Building a Healthy Soil

[Eyes on Fire]

Well I get a ton of questions actually about basic soils and things similar to this fairly decent write up.the link has more info but that more general gardening than Canna specific but check it out its pretty nice as a baseline knowledge to have.Small simple matters can alter a soil drastically and a lotta ppl keep wanting to play science guy but simple is key and less is more when you add multi components so with that in mind enjoy the read.

:Sharing One: "AFN smoke out" :Hookah:

Though some gardeners may be blessed with perfect soil, most of us garden in soil that is less than perfect. If your soil has too much clay in it, is too sandy, too stony or too acidic, don't despair. Turning a poor soil into a plant-friendly soil is not difficult to do, once you understand the components of a healthy soil.
Soil is composed of weathered rock and organic matter, water and air. But the hidden "magic" in a healthy soil is the organisms—small animals, worms, insects and microbes—that flourish when the other soil elements are in balance.
Minerals. Roughly half of the soil in your garden consists of small bits of weathered rock that has gradually been broken down by the forces of wind, rain, freezing and thawing and other chemical and biological processes.
Soil type is generally classified by the size of these inorganic soil particles: sand (large particles), silt (medium-sized particles) or clay (very small particles). The proportion of sand, silt and clay particles determines the texture of your soil and affects drainage and nutrient availability, which in turn influence how well your plants will grow.
Organic Matter. Organic matter is the partially decomposed remains of soil organisms and plant life including lichens and mosses, grasses and leaves, trees, and all other kinds of vegetative matter.
Although it only makes up a small fraction of the soil (normally 5 to 10 percent), organic matter is absolutely essential. It binds together soil particles into porous crumbs or granules which allow air and water to move through the soil. Organic matter also retains moisture (humus holds up to 90 percent of its weight in water), and is able to absorb and store nutrients. Most importantly, organic matter is food for microorganisms and other forms of soil life.
You can increase the amount of organic matter in your soil by adding compost, aged animal manures, green manures (cover crops), mulches or peat moss. Because most soil life and plant roots are located in the top 6 inches of soil, concentrate on this upper layer. To learn more about making your own compost, read All About Composting.
Be cautious about incorporating large amounts of high-carbon material (straw, leaves, wood chips and sawdust). Soil microorganisms will consume a lot of nitrogen in their efforts to digest these materials and they may deprive your plants of nitrogen in the short run.
Soil life. Soil organisms include the bacteria and fungi, protozoa and nematodes, mites, springtails, earthworms and other tiny creatures found in healthy soil. These organisms are essential for plant growth. They help convert organic matter and soil minerals into the vitamins, hormones, disease-suppressing compounds and nutrients that plants need to grow.
Their excretions also help to bind soil particles into the small aggregates that make a soil loose and crumbly. As a gardener, your job is to create the ideal conditions for these soil organisms to do their work. This means providing them with an abundant source of food (the carbohydrates in organic matter), oxygen (present in a well-aerated soil), and water (an adequate but not excessive amount).
Air. A healthy soil is about 25 percent air. Insects microbes, earthworms and soil life require this much air to live. The air in soil is also an important source of the atmospheric nitrogen that is utilized by plants.
Well-aerated soil has plenty of pore space between the soil particles or crumbs. Fine soil particles (clay or silt) have tiny spaces between them - in some cases too small for air to penetrate. Soil composed of large particles, like sand, has large pore spaces and contains plenty of air. But, too much air can cause organic matter to decompose too quickly.
To ensure that there is a balanced supply of air in your soil, add plenty of organic matter, avoid stepping in the growing beds or compacting the soil with heavy equipment and never work the soil when it is very wet.
Water. A healthy soil will also contain about 25 percent water. Water, like air, is held in the pore spaces between soil particles. Large pore spaces allow rain and irrigation water to move down to the root zone and into the subsoil. In sandy soils, the spaces between the soil particles are so large that gravity causes water to drain down and out very quickly. That's why sandy soils dry out so fast.
Small pore spaces permit water to migrate back upwards through the process of capillary action. In waterlogged soils, water has completely filled the pore spaces, forcing out all the air. This suffocates soil organisms as well as plant roots.
Ideally, your soil should have a combination of large and small pore spaces. Again, organic matter is the key, because it encourages the formation of aggregate, or crumbs, or soil. Organic matter also absorbs water and retains it until it is needed by plant roots.
Every soil has a different combination of these five basic components. By balancing them you can dramatically improve your soil's healthy and your garden's productivity. But first, you need to know what kind of soil you have.
Soil Texture and TypeSoil texture can range from very fine particles to coarse and gravelly. You don't have to be a scientist to determine the texture of the soil in your garden. To get a rough idea, simply place some soil in the palm of your hand and wet it slightly, then run the mixture between your fingers. If it feels gritty, your soil is sandy; if it feels smooth, like moist talcum powder, your soil is silty; if it feels harsh when dry, sticky or slippery when wet, or rubbery when moist, it is high in clay.
Every soil has unique physical characteristics, which are determined by how it was formed. The silty soil found in an old floodplain is inherently different from stony mountain soil; the clay soil that lay under a glacier for millions of years is unlike the sandy soil near an ocean. Some of these basic qualities can be improved with proper management—or made worse by abuse.
Identifying your soil type: Soils are generally described according to the predominant type of soil particle present: sand, silt or clay. By conducting a simple soil test, you can easily see what kind of soil you're dealing with. You may want to repeat this test with several different soil samples from your lawn and garden.
1. Fill a quart jar about one-third full with topsoil and add water until the jar is almost full.
2. Screw on the lid and shake the mixture vigorously, until all the clumps of soil have dissolved.
3. Now set the jar on a windowsill and watch as the larger particles begin to sink to the bottom.

4. In a minute or two the sand portion of the soil will have settled to the bottom of the jar (see illustration). Mark the level of sand on the side of the jar.
5. Leave the jar undisturbed for several hours. The finer silt particles will gradually settle onto the sand. You will find the layers are slightly different colors, indicating various types of particles.
6. Leave the jar overnight. The next layer above the silt will be clay. Mark the thickness of that layer. On top of the clay will be a thin layer of organic matter. Some of this organic matter may still be floating in the water. In fact, the jar should be murky and full of floating organic sediments. If not, you probably need to add organic matter to improve the soil's fertility and structure.
Improving Soil StructureEven very poor soil can be dramatically improved, and your efforts will be well rewarded. With their roots in healthy soil, your plants will be more vigorous and more productive.
Sandy Soil. Sand particles are large, irregularly shaped bits of rock. In a sandy soil, large air spaces between the sand particles allow water to drain very quickly. Nutrients tend to drain away with the water, often before plants have a chance to absorb them. For this reason, sandy soils are usually nutrient-poor.
A sandy soil also has so much air in it that microbes consume organic matter very quickly. Because sandy soils usually contain very little clay or organic matter, they don't have much of a crumb structure. The soil particles don't stick together, even when they're wet.

To improve sandy soil:

• Work in 3 to 4 inches of organic matter such as well-rotted manure or finished compost.
• Mulch around your plants with leaves, wood chips, bark, hay or straw. Mulch retains moisture and cools the soil.
• Add at least 2 inches of organic matter each year.
• Grow cover crops or green manures.

Clay Soil. Clay particles are small and flat. They tend to pack together so tightly that there is hardly any pore space at all. When clay soils are wet, they are sticky and practically unworkable. They drain slowly and can stay waterlogged well into the spring. Once they finally dry out, they often become hard and cloddy, and the surface cracks into flat plates.
Lack of pore space means that clay soils are generally low in both organic matter and microbial activity. Plant roots are stunted because it is too hard for them to push their way through the soil. Foot traffic and garden equipment can cause compaction problems. Fortunately, most clay soils are rich in minerals which will become available to your plants once you improve the texture of the soil.

To improve clay soil:

• Work 2 to 3 inches of organic matter into the surface of the soil. Then add at least 1 inch more each year after that.
• Add the organic matter in the fall, if possible.
• Use permanent raised beds to improve drainage and keep foot traffic out of the growing area.
• Minimize tilling and spading.

Silty Soil. Silty soils contain small irregularly shaped particles of weathered rock, which means they are usually quite dense and have relatively small pore spaces and poor drainage. They tend to be more fertile than either sandy or clayey soils.

To improve silty soil:

• Add at least 1 inch of organic matter each year.
• Concentrate on the top few inches of soil to avoid surface crusting.
• Avoid soil compaction by avoiding unnecessary tilling and walking on garden beds.
• Consider constructing raised beds.

Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat are cover crops and green manures?
Cover crops are used primarily to protect fallow (unused) soil. In the North, gardeners usually plant them at the end of the season so their soil is not bare over the winter. Cold-hardy crops such as vetch and winter rye are best for overwintering. They will begin growth again in spring, and need to be tilled in before you can plant your garden.
Green manures can also be planted on a new garden area the year before you plan to use it. They will choke out weeds and add a wealth of organic matter. Legumes, including field peas, soybeans, and alfalfa, will contribute both nitrogen and organic matter to the soil. Fast-growing grains and buckwheat produce the most organic matter and will smother competing weeds as they grow.
If your soil will be fallow for more than one growing season, you can plant perennial or biennial green manures, such as clover or alfalfa. All cover crops should be tilled-in at least three weeks before the area is to be replanted, so the organic matter will already be partially decomposed at planting time.
What are liquid soil conditioners?
Liquid soil conditioners typically contain a blend of humic acid and catalytic enzymes, which are produced in a controlled environment by the same sort of microorganisms that are at work in your compost pile. When applied to your soil, their effect is similar to the effect you get when you add compost. Clay soils become easier to work and nutrients become more available; sandy soils are able to retain more water and nutrients.
Researchers have now isolated specific organic substances that solve specific soil problems. Soon you will be able to buy organic soil conditioners that have been specially selected for their effectiveness in opening up heavy soils or dislodging salts and other elements that have become tied up in the soil.
What is hardpan?
Hardpan is a dense layer of soil that restricts root growth and the movement of moisture, air and beneficial organisms through the soil. Hardpan is usually created by glacial action, heavy rain, or heavy equipment, and typically lies between 6 and 25 inches below the soil surface.
Farmers often cope with hardpan by using a chisel plow to cut and break up this dense layer of soil. Home gardeners can break up and mix the hardpan layer by "double digging" the soil. This involves removing 10 to 12 inches of topsoil, and then working organic matter into the 12-inch layer of material that lies below. If the hardpan layer is not too deep, you can use a digging fork to puncture it and open up passages for air and water.
What does chelated mean?
Chelation is a process that joins a nutrient, such as iron, to a non-nutrient compound that can be easily absorbed by your plants.
What does 5-8-3 mean?
The numbers refer to the percentage by net weight of total nitrogen (N; always the first number), available phosphorus (P; the second number), and soluble potash (K; the third number). In other words, a 5-8-3 fertilizer contains 5 percent nitrogen, 8 percent available phosphorus, and 3 percent soluble potash.
Labeling laws allow only the immediately available nutrients to be listed. That is why the nutrient analysis for organic fertilizers tends to be low. Most organic fertilizers actually have a higher nutrient content, but these nutrients gradually become available to plants over a period of months or even years.
What are the benefits of seaweed?
Seaweed contains at least sixty micronutrients, including iron, copper, zinc, boron, and manganese. Seaweed also contains a high concentration of natural growth hormones which allow it to grow rapidly in its natural environment. When applied to plants, these growth hormones stimulate root growth, reduce transplant shock, promote more rapid fruit set, increase frost resistance and improve storage life. Research has also revealed that seaweed contains antitoxins that help plants fend off bacteria, viruses and pests.
Powdered seaweed (kelp meal) releases its nutrients gradually into the soil. Liquid seaweed makes these nutrients immediately available. Seaweed is not a complete fertilizer because it doesn't provide adequate nitrogen and phosphorus for most plants. But it is an excellent part of a balanced soil-building program.


http://www.gardeners.com/how-to/building-healthy-soil/5060.html

:Sharing One:


Pros of Super Soil

• Better Taste, Smell, Smoothness - Many growers believe that growing cannabis in super soil enhances taste and smell compared to other growing methods, while producing some of the smoothest buds without any hint of "harshness" from chemicals or over-fertilization
  
• Great for Indoors and Outdoors - Super soil is a versatile growing medium that can be used to grow thriving cannabis plants almost anywhere
  
• Natural - Super soil can be created using only organic ingredients that have been broken down naturally - this closely mimics the best and richest soil found in nature
  
• No Need to Flush - Since there's no chemical salts to alter taste and smell of buds, many organic growers feel there's no need to flush before harvest
  
• Easier to Grow - Once the amended soil is composted, growing cannabis in super soil is easier than pretty much any other type of growing medium; with super soil there's no need to worry about maintaining pH or nutrients! Just water your plants and wait until harvest
  
• 
  
  Cons of Super Soil
  
  • Expensive & Best Suited to Bigger Grows - Can be expensive to get started since you generally compost a lot of soil at once - it's difficult to scale the organic super soil process down to smaller grows that need less soil at a time
    
  • Need to Plan Ahead - Composting take 30-60 days before your soil is ready to be used by your plants, which means you have to plan ahead before each organic grow
    
  • Mixing Soil Can Be Tiring - The amending and composting process involves some physical work (mixing the soil)
    
    
    
    [h=2]More tips to save your soil[/h]In addition to disturbing the soil structure by tilling or turning over the earth, Littlefield and Gershuny have a few other pet peeves when it comes to saving your soil.
    
    • Avoid adding chemicals. “Chemical fertilizers and pesticides can be really hard on microorganisms, which are the key to healthy soil ecosystems,” Littlefield says. Gershuny adds that synthetic nitrogen can cause the same problems, plus the process used to make it is extremely energy-intensive. “There are things like blood meal, fish meal, alfalfa meal and similar products that will add soluble nitrogen if soil is very poor,” she says.
    • Don’t tread on me. Minimize stepping where you plan to plant to avoid compacting the soil. Create pathways in your garden to walk on and make planting beds narrow enough that you can reach across them from either side when it comes time to harvest.
    • Building blunders. Littlefield says that developers often scrape off topsoil from sites during building, leaving behind “really rotten subsoil.” If you’re building a new home, have your contractor stockpile your topsoil to spread back on your garden later, or rope off your garden plot ahead of time and ban bulldozers from that area. This will keep the soil from getting compacted by heavy machinery as well.
    • Hands off when wet. We know you’re eager to get started, but avoid working in your garden when the ground is wet. “It can destroy the soil’s structure and turn it into a brick when it dries,” Littlefield says. How wet is too wet? Littlefield suggests molding a handful of soil into a ball with your fist. Flick it with your fingers — the ball should fall apart. “If not, it’s still too wet,” she says.
  Last year, I tried container gardening after grabbing the first bags of potting soil I found at the local big box store. If the bags had been any more generic looking, they would have said “ACME.” The packaging had almost no information about the content or source of the soil, but, I figured, dirt is dirt.
  
  Within a week, my potted plants held water about as well as a brick. The soil pulled from the sides of the containers and formed tight, water-shedding balls. Only my hardiest seedlings survived.
  
  Clearly, not all potting soils are created equal.
  
  It’s What’s Inside That Counts
  
  In a way, good potting soil tries to mimic nature. Healthy earth relies on critters, rocks and roots for aeration; but when put in a pot, the same soil quickly becomes a dense mass that water and oxygen can’t permeate.
  
  “Soil alone is heavy and poorly aerated. It tends to become waterlogged and sticky when wet,” writes Eric Sideman, director of technical services for MOFGA, in his soil mix fact sheet.
  
  Good potting soil tries to replicate nature by providing plant nutrients and materials that allow for drainage and aeration--but good potting soil, especially organically-approved, can be hard to come by.
  
  Bruce Hoskins, assistant scientist and soil testing coordinator at the University of Maine, says of potting soil, let the buyer beware. “There’s some pretty questionable stuff that we’ve seen sold as potting soil.”
  
  Lois Stack, ornamental horticulture specialist with University of Maine Cooperative Extension, says that just because something is labeled “potting soil” doesn’t mean it’ll work in a pot. “It’s really hard to define what is in that container,” Stack observes. “The word ‘soil’ has a very broad definition.”
  
  Sideman suggests that an ideal mix should be dense enough to hold seedlings and water, but porous enough to shed excess water. It must be free of weed seeds and plant pathogens.
  
  Peat and humus normally provide sponge-like water retention and drainage in organically-approved mixes, while sand provides plant support and drainage. The heat-expanded minerals perlite and vermiculite commonly provide pore space, improving drainage while minimizing the weight of the soil
  
  Good potting soil must have plant nutrients, but getting enough nutrients into an organically-approved potting soil is not easy. In conventional potting soil, synthetic fertilizer can provide most of the food a plant will need for a while, but organic growers must rely on compost, which often doesn’t provide enough nutrients to last long in a pot. One way to overcome the shortage, Hoskins says, is to add fresh compost when transplanting to a larger container. Watering with manure tea or compost tea can also help.
  
  Two Recipes for Success
  
  Making successful compost-based potting soil is both art and science. While some hard and fast rules apply, soil recipes often differ from grower to grower.
  
  Dennis King of King Hill Farm in Penobscot makes most of the potting soil for his vegetable seedlings rather than buying packaged, organically-approved soil, because, “It’s a whole lot cheaper.” He says good compost is the key to healthy potting soil, and heat is the key to good compost. Compost must get hot enough to kill pathogens and weed seeds, but not hot enough to kill beneficial organisms. One batch of improperly heated compost can impact a farmer for a long time. “One year of seeds, seven years of weeds,” he recites.
  
  King keeps his compost at 140-150 degrees F. for at least two weeks in a self-propelled compost-turner that he shares with a neighbor. He then mixes his potting soil in a cement mixer using a recipe from Sideman: 5 gallons of compost, 5 gallons of peat, 2 ½ gallons of sand, a gallon of perlite, and a cup each of greensand, bone meal and lime.
  
  His mix works better than material he used to buy. Store-bought soil caused problems with damping-off, a disease that weakens stems of young seedlings and usually kills them. “With good compost-based potting soil, I’ve forgotten all about damping-off,” says King.
  
  Claudette Nadeau and her husband, Michael Beaudry, make at least 50% of the potting soil they need to grow seedlings at their Roots-n-Shoots Farm in Montville. The main ingredient for their compost is manure from the farm’s five sheep and four goats. “The manure from our girls is purely organic,” says Nadeau. “They are fed ‘Nature's Best’ organic grain and fed organic hay in the winter, [they get] no antibiotics, and are out to pasture and woods in the spring, summer and fall.”
  
  Like King, Nadeau makes sure her compost reaches over 130 degrees for 10 days, turning the pile three times during that period, to destroy pathogens. Her recipe is 21 quarts compost, 6 quarts perlite, 15 quarts peat moss, and 1/2 cup each of lime, rock phosphate and greensand.
  
  To Buy or To Mix
  
  When deciding whether to make or buy soil, consider labor, time, access to dry storage and the cost of materials and mixing equipment. Stack notes that making your own isn’t always cheaper. Homemade mixes “often are not dependably consistent,” writes Sideman, but finding organically approved potting soil that is effective and affordable can be just as tricky.
  
  Prepackaged potting soil is a relatively new concept. Hoskins says that until 30 years ago, most greenhouse growers simply sifted field soil for potting soil.
  
  The organic soil market is even younger. Hoskins says the first wave of organically-approved soils often had problems. Some relied too heavily on compost and drained poorly; others had insufficient nutrients. Stack adds that until recently, turnover in the compost-soil market was high. “Every time they came and went, a grower would have to get used to a new mix.”
  
  While the market has stabilized, Hoskins says knowledge about organically approved mixes still lags far behind that of conventional soil. “We’re all still learning about organic media.”
  
  It’s All in the Nose
  
  Nadeau uses soil made by the Vermont Compost Company (VCC) for the rest of her soil mix needs. She says its light texture is good for plant roots.
  
  Being one of the more established and consistent organic soils on the market, VCC has attracted a following among Maine farmers.
  Karl Hammer, VCC founder and owner, says the key to making good compost is to recognize problems that arise before the composting process is finished. “It comes down to telling yourself the truth.”
  
  As VCC compost ages, it changes daily, so employees constantly adjust conditions to create a good product. Hammer adds that a compost maker’s chief ally is his or her nose. “Each of the compounds that could give you trouble has an odor signature.”
  
  Each day, VCC employees sniff each batch of compost. If they detect a problem, they adjust the mixture or the conditions. Hammer smells finished batches as well, because, he says, compost making is too important not to get right. “The cost of potting soil failure to a grower is…hard to exaggerate.”
  
  In the ‘70s, Hammer lived in the same Vermont town as organic pioneer Eliot Coleman, and the two experimented with soil blocks, a Dutch technique of packing soil so that it stands on its own. They needed a peat-free mix for this technique, so Hammer began to make his own. Neighbors soon came knocking for his mix.
  
  After running his own manure removal business in New York, Hammer founded VCC in 1992 and sold his first soil two years later. His compost typically takes a year to age.
  
  Much of VCC’s compost comes from manure generated by large Vermont dairy farms, which must follow VCC guidelines on bedding and manure management. The company also receives 12 tons of food waste a week from the town of Montpelier, but Hammer says the company’s secret weapon is its own flock of chickens. “Chicken manure is the Holy Grail of compost making.”
  
  Chickens defecate and urinate at the same time and often mix their waste into their bedding immediately. This keeps nitrogen from escaping from the manure and maintains a good pH, creating excellent compost material. Hammer says eggs are an added bonus. [Chicken manure must be used in moderation, however, because of its nitrogen and salt content.]
  
  Ultimately, Hammer believes composting can be boiled down to a science only so far. The rest is accepting and working with nature’s variables—and demand for that work is big. “There’s a hell of a lot of new demand and not a lot of excellent product,” concludes Hammer.
  
  
  GOOD LINK!!
  
  http://www.verticalveg.org.uk/creating-a-living-soil/
  
  
  

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[Eyes on Fire]

[h=3]Why is soil life important?[/h]Healthy organic soil in the natural world supports a web of life including bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes as well as larger creatures like worms and slugs. These organisms play a vital role in the life of plants. They break down organic matter to make the nutrients available for plant roots. They condition the soil and create air spaces and tunnels in it – improving aeration and drainage. And they compete with other more harmful organisms in the soil, ones that will damage your plants if left unchecked.
Soil life is complex – so the above is just my attempt to summarise some of the main benefits you can expect when you add life to your containers!
[h=3]Why do you need to add life to containers?[/h]Most commercial composts that we buy are sterilised and low in microbial life. So is municipal compost (it has to be made at hot temperatures to kill pathogens, killing much of the beneficial life, too). So if you want life in your containers – and to mimic soil in the natural world – you need to add it.
[h=3]How can you add soil life to your containers?[/h]There are several different ways you can add life to containers. There’s also things you can do to support and nurture life in containers once you’ve got it – and I’ll share these with you in a future post.
Be aware that some things – like pesticides, slug pellets (even organic ones), and inorganic fertilisers – will actually kill soil life, and may work against the outcome you are trying to achieve.
[h=3]1. Worm compost[/h]Worm compost is particularly rich in soil life. It’s my number one choice for adding life to containers. When matter is passed through the worms body it becomes inoculated with all sorts of tiny life forms. So worm compost contains bacteria, fungi and other microscopic goodies (as well as worms!). Unless you have a phobia of worms, I highly recommend you buy or make a wormery to recycle your waste food and make your own worm compost. They may be easier to make than you think – see www.bubblehouseworms.com, for a DIY idea – as well as some lovely wooden worm boxes (wood is my preferred choice for a wormery – again, it’s easy to make your own).
Add about 10 – 15 % worm compost to new compost to inoculate it with life.

Teeming with life - the small white things are pot worms - but there are also billions of organisms in this bowl that you can't see
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[h=3]2. Homemade compost[/h]Homemade compost is also rich in life. It’s not quite as rich in microbes as worm compost, but still lively!
Add 15 – 30% by volume to new compost to inoculate with life
[h=3]3. Leaf mould[/h]I don’t know many people growing in urban spaces who have the space or access to enough leaves to make leaf mould (would love to hear from you if you are). But if you do – or have a supply – this is another ingredient teeming with life. It’s a particularly useful ingredient for making seed sowing mixes as it is also low in nutrients.
You’ll find many recipes on line for seed compost but one is to mix about 40% leafmould, 40% multipurpose compost and 20% sand.
[h=3]4. Manure[/h]Manure is also rich in microbial life. In urban places you can often find it – free or at low cost – at City Farms or police stables. Manure varies tremendously in quality and the goodies – and nasties like drug residues – that it contains – so ask around and try in small quantities first.
Add about 10 – 30 % of well rotted manure to new compost to inoculate it with life. Either put it into the bottom of the pot or mix it in thoroughly.
[h=3]5. Bokashi[/h]Bokashi is Japanese method of composting food quickly in a tightly sealed bucket. Benefits of bokashi are that you can add almost any food (even meat), it works quickly, can be done in a very small space, and doesn’t smell (much). The drawbacks are that you need to buy bokashi bran for it to work, and the pickled product is not as versatile as worm compost. But you can add it to the bottom of containers to add both organic matter and microorganisms.
Mix about 10 – 20% into the compost in the bottom third of a container.
[h=3]6. Mycorrhizal Fungi[/h]Mycorrhizal fungi form partnerships with plant roots and, in basic terms, help the plant extract more nutrients from the soil. They are now available to gardeners in several different forms - I’m trying some that come mixed in with chicken manure pellets. I can’t say much about them yet from personal experience (watch this space!). But from what I’ve read, it’s worth experimenting. If you’ve tried any, I’d love to learn from your experience.
These are six ways you can introduce soil life to containers –



[h=2]Soil Organisms Improve Garden Tilth[/h]Rather than being an inert material, soil houses a dynamic living ecosystem. The 1-5% oforganic matter found in soils includes 0.2% of living organisms. Although most soil organisms are invisible to the naked eye, they help gardeners in multiple ways. One major benefit to gardeners is their ability to help improve soil tilth. Soil tilth is the suitability of a soil to support plant growth, especially as it relates to ease of tillage, fitness for a seedbed, impedance to seedling emergence and root penetration. Soil organisms also play a central role in making nutrients available to plants. The community of soil organisms is varied, versatile, and adaptable to changing conditions and food supplies.
[h=2]Types of Soil Organisms[/h]Soil contains an enormous number of living organisms including bacteria, protozoa, fungi, nematodes and arthropods. [Table 1]

Table 1. Organisms typically found in one cup of undisturbed native soil
Organism​	Number​
Bacteria Protozoa Fungi Nematodes Arthropods​	200 billion 20 million 100,000 meters 100,000 50,000​

Soil organisms are naturally active during certain times of the year. Most are active when the soil is warm and moist, like during late spring and early summer. If the soil dries out during the summer months, soil organism activity naturally declines. During fall, if there is rain or snow that moistens the soil while it is still warm, soil organisms may resume partial activity. As the soil cools in the fall, many soil organisms go dormant. Gardeners should note that fertilizers that require processing by soil organisms will be more available to plants when the soil is warm and moist and less available when the soil is cool or dry.
Despite their small size, soil organism activities have a large influence on plant growth. Soil organisms can be grouped into three categories: 1) organisms that are beneficial to plants—directly or indirectly, 2) neutral organisms—those whose activities have no affect on plants, and 3) organisms that are harmful to plants. Harmful organisms are often described as pathogens, such as the soil fungi that cause wilt diseases, or plant pests, such as white grubs that feed on plant roots.
[h=2]Directly Beneficial Soil Organisms[/h]Some soil organisms have a close, mutually beneficial (symbiotic) relationship with plants. Two examples include rhizobia and mycorrhizae.
Rhizobia are bacteria that form symbiotic associations with legumes such as beans and peas. The bacteria form nodules on the roots of the host plant in which they fix nitrogen gas from the air. Rhizobia supply the plant with nitrogen and in turn the plant supplies the bacteria with essential minerals and sugars. It may be helpful to add Rhizobia in the first planting of beans and peas in a soil area. Afterwards they will be present.
Mycorrhizae are specific fungi that form symbiotic associations with plant roots. Found in most soils, they are very host-specific (i.e., each plant species has specific species of mycorrhizae associated with it).
The Latin word mycor means fungus and rhiza means root. The terms “mycorrhiza” (singular) or “mycorrhizae” (plural) refer to the tissue that forms when fungi and roots develop a mutually beneficial relationship. Enlarging the surface-absorbing area of the roots by 100 to 1,000 times, mycorrhizae create filaments or threads that act like an extension of the root system. This makes the roots of the plant much more effective in the uptake of water and nutrients such as phosphorus and zinc. In exchange, the fungus receives essential sugars and compounds from the roots to fuel its own growth. Some species of mycorrhizae can be seen on roots, while most are invisible to the naked eye.
Mycorrhizae improve plant health. They enhance the plant’s ability to tolerate environmental stress (like drought and dry winter weather) and reduce transplant shock. Plants with mycorrhizae may need less fertilizer and may have fewer soil-borne diseases.
A by-product of mycorrhizal activity is the production of glomalin, a primary compound that improves soil tilth. In simple terms, glomalin glues the tiny clay particles together into larger aggregates, thereby increasing the amount of large pore space, which in turn creates an ideal environment for roots. For additional details, refer to the U.S. Department of Agriculture web site at [url]www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/sep02/soil0902.htm[/URL].
Mycorrhizal cocktails are sometimes incorporated in planting or post planting care of trees and landscape plants. However, in research studies, results are variable. Over time, additional research will help clarify what procedures result in improved plant health and vigor.
[h=2]Indirectly Beneficial Soil Organisms[/h]In addition to directly beneficial organisms such as rhizobia and mycorrhizae, there are a large number of soil organisms whose activities indirectly help plants. Soil organisms collectively decompose organic matter, resulting in two principal benefits.
First, as soil organisms decompose organic matter, they transform nutrients into mineral forms that plants can use; thus this process is called mineralization. Without soil microorganisms, insects, and worms feeding on organic matter, the nutrients in organic matter would remain bound in complex organic molecules that plants can’t utilize.
Second, as soil organisms break down organic matter, their activities help improve soil structure. Improved soil structure provides a better environment for roots, with less soil compaction and better water and air movement. Many gardeners know that organic matter improves soil, but it is important to note that its beneficial properties are only released after being processed by soil organisms.
Soils naturally contain these decomposers. Adding decomposers to the soil or compost pile is not necessary. Rather nurture them with food (organic matter) and good aeration and drainage (air and water).
[h=2]Soil Organic Matter[/h]Soil organic matter is composed of a wide variety of organic substances. Derived from plants, animals, and soil organisms, the soil organic matter “pool” can be divided into four categories. First are the living organisms and roots, making up less than 5% of the total pool. Second are the residues from dead plants, animals and soil organisms that have not yet begun to decompose (<10%). Third is the portion undergoing rapid decomposition (20-45%). Fourth is the stabilized organic matter (humus) remaining after further decomposition by soil microorganisms (50-80%). [Figure 1]

Figure 1. Make-Up of Soil Organic Matter
​

The stabilized organic matter, or humus, is the pool of soil organic matter that has the longest lasting benefits for gardeners. After rapid decomposition occurs, a mix of stable, complex organic compounds remains, which decomposes slowly over time (about 3% per year). Humus is a mix of tiny solid particles and soluble compounds that are too chemically complex to be used by most organisms. Humus contains a potpourri of sugars, gums, resins, proteins, fats, waxes, and lignin. This mixture plays an important role in improving the physical and chemical properties of soil.
Humus improves the physical and chemical attributes of soil in several ways, including the following:

• 
  [*=3]Humus improves soil structure by binding or “gluing” small mineral particles together into larger aggregates creating large soil pores for improved air and water infiltration and movement.
  [*=3]Humus improves water retention and release to plants.
  [*=3]Humus slowly releases nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur over time, which plants then use for growth and development.
  [*=3]Because of its positive surface charge, humus improves soil fertility by retaining nutrients.
  [*=3]Humus buffers the soil pH so it remains stable for plant roots.
  [*=3]Humus can chelate or bind metals in soil, preventing metal toxicities.

As a point of clarification, garden stores sometime carry soil amendments labeled ashumus. In reality these are generally “compost” and do not meet the soil scientist definition of humus as given here.
[h=2]Soil Inoculation[/h]Gardeners can purchase products at garden centers that are intended to introduce soil organisms to an existing soil. Adding decomposing bacteria from a purchased product is generally not necessary, because decomposing soil organisms are already present in the soil. Even if their populations are low due to unfavorable conditions, as soon as organic matter and water become available their populations rapidly increase. Thus, soil biologists encourage gardeners to nurture existing communities rather than introducing external organisms through purchased products.
In addition, inoculating with rhizobia is generally not needed, unless a vegetable gardener is planting a leguminous crop for the first time. In this case, the gardener should purchase the appropriate inoculant (bacteria) for the leguminous vegetable being planted. Inoculation in future years is not needed, because rhizobia produce survival structures to over-winter.
Myccorhizal products are considered highly experimental at this time, and are thus not recommended by CSU Extension for general use.
[h=2]Soil Food Web[/h]Within the soil, organisms function within an ecological food web (the smaller becoming the food for the larger) cycling nutrients through the soil biomass. This soil food web is the basis of healthy, living soil. Significant soil organisms involved in the soil food web include: 1) bacteria, 2) fungi, 3) protozoa, 4) nematodes, 5) arthropods, and 6) earthworms.

• Bacteria – Bacteria are simple, single-celled microorganisms. Bacteria inhabit a wide variety of habitats, including soil. In fact, a teaspoon of productive soil can contain from 100 million to 1 billion bacteria. Soil-inhabiting bacteria can be grouped as decomposers, mutualists, pathogens, or chemoautotrophs. Bacteria that improve soil quality feed on soil organisms, decompose organic matter, help keep nutrients in the root zone, enhance soil structure, compete with disease-causing organisms, and filter and degrade pollutants in soil.
  
• Fungi – Fungi are a diverse group of multi-cellular organisms. The best known fungi are mushrooms, molds, and yeast, but there are many others that go unnoticed, particularly those living in soil. Fungi grow as long strands called hyphae (up to several yards long), pushing their way between soil particles, rocks and roots. Fungi can be grouped as decomposers, mutualists, or pathogens. Fungi that improve soil quality decompose complex carbon compounds, improve accumulation of organic matter, retain nutrients in soil, bind soil particles into aggregates, compete with plant pathogens, and decompose certain types of pollution.
  
• Protozoa – Protozoa are microscopic, single-celled microbes that primarily eat bacteria. The bacteria contain more nitrogen than the protozoa can utilize and some ammonium (NH4) is released to plants. Protozoa also prevent some pathogens from establishing on plants and function as a food source for nematodes in the soil food web.
  
• Nematodes – Nematodes are small, unsegmented round worms. Nematodes live in water films in the large pore spaces in soil. Most species are beneficial, feeding on bacteria, fungi, and other nematodes, but some cause harm by feeding on plant roots. Nematodes distribute bacteria and fungi through the soil as they move about. Predatory nematodes can consume root-feeding nematodes or prevent their access to roots.
  
• Arthropods – Soil arthropods are small animals such as insects, spiders, and mites. They range in size from microscopic to several inches in length. Most live near the soil surface or in the upper three inches. Arthropods improve soil quality by creating structure through burrowing, depositing fecal pellets, controlling disease-causing organisms, stimulating microbial activity, enhancing decomposition via shredding organic matter and mixing soil, and regulating healthy soil food web populations.
  
• Soil arthropods can be shredders (millipedes, sowbugs, etc.), predators (spiders, scorpions, pseudoscorpions, centipedes, and predatory mites, ants and beetles),herbivores (symphylans, root-maggots, etc.), or fungal-feeders (springtails and turtle mites). Most soil-dwelling arthropods eat fungi, worms, or other arthropods.
  
• Earthworms – For information on earthworms, refer to the CMG GardenNotes #218,Earthworms

[h=2]Ways to Encourage Beneficial Soil Organisms[/h]Creating a favorable environment for soil organisms improves plant growth and reduces garden maintenance. Encouraging their efforts is central to building a healthy fertile soil supportive to optimum plant growth.

• 
  [*=2]Add organic matter to the soil. Soil organisms require a food source from soil amendments (compost, crop residues) and/or mulch.
  
  [*=2]Use organic mulch. It stabilizes soil moisture and temperature, and adds organic matter. Mulches may help prevent soil compaction and protect soil oxygen levels needed by soil organism and roots.

NOTE: The term mulch refers to material placed on the soil surface. A mulch controls weeds, conserves water, moderates soil temperature and has a direct impact on soil microorganism activity. Soil amendment refers to materials mixed into the soil.

• 
  [*=2]Water effectively. Soil organisms require an environment that is damp (like a wrung out sponge) but not soggy, between 50–90°F. Soil organism activity may be reduced due to dry soil conditions that are common in the fall and winter. Avoid over-irrigation because water-logged soils will be harmful to beneficial soil organisms.
  [*=2]Avoid unnecessary roto-tilling, as it will destroy the mycorrhizae and soil structure. Instead of tilling, mulch for weed control.
  [*=2]Avoid unwarranted pesticide applications. Some fungicides, insecticides and herbicides are harmful to various types of soil organisms.
  [*=2]Avoid plastic sheets under rock mulch. This practice discourages microorganism activity by reducing water and air movement and preventing the incorporation of organic matter.

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/mg/gardennotes/212.html

and this is one of the best writtings on the revs mix ive seen.and I dont really agree 100% with every last line of his but mostly its damned good and for the record this wasnt my writing.Enjoy.

[h=2]Dissecting the Rev Soil Mix Step by Step:[/h]After discussing organic growing indoors for so long, you start to come across a few things over and over again. I have a book on the shelf called TLO by the Rev. If you are reading this, then I’m guessing you have either read the book or have read his laundry list of a soil mix and were looking for more information on it. In my opinion, that book perpetuates many cultivation myths and then goes a step further and actually creates some myths of it’s own. Many of the amendments being used in the soil mix are ridiculous when you learn more. That’s why I wanted to list the entire list of ingredients and break it down line by line.
Please argue with me, I’m not writing this for my own good, but to create a conversation about where our amendments are coming from, and how we are growing our plants. My goal is to keep things as simple as possible, and to duplicate Mother Nature as much as I can while bringing organics indoors.
Base Mix:
2 gallons of quality organic soil mix
2 gallons thoroughly rinsed coir (coconut fiber)
2 gallons perlite(small nugget size)
2 gallons earthworm castings, and/or fresh compost works too)
While I don’t have a problem with the Base mix, I would be more specific here and do things differently.
1. What is the 2 gallons of soil look like?
2. Why Coco Coir? Check out this article from Utah State University on Peat Moss Vs. Coco coirhttp://cpl.usu.edu/files/publications/factsheet/pub__9468201.pdf[1]
(Although Leaf Mold would be Best, it takes 1 year to make at home and would be the way to eliminate all of this outsourcing)
3. Perlite Sucks – Seriously there are way better aeration amendments that don’t float around in the soil mix. Try lava rock, buckwheat hulls, rice hulls… the list goes on.
4. Hell Yes! I love Worm Castings and Compost.
This is what I recommend for a base mix, but think of it this way…. The base mix just has to have good humus and good aeration. Ideally you want the highest Cation Exchange Capacity possibly that way the soil will hold on to all the nutrients instead of letting them leach out with water. You can change the percentages and get almost the same results, but if you start to tweak things too much you will have a mix that is too heavy. You can grow in 100% worm castings, but the growth is slow with no aeration and too much compaction over time.
This base mix will perform very well and is also cheap to make.
30% Sphagnum Peat Moss or Home Made Leaf mold.
30% Homemade or Premium Worm Castings (Compost will suffice, but better be good compost)
25% Buckwheat hulls or Small Lava rock. Some form of aeration amendment. Perlite if you have to.
15% Topsoil – This will make it a real soil, and add clays that will increase Cation Exchange and also add a diverse amount of materials to the mix. I take a shovel and get some soil from a nice spot on my property, worst case you could find some good soil around town.
Or just straight 33/33/33 Peat/Compost/Aeration without the topsoil.
A note about Sphagnum Peat Moss: The Bales you buy at Home Depot in 2.0 Cubic Feet or 3.8 CF size are of a much higher quality than the sphagnum peat moss inside most of the bagged soil mixes you can buy. When you get bagged soil, they run the peat moss through a shredder, blender type deal and it gets really degraded. When you get a 3.8 CF bale from the store, you are getting something that hasn’t really been processed at all, just baled and shipped. It even has some micro life in it when you look at it under a microscope! Good Stuff!

Now for the fun part, all these crazy amendments, I’ll keep the list here and just go through it one by one.
Amendments according to the Rev 2.1 True Living Organics Soil mix.
1 and 1/2 cup Grow or Bloom "Pure" by Organicare (or 1 cup 5-5-5) Here are the ingredients for the Organicare: Fish meal, crab meal, sulfate of potash, alfalfa meal, composted poultry litter and seaweed (Ascophyllum nodosum). Why not just add these separate ingredients yourself at a known ratio and with your own personal quality control? Why are we using expensive bagged products along side with similar stand alone amendements? This makes no sense.
1/2 cup greensand Greensand takes Years to become available, if this is part of your really long term plan, that’s fine. This could be an initial amendment for starting a No-Till. There are other mineral amendments that will make themselves available to the plants faster. My goal when building a soil is not to waste money, and I would cut this out for sure.... but really see no harm in using it.
3/4 cup ground oyster shells (1 cup if no crushed oyster shells) Oyster Shells are about 95% CaCO3 or Calcium Carbonate. Once you realize that calcium carbonate is good, you can add it without having to be redundant. Gypsum, Crab, Oyster, they all have CaCO3 1cup crushed oyster shells (optional) Read the above.
1/2 cup dolomite lime (powdered) NO DOLOMITE LIME: As a rule, don’t use Dolomite lime, regardless of what you may have read in various gardening books, unless you are sure that you need Magnesium. (We don’t need any more magnesium in our mix, I promise) Dolomite is a high Magnesium limestone. Using dolomite will tighten the soil, reducing air in the soil and inducing anaerobic alcohol fermentation or even formaldehyde preservation of organic matter rather than aerobic decomposition. 1 and 3/4 cup prilled (pelletized) fast-acting dolomite lime Again, No Dolomite, it’s awful for your soil, especially with the alternatives available like gypsum.
1/4 cup blood meal Blood Meal: There are way better sources of Nitrogen than this. Blood meal is the blood waste from the cattle industry, Are you 100% confident that all the blood being used is free of any drugs, hormones, toxins etc? I'm not, and it turns out there is good reason to question the industry practice. Blood meal is made from dried blood that is literally scraped from the slaughterhouse floor. Even those farmers that use it admit that it is dangerous to breathe and can carry a number of harmful pathogens. Warning for animal lovers: Blood meal may attract your pets or other animals and if ingested can cause vomiting and diarrhea. Ingesting blood meal can also result in severe pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) which is bad news for your pup.
1/4 cup high N bird/bat guano 12-8-2 N-P-K Bat guano is bad to breathe, and isn’t sustainable to harvest. It’s also not magic like the hippies of yesterday seem to think it was. There are many alternatives to Bat Guano, but I understand many people still use it and love won’t grow without it. That is a personal decision you have to make. Personally, I’ve found that Comfrey, SRP, and many others are better and less dangerous to use.
1/2 heaping cup feather meal
Antibiotics and other drugs found in feather meal samples. That should be enough to show you how convoluted the feather meal industry is. This is another waster product from slaughtering animals. Here is a quote from an article sited below: "To do this, they examined 12 feather meal samples from the U.S. (n=10) and China (n=2). All 12 samples contained at least one antibiotic residue, and some contained residues of 10 different drugs (both of those were from China). While many of the antibiotics were ones used in poultry farming (or their metabolites), they also found drugs they did not expect. Most significantly, this included residues of fluoroquinolones, which they found in 6 of 10 U.S. feather meal samples. Why is this important? Fluoroquinolone use was banned in U.S. poultry production as of 2005 because of the risk to human health–so where are these residues coming from?" Source:http://scienceblogs.com/aetiology/2012/04/05/waste-not-want-not-poultry-fea/
1 cup un-steamed granular bone meal (like Whitney Farms brand)
Why not use Fish bone meal, comfrey, soft rock phosphate or something better than bone meal? Bones are stripped, dried, and ground. It is used for its high phosphorus and calcium content despite the fact that bone meal is dangerous to breathe and has been suggested as an agent for spreading Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) (the human form of bovine spongiform encephalopathy “mad cow disease”) to humans. “Do you feed your roses with bone meal? Not a good idea, says the world’s foremost expert on a group of rare diseases, found in animals, that sometimes make their way into humans. Breathing in the dust from contaminated bone meal could be deadly, says Dr. D. Carleton Gajdusek (GUY-doo-sheck), a brilliant Harvard Medical School graduate and Nobel laureate. In his latest book, Deadly Feasts (Simon & Schuster), author Richard Rhodes traces the history of these diseases, called spongi-form encephalopathies, that reduce the brain to a spongy mass, causing their victims to stagger, fall, develop dementia and paralysis, and soon die a terrible death.” - “Mad cow disease” from feeding your roses? – Medical Update September 1, 1997. Brown, Edwin W. Bone Meal can also be a danger to your pets. If an animal consumes a large quantity of bone meal (for their size) it will form a cement-like ball in their stomach, which may block the digestive track and need to be removed by surgery. http://gentleworld.org/whats-hiding-in-your-organic-fertilizer/
1/2 cup bulb food
WTF? Why are we adding chemical fertilizers now? Okay, so someone said he uses an organic bulb food. (I looked it up, it's just more of all the above)
1/4 cup powdered soft rock phosphate Good good, but ¼ cup for more than 1 cubic foot of soil? I don’t think that’s enough!
(Also, SRP does contain heavy metals, please use to start your mix but don't start going crazy with it)
1/2 heaping cup powdered gypsum Finally, this makes some good sense… but again, not enough, it should be about 4 cups!
1/2 cup kelp meal Awesome! Kelp Meal is incredible.
4 heaping cups composted steer manure (this inoculates your mix with specialized microbeasties and primo organic matter) Manure? Really? We can get said “microbeasties” without that crap. If this manure hasn’t been composted properly it still has residual amounts of antibiotics etc in it.
1/2 cup azomite granular (add an additional 1/4 cup of greensand if no azomite) Azomite I’m fine with. Good source of minerals, but don’t stress if you can’t get it easy, no need.
1 cup granular humic acid ore (such as Down to Earth brand) Humic Acids are NOT all created equal. I prefer Liquid Ful-Power. It is 10 times better. Read this interesting write up on the Humic industry. There is SOOO much bullshit being sold as “humic acid” it’s ridiculous. Please read this entire article before buying any!http://www.bioag.com/educationandresources.html
1 cup alfalfa meal (or 2 cups pellets- make sure pellets are all organic no additives) I love Alfalfa Meal! With all the other stuff going on in this mix I would cut it to ½ cup. Or leave it out of the mix and use it for making botanical teas with.
1/2 cup rock phosphate granular (optional) Soft Rock Phosphate is better. This won’t be as available and also may have slightly more heavy metals etc.
1 heaping cup organic rice (important for the good fungi in this soil mix) First the rice will absorb water, then rot and while rotting it’s going to take up N to compensate for the use of carbon. Eventually it will turn into something useful but it would be better to use the rice for making BIM cultures and then adding that to the mix. It just doesn’t make sense to add it to the mix directly. (Thanks to JayKush for this comment in my notes)
For what it’s worth, if anyone wants to discuss the ridiculous use of spikes and layers along with god awful “Nutrient Teas” that make absolutely no sense…. Than we can talk about that stuff too. But be prepared, because there is nor reason to shove spikes into the soil or to use even more nutrients in these crazy tea concoctions with doses of calmag etc.
Here is what I would use for amendments to keep it simple:
Neem Cake ½ cup per cubic foot.
Sea Kelp Meal ½ cup per cubic foot.
Crustacean Meal ½ cup per cubic foot.
Mineral Mix 4-5 cups per cubic foot.
Comfrey Leaf – Handful top dressed and then covered with worm castings.
Once in the container, mulch with straw or with a living mulch like clover.
Ideally, you can process your homemade worm castings with these ingredients and when the castings are ready for use, that will be all you have to add…. Not anything else! That would be really cool.
TL;DR
The Rev Mix isn't good and is too complicated. Understanding how to build a soil can be simple.
You only need good compost or worm castings and a few good soil amendments covering the NPK range. Add to that a complete lineup of minerals and you are done. You can source whatever is best locally and you don't have to use ANY set recipe. Just make sure you have Compost, Nutrients and Minerals. The part where people fail, is keeping the soil alive and full of microbes that can actually proccess the added minerals and nutrients fast enough to keep up with the plant. That is where the compost and/or compost tea comes in.

 

[Eyes on Fire]

And a pretty good all purpose organic living seedling mix.prolly have to thin it by 15-25% depending on your compost balance

April Johnson, landscape and greenhouse coordinator at the Rodale Institute near Kutztown, Pennsylvania, grows literally thousands of organic vegetable, flower, and herb transplants every year. Many of her seedlings end up in the Institute’s production and display gardens; others are sold to local gardeners at two spring fundraisers. After many years of experimenting with recipes for indoor seed-starting mixes, Johnson has settled on this general formula.

• 4 parts screened compost
• 1 part perlite
• 1 part vermiculite
• 2 parts coir

To keep the dust down, lightly moisten the ingredients before blending them thoroughly in a dishpan or wheelbarrow.
This mix strikes a balance between moisture retention and drainage, both of which are necessary for seedlings. “Regulating the moisture is key,” Johnson says. “It’s easy for the soil to stay too wet, and that can lead to damping-off.” Damping-off is a fungal disease that causes newly germinated seedlings to topple over and die. Some flower seedlings—Johnson mentions pansies, snapdragons, ‘Gem’ marigolds, and lisianthus—tend to be more sensitive to too much moisture. For those, she makes a special batch of the mix, using less compost and replacing coir with peat moss. Sphagnum peat moss and perlite tend to lighten the mix and allow it to drain more quickly. Compost, vermiculite, and coir increase moisture retention.
The compost in Johnson’s mix is made mostly from shredded leaves and other garden debris—but she avoids any organic materials that might introduce weed seeds to the compost. Having compost in the mix means that seedlings rarely need to be fertilized until they are moved outdoors to the garden; the compost provides a constant mild feeding. Compost also counters the natural acidity of peat moss. In mixes that don’t include compost, add 1/4 teaspoon of lime for every gallon of mix.


for Autos indoors I personally would use 4 of compost

0.5 parts perlite
full vermiculite
as well as the coir
and 1 teaspoon or green sand as well as powdered molasses per every gallon of soil used per pot should be blended to the seedling mix size.with the molasses use 1.5 Teaspoons per gallon of seedling mix made.blends well for me anywho.

 

[AKNorthernlights]

Good read man...thanks for sharing !

 

[Eyes on Fire]

and this should just about tie it all together for organic soils and everything else for our needs.great little file to read.



no sweat bro!:Sharing One:

 

[Grim Reefer]

Hey Eyes on Fire thank you for the great thread. Im subbed up to this permanently. i couldnt click on that last link you left.

 

[Eyes on Fire]

I loaded the PDF another post up.much better to read since i got it to work and i deleted this copy n paste mess of the file.Enjoy its a nice read.:Sharing One:

 

[Sourdough]

Thats a lot of info thanks. I dont have time now but i will read through it when i do.I recently started trying sips with a mulch. we will see how it work when i get back from the road. Heading to the big town for a week.

 

[TimeTraveler]

Love the reading, EoF! Hope you don't mind me popping in:

I was intrigued by your statement that rice would be better used in a BIM culture (especially since I got that advice in a different thread where you posted lots of great info!), but I didn't know how to do it.

I found what seems like a straightforward, easy to follow guide on how to make your own BIM (Beneficial Indigenous Microorganisms) Culture! Here's the link:

http://theunconventionalfarmer.com/recipes/bim/

Take the rice, make some cultures from the soil around your home (find areas where shrubby plants and annuals do well and use them, as those soils will be best for cannabis cultivation), and really supercharge your soil mix!

 

[Grim Reefer]

Thank you once again for taking the time to do this Eyes on Fire. Its much appreciated dude.