Organic Soil /Methods Q&A

This thread is here so that people with questions about their organic soil mixes can be heard (and hopefully answered). A few other members decided this thread needed to exist, so here it is. Feel free to add any ideas or previously successful soil mixes you have tried as well.

And thanks for making it, I too hope it takes off. Maybe somebody can make it into a sticky bud thread?

Do organic mixes need time to settle down before you plant in them? Ill be using an easy mix for my 1st organic mix, consisting of cow compost, Dolomite lime, bone meal, blood meal, perlite, and either something for micros or I will add that manually through watering with a micro fert. The problem im having with this is where do I get (k) from as neither the bone or blood has this. This is for an outdoor grow from may through september.

LAX Skunky BwS said:

premium earthworm castings, bat guano, fish and crab meal,Composted forest humus, sandy loam, and sphagnum peat moss and dolomite lime.....

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Looks good, however I already bought this other stuff and im going simple on my 1st organic effort, and the stuff I got seems to be the old school organic method ive heard about for some time. thanks for posting though.

Purplekrunchie said:

Do organic mixes need time to settle down before you plant in them? Ill be using an easy mix for my 1st organic mix, consisting of cow compost, Dolomite lime, bone meal, blood meal, perlite, and either something for micros or I will add that manually through watering with a micro fert. The problem im having with this is where do I get (k) from as neither the bone or blood has this. This is for an outdoor grow from may through september.

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Yeah, they need time. It's good to let the bacteria start to break some stuff down, like bone meal. Next batch here is goin' to sit ~2 weeks before it gets used.

You can use kelp meal (kelp extract works, too), and greensand to supplement K. Kelp meal would be eaten up faster than the greensand.

edit- Ugh, you said cow compost...I'm not sure about the NPK on that, I'd assume high N, so then maybe bump back on the blood meal. Do you have a formula?

Not as far as how much compost to use, just manufacters instructions on the blood / bone / dolomite. I just kinda loosely figured you can always start light and add if you need later on, or suppliment as needed, I didnt realize there was as much to it as there seems to be. Worst comes to worst I guess ill scale all the ammounts back for this year til I get a better feel and play safe side. I was planning on mixing the compost with soil than add the amendments.

Hi just learning about organics now, realy interested in it. I was curious, can you do a organic grow without having to pre mix the organic material into the soil? ive only heard of the organic tea, but wat if i need to add bloodmeal, bonemeal,wormcastings,bunny turd , how do i use them without mixing it in soil?


Cheers

I got some Expert Garderner Organic potting mix
NPK .o6-.09-.06
Contains: Tirkey litter, Hydrolyzed feathermeal, reed-sedge peat, composted forest products, and/or composted rics hulls, canadian sphagnum peat moss, horticulture perlit,grounds dolomite limestone, organic fertilizer and wetting agent.

Glacial bay Soils composted manure and organic matter
NPK .5-.5-.5
Cow

Sta-Green Vermiculite
Derived from peat and sand 100% vermiculite

Biotone plus oganic plant food by Epsoma
NPK4-3-3
.6% water soluble nitrogen
3.4% insoluble nitrogen
Available phosphate 3% Soluble potash 3%
Calcium-4%,
Magnesium-1% (Soluble .6%)
Sulfur 2%
Derived from feather meal Dehydrated manure, Bone meal, Alfalfa meal, Greensand, Humates, Crab meal, Cocoa meal, sulfate of potash magnesium
Contains 5,678,688 colony forming units
Ectomycorrhizal fungi: 44,2000,000 propagules of 8 species/lb.
Endomycorrhizal fungi: 2,400 proagules of 2 specis/lb.

Glacial Bay Soils organic topsoil
derived from peat and sand...

Magnesium sulfate Aka Epsom salt


I'll let ya'll know how it goes in a couple months..

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i was thinking about starting my own outdoor, organic garden this summer, and for my soil i was thinking about mixing Foxfarm ocean forest with Miracle grow and perlite. Do any of you know if this would be safe for me to do? mixing foxfarm and MG.

bloodgreen said:

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i was thinking about starting my own outdoor, organic garden this summer, and for my soil i was thinking about mixing Foxfarm ocean forest with Miracle grow and perlite. Do any of you know if this would be safe for me to do? mixing foxfarm and MG.

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If its not the miracle grow moisture control, you'll probably be OK. Since the miracle grow will probably come with a bunch of fertilizers in it already (I'm assuming), make sure you don't give them too much food over and above the soil mix unless you see reason to.

Do it, and play it by ear.

thanks for that info.

will i b able to use a pile of soil that hasnt been touched in 4 years that is a dark healthy looking mix for worm compost, i found millions of worms when i was digging a little in the ground

eyes ableed said:

will i b able to use a pile of soil that hasnt been touched in 4 years that is a dark healthy looking mix for worm compost, i found millions of worms when i was digging a little in the ground

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I'm not a compost expert, but it's probably OK if it looks healthy. Where has it been sittin' for 4 years, and do you know what its made of? What its made of will sort of determine what else (if anything) you need to add to the worm bin.

Edit: D'oh. Check the Vermicomposting thread.

MrBaker said:

If its not the miracle grow moisture control, you'll probably be OK. Since the miracle grow will probably come with a bunch of fertilizers in it already (I'm assuming), make sure you don't give them too much food over and above the soil mix unless you see reason to.

Do it, and play it by ear.

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You should use Miracle Grow Organic Choice. It is really good, except that it has a magnesium deficiency. 1TBSP of dolomite per gallon of soil should solve the problem.

Majikoopa said:

You should use Miracle Grow Organic Choice. It is really good, except that it has a magnesium deficiency. 1TBSP of dolomite per gallon of soil should solve the problem.

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It's good to hear that stuff works. I had only read about it being good. You could probably get away with epsom salts, too but lime is awesome.

Three little birds said to try to recycle 40 gallons of peat based mix. Dolomite was added in plentiful amounts

40 gallons promix
4 cups greensand/rock phosphate/bone meal/blood meal/kelp meal/dolomite
30 lbs ewc
perlite

and whatever liquid bacteria there is locally.

very hot thrtead

Can anyone give me an idea of how much Kelp meal and humic acid should be added as an amendment to the soil? Also if the soil is a good organic compost or potting soil is there a different amount to add? If im not giving you enough info let me know. Thx

When is a good time to start using molasses in your watering regiment and how often should you use it in watering?

greenthumb111 said:

Can anyone give me an idea of how much Kelp meal and humic acid should be added as an amendment to the soil? Also if the soil is a good organic compost or potting soil is there a different amount to add? If im not giving you enough info let me know. Thx

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Im not too sure, but you could always go light than add more later on, adding to top and working in I believe. Im still learing this organic game myself.