Looking for opinions on my soil mix.

[Mr Piggy]

You know very well that guano can be ordered over the internet, just like anything else. I do applaud you trying to source everything locally, but that's not for everyone and some people want the guano for their soils. A quick trip to google would turn some up in a few seconds.

 

[pher2]

What we have here is one guys recipe for super soil repeated across the internet. Yet I suspect he was simply using what was available to him.

We (AFN) have multiple recipes from multiple people. There are a few in the link that TesterX provided above. You should check it out. There are also plenty of different recipes for soil on the internet although can't speak for the quality of those. Most of the recipes here have been tested and proven by one or more members.

Here's the link again in case you missed it

For further instructions regarding this or similar recipes: https://www.autoflower.org/f8...pes-10566.html

There is usually a gardening society around and they always have people that compete to grow the biggest vegetables. They can tell you a lot about making super soil with what is available. It's the old gardeners that you should listen to.

That's a great idea Thud and i too believe that you should listen to the old gardeners. There's one in particular that you should listen to that has been posting in this thread. He's a great grower and knows his stuff when it comes to organic soil building.

A couple of things to consider, if you go to a gardening society to ask for tips is that, 1) they might only work with soil, not soiless substrates, which is fine if that's the route you want to go. 2) their recipes for soil might not be suited to the needs of Mj specifically and may still require some ammending. 3) the recipes may be too "hot" for Autoflowers.

Just throwing that out there. Something to think about before you make your final decision. Good luck and happy growing :thumbs:

 

[Mossy]

Suppose I had 20 bats. How much guano would I get per day?

About as much shit as you are adding to this thread..:thumbs:..

don't go spoiling an informative thread with a bad Vibe Bro..

 

[namvet25]

Yea. Not sure where I would go to buy some Jamaican bats, maybe they sell them in Jamaica. Then I would have to build them a bat house. Do you know a good design for such a construction? Should I go with caged or free range bats? Suppose I had 20 bats. How much guano would I get per day?

I hope your joking about buying bats for bat guano,if not I think your a little baty yourself.

 

[cres]

If you want guano why not call the national supplier...

He might want you to buy in 100 weights... he has no website.
The Guano Company International Inc


3562 E 80th Street
Cleveland, OH 44105-1522




About The Guano Company International Inc
Phone: (216) 641-1200

 

[QRanc]

The WAF* of 100lbs. of bat shit coming to the front door is pretty low. I'll just keep looking for lime.
By the time I use the soil it will have sat and "cooked" for 3-4 weeks. I know that's not very long, but I have a small window between thaw and planting to work with. I can't do anything about that.

*WAF = Wife Approval Factor.

 

[X]

What we have here is one guys recipe for super soil repeated across the internet. Yet I suspect he was simply using what was available to him.

As previously stated, this is simply not an accurate statement... I'm only 60, so if you'd rather find one of those older gardeners for advice, be my guest... but, not many of them are still alive.

Back to the subject... guanos are preferred to broaden the microbe spectrum but (as I stated in my previous post), you can substitute for some of the amendments... So, since you can't get the guanos locally, you can use other composted manures or mushroom compost (available at Lowes and HF - and it is an excellent source of microbes and myco's). But, a broader, well fed, microbe spectrum will produce better results.

You can get any guano you'd like here ($7.99 shipping up to 40lbs): http://www.groworganic.com/

 

[X]

I use Oak ash from a fireplace/woodstove this grow instead of Lime in my mix....my ph has stayed stable this entire grow

I have not heard this before... excellent contribution! It looks like you should use about 4lbs of ash (from hardwoods) to replace the results of 1 lb of lime. Also, it looks like ash from hardwoods contain about 3 times the nutritional value of ash from softwoods. :thumbs:

 

[QRanc]

Did some web surfing and phone calling, and I think I have found what I need. A 33lbs bag of granular dolomitic limestone.
From what I've read, I should be using about 1 cup of it per gallon of mix. Problem solved.


In case anyone is interested:

Start your very own bat collection.

 

[Mr Piggy]

Hey QR, you want the powdered dolomite lime for your mixes, it breaks down much sooner and mixes in better. I've heard complaints from the guys that use the pelleted stuff.