Compost/potting soil recipe

[Fishnfarmer]

With a 5 gallon bucket I use a mix of 1part compost 1part
petemoss 1/2 part perlite 1part recycled fox farm potting soil a hand full of Epsom salt
and a hand full of organic pellet time release fertilizer. Just wondering if
I'm missing anything or if I could add more or less to make a better mix?

[rainbowgardener]

Sounds like a decent mix. At the beginning of this year, I used mushroom compost, perlite, coconut coir. Coconut coir is a more sustainable alternative to peat moss, which is non-renewable fossile resource and is mined. Next year in a continuing quest for sustainability, I intend to replace the perlite (also mined and non-renewable) with rice hulls. Since I haven't tried it yet, I can't speak to how well the rice hulls work.

I supplement with worm castings, used coffee grounds, leaf mould and whatever else like that I have on hand.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Items to think about. Lime, charcoal and mycorrhizae.

Looks like Fox Farm have these already


Eric

[gixxerific]

All of the above and or whatever I have laying around. Don't forget the bat guano. Though I would leave out the lime, my clay soil is very high in that area naturally.

[rainbowgardener]

Do you put actual dirt in your potting soil gixx? I never would for stuff I start seeds in, since my dirt, like yours, is mostly clay. In a large pot, like to grow a tree in a container, I might fill in a bit with native soil, otherwise just the mushroom compost, rice hulls, coco coir and additives like coffee grounds, worm castings.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Rice Hulls 101
https://www.riceland.com/coproducts/publ ... %20101.pdf

Eric

[rainbowgardener]

Nice article! Thanks. I have not used the rice hulls yet. The beginning of this year when I made up potting soil for seed starting and all, I was still using perlite. For 2014, I plan to switch to rice hulls. So I can't yet say anything about them from personal experience. In a few more months, I will be able to!

[DoubleDogFarm]

Nice article! Thanks. I have not used the rice hulls yet. The beginning of this year when I made up potting soil for seed starting and all, I was still using perlite. For 2014, I plan to switch to rice hulls. So I can't yet say anything about them from personal experience. In a few more months, I will be able to!

Do you have a local source? The article recommends checking feed stores. I'd hate to pay shipping on a 50lb bag.

Eric

[gixxerific]

Do you put actual dirt in your potting soil gixx? I never would for stuff I start seeds in, since my dirt, like yours, is mostly clay. In a large pot, like to grow a tree in a container, I might fill in a bit with native soil, otherwise just the mushroom compost, rice hulls, coco coir and additives like coffee grounds, worm castings.

First off I would never use dirt. Soil, that is another thing altogether.

No that would be one thing I would not use in fear of bringing in pest or disease. Once they go outside yes they get soil. I used a 50/50 mix to fill all my pots last year of compost and top soil. This was purchased from the local nursery. I also added various potting mixes like Dr.Earth and Ball Potting Mix. Nutrients as well like bat guano, worm castings, bone meal, blood meal etc. Yes coffee grounds go in my garden every morning, filter (organic) and all. I do save some back for seed starting.

Of course all this goes back into my garden, somewhere.

[rainbowgardener]

Nice article! Thanks. I have not used the rice hulls yet. The beginning of this year when I made up potting soil for seed starting and all, I was still using perlite. For 2014, I plan to switch to rice hulls. So I can't yet say anything about them from personal experience. In a few more months, I will be able to!

Do you have a local source? The article recommends checking feed stores. I'd hate to pay shipping on a 50lb bag.

Eric

don't know yet. If I can find it on-line through some store, then they will ship it to the store for free and you can just pick it up at your local store. I got my mushroom compost that way. 40 pounds of mushroom compost shipped free to my local DoItBest Hardware where I picked it up. https://www.doitbest.com/search-mushroom+compost.dib

Haven't located the rice hulls that way yet, so it may mean a trip to a feed store at some point.

[jbest123]

I have always started my seeds in a 50/50 mix of vermiculite and peat. This year(2008) I had many extra tomato seeds and planted them in a flat of 50/50 vermiculite/compost. Next year I will be planting all my seeds in the compost mix.

peatcompost11211 by tsebmj, on Flickr

[rainbowgardener]

besides there's no nutrients in a vermiculite/ peat mix. It would be about like hydroponics - sterile medium and you supply everything. With a compost based mix, your growing medium supplies nutrients.

[ReptileAddiction]

What are your guys experience with substituting some of the compost with worm castings? I think that it would give the plants a different range of nutrients.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Did we go astray here. I believe fishnfarmer was asking about potting soil mix, not seed starting mix. If (s)he still around maybe we can be lead.

I like and believe most nurseries recommend sterile medium for seedling mix. Not positive, but I don't think the seedling even cares what it's growing in until true leaf stage. Gets its nutrients from the cotyledon.

I start my seeds in open flats in sterile mix. Then prick and transplant fairly early into 4" pots. This way I'm not holding up pots with failed germination.

Eric

[rainbowgardener]

I don't make any distinction. I start all my seeds (hundreds of them) in regular potting soil mix. The seeds don't need nutrients to germinate and get started-- you are right the seed and seed leaf supply what is needed to start. But by the time they have true leaves, they do need nutrients, and will start failing quickly without them. In the meantime the presence of the nutrients doesn't harm them. Seeds growing in nature are in regular soil with nutrients. Since the seeds aren't going to sprout all at the same time or grow at the same rate, it never made sense to me to have a special seed starting soil, that they have to be removed from almost immediately.

[imafan26]

Some people get great results using compost. I tend to over water and compost stays too wet for too long for me so 50-50 peat perlite does work best for me. I have added vermi compost to the mix and it does fine. I actually add osmocote to my mix for a slow release fertilizer, which is not organic, otherwise I would have to use AACT or Fish emulsion every week and my neighbor would complain about the smell. As it is, I use Fish emulsion only occasionally; mostly when I suspect a nutritional issue but can't figure out what it is.

[DoubleDogFarm]

In the meantime the presence of the nutrients doesn't harm them. Seeds growing in nature are in regular soil with nutrients.

So will you be using soil from your raised beds. Why buy all the expensive stuff if nature doesn't need it.

Since the seeds aren't going to sprout all at the same time or grow at the same rate, it never made sense to me to have a special seed starting soil, that they have to be removed from almost immediately

and this supports the reason I use open flats and do the prick and transplant method.

Eric

[jbest123]

I strive to make seed starting, potting and growing soil the same. I realize if you have a large garden let alone a farm it is more impossible than it is for me. My garden is about 200 sq ft and it takes a tremendous amount of compost. The first photo is my starting/potting soil and the second is a three year core sample from the garden. You can see two little worms in the core sample. You can tell by the worms that the photo wasn't darkened.


p3250109 by tsebmj, on Flickr


Capture by tsebmj, on Flickr