(post if you make your own soil) making your own potting soil

Just go on the microbiology reading trend, read the basics then follow up with whatever interests you and you will eventually be swarmed with info and it will lead to understanding the soil web.

am not sure this is the reason i actually made the thread , but its kewl am learning a lot.. but am fine with food i just use EM and molasses , and the red soil hhere has al the good stuff so my soil food equilibrium is good, my problem is ariation i don't have access to vermiculite or perlite, so i was wondering what you guys would suggest to replace them ??

I wonder how maybe packing peanuts would act as a substitute for perlite and vermicullite, it would allow voids in the soil and also suck up water a bit too... never tried to manipulate one or the other though but +rep for making me ponder about shit. maybe you should try but i never have

I use pumice instead of either actually.

You can use charcoal(not ash), it helps absorb bad things, eliminate odors, help loosen up soil, help drainage and aeration. I use it with verm and perlite

mugan said:

am not sure this is the reason i actually made the thread , but its kewl am learning a lot.. but am fine with food i just use EM and molasses , and the red soil hhere has al the good stuff so my soil food equilibrium is good, my problem is ariation i don't have access to vermiculite or perlite, so i was wondering what you guys would suggest to replace them ??

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Hey guys, I just got 3lbs of fish bone meal{3-18-0}, I got an 18gallon tote full of the soil im making, I will be adding this plus bat guano(10-3-1} for the food, it already a bunch of good stuff, I just needed food in the.mix.

How much of each should I add to that 18gallon tote?

Thanks guys

mugan said:

am not sure this is the reason i actually made the thread , but its kewl am learning a lot.. but am fine with food i just use EM and molasses , and the red soil hhere has al the good stuff so my soil food equilibrium is good, my problem is ariation i don't have access to vermiculite or perlite, so i was wondering what you guys would suggest to replace them ??

Click to expand...

chopped bird of paradise stem? iv heard it works quite well because of the large air channels in the stem. sadly i have no access to it here on Vancouver Island.
in the fall when the "tree ferns" die, their stems dry up and have large air pockets in them, when cut they are perfect for composting.

i hope this helps!

thx for the ideas guys, i think al try the charcoal, and i think they have volcanic rocks here (pumice) but they use them to clean there feet 0.o, any way if i can find it al try that to

The charcoal is great in the soil for the things olylifter420 says and many more things than those. The carbon helps hold your nutes in the soil and releasing them to the plant in an easy form, you will find over time you will use less nutes because your soil is holding more. Along these lines carbon (charcoal) also will increase the microbe populations and activities in the soil. One big drawback, there is always one, you initially will kill all of your worms and other small critters in the soil (not microbes or hardbody insects). This only last for a few watering and then the soil will show more activity than ever.
Sorry I must be blind this morning I can't find the folder I have my links on the use of carbon. Please google agricultural use of charcoal, you can spend hours there.
I also just in the past 2 cycles have started using wheathulls. I have found their use in keeping my soil good and loose, adds additional carbon in the soil and breaksdown rather quickly. We don't have all the cool stuff here that you have in the states and I have had to be creative down here building my soil.
Good Luck

Did anyone mention super soil? i mix that stuff up and love it. just add water from seed to harvest..

ClamDigger said:

chopped bird of paradise stem? iv heard it works quite well because of the large air channels in the stem. sadly i have no access to it here on Vancouver Island.
in the fall when the "tree ferns" die, their stems dry up and have large air pockets in them, when cut they are perfect for composting.
View attachment 1664143
i hope this helps!

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The bird of paradise are great cut up in your soil. Every year when I clean out my birds I cut them up and dry them, this is the first year I have used them in my girls and love the results where I used it. Banana trees are also great. The trunk is awesome chopped up and dried out before adding to the soil, banana leaves are good the main stem can be dried and used much like the bird of paradise.
We have the big ferns here also up in the mountains but ours have these spines covering the branches and with my other supply of plants don't bother with them.
There are countless ways to make the soil better without having to spend the $$$$ for the other stuff, don't want to piss off any sponsors and be banned....lol
Good Luck and Happy Growing

@mugan, it is hard wood carbon not the brick type charcoal made by compressing saw dust and chips together.

@canefan, do you think that is too much fish bone meal and bat guano?

fatality said:

I wonder how maybe packing peanuts would act as a substitute for perlite and vermicullite, it would allow voids in the soil and also suck up water a bit too... never tried to manipulate one or the other though but +rep for making me ponder about shit. maybe you should try but i never have

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I wouldn't suggest packing peanuts unless I knew the source and exactly what they were made of. You could have all kinds of nasty stuff in there leaching into your soil. Lots of safer alternatives I believe but that is just my two cents.

olylifter420 said:

@canefan, do you think that is too much fish bone meal and bat guano?

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Just sent you a PM, I don't have or can't find your final mix so I can figure your NPK at least a general ballpark before adding those two in a large quantity. Sometimes a little is more, still trying to find the breakdown rate of the fish bone meal, I haven't used it before. If you can post or send the mix it would help before I ruin your grow. Thanks

I just shot you a pm canefan... ill be waiting for your reply...

thanks again bro, you are a great help!

canefan said:

Just sent you a PM, I don't have or can't find your final mix so I can figure your NPK at least a general ballpark before adding those two in a large quantity. Sometimes a little is more, still trying to find the breakdown rate of the fish bone meal, I haven't used it before. If you can post or send the mix it would help before I ruin your grow. Thanks

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i have seen my dad use fish skeletons in the wholes to our trees prior to planting... He tossed in like 15 in each whole and those trees are huge today!

Last year I took 2 bags of cow, 2 bags of sheep and a large box of chicken, I mixed it with about 5 bags of topsoil and a brick of peat. I dug some gigantic ass holes for 4 plants that I had vegging. They were easily double the size of the others in the same area (vegged for same amount of time) They were awesome until they got ripped off.

dude. that fucking sucks bro, hopefully it will better this year...

canniboss said:

Last year I took 2 bags of cow, 2 bags of sheep and a large box of chicken, I mixed it with about 5 bags of topsoil and a brick of peat. I dug some gigantic ass holes for 4 plants that I had vegging. They were easily double the size of the others in the same area (vegged for same amount of time) They were awesome until they got ripped off.

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olylifter420 said:

@mugan, it is hard wood carbon not the brick type charcoal made by compressing saw dust and chips together.

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thats ok here in kenya, only one kind of charcoal is available, most people make there own by stacking a bunch of dead wood and lighting it then covering it with large amounts of soil for days. any way al have to wait till my next transplannt cuz first plant of my current grow is already in a flowering pot ( but she will veg a little longer while i finish LST) that mix is mostly plant compost , composted rabbit manure, sead meal, and a few other odd ingredients. she is growing but at first i had not seen the same vigour as when she was in the vegging pot( i know she looks small but the pot is 15 in wide, so it make her looks small ><) so i was worried that it was aeration but i have seen some of the shoots that are held down get some growth lately. but this mix sux cuz i can't do the make it rain thing, if i do i could water log