right so basicly im changin from the fuckin rip-off canna proffesional at like 15 quid odd a bag to good ole west with added JI...nice.BUT what im doin is addin seers rock-dust(fairy dust)......and iv also picked up from the garden center these two bagsa fish blood/bone mix and another think its just a bone meal mix....ya can see the bag size,...think i got 2 kilo of each.

anyow,..im wittering on...my question is if i was to mix an amount with say a pot full off dirt like how much should i be putting.

iv tried following Randalizer's writings but sorry rand you doooo go on some what......no offence meant mucker.
Plus my eyes start to go blurd after too long reading at pc screens!!...please help....thanks all....bizz.

Oh yeh sticky-duder thanks for coooonstantly goin on bout changin my compost mix....sweet bro..peace out.

....sod it. ...BUMP!

Good post am looking for the answer myself, I bought yesterday blood fish and bone mix, to mix in with B+Q MP compost and plant magic rock dust. Am trying to find some calcified seaweed for the mix to benefit the plantmagic granules I use, but don't sell any in my local b+q.

I may also use some coco in the mix as I recently did a 50/50 compost/coco mix that produced good results with biobizz feeding regime. I noted a slight improvement yield wise in comparison to a straight compost mix.

The box of blood fish and bone I bought has some application rates on, when I get home I'll put them on here, but am not sure if it needs tweaking when it applies to canna though

Goldie_2007

Ah nice one goldie..

yeh the coco thing?!....isnt that neutral feed wise??....if so i dont get folks mixin it in?? ..please en-lighten??

Shop bought Multi-Purp Composts are good to go. Adding things like the blood fish & bone mix will only skew the NPK ratios upwards and consequently make the compost too hot and do damage to any plants growing in it.
Rock dust is slightly different, being (AFAIUI) a mineral cocktail, which supports the micro-herd rather than feeding the plants. If you're using innoculants like PM Granules, then its a good idea to use Rock dust. But if not, and if you're intent on using chemical feeds and additives, then what's the point, really? May as well save some cash

By the by ... topic moved to "Non-Organic Compost" forum, where it really belongs

AFAIK (from reading on here) coco supports/contains trichoderma but as you say no nutrient value. Roots go through it like wildfire. It seemed to benefit the rooting of the plants.
It requires watering more often though and I fed with every watering, lending itself more towards a hydro grow, perhaps the regular floodings help in some way?
If anything plants did not burn as easy as usual, stayed green to the end.

I think it needs more experimentation with TBH, when my sweet seeds grow is out the way I'll do a side by side compost vs compost/coco grow, see if there really is anything in it.

Arnold my intention was to try make a mix that requires none to very small amount of liquid feeds, like the guerilla growers would use. I know they grow over a longer season, would this method not be suited to shorter length indoor grows?

Mixing coco has many advantages in my opinion. I think Arnold is referring more to the mixing of things like fish blood and bone.

I used coco, rockdust and wormcasts on the last pot stage and to be honest, I've never seen such noticeable growth before. That's with B'Bizz nutes as well. Watering is made well easier with coco too.

Ooops,..sorry AL..

goldie,...yeh i think a side by side comparison grow would be good.

papaduc.....cheers bro.

OH YEAAH....so DOES anybody have a good idea for my original question??

If your going to add stuff then I think you need to let it mature a bit, I saw this being done on a us site (never thought about doing it before, will be trying it myself soon).



This is the compost mix I'll be trying next...(matured for 2-3 months)

Westlands MP compost with added JI (sieved finely)
Calcified seaweed + dressing of maxicrop
Blood + Bone meal
Worm castings
Sulfate of potash

(all sourced from local garden centre, they have them all apart from worm castings)

Guano + Rockdust is recommended too, but can't source any local.

(btw - I'm not sure if adding stuff actually improves anything, or is it just a waste of money? I have yet to try and see the results myself.

Heya Biz , slow release ferts like fish blood and done are really designed to be broken down by the elements ie outside .
As Arnie say Mp are good or try a mix ? coir , multipurpose . loam casting etc minerals are good as no need to concern with npk ratio's , good luck . ,
Sorry to put an edit over a post but i posted same time but ,
d|t


Thats not really a mix you have Westlands MP as youre mix and the rest as amendments .

cheers bro,..i was wonderin if it really helps too myself....never had much chance to let owt mature iv mixed in before like the rock-dust..

I have a small composter, i recompost all my own soil, i add rockdust, dolomite lime, worm castings, i crush all my egg shells and add them. i now have all the compost i need.

Ok But it is mixed together though




no worries pal, got to be worth a go

I think the idea of adding the stuff mentioned above... is to replenish the lost nutrients in used/spent compost, so instead of throwing compost away after a grow, you could sieve the roots out, add the extras and let it break down and mature for a few months, my bet is the compost would perform just as well even better.

sounds plausible

plausible most defo amigo...happy tokings to ya friend..

I have reused westlands advanced plus this time.
Seived the roots out of the compost from my last plants.

Then added,

Wormcasts 2/3ltrs per 20 ltr seived compost.
Fish, blood and bone, handful per 20 ltr.
A loose handful each of Rockdust and Dolomite Lime and half a handful of Calcified Seaweed per 20 ltr.

Added about a 1 1/ 2 ltr water to each batch then reseived and left in compost bags for 3 weeks, re-seived added another ltr or so of water/ batch and left in sealed-ish bags until required when it was seived a final time before use.

A bit of an arse but very satisfying when you know the last residents stripped most of the available nutrients from the compost.

Felt much better to work with than the original westlands too.

There doesn't seem to be anything lacking yet either, I added rootgrow at an early potting up and have added a trichoderma drench too, all of which seem to be producing good results.

The plants seem to be happy even if my handling has been a bit rough.
Am waiting for batteries to charge before posting pics in my diary.

I will add a molasses/seaweed extract feed prior to final trim before flowering kicks off as I need a few good cuts.

My current re-used mix has 1 small handful ground fine rockdust per 15L - I think I'm right in quoting OT1 as suggesting 2 handfuls per 25L

I'll quote felix_dzerjinski re coir

'coir is hydrophylic so actually draws water along the fibres. This is a real benefit when mixed with peat to make a compost/soil as peat is hydrophobic when it gets dry and can be problematic getting the whole rootball wet again when it's dried out, not so much of a problem if coir is added to the mix.
Some coir also comes with a natural Trichoderma species which can help protect the plants roots.
Due to coir's open porous structure it actually makes a better home than perlite for micro organisms so encourages a healthier micro herd than perlite.'


I've been observing the 'super soil' mixes about on other forums too and further amendment / composting / cooking will ensue for the next grow. It makes me feel like David Bellamy to see all the little protoza, worms n other buggers squirmin about when doing your first re-use sieving

The question as to what the additions are meant to do, has to be answered before you start making up your mix. I'm still experimenting and learning myself, but my reason for making up my own mix was based on what I've learned over the past year or so, plus my experiences, negative and positive.

Basically, your mix is dependent on what you're trying to achieve. You have to clarify that in order to get the best advice on what to put into your mix.

Is your priority to be Organic?
Is it to make a mix that you don't have to water very often?
Is it to make a mix which will promote the fastest and most vigorous growth?
Is it a combination of the above?

Based on the mix you say you are using next, to my mind, it seems you are throwing a lot of everything at it. Like Arnie says, you are messing round with the NPK ratios when you start adding in potash and Blood&Bone. But maybe it will work great for you, who knows. It will be interesting to see.

To the best of my knowledge, worm casts help establish a micro herd, these feed your plant by converting nutrients into available form. They also have specific enzymes which are not fully understood yet, but are known to promote growth increases when compared to potting mixes without them.

Rockdust provides minerals, although these need to be broken down over time by the micro organisms in order for your plant to get the most out of them. Therefore it is best used on crops which will grow long enough to actually access the wide spectrum of minerals. This is where the "maturing" element comes into play. Leaving the rockdust within an active mix will enable the micro life to break down these elements into plant-available form, thus you will get the benefits, even on a short term crop like ganja. Rockdust provides your micro herd with a feeding zone, this micro population is the key to making any organic nutrients you give, available to the plant.

Guano, dependent on which one you use, will provide you with different things. Again, certain plant available nutrients are provided, as well as a host of beneficial bacteria, although the NPK ratios vary from one guano to another.

Calcified seaweed provides some key micro-nutrients and, again, stimulates micro activity in your soil.

Some things which are not in your list:

Coco fibers: Provides a near perfect surface for the bacteria and such mentioned above, to live on. With coco you obviously also have the added benefit of increased and more vigorous growth, and easier, more efficient watering. It can completely replace the store bought compost you are planning to use, and with good effect in my opinion, although this will drastically change the structure of your mix. How well your mix holds water/how often you need to water, is dependent on how much coco you use, if any.

Sterilised loam is an addition that can be used to bulk up your mix, and is available for cheap in the shops. It is host to lots of bacteria and, once again, provides a place for them to live. Use it wisely though, it is heavy.

Although not actual parts of your mix, Rootgrow and Rootfood are, in the opinion of many people, just as important a part of your potting process.

Rootgrow is a mycorrhizal fungi which establishes a connection with your plant roots, acting as an extension of the roots themselves to make feeding more efficient and offer protection. It is applied during pot ups with a scoop in the planting hole.

Rootfood is based on humates and can be added the same way, or via foliage or root feed. It basically stimulates the activity in the soil and helps process all available nutrients much more quickly and efficiently. This is an explaination of what they are..."Humates are recognized by soil scientists and agronomists as the most important component of a natural healthy fertile soil. They result from the breakdown of organic matter, which has been forming and reforming on our planet over millions of years. They are a form of concentrated super compost and essential to life in the soil.

Many gardens can be deficient in these natural humates and this can lead to poor plant growth and establishment, poor soil water-retention, and a depletion of beneficial micro-organisms such as friendly mycorrhizal fungi"

Plant Magic does a variation on these two things, called 'Granules' and 'Boost'.


Now, much of this is completely wasted if you are feeding chemically. What's the point trying to mix in all this goodness and get the soil living and active, if you are going to add in chemicals which will partially, if not mostly deplete them?

If your aim is to create a productive environment for all this stuff to go on, you should be aiming to provide as good a medium as possible for it all to happen. This, in my own opinion, means less peat, less store bought ready mixed compost with added chemical nutrients, and less sulphate of potash.

If not, don't bother with half the stuff above.

For example, I am looking into organic alternatives to Sulphate of potash and have found that comfrey is an excellent high potassium plant fertiliser. It can be ordered online and grown, but for now the same company does comfrey pellets which are ready to use.


For what it's worth, my mix on the last round was one of coco, wormcasts, rockdust, and seaweed. That's it. I used rootgrow on pot ups as well, and rootfood to make a stimulator. My idea was to use coco for all it's benefits, but create a living environment to enable me to use organic feeds. Maybe other factors were involved, such as general experience, but I've never seen such growth before.

Hope this helps.

Heya , coir or Multi-purpose coir compost ?

TS

Just Coco coir mate. Canna, to be precise. Although I've been told Canna have stopped inoculating their coir with Trichoderma to cut down on costs, while B'Cuzz still inoculate theirs and sell it £3 cheaper.

E2A: Although I do have a small bag of compost mix (about 15 ltr) which is made up of wormcasts, loam and rockdust, which is left to sit under the bed. It is actually about a third rockdust in there which is left to break down. Instead of mixing the whole lot, I will be adding that into my next mix. Sort of a concentrated compost, if you know what I mean. Although the vast majority of the complete mix will be coco.

There's a bit of new horizon in there as well, but I don't think I'll be using that next time, no point.

you know your stuff papa, thanks for the info mate, will take it all onboard