For anyone that's interested in making their own completely organic soil, water only, no pH adjustment ever required, so no need to ever add nutrients...
I have a handwritten shopping list thats about 5 years old I found in a drawer recently and it worked GREAT for my garden. (best results I ever had)
Base soil mix:
- 1 Part canadian peat moss
- 1 Part perlite
- 1 Part Earthworm castings or compost --> if available "Bu's Blend Organic" or "Farmer D's Organic"
- Dolomite Lime or garden lime (1 CUP per CuFT)
- Azomite / Glacial Dust / Rock (4CUPS per CuFT) <--- not necessary but better to have
A gardening supply store should have all of the following which you mix together before mixing in with soil:
Fertilizer/Nutrients:
neem meal (1 cup)
alfalfa meal (1 cup)
crab meal (1 cup)
kelp meal (2 cups)
OR if you're too lazy to search for the right meals because some stores may not carry them... you can substitute all of them for Espoma "Tomato/Garden/Plant Tone" fertilizer.. I don't recommend this though, get the the meals listed above!
^^ Mix these together seperately and then add 2-3 cups of the mix per cuFT of soil and then save the rest as a topdressing
Once everything is mixed together add a little bit of water to your new soil and let it sit for a couple weeks. Keep it moist, but not "too moist" You will see (beneficial) fungi networks grow and that's EXACTLY what you want to see, nature doing it's thing. Stir every couple days and add a little bit more water.
After about 2-4 weeks your new soil is thriving with beneficial bacteria and fungi that will immensely help your plants (of basically any variety) grow... and you've saved money!
I'm telling you guys, I've tried store bought soil of both the organic non-organic variety. I've tried adding chemical fertilizers, I've tried natural fertilizers, but nothing ever compared to the grows I did with this mix.
Water only.
NO ph monitoring or adjusting needed. Nature takes care of it.
Your end result will be great, I'm sure of it.
edit: Once I made the switch I will never go back to anything else. It might sound too good to be true, but after the initial "work" your growing life becomes much easier. You've provided nature with all the nutrients and things it needs to grow, so as long as it has water it will continue to thrive. I've also heard of people adding earthworms straight into the soil as well during grow cycles, although I've never done it.
Has anyone else made or used a similar mix, and can back me up?