Soulman4466
Well-Known Member
Hey yall,
Been a while... about to get back in it, and blown away by how much roots cost. Over $23 per 1.5Cf on the east coast and I can’t find something I like for less... This time of year I can find fox farms for around $16 but I bet we can do better.
So here is my SoulSoil, this is the mix I’ll be using as my potting soil as well as my base for super soil...
This recipe will be enough for a half batch of super soil alittle over 6CF
I like to start with COCO Coir... make sure yours is HortiGrade as coco fiber is known to have salt in it.
This year I used HydroFarm organic coco planting mix. These bales make approx. 2.5 CF once you add 7 US GAL of water.
So I get out the Rubbermaid wheelbarrow that holds 7.5CF and add a bale and 7GAL H2O and wait about 30 min. I like to break it up with my hands and make sure there are no lumps,then I add 2 CF of perlite... mixing again folowed by approx 1CF peat moss. Now you have a pretty nice base mix devoid of nutes with a PH in the 5's..... This is similar to the Cornell mix (famous soilless mix) then I add about .5CF lobster compost, .75CF composted manure, and 5 lbs. EWC. To this I mix about 4cups of crushed oyster shells, 6 cups of vermiculite, 8 cups garden lime, 4cups diatomatious earth, 4LBS espoma garden tone, 1/4 cup azomite, 2 Tab epsomsalt, and humic acid. I like to "cook" this at least 2 weeks. This is mixed up in a kiddy pool, seriously folks this, a shovel and some muck boots makes this EZ work. (Espoma Garden Tone is organic and has lots of good stuff in it + Myco.)
2.5CF coco $12 or less
2CF perlite $13
1CF peat moss $3
.5CF lobster compost $8
.75 composted manure Free( find a local farm remember cows eat grass not grain!)
.125CF EWC (noble worm organics $16CF)
4 cups crushed oyster shells $2
6 cups verm $1
8 cups Garden lime $1 (this is crushed limestone not hydrated or quick lime)
4 cups diatoms $1
4 LBS garden tone $5
azomite, epsom salt, humic acid, $4
Now when I want super soil I mix this up plus
25 LBS EWC, 2.5 Fish bone meal, blood meal, bat guano
+ 1 Tab Humic acid, 1/2 cup lime, 1/3 cup epsom 1/4 cupazomite
And this cooks 2 months....OR.....60 days...OR....1,440hours!!!!!!!!
Now this is my house potting soil and I make it for less than $8CF... Please feel free to ask any questions, Ill throw up some pics of happy plants as I take them.
Been a while... about to get back in it, and blown away by how much roots cost. Over $23 per 1.5Cf on the east coast and I can’t find something I like for less... This time of year I can find fox farms for around $16 but I bet we can do better.
So here is my SoulSoil, this is the mix I’ll be using as my potting soil as well as my base for super soil...
This recipe will be enough for a half batch of super soil alittle over 6CF
I like to start with COCO Coir... make sure yours is HortiGrade as coco fiber is known to have salt in it.
This year I used HydroFarm organic coco planting mix. These bales make approx. 2.5 CF once you add 7 US GAL of water.
So I get out the Rubbermaid wheelbarrow that holds 7.5CF and add a bale and 7GAL H2O and wait about 30 min. I like to break it up with my hands and make sure there are no lumps,then I add 2 CF of perlite... mixing again folowed by approx 1CF peat moss. Now you have a pretty nice base mix devoid of nutes with a PH in the 5's..... This is similar to the Cornell mix (famous soilless mix) then I add about .5CF lobster compost, .75CF composted manure, and 5 lbs. EWC. To this I mix about 4cups of crushed oyster shells, 6 cups of vermiculite, 8 cups garden lime, 4cups diatomatious earth, 4LBS espoma garden tone, 1/4 cup azomite, 2 Tab epsomsalt, and humic acid. I like to "cook" this at least 2 weeks. This is mixed up in a kiddy pool, seriously folks this, a shovel and some muck boots makes this EZ work. (Espoma Garden Tone is organic and has lots of good stuff in it + Myco.)
2.5CF coco $12 or less
2CF perlite $13
1CF peat moss $3
.5CF lobster compost $8
.75 composted manure Free( find a local farm remember cows eat grass not grain!)
.125CF EWC (noble worm organics $16CF)
4 cups crushed oyster shells $2
6 cups verm $1
8 cups Garden lime $1 (this is crushed limestone not hydrated or quick lime)
4 cups diatoms $1
4 LBS garden tone $5
azomite, epsom salt, humic acid, $4
Now when I want super soil I mix this up plus
25 LBS EWC, 2.5 Fish bone meal, blood meal, bat guano
+ 1 Tab Humic acid, 1/2 cup lime, 1/3 cup epsom 1/4 cupazomite
And this cooks 2 months....OR.....60 days...OR....1,440hours!!!!!!!!
Now this is my house potting soil and I make it for less than $8CF... Please feel free to ask any questions, Ill throw up some pics of happy plants as I take them.