TMB's Secret MONSTER Plant soil recipe

treemansbuds

Well-Known Member
Hello fellow RIU'ers-
Every year us outdoor growers strive to grow the Biggest, Baddest, most potent plants we can to provide ourselves the best medicine to heal our ailments. Next to plant genetics I believe the next "most important factor" in growing big beautiful plants is the soil. (Provided your in a good grow region)
Here's what I do to provide my plants a healthy diet through the grow season. The recipe always changes from year to year, but I always have the same basics.
1) Old Soil, I use my old soil from last years grow as a "base", adding to it as I go. Be sure to condition the old soil first. (Do Google search to see how)
2) Forest Humus, great stuff for the garden, full of good stuff. 1yd $50
3) Mushroom compost, I like it because of the micro beastie herd that it contains, the stuff I get smells like methane gas. 1yd $50
4) Earthworm Castings, A must for every garden. 1/2yd $100, expensive stuff, if you can afford more do so. I like trying to keep my soil cost down.
5) Dr. Earths "Life" all purpose fertilizer. I think this ingredient is key to my soil. 2 x 40lbs bags @$60 ea= $120. This stuff really helps condition the old soil.
6) Horse manure compost, about a yard from our horses. free
7) Perlite, 4 x 4cu feet bags @ $18 ea = $$72
8) Azomite, 5lbs used for trace minerals. $9
9) Dolimite lime, needed to balance the soils pH. $5
10) Chicken Compost, 20 x 1 cu ft bags, @ $3.18 ea = $65
11) Steer manure, about a yd $30 from local farm.
I may have left something out, if so I'll add later. (medicating and doing this off the top of my head).
That's a total of $500 + Tax (don't forget the gas and labor involved, I'm tired...lol)

Rototill everything in and water. I set up a sprinkler on a timer and water couple times a week depending on weather. Cover and LET COOK! This is a must, I rototill a couple-few times while cooking.
I'm prepping my soil this week (prepare soil before March 1st) to use during the waxing moon phase in May (which will be the 10th through the 24th this year, the 14th is my target date)
This is enough soil to fill 6-200 gallon smart pots, and enough to rototill into the veggie garden which always flourishes.
Fill free to add comments and suggestions to this recipe.
Good luck and happy growing,
TMB-

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mikeykrinshaw12

Well-Known Member
great soil recipe- Just wanted to make sure people read this a second time-

"Rototill everything in and water. I set up a sprinkler on a timer and water couple times a week depending on weather. Cover and LET COOK! This is a must, I rototill a couple-few times while cooking."

I would add some guano and rock phosphate to bottom layer (google for rate of use, think of ingredients already in use, and overall balance). But I'm not doing a whole whole lot of amending this year myself.

great recommendations on the Dr. earth and Azomite.
 

treemansbuds

Well-Known Member
great soil recipe- Just wanted to make sure people read this a second time-

"Rototill everything in and water. I set up a sprinkler on a timer and water couple times a week depending on weather. Cover and LET COOK! This is a must, I rototill a couple-few times while cooking."

I would add some guano and rock phosphate to bottom layer (google for rate of use, think of ingredients already in use, and overall balance). But I'm not doing a whole whole lot of amending this year myself.

great recommendations on the Dr. earth and Azomite.
The Dr Earths has that stuff in it, but more could be added. 1- 40lbs bag treats 1600 gallons, and I'm using two bags, plus I bought a third 40lbs bag to use in my teas and top feed. Here's the ingredient list from Dr Earth's web site.
Wild-caught Alaskan Fish Bone Meal, Wild-caught Alaskan Fish Meal, Valley Grown Alfalfa Meal, High Country Feather Meal, Naturally-mined Potassium Sulfate, Aged Bat Guano, Cold Water Kelp Meal, Mined and Micronutrient-dense Colloidal Soft Rock Phosphate, Nutrient-rich Cotton Seed Meal, MicroActive™ Micronutrient-rich Seaweed Extract (synergistically boosted with 11% micronized humic acids for maximum bioavailability.)
Another 2 item I forgot to list in the original post is the Alfalfa that falls between the pallets the horses hay is stacked on. The wife orders half a "squeeze" at a time. All that fine stuff that accumulates through out the year is rototilled in too. The second is the scrap drywall from a project I'm doing. It's gypsum between paper. I rototill and break up and water. The paper gets wet and the gypsum falls off. Thinking green, bonus points!
TMB-
 
Last edited:

mikeykrinshaw12

Well-Known Member
great soil recipe- Just wanted to make sure people read this a second time-

"Rototill everything in and water. I set up a sprinkler on a timer and water couple times a week depending on weather. Cover and LET COOK! This is a must, I rototill a couple-few times while cooking."

I would add some guano and rock phosphate to bottom layer (google for rate of use, think of ingredients already in use, and overall balance). But I'm not doing a whole whole lot of amending this year myself.

great recommendations on the Dr. earth and Azomite.
The Dr Earths has that stuff in it, but more could be added. 1- 40lbs bag treats 1600 gallons, and I'm using two bags, plus I bought a third 40lbs bag to use in my teas and top feed. Here's the ingredient list from Dr Earth's web site.
Wild-caught Alaskan Fish Bone Meal, Wild-caught Alaskan Fish Meal, Valley Grown Alfalfa Meal, High Country Feather Meal, Naturally-mined Potassium Sulfate, Aged Bat Guano, Cold Water Kelp Meal, Mined and Micronutrient-dense Colloidal Soft Rock Phosphate, Nutrient-rich Cotton Seed Meal, MicroActive™ Micronutrient-rich Seaweed Extract (synergistically boosted with 11% micronized humic acids for maximum bioavailability.)
Another 2 item I forgot to list in the original post is the Alfalfa that falls between the pallets the horses hay is stacked on. The wife orders half a "squeeze" at a time. All that fine stuff that accumulates through out the year is rototilled in too. The second is the scrap drywall from a project I'm doing. It's gypsum between paper. I rototill and break up and water. The paper gets wet and the gypsum falls off. Thinking green, bonus points!
TMB-

yes the rock phosphate is not needed if you have more on retainer to add to teas later. the micro-dense colloidal variety is very readily available and if you dont add more later can deplete quickly as deposits are subject to leaching. when added to the tea it is even more readily available and more evenly spread through the substrate- making it even more effective a use, and making it unnecessary to add extra to bottom layer.

I think taking soil science classes would be beneficial to anyone that wants to mix their own soils as well. it wouldn't be hard for first timers, or people trying new methods they dont understand, to make mistakes that could ruin a batch of soil.

Like for example- mistaking the way that bone and blood meals are used. Or what the differences are between aged and fresh bat guanos, or that the sources of some kelp meals do not mix well with the sources of some sea bird guano in any fresh application (top dressing for example), but once mixed together wither a mineral and microbial rich environment with the time for the microbial bacteria to create the enzymes for the plants roots to properly break down the nutrients can be a super boost to chlorophyll production and will aid in the strengthening of the roots outer cell walls to help protect them from ph fluctuations and toxic buildups. this process occurs when brewing a tea. a direct granular top dressing of the two mixed will actually cause the kind of toxic build ups and ph fluctuations i am describing.....
 

ruby fruit

Well-Known Member
I cant believe how much im looking forward to watching all your grows last season...met great ppl to and even one I talk to on the phone so that's an added bonus.
You guys all kill it and im already looking forward to my nest grow and putting more I learn from you guys into practice.Couple of mates where I am SWEAR by the worm castings you mention TMB and the funny thing is anything I smoke with worm castings has a gd taste right down to the last pull :bigjoint:
 

freemandrake

Well-Known Member
Great soil mix TMB I'm always looking to Improve any way I can and like you said soil is where it all starts, I was wondering if you feed with chemical or organic nutrients?
chemical nutrients will kill micro organisms in the soil right?
 

TWS

Well-Known Member
No. And they are not Chemicals. They are not made in a beaker with fire and chemicals. They are mineral salts from the same place all the other " shit" (pun) comes from. Microbes live in DWC culture full of nothing but water and " Chemicals" and contrary to belief that tap water will anillate them is not true either as most chlorine is trapped in the first few inches of soil.
It's the build up of the mineral salts in the soil unless reconditioned as above mentioned that makes the soil unlivable .
 

freemandrake

Well-Known Member
I have 2 different fertiliser, one I consider organic and the other "chemical"
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So I will do no harm to micro life with Algoflash?
Thanks TWS
 

TWS

Well-Known Member
No . But it will not feed them is why you use organic ferts so the microbes can eat and poop out what the plant can eat. Synthetic ferts man all ready did the hard work is all.

so in other words if you made the best organic soil but only feed synthetics your micro heard will not be as efficient as if you farmed them.
 

treemansbuds

Well-Known Member
Great soil mix TMB I'm always looking to Improve any way I can and like you said soil is where it all starts, I was wondering if you feed with chemical or organic nutrients?
chemical nutrients will kill micro organisms in the soil right?
With this soil mix no need to feed for the first 6-7 weeks, maybe a tea or two. If I go into the ground May 14th, and if I get 6-7 weeks of feeding with that mix, that gets me to July 1st. Then I feed with grow tea's and Maxsea 16-16-16 for 6-7 weeks. When I feed, I feed lite, 3 tbs of Maxsea to a 5 gallon pale, once a week to each plant. That gets me to mid-late August. Then it's teas (adjusted for flowering) and Maxsea bloom 3-20-20 for 6-7 weeks, then JUST teas the last 2 weeks .
TMB-
Note: last year I grew in 100 and 150 gallon Smart pots. This year I'm growing in 200 gallon Smart pots, so I'm hoping to get more veg time before feeding Maxsea.


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mikeykrinshaw12

Well-Known Member
No. And they are not Chemicals. They are not made in a beaker with fire and chemicals. They are mineral salts from the same place all the other " shit" (pun) comes from. Microbes live in DWC culture full of nothing but water and " Chemicals" and contrary to belief that tap water will anillate them is not true either as most chlorine is trapped in the first few inches of soil.
It's the build up of the mineral salts in the soil unless reconditioned as above mentioned that makes the soil unlivable .
I completely agree with this :)
 

TWS

Well-Known Member
I completely agree with this :)

Well that makes me happy cause I was sure you wouldn't. I was sure I generalized to much or screwed something up.

Golf courses put a lot of science and money into keeping the greens perfect . There is a member here that was a turf boss. he has some great info on how much they put into the greens. Microbe fertalazation is wide spread now and a lot of residential landscapers now offer.
 
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