First mixed soil

[GrnGardnr]

Hey everyone, long time lurker with a question about some soil I just mixed up... I want to see if this mix will be reasonable to use.. Being my first time using a home-made soil I wanted to go as basic as I can and used what I had on hand

Base:
2.5 gal Coco coir
2.5 gal Florida ground soil (so sand pretty much)
2.5 gal Compost
5 gal Perlite

Amendments:

4 cups Garden tone
4 cups dolomite lime
2 Tablespoons Epsom salt

I mixed this up a few days ago and the mix is heating up to around 100 F. I have 4 weeks till I would need to use it. Will this work or are the base ratios to far off?

 

[GOLDBERG71]

Hey everyone, long time lurker with a question about some soil I just mixed up... I want to see if this mix will be reasonable to use.. Being my first time using a home-made soil I wanted to go as basic as I can and used what I had on hand

Base:
2.5 gal Coco coir
2.5 gal Florida ground soil (so sand pretty much)
2.5 gal Compost
5 gal Perlite

Amendments:

4 cups Garden tone
4 cups dolomite lime
2 Tablespoons Epsom salt

I mixed this up a few days ago and the mix is heating up to around 100 F. I have 4 weeks till I would need to use it. Will this work or are the base ratios to far off?

Easiest way to go is pro mix cut with perlite. Using actually ground soil I think is a mistake. Unless you sterilize it.
I'd recommend pro mix HP and mix 1 - 3.8 cf bale with 1 - 4 cf of course perlite. Mix throughly and add water. Put in a pot and add seedling.
I know this is organics but you said easy. Checking temps and waiting isn't easy. The above is set it and forget it.

 

[Richard Drysift]

There's no way to say if that will be a good mix or not: nobody knows what's in your Florida topsoil, or what kind of compost you use. Not saying don't use it just that you should know what you are using before add it in; should have checked the ph of that Florida ground soil before deciding to add it to your mix.
I think you need to add not only a wider range of minerals but also a better source of NPK & macros; your current mix is incomplete as it is. It won't take a plant through bloom phase without a ton of deficiencies IMO. My recycled mix is slightly different & started out as bagged soil but if I was building this from scratch I would also add:
Azomite or Glacial rock dust
Soft Rock Phosphate
Blood meal
Bone meal
Alfalfa meal
Neem seed meal
Fresh Earthworm Castings
Greensand
Garden gypsum

You should have a soil ph pen on hand if you plan on building your own soil & this is maybe the only time you'll really need it in organics. 100 degF sounds hot; I never check temps of my recycled soil bins but I know when the ph reaches up to 6.5 or higher my mix is okay to use so I assume such a hot soil still needs more time to cook down.

 

[GrnGardnr]

Sounds good I have a pH kit and am versed at water testing so I'll keep an eye on it.. I'll also check into getting those amendments as well thanks for the replys

 

[Richard Drysift]

Checking the runoff won't tell you anything - you need a soil probe for this unless you start with a ph balanced mix to begin with- good luck happy growing