No-Till living soil for plants besides Cannabis

bambu2

New Member
I am looking for some advise for making my own potting compost.

The ratio's i have used for No-till compost used for cannabis is 1/3 peat 1/3 ammended homemade Berkley compost and 1/3 aeration.... Would the same ratios be recommended to use on other plants? I understand different plants have different requirements but as a general rule of thumb is this a good ratio to use?

Cannabis is a heavy feeding annual plant, so the ammendments added for growing Cannabis would be higher than most plants. So which and what quantity of ammendments would you recommend i add to my homemade compost?

There are many ways to skin a cat so any input is appreciated. I am so happy with the hot compost i have made and i'm excited to transfer all my plants out of their inert chemical laden, fertiliser fed compost and into some homemade goodness.
 

kratos015

Well-Known Member
The thing to consider about organics is that the roots of the plant, in symbiosis with the microbes in your soil are in complete control of things. So, unless your compost has anything that decomposes too quickly (hot) then you should be fine using the same compost. Your compost could be filled with more available nutrients than the plant currently needs, but the plant won't be forced to uptake them like they would with synthetics. With a true living organic soil, the roots will tell your microbes what it needs and your microbes will supply it. As a result of this, I have had pretty good success with vegetables using the same soil I use for cannabis.

The one exception though, as you pointed out is entirely plant dependent. Some plants need a shit load of drainage, other's don't. Just do some basic research on the veggies you want to grow and they'll give you an idea of the type of soil they prefer. And by that, I don't mean the types of organic amendments you decide to use, but the consistency of it. Definitely still stick with the same ingredients, but just tweak how much of all 3 you add. If your mix is normally 33% peat/aeration/compost, but you're growing plants that need extra drainage than normal you would make it something like 20% Peat/35% compost/45% aeration, or something along those lines.

I got into growing my own veggies because of the terpenes found in my own cannabis compared to what you find in your local dispensary. I thought to myself "If my buds smell and taste better than dispensaries buds in this soil, could I grow veggies that smell and taste better than the grocery store?"

The answer is a very resounding yes. I've always thought cucumbers were bland, then I cut into one I grew in this soil and the scent was as powerful as opening a jar of dank and was just as tasty. The tomatoes are juicier and much more flavorful, with notable differences in flavor depending on the strain. It becomes easy to have a constant supply of dill, parsley, basil, cilantro, and so forth. With the right amount of land, literally anyone could have a produce section of a grocery store in their backyard.

Just give it a go, if your soil is good (and it sounds like it very much is) you will be quite surprised with the results.

HTH
 
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