Please Critique my soil recipe!

MustangStudFarm

MustangStudFarm

Well-Known Member
meangreengrowinmachine said:
Thanks man! I'll grab up that other soil test soon here!
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I feel bad when I talk people into spending money, but I feel that it is good advice that I gave you. All of my soil tests have came back very similar to NewGrower2011's test, so I expect that nearly everyone on here will have similar results. Here are some of my previous soil tests, they are all low in Mn. It seems to be a common problem and I'm not the only one with the problem, apparently it's everyone.
DSC01229.JPGDSC01266.JPG

Here is a test from Logan Labs, very hard to read. You don't know what values you need to be at, so you have to do research and it's complicated. I find the Mehlich 3 test to not be very helpful.
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meangreengrowinmachine

meangreengrowinmachine

Well-Known Member
MustangStudFarm said:
I feel bad when I talk people into spending money, but I feel that it is good advice that I gave you. All of my soil tests have came back very similar to NewGrower2011's test, so I expect that nearly everyone on here will have similar results. Here are some of my previous soil tests, they are all low in Mn. It seems to be a common problem and I'm not the only one with the problem, apparently it's everyone.
View attachment 4709061View attachment 4709062

Here is a test from Logan Labs, very hard to read. You don't know what values you need to be at, so you have to do research and it's complicated. I find the Mehlich 3 test to not be very helpful.
View attachment 4709069
Click to expand...
Dude the 50 lbs of rock dust i just bought was 80 bucks and this test is only 26! No worries at all man! I am have a too many hobbies that just eat money...this one gives BACK, so i am trying to narrow my focus and really dial things in. This type of testing is exactly what I need to make informed additions to my soil instead of just throwing things in and waiting until the end of flower to see if i missed something. :-) pic of all the amendments I got today lol
 

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MustangStudFarm

MustangStudFarm

Well-Known Member
My greensand came in yesterday and it was $80 too. Once you get your soil tested you will be trying to figure out how to raise your micronutrient levels. I started reading up on "High Brix" because it is focused on mineral density. Micronutrients, trace elements, and minerals are all the same thing so don't let it confuse you. Dr. Steven Solomon was the author that I started following because he specifically talked about soil remineralization and the importance of soil testing. If you haven't heard about Kis Organic's podcast, I would suggest that you check them out. People on RIU was laughing at me for testing my soil, but all of the podcasts supported it. There is Clackamas coots 3part series(#3,7,8), Jeff Lowenfels(#2), Dr. Steven Solomon(#6), and even the guy that developed the soil savvy test(#17): https://www.kisorganics.com/pages/podcast
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meangreengrowinmachine

meangreengrowinmachine

Well-Known Member
MustangStudFarm said:
I feel bad when I talk people into spending money, but I feel that it is good advice that I gave you. All of my soil tests have came back very similar to NewGrower2011's test, so I expect that nearly everyone on here will have similar results. Here are some of my previous soil tests, they are all low in Mn. It seems to be a common problem and I'm not the only one with the problem, apparently it's everyone.
View attachment 4709061View attachment 4709062

Here is a test from Logan Labs, very hard to read. You don't know what values you need to be at, so you have to do research and it's complicated. I find the Mehlich 3 test to not be very helpful.
View attachment 4709069
Click to expand...
quick question about the soil test.. is there one test per purchase? thinking maybe I should get a few if i have a few batches.. but I suppose if I am using all the same inputs it SHOULD be ok to just maybe use one. the main thing I think that would change would be EWC source and compost inputs, but those are always stuff from all my farm animals and that wont change (obviously unless I start adding more specific things you had mentioned prior).
 
MustangStudFarm

MustangStudFarm

Well-Known Member
meangreengrowinmachine said:
quick question about the soil test.. is there one test per purchase? thinking maybe I should get a few if i have a few batches.. but I suppose if I am using all the same inputs it SHOULD be ok to just maybe use one. the main thing I think that would change would be EWC source and compost inputs, but those are always stuff from all my farm animals and that wont change (obviously unless I start adding more specific things you had mentioned prior).
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I bought a 4 pack for $100 before and it saved on shipping time, but I don't see that option anymore. Usually, you will get the test results and try to modify it, then retest. I was able to see exactly what the inputs was doing when I mixed it in the soil. I found out that kelp didn't do much for me after testing. Everyone says that you get micronutrients from kelp and rockdust, but that is just not true. It wasn't until I started using greensand and manganese sulfate(mined not man made) that I was able to see my Mn # increase.

Greensand has potassium, iron, and manganese which are synergistic with each other.
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meangreengrowinmachine

meangreengrowinmachine

Well-Known Member
MustangStudFarm said:
I bought a 4 pack for $100 before and it saved on shipping time, but I don't see that option anymore. Usually, you will get the test results and try to modify it, then retest. I was able to see exactly what the inputs was doing when I mixed it in the soil. I found out that kelp didn't do much for me after testing. Everyone says that you get micronutrients from kelp and rockdust, but that is just not true. It wasn't until I started using greensand and manganese sulfate(mined not man made) that I was able to see my Mn # increase.

Greensand has potassium, iron, and manganese which are synergistic with each other.
View attachment 4710298
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Huh interesting... tbh the kelp and rockdust in my recipe is directly from a post long ago on this or another forum just like this... I have a huge thing of it now lol it will be funny if it is now useless.. I guess I can always feed it to the worms right? lol and yeah I will buy at 2 and use one to test after this batch has broken down for a while and then amend from there and test again.
 
IIReignManII

IIReignManII

Well-Known Member
meangreengrowinmachine said:
Really every soil recipe i have seen has it in there... please elaborate!
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Too much alkalinity in the soil and too much magnesium is detrimental to soil biology...same reason you dont want to use langebeinite. Gypsum, oyster shell, and basalt are better options for minerals. Kelp, alfalfa, neem, and karanja are all good. No animal products except maybe crab meal....no azomite (or any -ites) bone, blood, poultry bullshit (feather meal), or guanos. Greensand is fine but kind of irrelevant, its not going to be available to your plants anytime soon. More emphasis needs to be on the quality of your castings and/or compost instead of loading your soil up with a ton of fertilizer.
 
meangreengrowinmachine

meangreengrowinmachine

Well-Known Member
myke said:
What sort of deficiencys do you have in the photos?The leaves dont look happy.
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I am almost done with this crop, and I also think the leaves are showing me giving them too much via me being dumb and trying to over do it like I know I should not be doing and giving them fox farm dry nutes at the rate of 1 tsp per gallon or hopefully just the end of their life cycle?
 
meangreengrowinmachine

meangreengrowinmachine

Well-Known Member
IIReignManII said:
Too much alkalinity in the soil and too much magnesium is detrimental to soil biology...same reason you dont want to use langebeinite. Gypsum, oyster shell, and basalt are better options for minerals. Kelp, alfalfa, neem, and karanja are all good. No animal products except maybe crab meal....no azomite (or any -ites) bone, blood, poultry bullshit (feather meal), or guanos. Greensand is fine but kind of irrelevant, its not going to be available to your plants anytime soon. More emphasis needs to be on the quality of your castings and/or compost instead of loading your soil up with a ton of fertilizer.
Click to expand...
hmm why no poultry bullshit, I have a ton of free range chickens so my compost is full of it, and also the epsoma tomato tone has chicken feather meal in it? I have steered away from bone and blood meal I do have a small bag of bat guano but it is not something I have ever bought before. I have also seen a lot of people say adding langebeinite is a good thing. Also as to the quality of my compost.. I have a small hobby farm and have a very varied compost. ATM my castings are store bought sadly but that will change soon.
 
meangreengrowinmachine

meangreengrowinmachine

Well-Known Member
My next batch here i think I will have to veg in something commercial sadly while my next batch breaks down. Probably will just go ocan forest since it will hopefully only be a 4 weeks.
 
Medskunk

Medskunk

Well-Known Member
Not all kelp is the same. Different locations, different species, different nutrition.

@IIReignManII why -NO- azomite? I was hoping to add it at some point. Probably the only extra ingredient i wanna add in my recipe.
Also for the guano, been looking for an answer as to why allegedly you cant reuse your soil more than 2-3 times.. is it too acidic?
 
GrOwThMoNgeR

GrOwThMoNgeR

Well-Known Member
Great info thank you for sharing these authors.
MustangStudFarm said:
My greensand came in yesterday and it was $80 too. Once you get your soil tested you will be trying to figure out how to raise your micronutrient levels. I started reading up on "High Brix" because it is focused on mineral density. Micronutrients, trace elements, and minerals are all the same thing so don't let it confuse you. Dr. Steven Solomon was the author that I started following because he specifically talked about soil remineralization and the importance of soil testing. If you haven't heard about Kis Organic's podcast, I would suggest that you check them out. People on RIU was laughing at me for testing my soil, but all of the podcasts supported it. There is Clackamas coots 3part series(#3,7,8), Jeff Lowenfels(#2), Dr. Steven Solomon(#6), and even the guy that developed the soil savvy test(#17): https://www.kisorganics.com/pages/podcast
View attachment 4709269
Click to expand...
 
myke

myke

Well-Known Member
meangreengrowinmachine said:
My next batch here i think I will have to veg in something commercial sadly while my next batch breaks down. Probably will just go ocan forest since it will hopefully only be a 4 weeks.
Click to expand...
Ive had good luck with just the base mix.Peat,compost/ewc,perlight.For veg.No cook time.No use buying when you have already.Most of my vegetables this year had this and did fine for a month.
 
MustangStudFarm

MustangStudFarm

Well-Known Member
meangreengrowinmachine said:
tbh the kelp and rockdust in my recipe is directly from a post long ago on this or another forum just like this
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I'm not knocking the stuff, I still use it myself. I'm just saying that they will NOT deliver the micronutrients that "Bro Science" has suggested. After you get your soil tested, you will be trying to figure out ways to raise your Mn and Zn and neither one will deliver. Greensand is one of the very few Mn inputs out there other than manganese sulfate.
 
meangreengrowinmachine

meangreengrowinmachine

Well-Known Member
Gonna send off a batch of my cooked soil off for testing and then make up a HUGE batch, to get me started on a perpetual schedule trying to get eleven, 5 gallon SIPs flowering every 8ish weeks. Is the cold a concern at all with my samples?
 
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