tutorial All about soil - A great resource I thought I would share

If the argument is wether or not you can craft a soil medium that will bring in monster yields, without the need to "fertilize" throughout the season, then the answer is absolutely Yes. That is all, I'm on the AT! P.s. Proud Marine Dad: yes you can go 1/3 on aerators, but I prefer around 20%. Also, remember the term "aerator" is a broad one. Happy growing :)
 
not sure if this is the right spot for this, but I searched and  couldn't find anything on self watering bucket systems. I've found soil mixtures for tomatoes online but not hot peppers.  I have built a 5 gallon self watering system as seen in this video here >
 
right now I have a Jalapeno and Habanero planted in a mixture of  top soil, compost, and potting soil. my mixture seems a bit on the dense side and I'd like to lighten it up a bit.  so I was wondering what has worked for you guys so I can make the same mixture.
 
I live in Orange County California. im not sure how long the growing season is, but I'd assume we should be able to grow into October possibly November.
 
-=Jason=-
 
I just love this thread!  I've read and referred to this several times since I have joined THP.   I have general questions about preparation and storage of self-made potting mixes.  
 
I have been making a mixture of:
2 gal Spagnum peat moss
2 gal compost
1 gal perlite
1 cup garden lime
1 cup bone meal
 
 
Preparation:
Is pre-wetting perlite before adding it to a mixture the proper way to do it?  Does it matter?  Once a mixture is made, is it good practice to wet or soak the entire mixture before use?  If so, when it is a good time to wet, how much soaking or wetting?  For example, do you put the mix in the designated pot and then soak through, or soak the whole mix before storage?  I have been repotting plants directly in freshly made potting mix and then watering through. 
 
Storage:
If I make 8 Cu ft of potting mix, what is the best way to store it?  I read on this thread that many people store their mixes in bags.  Are we talking heavy duty garbage bags or lawn clipping bags?  I stored a mixture last year in a storage bin and it got to smelling to high heaven after a while.
 
Again, great thread, thanks.  I will be tweeking my mix based on some information here in an attempt to optimize my growing conditions here in Austin, Texas.  Any advice is appreciated.
 
Mix dry, then wet it till it'd remain a clump in your hand after taking a grip of it. Then you can pot and plant with minimal issues that arrive from soil swelling/acting hydrophobic/lots of stuff.

Too wet is when it's soggy and water drains from your hand.
 
Yes water it to about the consistency of a wrung out sponge. You don't have much for the plant in that mix so if you can I would top dress it with EWC and/or good compost as often as you can.
 
Proud Marine Dad said:
You don't have much for the plant in that mix so if you can I would top dress it with EWC and/or good compost as often as you can.
As often as you can is pretty open ended, especially for this rookie.  Growing primarily in 5 gallon buckets, would you think once per week?  Once per month?  
 
Just wondering if any has any input about the Subcool super soil.
 
  • 8 large bags of a high-quality organic potting soil with coco fiber and mycorrhizae (i.e., your base soil)
  • 25 to 50 lbs of organic worm castings
  • 5 lbs steamed bone meal
  • 5 lbs Bloom bat guano
  • 5 lbs blood meal
  • 3 lbs rock phosphate
  • ¾ cup Epson salts
  • ½ cup sweet lime (dolomite)
  • ½ cup azomite (trace elements)
  • 2 tbsp powdered humic acid
  • Perlite big and chunky
 
Eh, judging by how it burns cannabis, I'd cut the amendments to a 1/4. Agro-limestone or oyster shell flour, dolomite and sulphur make a better lime mixture, at 2-1-1, than straight dolo.
 
I thought this may be beneficial for UK growers!



John Innes Composts 
John Innes is not a manufacturer of compost, they are a range of composts developed at the John Innes Institute, named after John Innes, a nineteenth century property and land dealer in the City of London. On his death in 1904 he bequeathed his fortune and estate to the improvement of horticulture by experiments and research. The result was the establishment of the John Innes Horticultural Research Institute initially at Merton in Surrey, but now located at Norwich. 
The essence of these composts from today's point of view is that they are based on loam. There are several formulae, depending on the use of the compost: JI Seed Compost is for sowing seeds; JI Cutting Compost is for rooting cuttings; JI No 1 Potting Compost is for pricking out young plants; JI No 2 Potting Compost is for potting on; JI No 3 Potting Compost is for established plants and shrubs; and JI Ericaceous Compost is for plants which cannot tolerate lime. 

The Ingredients 
The function of each of the ingredients in John Innes is briefly as follows:- 


Loam 
Loam is the most important ingredient in the compost as it provides the main "body" of the compost. It also forms the base of plant nutrition by supplying clay, which has a cation and anion exchange capacity, that is, it absorbs and releases plant nutrients as required. Loam also contains essential micro-elements and some organic matter which provides a slow release of nitrogen to the plant. 

Peat 
Sphagnum Moss Peat in the John Innes Compost increases the total porosity and improves both the aeration and the water-retaining capacity. Peat decomposes slowly into humus. 

Sand 
The coarse sand or grit is used as a physical conditioner to allow excess water to drain from the compost and thus prevent water-logging. It also helps to provide stability for larger plants. 

Fertiliser 
The compound fertiliser in John Innes Compost provides a wide spectrum of plant nutrients needed for balanced growth, including :- 
  • NITROGEN - for top growth 
  • PHOSPHATES - for root growth 
  • POTASH - for flowering and fruiting 
  • TRACE ELEMENTS - for optimal growth, colour and (where appropriate) flavour 
Nutrients are typically sufficient for 1-2 months of growing, after which time additional proprietary feed should be given.  

The mixes 
All ingredients of the main constituents are by volume. 


JOHN INNES SEED COMPOST: 
The traditional mix for sowing almost any type of seed, with sufficient nutrient for early development. May also be used for rooting soft cuttings. 


2 sterilised Loam 
1 Peat 
1 Sand 


The loam and peat is put through in 9mm (3/8 in) sieve. 
For each cubic metre of mix, add 
0.6kg ground limestone 
1.2kg superphosphate 



JOHN INNES CUTTING COMPOST: 


1 Loam 
2 Peat 
1 Sand 


No added fertiliser 



JOHN INNES POTTING COMPOST No.1: 
for pricking out or potting-up young seedlings or rooted cuttings. This composts has a carefully balanced nutrient content to suit most young plants. 


7 Loam 
3 Peat 
2 Sand 


For each cubic metre of mix, add 
0.6kg ground limestone 
1.2kg hoof and horn meal 
1.2kg superphosphate 
0.6kg potassium sulphate 



JOHN INNES POTTING COMPOST No.2 
for general potting of most house plants and vegetable plants into medium size pots or boxes. Contains double the amount of nutrient in JI No 1 to suit established plants. 


7 Loam 
3 Peat 
2 Sand 

each cubic metre of mix, add 
0.6kg ground limestone 
2.4kg hoof and horn meal 
2.4kg superphosphate 
1.2kg potassium sulphate 



JOHN INNES POTTING COMPOST No.3 
a richer mixture for final re-potting of gross feeding vegetable plants and for mature foliage plants and shrubs in interior planters or outdoor containers. 


7 Loam 
3 Peat 
2 Sand 


each cubic metre of mix, add 
0.6kg ground limestone 
3.6kg hoof and horn meal 
3.6kg superphosphate 
1.8kg potassium sulphate 



JOHN INNES ERICACEOUS COMPOST: 


2 Loam 
1 Peat 
1 Sand 


To each cubic metre of mix, add 
0.6kg flowers of sulphur 
1.2kg superphosphate
 
Ian S said:
 
 

 
Loam is the most important ingredient in the compost as it provides the main "body" of the compost. It also forms the base of plant nutrition by supplying clay, which has a cation and anion exchange capacity, that is, it absorbs and releases plant nutrients as required. Loam also contains essential micro-elements and some organic matter which provides a slow release of nitrogen to the plant. 
Peat 
Sphagnum Moss Peat in the John Innes Compost increases the total porosity and improves both the aeration and the water-retaining capacity. Peat decomposes slowly into humus. 
Sand 
The coarse sand or grit is used as a physical conditioner to allow excess water to drain from the compost and thus prevent water-logging. It also helps to provide stability for larger plants. 
Fertiliser 
The compound fertiliser in John Innes Compost provides a wide spectrum of plant nutrients needed for balanced growth, including :- 
  • NITROGEN - for top growth 
  • PHOSPHATES - for root growth 
  • POTASH - for flowering and fruiting 
  • TRACE ELEMENTS - for optimal growth, colour and (where appropriate) flavour 

 
 
     Sounds like a decent enough recipe for potting soil, but shouldn't composted plant material be somewhere in the ingredients list for "compost".  :think:
 
dash 2 said:
 
     Sounds like a decent enough recipe for potting soil, but shouldn't composted plant material be somewhere in the ingredients list for "compost".  :think:
 
Yeah, eh? I've seen it before, never really understood the merits, beyond as a dramatic change at the time from previous mixes. It almost resembles peat soil-less mixes, sans compost/perlite, but the peat ratio is low. It looks interesting, and seems to draw on local ingredients.
 
Proud Marine Dad said:
Sand has no place in a potting soil IMHO.
 
 
The Fens are probably the most fertile area in England (The Fens, also known as the Fenlands, is a naturally marshy region in eastern England. Most of the fens were drained several centuries ago, resulting in a flat, damp, low-lying agricultural region.) this soil is full of sand, also I would be surprised if plants growing in Trinidad don't have traces of sand in their soil 
 
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