Base soil

[Beil]

As a base mix before any other amendments, how would this go for outdoor pots?
1part perlite
2 parts peat moss
0.5 parts zeolite
3 parts landscape loam - or would simple potting mix be better?


Nutrient amendments TBC

 

[VinDeezle]

I find a good base is either 1:1:1 Coco coir or peat moss, compost and a nice basic sandy loam.

This time I ran brunnings Coco fibre, seasol super compost and sandy loam from my garden. It works really well as a base.

I usually cut the mix 70:30 with a mix of perlite and vermiculite, or pumice and zeolite depending on what I have on hand. Outdoors I use more zeolite/vermiculite as it will hold water a bit longer.

 

[VinDeezle]

I do like using fresh garden soil myself as on of the three parts. Adds a lot of active microbes and beneficial hypoaspis. I stopped getting gnat issues once I moved to garden soil as a base, but I keep forgetting your are outside and will naturally build up beneficials anyway.

 

[Beil]

I did wonder about compost as part of the base mix, but figured it would come under the amendments later,.. but I suppose base humus in the soil would just be good im general and it's bulky so makes sense to add it in earlier, not like you'd only use a cup or so etc.

Are you just using homeland kitty litter zeolite from woollies?

Noticed Biochar has charcoal, zeolite, rock dust and seasol. Worth using?

 

[Beil]

I do like using fresh garden soil myself as on of the three parts. Adds a lot of active microbes and beneficial hypoaspis. I stopped getting gnat issues once I moved to garden soil as a base, but I keep forgetting your are outside and will naturally build up beneficials anyway.

Our new house is pure clay (new for us, 30 year old dwelling) will be years before the soil is good here :/

 

[VinDeezle]

Our new house is pure clay (new for us, 30 year old dwelling) will be years before the soil is good here :/

Yard soil is a finicky one to recommend for that reason. Most places are built on clays or general fill so it's not usually a viable option but luckily the corner of our yard has had leaf litter, food scraps and yard trimmings all composted for a good 15 years.

 

[VinDeezle]

I did wonder about compost as part of the base mix, but figured it would come under the amendments later,.. but I suppose base humus in the soil would just be good im general and it's bulky so makes sense to add it in earlier, not like you'd only use a cup or so etc.

Are you just using homeland kitty litter zeolite from woollies?

Noticed Biochar has charcoal, zeolite, rock dust and seasol. Worth using?

I have looked at the biochar, the only thing that held me back was the price but it looks pretty good tbh.

Ive tried without the compost (just garden loam and Coco) but haven't quite got as good results, mainly due to the fine garden soil compacting. You'll do fine with just 1:1 peat and compost or peat and soil though.

I'm not sure how much it adds npk wise, but I'm sure it keeps microbes fed and works as aggregate as well.

I generally use b green organic beads as a base (3:1:3 NPK with 12% S and Ca alongside 9% humic acids). I get coarse zeolite from dr greenthumbs as I rather the chunkier 6-12mm profile to break up the heavier mix, and Id preferably use uxp pumice instead of perlite but I'm using up old stock.

Been toying with a base of peat, fresh vermicompost and loam with biochar as a base next time and going back to liquid feeds.

 

[VinDeezle]

Was going to try the biochar but I already use a rock dust complex with soft phosphate, gypsum, dolomite, oyster shell, palagonite, magnesite, diatomaceous earth and volcanic dusts alongside zeolite, so it just seemed a bit similar too similar to what I already had at the time.

 

[Beil]

Was going to try the biochar but I already use a rock dust complex with soft phosphate, gypsum, dolomite, oyster shell, palagonite, magnesite, diatomaceous earth and volcanic dusts alongside zeolite, so it just seemed a bit similar too similar to what I already had at the time.

What rock dust Complex is that?

Looked at the Dr. Greenthumb zeolite, 6-15mm goes for $17/15L. The woollies stuff (pictured in attachment) is $10/15kg, it used to be about $4.5/15L before covid then it jacked right up, wide range of particles from dust to about 12mm though, can sift and wash if you wanted to separate (but definitely wash). Only mentioning as I like to save a dollar if I can.


Hmm so, 1.1.1 peat moss, compost, sandy loam. Work out the perlite and zeolite composition. Rock dust (biochar or

Mix in X amount of my 12.5.15 yaramila complex.

Regular kelp addition.

Veg them out.

Top dress with potash and phosphate when they flower, assuming the YM Complex has been depleted by then.

Have a couple of hiccups along the way most likely.

Profit.

 

[Beil]

Yard soil is a finicky one to recommend for that reason. Most places are built on clays or general fill so it's not usually a viable option but luckily the corner of our yard has had leaf litter, food scraps and yard trimmings all composted for a good 15 years.

That was like our old house, I filled the raise garden beds i byilt with the soil from under neath a decades old tree as well as putting the raked up leaves under neath. Humus content was massive, the garden beds loved it! 2 m canna lillies in a single season from rhizomes.

 

[VinDeezle]

Not sure what the rock dust was exactky off the top of my head but I know it's from organic gardening solutions. Pretty sure it's just called "combination rock dust".

The zeolite was definitely overpriced. I had a voucher and there was Xmas sales haha. I put roughly 5% so it lasts me a while. Usually about 2.5L per batch. Not a very cost effective option.

If I was making large amounts I'd definitely be looking for a cheaper option, but I do like two or three 3 gallon pots at a time.

 

[Aye Shroomer]

For my berry planters I used 70L bags of jiffy peat/coco/perlite. Local nursery had it for $50. Mixed seamungus, rooster booster and gogo juice, worm casting, biochar, scoria ( they were reduced bags of red lava rocks from Bunnings) and some blood and bone too.

I’ve got a few planters. Raspberries, blueberries, a Viogner grape vine, a feijoa and a red cherry guava

Here’s the jiffy product

 

[Carbcon]

You want 1/3 drainage ideally of the base mix.
Peat/worm castings/aeration all in equal parts is what I use.

The perlite is your drainage in this case. Adding the zeolite, it's 1.5 parts.
So your mix is 1.5/2/3. I'd be aiming for 1/1/1

I like cheap scoria rock and not so cheap rice hulls. Lots can be used. Just scoria will do fine, especially of U rough it up a bit to make more small stuff.

 

[junglelover]

I have looked at the biochar, the only thing that held me back was the price but it looks pretty good tbh.

I did a soil microbe course a few years ago and the farmer hosting was at was a mad keen bio char maker as well as brewing his own microbes. It isn't really hard to make as long as you have wood, bamboo, etc laying around.

The results he was getting on really shit sandy soil was mad, mushrooms literally popping up on the headlands.

Making Biochar: Building Our First Dome School Biochar Stove - Milkwood: permaculture courses, skills + stories

Biochar is a type of charcoal, made and used for specific purposes - most often as a soil amendment. To make Biochar, you burn biomass using pyrolysis - a

www.milkwood.net

 

[Beil]

So, after listening (or atleast trying to listen in this thread) I have my proposed mix:

Feel free to habsolutely rip this to bits, amendments are basically winging it, so I have no idea if it's too little or too hot.

Gypsum and Epsom throw me, there's micros in some of the other amendments, but are they enough (I don't know).
But the 2:1 gypsum:ES was my ending in amounts.

Likely over thinking like most things, but I'd rather have a solid idea from the start I guess

30L pots.
Sandy Loam (Landscape place) 6L
Cow Manure 6L
Peat Coir (Bunnos blocks) 6L
Perlite 5L
Zeolite 3L

Seamungus 2 cup/0.5L
Blood/Bone 1cup/0.25L
Biochar 1 cup/0.25L
Worm casings 1L
SST 1/2 cup/0.125L
Gypsum 1/2 cup/0.125L
Epsom salt 1/4 cup /0.06L

 

[R3za92]

I did a soil microbe course a few years ago and the farmer hosting was at was a mad keen bio char maker as well as brewing his own microbes. It isn't really hard to make as long as you have wood, bamboo, etc laying around.

The results he was getting on really shit sandy soil was mad, mushrooms literally popping up on the headlands.

Making Biochar: Building Our First Dome School Biochar Stove - Milkwood: permaculture courses, skills + stories

Biochar is a type of charcoal, made and used for specific purposes - most often as a soil amendment. To make Biochar, you burn biomass using pyrolysis - a

www.milkwood.net

Can confirm making biochar is fucking simply if you have a feedstock. Also a lot of waste can be used as feedstock such as dried corn cobs once the kernel has been removed.

I use all the small branches etc I can’t sell as firewood.

 

[R3za92]

So, after listening (or atleast trying to listen in this thread) I have my proposed mix:

Feel free to habsolutely rip this to bits, amendments are basically winging it, so I have no idea if it's too little or too hot.

Gypsum and Epsom throw me, there's micros in some of the other amendments, but are they enough (I don't know).
But the 2:1 gypsum:ES was my ending in amounts.

Likely over thinking like most things, but I'd rather have a solid idea from the start I guess

30L pots.
Sandy Loam (Landscape place) 6L
Cow Manure 6L
Peat Coir (Bunnos blocks) 6L
Perlite 5L
Zeolite 3L

Seamungus 2 cup/0.5L
Blood/Bone 1cup/0.25L
Biochar 1 cup/0.25L
Worm casings 1L
SST 1/2 cup/0.125L
Gypsum 1/2 cup/0.125L
Epsom salt 1/4 cup /0.06

Can’t have too much gypsum. Especially if your dealing with clay. If you do have clay stay away from Epsom salts. The mag sulfate will make it harder to break the clay down.

 

[Beil]

Can’t have too much gypsum. Especially if your dealing with clay. If you do have clay stay away from Epsom salts. The mag sulfate will make it harder to break the clay down.

There shouldn't be any issues with clay, the loam mix is sand, silt and clay, used it before for a raised garden bed and it seemed ok. Definitely didn't clog up at all!

 

[Carbcon]

Good to see aeration up. All small though, I'd be adding in scoria rock.
Again that's my personal preference.

Seamungus is good, but never a substitute for kelp imo.

I'd up the biochar and worm castings, add kelp and Neem.

Blood n bone may stink inside and outside it will be dug out of the ground by all sorts.

 

[Beil]

Good to see aeration up. All small though, I'd be adding in scoria rock.
Again that's my personal preference.

Seamungus is good, but never a substitute for kelp imo.

I'd up the biochar and worm castings, add kelp and Neem.

Blood n bone may stink inside and outside it will be dug out of the ground by all sorts.

Lol, I did think of you when I was putting it together.
By small do you mean small ratio or small in size?

I was planning on using liquid kelp weekly, just didn't mention it in the mix info.

By Neem do you mean a neem oil soak?

We don't have any wandering cats in our yard except ours who are only outside when we are, and our small terrier dog won't be able to get up and in it.

Are we talking double, triple the biochar and wormcasings?

No problem adding Scoria, maybe 2L?, you said to beat it smaller, do you have to crush it? The size it comes does seem too big though.