[Budgie]

I don't know what other soil growers do in preparation, but thought I would put up the sort of thing I like to do with my muck.

 

 

Basically, I like to get my soil mixes all sorted at least a couple of weeks in advance of using it, adding in amendments, food and bennies, mixing it all up and leaving it in a 'not cold' place to get stabilise a bit and let the microlife get to work on the goodies in there. All the additions I buy in bulk and they last for ages, as well as being used for more normal gardening. This is all organic too.

 

The list of additions/amendments changes from time to time as I learn more and source things. @Jimmi420 for example put me onto alfalfa last year (great range of nutrients, aminos, vitamins and it also contains natural tricantonal (the same stuff that is in cannboost)

 

So whats in the mix did you say?....

 

House & Garden Special Batmix - 50l 

 bat mix large.jpg   38.41KB   3 downloads

 

Activated Carbon (same stuff as in filters) 500g

 granular-activated-carbon.jpg   25.18KB   3 downloads

 

Dolomite Lime - PH and Ca/Mg - 50g

 lime.JPG   12.26KB   3 downloads

 

Perlite - Aeration and soil structure - 10l

 perlite.jpg   18.15KB   3 downloads

 

Vermiculite - Aeration, water retention and soil structure - 10l

 vermiculite.jpg   9.08KB   3 downloads

 

Volcanic Rock Dust - Minerals - 50g

 volcano.JPG   26.76KB   3 downloads

 

Composted Chicken Manure pellets - NPK, Ca, Mg, Lots of other natural goodies - Couple of Handfuls

 chicken.jpg   10.99KB   3 downloads

 

Fish Blood & Bone Meal -Long Term NPK - 25g

 fbb.jpg   16.46KB   3 downloads

 

Alfalfa Pellets - Macro/Micro nutes, vitamins, proteins and hormones - Couple of Handfuls

 alfalfa.jpg   41.69KB   3 downloads

 

Great White Mycho/Trycho - Beneficials/funky funghi - about 3 scoops (15ml)

 greatwhite.jpg   22.36KB   2 downloads

 

Vitalink Clay Pebbles - Drainage/Pot Bottoms

 vitalinkpebbles.jpg   9.4KB   2 downloads

 

In true goodbudgie style, it all gets simply chucked together in a big bag/tub-trug and it's hands in to mix it all up and break down any lumps of compost, then leave it to get working. I did a batch about a fortnight back, in prep for some chillis and tomatoes I've just got going and this is what it looks like at the moment.

 

In the mixing bag.

 cooking1.jpg   72.33KB   2 downloads

 

Bit closer up. - Look at those bennies (the mouldy looking webbing) going to town on the alfalfa and chicken manure

 cooking2.jpg   84.77KB   2 downloads

 

And, I'm using pebbles in the bottom of my pots, it's always recommended but very few peeps actually do it even though it helps keep the roots supplied with oxygen and helps drainage. So, some Vitalink pebbles were got, washed and soaked well and they are sitting in the equally cleaned pots ready for use.

 pebbles n pots.jpg   41.29KB   2 downloads

 

 

This is a rich mix, and I will use a little of this with some Seedling and Cutting compost on the seedlings' first pot up so the delicate little things don't burn but get used to/and in symbiosis with, the stuff they'll be spending their short lives in.

 

I personally don't work to exacting or specific weights and measures, other than being careful with the FBB and Lime, and it usually works with very little further feeds needed at all. I always put used soil into my garden/borders so any inactivated/unused goodies that are in there will not be going to waste.

 

Admittedly, it is a bit more effort than a bag of verve/biobizz, Grow and Bloom, PK and boost, but it does pay off long term, both in cost terms and in the end product. The only thing I should hopefully need to add in during growing is molasses, bit of seaweed if they need a tonic, water and that's about it.

 

I am looking at working out a really good late-flowering boost a-la PK but have not quite got there yet, and am always open to suggestions. Has anyone tried the Plant Magic Platinum PK yet? that looks interesting stuff.

 

[2scoops]

I`ll have to pick your brains a bit more on this soon enough.

[Budgie]

I`ll have to pick your brains a bit more on this soon enough.

you got mail

[duke]

hi gb i am well pissed of as i spent near a year making some perfect homemade organic compost for the outdoor and because of the nosey grassing gits i cant grow me weed in my own garden and have about 500ltrs of the best thoroughly organic worm filled goodies and can only waste it on tomatoes and veg!i may have to bag it up and sell it on here aye!your mix sounds fruitfull but mines cheaper using all the veg waste from our kitchen used coco and used compost from last year leaf mould and tons of teabags!some added worms just to start them of and a hotheap style compost near sterile at first from the heat during composting and this i mix 50-50 with cheap garden centre soil for the flowers and non edibles we grow,my bonsai dont dislike it either,we should all make are own composts if we can much better i think for our outdoor pursuits,good luck

[Sprink]

Very interesting GB. I'm just learning about soil enrichment now & I hadn't really thought about adding a range of stuff like that.

I'm defo going with fungi for planting up me garden stuff but it'll be the cheaper stuff.

 

It all sounds like a heady mix, but of course it's completely different to bottle ferts.

 

I actually saw rock dust in B&Q the other day but didn't know what anyone would want with it.

 

 

[Budgie]

hi gb i am well pissed of as i spent near a year making some perfect homemade organic compost for the outdoor and because of the nosey grassing gits i cant grow me weed in my own garden and have about 500ltrs of the best thoroughly organic worm filled goodies and can only waste it on tomatoes and veg!i may have to bag it up and sell it on here aye!your mix sounds fruitfull but mines cheaper using all the veg waste from our kitchen used coco and used compost from last year leaf mould and tons of teabags!some added worms just to start them of and a hotheap style compost near sterile at first from the heat during composting and this i mix 50-50 with cheap garden centre soil for the flowers and non edibles we grow,my bonsai dont dislike it either,we should all make are own composts if we can much better i think for our outdoor pursuits,good luck

I'd be doing the same @duke, but I haven't really got a compost heap going in my current gaff at the moment. My old place, I had it going for 5 years and the stuff that finally comes out of the bottom is just sweet smelling organic goodness through and through

 

 

Very interesting GB. I'm just learning about soil enrichment now & I hadn't really thought about adding a range of stuff like that.

I'm defo going with fungi for planting up me garden stuff but it'll be the cheaper stuff.

 

It all sounds like a heady mix, but of course it's completely different to bottle ferts.

 

I actually saw rock dust in B&Q the other day but didn't know what anyone would want with it.

I only use that Great White because I won a great big tub about 4 years ago and it's still going strong . Those rootgrow granules do the job too. And if I was to stick a handful of the soil-mix into my compost tea brew then I'd soon have a lot more in liquid form to use. Which I will be doing anyway.