MindSoup Posted April 23 Share Posted April 23 Hello Chums As the title suggests really. I think it's time to refresh the soil in my little no till bed. I've been looking at premixed options as they're generally cheaper than buying all the stuff to make a little batch (50L). Only trouble is, I can't find a single one that uses bio char and pumice and doesn't use Coco as a base. If anyone can point me in a direction of one that ticks all those boxes let me know . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lubdub Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 Hey Soup, I know you said you didn't want to buy things individually but mixing in some compost/wc, pumice and generic organic tomato fertiliser should get you going again. Just three easily attainable things in the case you can't get your hands on a premix. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindSoup Posted April 26 Author Share Posted April 26 Yo dude. It's just a matter of costs really, that and having to store whatever is left over after making the new batch. That being said there is no one making a soil mix that I want, they're all using Coco or a lower amount of this or too much of that etc etc, you'd think they'd all just copy coots mix and be done with it. So yeah, I'll probably be making my own again, peat and WC's from Elixir and some pumice/lava rock from wherever is the cheaper option and then I'll add a bunch of life cycle because that's what I have. It would be nice to be able to source a few bits locally, but the garden centers near me are all pants and or massively over priced. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ipju Posted April 27 Share Posted April 27 Why does it need replacing? How long have you been using this batch? If it's beyond reammending, I'd think you could at least reuse the pumice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindSoup Posted April 27 Author Share Posted April 27 I can't really remember, 2-3 years maybe? This bed never had any pumice, I used solely biochar for the aeration. It's only a 50L bed, so it's done well to last this long, I don't think it's necessarily depleted, more like it's all out of balance, full of build up. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lubdub Posted April 27 Share Posted April 27 No such thing as beyond reamending imo. All the products and tools are out there to keep a healthy mix. @MindSoup I was in a similar situation with my two 90l soil bins that I've got on rotation. After about a year and a half of reusing, the stuff became quite sandy and lost it's 'body'. Mind you I'm chucking this stuff in and out of 15-25l pots each time so it's very much tilled and tossed and all the rest of it. Amending with compost and perlite brought it back to where I'm happy with it. I also added dry fertiliser which might have been a mistake as my leaves are quite dark this time around and I noticed some slower growth in the early stages from how rich I've made it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindSoup Posted April 27 Author Share Posted April 27 I hear what your saying, I'm still debating whether to try and fix what I have, but to really know how to reammend it properly would require a soil test and that will cost about the same as just making a whole new batch anyway. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shumroom Posted April 27 Share Posted April 27 Do you have plenty of active worms? Just guessing Atb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindSoup Posted April 27 Author Share Posted April 27 Yeah mate loads. I've all got all kinds of things, arthropods, pseudoscorpions, rove beetles, all manor of mites and nematodes etc 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.o.i.n.t Posted Tuesday at 05:09 Share Posted Tuesday at 05:09 @MindSoup Strikes me the 'full bollocks' you, and some of the other growers using this technique use, just might not work in a supply chain. You see how basically every supplier treats bagged compost - usually waterlogged to fuck after being without cover, or being left in direct sun etc. I could see someone trying, it being crazy expensive - and due to the above it being no more active than the normal stuff and leading to a bad rep or what have you. Some things are in the doing, I think. (but might be wrong here! I've just admired 'the full bollocks' approach from afar) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindSoup Posted Tuesday at 07:26 Author Share Posted Tuesday at 07:26 I hear what your saying for sure, but if Build a Soil (big no till company) can deliver their soil around most of the US and keep it more or less consistent then it should be achievable this side of the pond. I think it's partly just down to peat being unsustainable, (at least in this part of the world) and partly down to keeping costs lower. If you're coming from conventional growing and someone wants to charge you 50 quid for 50L of soil it might well put you off a bit , especially as most people want say 200L or so and at that point it becomes pretty cheap to mix your own. As usual I find myself in a obscure niche that no one really caters for . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inceywinceyspider Posted Tuesday at 08:47 Share Posted Tuesday at 08:47 I guess if you're going to grow all your plants in it for a couple of years or so its probably worth having the best mix possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindSoup Posted Tuesday at 09:33 Author Share Posted Tuesday at 09:33 @inceywinceyspider Exactly that mate, ideally I'd like it to last another 2-3 years. It does suprise me that no one is just copying coots mix and selling it in 50L bags, I'm sure he wouldn't mind. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j.o.i.n.t Posted Tuesday at 09:37 Share Posted Tuesday at 09:37 @MindSoup why not build it, what you want to see? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindSoup Posted Tuesday at 09:57 Author Share Posted Tuesday at 09:57 Yeah it has crossed my mind, but to be honest, I don't think it would be a very good business plan. Huge amount of space required, low profit margins and your selling someone soil that they'll never have to buy again or at least very rarely. Probably why no one is doing it . I imagine for a lot of suppliers the soil is a loss leader and they make the profit on amendments and other grow products. I'll just bite the bullet and mix my own. It'll be worth it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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