Help Me Stock Some Shelves for an Organic/Eco Store with Nutes and Soil Mixes

[Quazi]

Hello everyone!



I am looking to stock some shelves of an organic/natural/eco-friendly store with food/mixes for soils that are ideal for the growing community.

I have 4 shelves that are about 5 feet wide to work with.

Organic is ideal, but I'm willing to stretch for all natural or eco-friendly. Organic composting stuff is already stocked, so no need for that. I'd also be willing to look into some mixes for hydro, though I'd like to stay away from it so as not to attract too much attention.

I'm looking for brands, sizes of bags or containers, etc. of nutes and soil mixes. I know there are quite a few basic ingredients to look for, but I'm also looking for particular brands that are good.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks everyone!

-Q

 

[jaykush]

the best thing to get would be a wide variety of RAW( as in natural form,little to no processing) natural and organic materials and seeds. and stay away from the bottled stuff, everyone already sells that crap. hardly anyone sells the good stuff.

 

[Mr Celsius]

Down to earth distributors will carry most of what you want to stock. http://www.downtoearthdistributors.com/fert.html

I highly suggest getting MaxiCrop (its very popular), good salt-free coco (not down to earths), Fox farms... of course (I don't like them, but many people do). Black gold brand potting soils/formulations.

Specifically on the dry nutrients:

Guanos
Bone meal (fish bone meal is a fav of mine... but I don't eat beef and like cows)
Blood meal
Kelp meal (my fav)
Dolomite lime

Some kind of humic/fulvic acid
Earthworm castings

It would seem smart pots are popular... I'm not sold on them yet, but a lot of people seem to be hyping them.

Age old Organic and Earth Juice are both popular brands.

 

[BurnOne]

Also stock Alfalfa Meal, Greensand and Neptune's Harvest products.
Burn1

 

[MHHSP]

Liquid Karma and maybe some insect prevention... neem or SM-90..etc

 

[jaykush]

you can buy all that stuff everywhere else. so then whats the point?

 

[MrFista]

Supplying the locals I guess.

I can't buy half that stuff. I like the lists of stuff mentioned, it's all top notch.

Worm farms and worms
comfrey and nettle seeds (likewise legumes and other N fixers)
Compost tea makers (ask simplicitea if you can sell on for them)
Compost tea starter kits
Mycorrhizal fungi
Beneficial insects

Books on DIY organic gardening.

 

[CT Guy]

I would add humates and soluble seaweed to that list too. I like Tera Vita's soluble humates as they are 85%-90% humic acids by content versus many of the other brands which contain significantly less.

I think some good books would be important too. Jeff Lowenfels' "Teaming with Microbes" is one of my favorites because it's easy to read and understand.

 

[jaykush]

i cant buy half that stuff locally either, but theres better local materials i guarantee it. ppl just have to look around a little with the right mindset. you could buy everything listed online if you wanted.

i would like to see a decent biochar thats not super expensive just for soil on the market. that would be GREAT for the terra preta movement. but i doubt that will happen anytime soon.

 

[Karma Withakay]

The point would be to stay in business and cater to what sells, rather than trying to accommodate only to a niche market happy and eventually go out of business. If everyone else sells it, why can't you sell it too? Why would you want your customers to have to go spend their money elsewhere to get the rest of their supplies and drive yourself out of business in the process?

Remember: the goal of a business is to make money. If that's not your goal you should start a charity, not a business.

 

[Quazi]

I live in a town that is not that big.

A lot of the things you are suggesting are great and not in supply around here.

Thanks a bunch for the suggestions.

Keep 'em coming!

 

[Suby]

If you can find blood meal, bone meal, molasses, and dolomite lime at your local Walmart your then really all you are missing is a K source.
Liquid seaweed is essential IMO and a great K source as kelp meal is hard to find. You'll also need a good quality compost, compost will get you covered for micro nutrient at 10-20% of your mix.
If you can find alfalfa meal at a feed store (most small towns have them ) it's a bonus and lightens the mix instead of having to source coco.
The beauty of organics is it's simplicity, it's not the cocktailing of ingredient but dialing in the balance between ingredients that will score you killer dope.

 

[Old Yeller]

Soil Secrets;
Earth Ambrosia
Earth Nectar
Earth Magic
Fulvic Acid

 

[chef]

Roots Organics nutes & soilmix.
http://www.aurorainnovations.org/

Get a wholesale acct here http://www.nationalgardenwholesale.com/ngw/dealer_section.aspx

Awesome stuff!

 

[toodles]

Here's what I've been using. Almost all of which I got locally at plant stores and/or local nurseries.

Toodles

 

[habeeb]

remember, even though bat guano is an awesome source or nutrients, I'm not sure there is any company that uses renewable resources . maybe I'm wrong?

good luck on your store

 

[toodles]

I misunderstood the question.

I agree with JayKush. All the stuff listed so far, including what I use, is readily available....and in my case locally.

You're not gonna have any luck selling that sort of stuff.

Toodles

 

[Quazi]

Some of the products that have been listed here are only available at one location in my town and it's not even open the entire year. Even so, they only carry a couple of the products that you all have listed. A much larger portion of what has been mentioned here is not available anywhere close by. This has really been a great list that you guys have put together.

Thanks again!

-Q

 

[chef]

Cool, small towns usually require a roadtrip for basic products, let alone the good stuff & shipping kills you on small online orders.

I know some guys using that wholesaler I posted, they're just stocking a few best sellers & can have anything in the catalog in store within a few days.
Seems to be working for them & a good way to start

good luck with it!

 

[BurnOne]

I'd like for someone to offer online sales for 5 pound bags of powdered dolomite lime.
Burn1