What ratio do I need?

[kkt3]

you don't say!!! I can get all the rotten logs stuff I want around here. Mind me askin what species you look for and why?

 

[kkt3]

So I want to make my living soil today and want to know what you guys think about my recipe. Here is what I am going to add.

Base is:
2.5 gallons ewc
2.5 gallons peat
2.5 gallons (50% perlite and 50% vermiculite)

Amendments
1 gallon black gold potting soil
1 gallon horse manure
1/2 cup glacial rock dust
1/2 cup alfalfa meal
1/2 cup fishbone meal
1/2 cup greensand
1/2 cup kelp meal 1-0-3
1/2 cup bat guano 10-3-1
1/2 cup power bloom 2-8-4
2 cups wood ash from my woodstove
1/2 cup azomite
1 gallon rotting wood

How soon after I mix it should I moisten it with a tea made from 1 cup alfalfa pellets, 1 cup ewc and 1 tablespoon bsm bubbled for 36 hours in rainwater?

I am so stoked on trying this method for my grow next year!! Lets here what you guys think.

 

[kkt3]

So I want to make my living soil today and want to know what you guys think about my recipe. Here is what I am going to add.

Base is:
2.5 gallons ewc
2.5 gallons peat
2.5 gallons (50% perlite and 50% vermiculite)

Amendments
1 gallon black gold potting soil
1 gallon horse manure
1/2 cup glacial rock dust
1/2 cup alfalfa meal
1/2 cup fishbone meal
1/2 cup greensand
1/2 cup kelp meal 1-0-3
1/2 cup bat guano 10-3-1
1/2 cup power bloom 2-8-4
2 cups wood ash from my woodstove
1/2 cup azomite
1 gallon rotting wood

How soon after I mix it should I moisten it with a tea made from 1 cup alfalfa pellets, 1 cup ewc and 1 tablespoon bsm bubbled for 36 hours in rainwater?

I am so stoked on trying this method for my grow next year!! Lets here what you guys think.

So I just got home with a bucket full of rabbit manure that I got from a friend. He feeds them alfalfa pellets. After reading some of the organic feeding section it seems like rabbit manure is the best out there. I was thinking of substituting the rabbit manure for the horse manure in my living soil mixture. What do you guys suggest?

 

[green_machine_two9er]

So I just got home with a bucket full of rabbit manure that I got from a friend. He feeds them alfalfa pellets. After reading some of the organic feeding section it seems like rabbit manure is the best out there. I was thinking of substituting the rabbit manure for the horse manure in my living soil mixture. What do you guys suggest?

Composted manure and fresh manure are two different things. Make sure its composted first

 

[kkt3]

Thanks green. I thought I read you could use rabbit manure right away and not have to worry about burning. Any truth to that? Also, what do you think about my soil mix? I'm in need of an experienced member or two to let me know what they think.

 

[green_machine_two9er]

Thanks green. I thought I read you could use rabbit manure right away and not have to worry about burning. Any truth to that? Also, what do you think about my soil mix? I'm in need of an experienced member or two to let me know what they think.

Could be. I have more expiernce with steer and cow manures.

And soil looks mostly good. I would add oyster shell. And crab meal for sure. And maybe up your kelp to 1 cup per cf.

Also i like rice. Or oats. Something carbs for fungal food.

And maybe skip Alfalfain your aact. Maybe later once your plants are looking hungry
Thats my first few thoughts. Its late though.

 

[Wetdog]

another thing to consider is certain resinous woods are prone to jacking your acidity..
Honestly I would leave the wood chips out

Totally agree about the wood chips.

However, Pine Bark fines have been a component of my mixes for many, many, years and there is a world of difference between bark and interior wood. The bark fines serve as both aeration and humus as the mycellium does its thing.

Wet

 

[greasemonkeymann]

Totally agree about the wood chips.

However, Pine Bark fines have been a component of my mixes for many, many, years and there is a world of difference between bark and interior wood. The bark fines serve as both aeration and humus as the mycellium does its thing.

Wet

on a similar note, I've been using rotted tree log chunks for a couple yrs now, and they work so great at being little sponges of water, they act sorta like biochar (in regards to microbe-housing). It works awesome in its ability to retain water though, really helps the mix from getting compacted over time, almost like large chunks of vermiculite.
but these are fallen redwood trees that have been sitting and breaking down on the forest floor for probably at least 5 to ten yrs or longer, I could be way off on that, it may be 50 yrs for all I know, but it crumbles in your hand almost like styro-foam and is the best shit to use for aeration, I also imagine it to have a good amount of beneficial indigenous microbes.
even if it were sterile i'd use it though

 

[kkt3]

Thanks wet and grease. I can get any kind of wood fines I want actually. Any type better then the others? And what do you guys think of my soil mix?

 

[kkt3]

Anyone know of a good source for oyster shell flour and crab shell meal in British Columbia?

 

[kkt3]

Well I finally got around to mixing 1 cuft of my living soil.

Here's what I used:

Base:
2.5 gallons of peat
2.5 gallons of ewc
1.5 gallons vermiculite
1 gallon perlite

Amendments:
1 gallon black gold potting soil
.5 gallons rabbit manure
.5 gallons rotted wood
.5 cup wood ash
.5 cup azomite
.5 cup fishbone meal
.5 cup oyster shell flour
.5 cup gypsum
.5 cup crab shell meal
.5 cup alfalfa meal
.5 cup greensand
.5 cup kelp meal
2 cups glacial rock dust

When, and how much tea should I add to get the microbes going?

greasemonkeymann, I used the rotting wood chunks. anzohaze says I can add worms and feed them. Do you mean I can add my compost material into the mix now and let the worms create more awesome soil?

 

[greasemonkeymann]

Thanks green. I thought I read you could use rabbit manure right away and not have to worry about burning. Any truth to that? Also, what do you think about my soil mix? I'm in need of an experienced member or two to let me know what they think.

you could use rabbit manure fresh, its ok.
A rule of thumb is the "pebbled" manure are ok
deer, alpaca, sheep, rabbit.
plops need compost
cow, horse, etc.

 

[kkt3]

Thanks grease, that's great info. Would a tea made with ewc, molasses and rain water work on my soil to get the microbes going?

 

[DonBrennon]

A tea would help but isn't absolutely necessary, that shit will cook on it's own with just good water, the potting soil and EWC will already have shit loads of microbes. And it WILL cook, ie get hot, so DO NOT put any worms in until it has finished cooking, you'll just end up finding dead worms under ever crevice. If you want to add them I'd wait for at least 4-6 weeks, 6 probably being better.

Good luck bro

 

[kkt3]

Made up a batch of tea using my 1 cup ewc from my worm bins, 1 tablespoon bsm and 3 gallons rain water. Applied a gallon to each of the 3 batches of soil I made up and mixed in really good. Letting is cook for 6 weeks then going to take a bunch of the worms from my worm bins and add them to the soil. Few questions. The soil is in my basement and should I cover it? Also, do I have to add anymore water along the way? After I add worms, can I add veggie scraps to the soil for the worms to eat?

Got seeds coming from Attitude and really looking forward to trying this living soil method of growing. This place is awesome!!!

 

[kkt3]

Yes let it cook longer the better. now add worms and feed the worms and then use soil next spring

Thanks anzohaze. So I essentially turn my soil into a worm bin then? Any suggestions to what I should feed them, or do I give them the same stuff I am feeding my bins with?

 

[kkt3]

Hey Grease. Mixing up a few more batches of my living soil today and went to find some rotted tree chunks. Went out to my big fire pit and checked out a few large pieces of birch. This one was quite r otted, and had a worm inside of it. Great amendment for the soil for sure!!