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soil Soil and Compost

Helldozer

Helldozer

Hey All,

I'm a first year grower and am now facing the winter gardening tasks. I've read a number of threads that say that composting is the way to go. Which is where I have a series of questions about.

From various websites and threads, I've compiled the following information about the elements and about the amounts to layer.

Carbon: Leaves, branches, etc.
Nitrogen: Grass clippings, last years plants, manure, etc.

Layering:

Carbon should consist of 2/3 of the pile.
Nitrogen should fill the remaining 1/3.

I grow in containers and my question is about the soil I have left over.
  1. Does my soil count as a carbon?
  2. The bulk of the soil in the container appears to be one big root ball. If soil is not considered a carbon, do I include the soil into the compost pile to break down the old roots? Or, do I leave it out and just chop it up?
  3. Do I just create a compost pile, leave the soil out, and just add the compost to my soil when I'm ready to plant next year?
  4. If I can add the soil to the compost pile, will the compost pile become the soil I use next year or will it still be just an additive?

I also understand that even with compost, I will still need to implment elements back into my old soil such as perlite, vermiculite, etc. I've read through the pinned soil thread, however, I have problems with over analyzing things and the thread left me with too many options. :)

I'm looking to make this cheap and simple. Here is what I am proposing to myself, and I'm posting this so if anyone has any feedback, I would greatly appreciate it.
  1. Make compost pile using leaves, grass clippings, steer manure (very little), and half of my old soil.
  2. Mix compost with the remaining half of old soil.
  3. Add the following to my soil mix:
    1. Perlite
    2. Vermiculite
    3. PRO-MIX Pro-Mix

I have 7 Gallon pots, and I will probably be using approximately 43 pots (301 gallons). What is the best ratio for mixing the above elements, or whichever elements you suggest?


One last thing. :) If you have recommendations about soil, and you have photos of your plants and how well they do with your mix, I would love to see the results! :)

Thank you for your time appreciate it.

Helldozer
 
I comment about anything compost related...

what ever you do... pay a great deal of attention to your soils bulk density.

i would make sure to get your compost "fluffed out" as much as possible with cheap horticultural verm. perlite is more expensive generally, but will not break down as readily. i woudlnt worry about adding promix, as its so expensive. if you need more water retention... just add some good Canadian peat to your compost.

i use a mix called Cornell peat-lite mix b. its bulk density is around .125 grams per cubic centimeter. its like 80% air when bone dry.
idk whats appropriate for an organic grow or w/e so i cant tell you what to shoot for.
 
Here is a free ebook...

http://www.amazon.co...eywords=compost


And a link...

http://compost.css.c...c/cn_ratio.html


Once you have calculated the moisture content of your compost mixture, the other important calculation is the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio (C/N). Grass clippings and other green vegetation tend to have a higher proportion of nitrogen (and therefore a lower C/N ratio) than brown vegetation such as dried leaves or wood chips. If your compost mix is too low in nitrogen, it will not heat up. If the nitrogen proportion is too high, the compost may become too hot, killing the compost microorganisms, or it may go anaerobic, resulting in a foul-smelling mess. The usual recommended range for C/N ratios at the start of the composting process is about 30/1, but this ideal may vary depending on the bioavailability of the carbon and nitrogen. As carbon gets converted to CO2 (and assuming minimal nitrogen losses) the C/N ratio decreases during the composting process, with the ratio of finished compost typically close to 10/1
Click to expand...
 
Ok. Thank you for the feedback , appreciate it. I'll check out the free book too.

In the meantime, does anyone know if my old soil counts as a "brown" or carbon material, or do I need to still add leaves, etc. to my pile?

Thanks.
 
bravesfan said:
perlite or vermiculite, they do essentially the same thing as far as I understand
Click to expand...

Perlite is volcanic glass that expands when heated and bursts like popcorn.

Vermiculite is a silicate mineral that also expands when heated.

Both help anchor roots

Perlite aids in drainage

Vermiculite holds moisture and contains trace minerals

Too much Perlite and your soil can drain too fast.

Too much vermiculite can make for soupy soil.

They are good to use together. Quality soil mixes will have roughly 25% Perlite.
 
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