Just saw this thread, and first off, thanks for the kind words. I'm glad the soil has been working well as an easier solution for growing than mixing and sourcing amendments. That being said, I'll give some quick feedback on the initial recipe. As one person mentioned, it's not just about the amendments but also about the ratios of nutrients. That's where soil tests come in handy. Ideally you would start with a recipe and get it tested, then amend it and re-test, repeating that process until the soil is hitting the targets you're looking for from a nutrient/mineral perspective. Then you'll also want to look at the physical properties of the soil (CEC, aeration/drainage, water retention) and biology (this is what makes those nutrients plant-available).
It's a bit of a process, but I don't want to discourage anyone from going down that rabbit hole. You can learn a lot and fortunately the microbes do the heavy lifting so even if the soil is not fully balanced, you can still get a great plant and good harvest.
As for the recipe you posted, I didn't see a lot of N sources. I know some people mentioned neem and crustacean. I would throw in alfalfa meal, kelp, blood meal, feather meal, and fish meal as other potential sources that range from fast to slow release.
Also, I find most soils have sufficient magnesium so I'd be care about adding dolomite unless you had a soil test to show a Mg deficiency. Dolomite is not the optimal Ca to Mg ratio, it's higher on Mg.
Hope that helps!
It's a bit of a process, but I don't want to discourage anyone from going down that rabbit hole. You can learn a lot and fortunately the microbes do the heavy lifting so even if the soil is not fully balanced, you can still get a great plant and good harvest.
As for the recipe you posted, I didn't see a lot of N sources. I know some people mentioned neem and crustacean. I would throw in alfalfa meal, kelp, blood meal, feather meal, and fish meal as other potential sources that range from fast to slow release.
Also, I find most soils have sufficient magnesium so I'd be care about adding dolomite unless you had a soil test to show a Mg deficiency. Dolomite is not the optimal Ca to Mg ratio, it's higher on Mg.
Hope that helps!
