Please leave the soil where it is....where it is needed. Just think of the nutrients necessary to support those trees.

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The soil is technically a friends property. I'm into sustaining the environment too and I would consider any damage that might happen as a result of digging. But 200 cubic feet isn't that much. How can you argue that that amount of dirt being taken away is going to effect 200 ft. redwoods?

I'm weighing the options of store bought soil vs. digging up soil.

Considering your practices are within the range of being 'acceptable' environmentally......it can be adjusted and incorporated into a planting mix at some percentage depending on the make up of the material.

But overall,what MM said if otherwise...
CC1

Thanks Captain, Been reading through your sticky thread. Any recommendations of a economically viable soil option?

Feeling lost about what soil to use that I can afford.

Lebniis said:

The soil is technically a friends property. I'm into sustaining the environment too and I would consider any damage that might happen as a result of digging. But 200 cubic feet isn't that much. How can you argue that that amount of dirt being taken away is going to effect 200 ft. redwoods?

I'm weighing the options of store bought soil vs. digging up soil.

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If you tell two friends, then they'll tell two friends, then they'll.....
This has happened in areas I'm acquainted with.

By the reverse, pot growers have caused disease in farmers' fields by dumping used soil and plant material on roadsides. There is now a reward for turning them in.

When we established our perpetual soil system, we used topsoil from the field. Grassland, vegetable or flower garden soil is, in my opinion, a much better option.

Yes I can argue that an amount of nutrient humus which may have taken 10 to 50 years to establish itself in its present form removed can effect 200 ft. redwoods. Do you consider that a conifer forest (tree) growth is so unique in its nutrient uptake? One large tree puts on more mass in one season than a good sized corn field and just look how much nutrient/fertilizer is applied to that? Consider the amount of groundfall each year from conifers in comparison.

The balance and network established microbially under the ground is delicately heirarchical and old; something we have ignored in our logging and attempts at reforestation.

I have a friend who made all of his own soil entirely by composting the chipped up trimmings of deciduous trees from the companies which clear under power lines etc. They were happy to have a place to dump the stuff. Of course the composting process takes time.

Technically yes, you could use the redwood soil, but it will be very acidic. You could make it work probably, but it will be less than ideal for growing cannabis. IMO it would be a waste of time - you are better off sourcing soil from some place else. Check around at your local soil companies and see what you can find.

Thank you microbe man. Hadn't thought about it that way. I value the delicate ecosystem and you have convinced me not to disturb it. Great input.

Now looking to purchase soil by the yard. Thankfully a lot od organic options nearby. Any ideas what toI keep an eye out for? I've found a nice soil mix let me look up what is in it and ill post it for your opinions.

Thanks everyone, plz stick around for a bit longer as I get through making my mind up.

I gave you that link so you would have a place to discuss the ethics.


if you were talking about a maple forest or old orchard, you would be on to something. but i'd say redwood forest is the wrong kind of fungal.

Lebniis said:

Thank you microbe man. Hadn't thought about it that way. I value the delicate ecosystem and you have convinced me not to disturb it. Great input.

Now looking to purchase soil by the yard. Thankfully a lot od organic options nearby. Any ideas what toI keep an eye out for? I've found a nice soil mix let me look up what is in it and ill post it for your opinions.

Thanks everyone, plz stick around for a bit longer as I get through making my mind up.

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Thank you for having a mind open to logic...so many do not. I do not know your location nor what you have access to or your financial restraints but a mix of organic garden or grass soil such as I mentioned mixed with sphagnum peat moss [2 good brands are Premier and Alask Peat {not to be confused with Alaska Humus} as they both come from the high north) will be good enough for me.

Of course you should mix in something for drainage (pumice, coarse sand, aged wood fines or charred wood pieces) and a certain portion of vermicompost or compost (10 to 30% depending on quality and how compact it is for drainage).

As far as what to look for in soil purchases, if it is advertised as a topsoil compost mix, if it is still putting off heat, it means the compost is not finished or if it has any manure smell. Good soil just looks and smells nice.

This may ruffle some feathers, but what's so special about it being redwood forest duff, compared to any other conifer(s)? I am also under the impression (as I sit and watch *my* redwood grow so quickly) that they're reaching for nutrients much further down than the soil's surface. Mine is growing literally like a weed in soil that, where I can get to it, is nothing but clay and rock.

So my question is really, what's the difference between redwood forest soil vs any other forest soil, outside of the issue of acidity, which cannabis (along with certain other plants such as rhododendron and Camellia) happens to prefer? What's the difference between that and me removing 8" of duff layer from beneath my Indian manzanita that's normally undisturbed? I usually can't find where I took it from a month later.

Honestly, the reaction I see from folks when it comes to *anything* redwood surprises me. I'm reminded right now of the people I met some years ago who were appalled that someone might pee on a redwood tree. I said, "It's food!" and they scurried away. I thought they were the hippies.

<holds long wooden spoon with which she stirs pots high up in the air>

sea -- I'm not sure I agree with you regarding the acidity of cannabis soil. AFAIK, most green leafy annuals prefer a bacterially dominated soil with a neutral pH.

the acidity of connifer duff is one thing, but I think removing 200cf can have a negative effect on any old growth forest.

the wild harvesting thread comes down to one moral imperative: if you must collect, take a small amount from as many different spots as possible in order to reduce any negative impact.

the nice thing about harvesting top soil from a weedy field is that not only will your cannabis prefer it to the fungally dominated forest soil, but the weedy field will be able to heal itself MUCH faster than the soil ecosystem of an old growth forest.

lebniis- good luck to you. I think your positive and open minded attitude will get you far.

depending on your situation, get some composting systems started immediately. this will hugely cut down on future expenses.

check craigslist for backyard composers. if you have any livestock farms in the area, they most likely have composting programs (you'll have to judge for yourself their level of wholesomeness).

you've definitely found the right place to gather info!

It is true that you loose the sight of the forest for the trees.
The same would go for any undisturbed land.
The main problem with collecting in the redwoods, is that they are in California and there are so darn many of us here.
When hunting for natural materials, I take advantage of damage done by others. Look for stockpiles when people clear cut and scrape their properties.
I use a lot of yucca. That is the only way I collect it. At the same time you kind of educate the property owner, especially if they indulge.
Craigslist up that way has listings for soil. Look under "Farm & Garden" and do a search for soil or compost.

"Wooden ships."

SeaMaiden said:

This may ruffle some feathers, but what's so special about it being redwood forest duff, compared to any other conifer(s)? I am also under the impression (as I sit and watch *my* redwood grow so quickly) that they're reaching for nutrients much further down than the soil's surface. Mine is growing literally like a weed in soil that, where I can get to it, is nothing but clay and rock.

So my question is really, what's the difference between redwood forest soil vs any other forest soil, outside of the issue of acidity, which cannabis (along with certain other plants such as rhododendron and Camellia) happens to prefer? What's the difference between that and me removing 8" of duff layer from beneath my Indian manzanita that's normally undisturbed? I usually can't find where I took it from a month later.

Honestly, the reaction I see from folks when it comes to *anything* redwood surprises me. I'm reminded right now of the people I met some years ago who were appalled that someone might pee on a redwood tree. I said, "It's food!" and they scurried away. I thought they were the hippies.

<holds long wooden spoon with which she stirs pots high up in the air>

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You need to clean your reading glasses, if you are referring to me, either that or bone up your comprehension. The only reference I made to redwood was to use the word once as a dialectic in reply. You will note, that other than that I was discussing conifers. If you believe that conifer forests derive nutrients only from great depths, you have some learning to do.

I have been up in the Haida Gwaii with the original hippies in the lands of the giant Sitka, Cedar and Douglas fir. Redwoods got nothing on that but still the same thing. It is like one big organism.

Considering that redwood and cedar have anti-fungal properties...and that only certain species of fungi grow around them....I can't see that it would be better than forest material gathered from any healthy deciduous area...anywhere.

Microbeman said:

You need to clean your reading glasses, if you are referring to me, either that or bone up your comprehension.

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Hoo boy! I knew it would ruffle feathers, but not quite like this. I didn't quote you *or* call you out specifically, so I'm not sure what's got your panties bunched here. I am calling into question the idea that we must dismiss, out of hand, the thought of gathering soil from around redwoods, outside of the issue of acidity. I plant my rhodies under my pine specifically because it's got the acidity they want and need there. My Camellia likes it, too, but I preferred it to be closer to the house than the pine, so into a planter (with soil for acid-loving plants) it went.

Microbeman said:

The only reference I made to redwood was to use the word once as a dialectic in reply. You will note, that other than that I was discussing conifers. If you believe that conifer forests derive nutrients only from great depths, you have some learning to do.

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I didn't quite say that, nothing close to that (my reading comprehension is the problem here, eh?) and in case you hadn't noticed, this entire thread is about redwoods. I then referred to an experience with other people. I never named you, so I don't see why you're coming at me in this manner. Attack my ideas if you must, but attack what I've actually SAID, not what you think I've inferred, please.
Can you demonstrate where I said that I think they only gain nutrients from great depths, please? Or should we take apart what I *said* and go from there instead of what you're assuming I'm saying?

Are you telling me that trees are not deeply rooted, that the few inches of duff and soil surface I'm thinking of is the only place where they gain nutrients? I find myself wondering, if that's the case, why does the plant, any tree, bother growing its roots so deeply? I tend to see things like roots and large brains as evolutionary devices that only can come into being if they pay off, evolutionarily speaking.

I am NOT saying that redwoods have large brains. Just to be clear.

Microbeman said:

I have been up in the Haida Gwaii with the original hippies in the lands of the giant Sitka, Cedar and Douglas fir. Redwoods got nothing on that but still the same thing. It is like one big organism.

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The earth is like one big organism, but I don't see what that's got to do with my question. Nor why it is that you appear to have taken my questions as a personal attack on you. Yeah... rereading what I wrote, you've assumed much based on what I actually said.


My question still stands--I truly don't see any functional difference between raiding a friend's property (the inference I'm making is that this is land that's been developed, i.e. not old growth, undisturbed forest--there *are* those areas that have redwoods growing on them that are yet disturbed) for some soil vs anywhere else, let's say madrone forest, for some soil. We're ultimately a closed system to my way of thinking. How about soil from an open grassland? Why is it (morally/ethically?) better to raid those soils than that around redwoods? Because they're bigger?

And I ask this because many of the arguments presented appear to be focused on redwoods themselves.

This is why I was looking for more salient arguments than what I perceive as a general reluctance to disturb redwoods because they're redwoods, and for no other reason. I absolutely appreciate the concepts of mitigating impact, but when it comes to this, I'm not so sure it's such a bad thing and haven't seen many logical reasons for avoiding it simply because we're talking about redwoods here.

And, are these activities truly, honestly, in any real fundamental way, any less damaging than mining for dolomite, perlite, rock dusts, etcetera? In the grand scheme of things, is what I'm asking.

Honestly, when I first clicked the thread, I assumed the OP would be asking about making soil from redwood (chips, shreds, whatever/what have you), not soil from an area where they're growing. It would make sense to me to not use a soil made *from* redwood just as it would make some sense not to make soil from, say, cypress or incense cedar.