Making the switch, a couple questions.

Alright, I've decided to go organic. I'm going to be doing 20gal no till pots, and have picked up all my ingredients to build my soil. Here's a quick breakdown of my soil,

1/3 Premier Canadian Sphagnum Peat
1/3 Pearlite/lava rock
1/3 Compost/EWC

Neem Meal: 1/4 cups cu.ft
Kelp Meal: 1/2 cups cu.ft
Crab/Fish Meal: 1/2 cups cu.ft
MBP: 1 cups cu.ft
Glacial Rock Dust: 3 cups cu.ft.
Oyster Shell Flour: 1 cups cu.ft
Gypsum: 1 cups cu.ft

OK so now for the questions.

Can I put this soil straight into pots, add worms, plant a cover crop and let it sit a couple weeks before adding my clones?

Or should I let it sit in the kiddie pool for a couple weeks before putting it into pots and adding worms?

Also when it comes to worms, does it matter what I get? Is it best to get just one kind, or will multiple species get along fine in one pot?

Thanks!

PKHydro said:

Alright, I've decided to go organic. I'm going to be doing 20gal no till pots, and have picked up all my ingredients to build my soil. Here's a quick breakdown of my soil,

1/3 Premier Canadian Sphagnum Peat
1/3 Pearlite/lava rock
1/3 Compost/EWC

Neem Meal: 1/4 cups cu.ft
Kelp Meal: 1/2 cups cu.ft
Crab/Fish Meal: 1/2 cups cu.ft
MBP: 1 cups cu.ft
Glacial Rock Dust: 3 cups cu.ft.
Oyster Shell Flour: 1 cups cu.ft
Gypsum: 1 cups cu.ft

OK so now for the questions.

Can I put this soil straight into pots, add worms, plant a cover crop and let it sit a couple weeks before adding my clones?

Or should I let it sit in the kiddie pool for a couple weeks before putting it into pots and adding worms?

Also when it comes to worms, does it matter what I get? Is it best to get just one kind, or will multiple species get along fine in one pot?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

you want more nutrients than that, I don't know what MBP is?
at least a full cup of kelp meal, neem meal, and crab meal.
I also highly recommend some more nitrogen
fish meal is a good one, as well as alfalfa meal.
and you want other sources of phosphorus as well.
fish bone meal is a good one.
if your peat isn't limed already it's wise to add a speck of d-lime too.

PKHydro said:

Alright, I've decided to go organic. I'm going to be doing 20gal no till pots, and have picked up all my ingredients to build my soil. Here's a quick breakdown of my soil,

1/3 Premier Canadian Sphagnum Peat
1/3 Pearlite/lava rock
1/3 Compost/EWC

Neem Meal: 1/4 cups cu.ft
Kelp Meal: 1/2 cups cu.ft
Crab/Fish Meal: 1/2 cups cu.ft
MBP: 1 cups cu.ft
Glacial Rock Dust: 3 cups cu.ft.
Oyster Shell Flour: 1 cups cu.ft
Gypsum: 1 cups cu.ft

OK so now for the questions.

Can I put this soil straight into pots, add worms, plant a cover crop and let it sit a couple weeks before adding my clones?

Or should I let it sit in the kiddie pool for a couple weeks before putting it into pots and adding worms?

Also when it comes to worms, does it matter what I get? Is it best to get just one kind, or will multiple species get along fine in one pot?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

You should let it age for a few weeks. I would veg in some bag soil and allow your mixed soil to age, then transplant into it later. Dude, you are not far off. You will have nice buds very soon! I think that most of the rock dusts does not start breaking down until 6 months, so recycling soil is very good!

Look into building a worm bin, you will have superior product to the bag stuff and I found it to be the biggest cost when building soil. I think that a worm bin should be the 1st thing for organic people. I would build a bin over buying one of the pre-made. The only reason that I would suggest one of these is if you are in a small apartment that does not have a yard of any kind.

Yeah, listen to Grease!!! I didnt see that he posted...

PKHydro said:

Can I put this soil straight into pots, add worms, plant a cover crop and let it sit a couple weeks before adding my clones?



Also when it comes to worms, does it matter what I get? Is it best to get just one kind, or will multiple species get along fine in one pot?

Thanks!

Click to expand...

first question is a big YES. Works really well to see the cover crop BUST, as soon as the nutrients are cycled, you'll see the cover crop explode.
second question is it's best to get natives and reds in your containers, they do different things.
add as much humus as possible too, and I don't count peat as humus, even thought it technically is.

Ok,

More nutrients, check.
Worms and cover crop right away, check
Start worm farm, and use shit loads of humus in my soil. Check AND check.

MBP=malted barley powder.

Alright, just got home from the brewery store. Picked up 6lbs of malted barley, I also saw that they had rice hulls. I thought that I would have to order that online so I decided to go with Pearlite and lava rock. However I think I'm going to ditch the Pearlite, and go with rice hulls/lava rock instead.

I have some micro clover to plant as a cover crop. I will be getting some straw to use as a mulch, as well as going to to collect some yarrow and nettles to mulch up and throw on top as well. Luckily this stuff grows like crazy around here.

PKHydro said:

Ok,

More nutrients, check.
Worms and cover crop right away, check
Start worm farm, and use shit loads of humus in my soil. Check AND check.

MBP=malted barley powder.

Alright, just got home from the brewery store. Picked up 6lbs of malted barley, I also saw that they had rice hulls. I thought that I would have to order that online so I decided to go with Pearlite and lava rock. However I think I'm going to ditch the Pearlite, and go with rice hulls/lava rock instead.

I have some micro clover to plant as a cover crop. I will be getting some straw to use as a mulch, as well as going to to collect some yarrow and nettles to mulch up and throw on top as well. Luckily this stuff grows like crazy around here.

Click to expand...

I don't have any experience using barley in my soils, I've been pondering a mix with it actually.
one of the only things I haven't tried.
and personally i'd g with perlite AND rice hulls.
the rice hulls disappear in about 8 months or two runs
i'd go with 3/4 cups of each
neem, kelp, fish meal, fish bone, and crab meals
the nettles is awesome to use as a soil additive also, works similar to alfalfa
comfrey is badass too if you can find it