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Bringing Bagged Soil Back to Life

Bringing Bagged Soil Back to Life

  • Yes

    Votes: 14 93.3%

  • No

    Votes: 1 6.7%
  • Total voters
    15
G

Growintreez

New member
Not knowing much about soil and being new to growing in general, I’ve been wondering why I have to make my own living soil and why I can’t just buy it. All the ingredients in living soil are pretty much the same as bagged soil, right? Kelp meal, fish bone meal, earth worm castings, etc.

I asked the owner of my local hydro shop about this and he told me the only real difference is that the bagged soil is dead, but that the ingredients really are the same. He recommended I skip the living soil and just add compost teas to a nutrient packed soil.

Would this work to create a living soil, and would I have to do anything like pouring a compost tea on it then cooking it for a month to bring the soil life up? Or do bagged soils not have enough nutrients in them for a living soil because they would burn plants due to the combination of heavy nutrients and lack of soil life?

I’m already cooking my living soil right now and may do a side by side if you all think it’s a good idea.
 
V

voidpainter

What exactly is your goal?



A "living soil" isn't something you put in small containers and toss it back in the pile after a harvest and maybe add stuff back and re-use it. or even worse, toss it completely as might be "common" practice.



A "living soil" is like a pet animal. Large, permanent, container. Something around 50 galons or 200 liters. It's an investement, it gets better every cycle. You do not feed the plants you feed the soil. You need to introduce good organic matter, worms, feed the worms etc. You use cover crops and similar which you mulch back in to feed the biology and for other benefits a cover crop provides. You never toss this soil after a harvest, it keeps on going and it keeps on getting better. People usually just remove the rootball after harvest and plant the next plants. The biology takes care of the "dead" roots.



This rabbit hole goes deep, the question is, as stated at the beginning of my comment, what is your goal ?
 
wutwut

wutwut

Well-known member
Veteran
winner@420giveaway
voidpainter said:
What exactly is your goal?



A "living soil" isn't something you put in small containers and toss it back in the pile after a harvest and maybe add stuff back and re-use it. or even worse, toss it completely as might be "common" practice.



A "living soil" is like a pet animal. Large, permanent, container. Something around 50 galons or 200 liters. It's an investement, it gets better every cycle. You do not feed the plants you feed the soil. You need to introduce good organic matter, worms, feed the worms etc. You use cover crops and similar which you mulch back in to feed the biology and for other benefits a cover crop provides. You never toss this soil after a harvest, it keeps on going and it keeps on getting better. People usually just remove the rootball after harvest and plant the next plants. The biology takes care of the "dead" roots.



This rabbit hole goes deep, the question is, as stated at the beginning of my comment, what is your goal ?
Click to expand...

interesting. im soil grower and im bored to bags which carries bugs. diy living soil, wow. if anyone can give me an link for easy steps to make living soil i will apreciate that. thanks and keep talking.
 
G

Growintreez

New member
Good question, the overall goal is a good tasting and yielding harvest. I’m curious to see if I can make something like a super soil that’s alive and doesn’t necessarily need nutrients added throughout the grow.
 
Frosty Nuggets

Frosty Nuggets

Well-known member
ICMag Donor
You will want to add some Great White beneficial bacteria and fungi and some Cyco Zyme enzyme to break down dead organic material and provide nutes for the plant.
 
troutman

troutman

Seed Whore
If you want a real soil maybe also add some materials to be composted like straw or leaves.
These will feed the bacteria and other microscopic life while adding soil structure.
 
S

St. Phatty

Active member
Depends on the definition of "back to life".

i just transplanted 3 clone re-gens that were in de-composed granite (un-bagged) soil for about 2 months.

they had no root system - no wonder they were growing slow.

moved them into G&B soil mix - bagged soil.


of course it's not a real comparison, the DG soil is the worst of the worst. my fault for just grabbing a quart pot that had soil in it without dumping the soil out & re-loading it 2 months ago.
 
Mr Jay

Mr Jay

Well-known member
Veteran
voidpainter said:
What exactly is your goal?



A "living soil" isn't something you put in small containers and toss it back in the pile after a harvest and maybe add stuff back and re-use it.



A "living soil" is like a pet animal. Large, permanent, container. Something around 50 galons or 200 liters.
Click to expand...

I forcefully and completely disagree. I grow plants in small containers using TLO soil that I toss back into a bin and recharge for use again in a month or two. Cycling the soil through recharging and small pots works just fine and I get wonderful results.

I don't know where this new movement of you can't use small containers with TLO came from, but it is completely inaccurate.
 
V

voidpainter

Mr Jay said:
I forcefully and completely disagree. I grow plants in small containers using TLO soil that I toss back into a bin and recharge for use again in a month or two. Cycling the soil through recharging and small pots works just fine and I get wonderful results.

I don't know where this new movement of you can't use small containers with TLO came from, but it is completely inaccurate.
Click to expand...


I'm not familiar with TLO. What is that?


Anyway, I do the same man. I don't consider it "living soil" per say, I consider it "super soil". We take it apart, we fuck with it, add shit back, let rest, re-use.


"living soil" or "no-till" acording to my book is like "isolating" or "recreating" a piece of real outdoor soil in a large container or bed indoors/outdoors. Not fucked with, other than being amended and mulched. You see where I'm getting at?


You can't remove a rootball from a small container of 3gal and expect to throw in a new plant. No. You have to throw it in the bin like you said and add stuff back to it. With "no-till" in large containers of 50gal you take it out put new one in and let it ride.



Neither of those "types" i consider dead!



I think we have different definitions of different styles. TLO, LOS, "no-till" etc. etc.



In any case all of those soils are "living" even though one styled is called super soil and the other TLO or whatever.



I say potatO potAto.
 
Mr Jay

Mr Jay

Well-known member
Veteran
They are nice. Do you care to show us some of the plants you have grown in your living soil?
 
G

Growintreez

New member
Why amend and make a super soil if I can buy some bagged soil at the store with all the same ingredients? Do bagged soils skimp on quality and quantity of certain ingredients?
 
B

bushed

Active member
Growintreez said:
Why amend and make a super soil if I can buy some bagged soil at the store with all the same ingredients? Do bagged soils skimp on quality and quantity of certain ingredients?
Click to expand...

Making your own soil gives you control over exactly what goes in, it's easy and free if you use ingredients from your local area. If you already grow organic veges then it's just a no brainer.

If you want a really easy recipe just cut 50% organic bagged soil with 50% Forrest floor soil where autumnal leaves have been able to rot for a few years. I have yet to see a plant that doesn't thrive in this mix. Add liquid organic plant food occasionally to increase yield for heavy feeders.
 
aridbud

aridbud

automeister
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Alfalfa meal, EWC azomite and mycho.....great stuff to energize bagged soil, recycled soil.
 
aridbud

aridbud

automeister
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Growintreez said:
Why amend and make a super soil if I can buy some bagged soil at the store with all the same ingredients? Do bagged soils skimp on quality and quantity of certain ingredients?
Click to expand...

Bagged soils....cheapest ingredients for the most profit. DIY, amendments. Forgot to mention adding BuffaLoam, too! ;o)
 
'Boogieman'

'Boogieman'

Well-known member
I'm a outdoor grower but if you mulch your soil and keep it moist when it's not being used it should stay alive in my opinion. I do this and come spring my soil is very alive. I also mix most of my ammendments in the top 8 inches of soil where most of the feeder roots are a month before planting.
 
Dropped Cat

Dropped Cat

Six Gummi Bears and Some Scotch
Veteran
Most home mix living soils start with Pro Mix peat, after that
the recipes may add coco coir, and quality organic topsoil, with low N-P K.

Then worm castings, in addition with chunky perlite, various guanos and bone meal,
then select composted mushroom, chicken poop, or steer manure.

Also, seaweed, alfalfa, rock phosphate, potash, dolomite lime.

After you decide on a base mix, you'll need to brew an aerated tea
periodically to feed the soil microbes.

I did living soil in 16oz cups for a while, then bumped up to 32oz cups.

Switched to coco for a few years and recently have re started a few plants in living soil,
but most plants kept in coco, micro style.

Good thread, keep us posted.
 
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