Backyard soil rejuvenation project

Most of these soil testing places are sort of built around large tracts of farmland so my guess is that their recommendations are for application rates of lbs/ acre so on a personal garden type plot scaling down quite a bit is needed here’s an app I use to show the numbers you are dealing with as far as acre, square yards square feet

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I just had eye surgery so maybe I missed it, whats the ph?
Also you have very high zinc levels, too much zinc is a nute blocker, and is worse if your soil is acidic.
Most times high zinc levels are ameliorated by bumping up other nute levels, except N, which you should use sparingly.

Also missed your salt reference, me no see um.
edit
Ooops it’s my eyes, 6.5 is a bit on the acid side but preferable to my 7.0 imo. Low sodium too.
I never saw a soil report with low boron, that is very important to correct.
But take the others advice and go low and slow with the amendments!
“Things are easier got than gotten rid of”

  • H.D. Thoreau

double edit.
I’m seeing double, manganese is very low , not boron!
Time to rest the peepers.
“Sky blue and only for you” I serenaded my to-be wife once only to be met with gales laughter.

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So just calculate what growing area your dealing with and go from there, a 50lb bag of Dolomites lime may be all that’s needed for example remember the Dan Kitridge videos of yearly max applications rates for individual amendments… it may take 2 years to get calcium where it needs to be a for goodness sake don’t go over recommending rates or you’ll have more issues than you started with replay some of those vids to pit your mind to rest.

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Sorry…decorating a cake for tonight’s cub scout bridging ceremony.

Broadcast is just a different way of saying top dress…the difference is a broadcast is just thrown on top whereas a top dress is a 1/2" - 1" layer… No need to mix anything because as the minerals break down they will seep into your lower layers :wink:

So say your area is 4x8 = 32 sq ft so you would only order for 32 sq ft, put your dirt down as thick or shallow as you planned (usually 8" - 1’), plant your cover crop then when the mix arrives just toss it on top over the 4x8 area…mother nature will take care of the rest :stuck_out_tongue:

Do this only for another area as adding anything else will change the recommended nutrient/mineral profile in the soil test :wink:

Rofl!!!

Right. Most of their customers are for farmland…they’ll break it down to sq ft if you order from them or use an app to scale it down if your mixing it yourself… what don’t they have an app for? :stuck_out_tongue:

Yup! Slow and steady :stuck_out_tongue:

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This guy I’ve been talking to really knows his shit. I explained to him that it was a pile of dirt totaling 20 cubic yards. He has calculated my broadcast taking that into consideration. He said to put in 1 foot of dirt then 1/4 of broadcast mix then a foot of the dirt etc… stratifying it. He also explained every detail of my soil test and what all of the amendments are for and where they come from… He is also calculating all of the liquid formulas to cover ALL of my flowerbeds, so at least I can get some decent growing and seed germination until I actually test that soil next year. You are right @MomOnTheRun the broadcast mix is pennies on the dollar. The liquid drenches will be the most expensive, but WAY cheaper than buying more soil. Thank you so much for this recommendation. This guy teaches gardening classes and stuff. He really put my mind at ease, very, very knowledgeable. Oh yeah, he also tailored it knowing that I am growing all flowering plants which need nutrients on the higher side of normal on the soil test and not just adequate.

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We’re talking compost teas and such correct? Iirc a 5 gallon of a well made compost tea has enough microbiology for an acres worth of soil

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That is an interesting approach but yeah, they really know what they are doing…sometimes a bit overwhelming with all the info of what does what and their interactions. I am glad you called them :wink:

No problem!

Yeah, though remember its alternating with plain old Calmag plus and Liquid Fish (Inferno) with Humic acid (Z-hume)

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No. Liquids such as calmag, fish and humic acid. Remember, none of my compost is ready yet and he said once I broadcast I can plant in there immediately with no problems. Once I’m up and running, I will be using teas and compost etc… Right now, I’m more concerned with getting up and running then I organic out on all my flower beds and veggie patch. :grinning:

By using the broadcast etc… that they are sending me and not buying new soil I will save $1500 just for the one bed. I also told him what I did to amend the veggie patch and the bazillion feet of planters that line the yard and to fix my entire backyard, veggie patch and all it’s only 500 bucks including shipping. I actually find this to be very reasonable.

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:joy: LOL :hand_splayed: high-five

Which guy? The dude at 7-11 or the soil lab?

:evergreen_tree:

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Actually it’s the guy the soil lab uses to mix the amendments and such… lol

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He said that soil tests usually only consider the first 6 inches of soil and they assume you have an established plot or farm and is based on annual plants that usually only have roots for the first foot or so… since I have a giant pile of dirt that is going 4 feet deep the broadcast will be layered as to cover all bases ie… if I put a tree in there or some sort of perennial, bushes etc… in my case, hopefully huge mj plants. The rest of the broadcast for the veggie plot and established flower beds just get a top broadcast.

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Yeah, I learned today that such low Manganese means it’s very difficult to germ seeds if at all. Pretty important when I’m gonna use that dirt to germ and grow my cannabis. lol

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2 hour closed eye session, not a nap but a restful awareness.
So you’re planning to broadcast seed?

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@spaceman… this is a practically 6 month long thread… so quick recap. HUGE backyard with a 400 sq ft veggie plot and concrete planters that edge the entire back yard. Basically, it has been dormant for 10+ years… Started working on all the soil to improve it in August. Picked one 19’ planter with the most sun hours and designated it as a cannabis only bed. It will fit 6 giant plants perfectly. We completely dug all of the dirt out down to 4 feet. This is what the soil test was from (the huge pile of dirt). As of today, I have ordered the amendments already scaled and mixed specifically for my soil through a partner of the soil lab. By week after next, I will be using all of this stuff and filling the flower bed trenches back in. Planting some clover then come outdoor cannabis growing season here (end of May) I will be growing my yearly grow in there. I am an outdoor grower only. I have also been planting bulbs, flowers etc in the other beds and have prepared the veggie plot for March planting for well… veggies, but mostly flowers as I am a flower fanatic. :grin: All caught up now! And yes, I will probably germ the cannabis directly in the new beds when it comes time.

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Thanks for the update.
I saw that pile, wow! You get this right and they’ll truly get to be monsters.:four_leaf_clover:
Sounds like you’ve done this before.
What type of critter protection do you use?

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I’ve only grown in pots actually, fell in love with gardening with that first seedling rising from the soil. Joined this fabulous forum here to get some help on my first cannabis grow, fell in love with the gardens of other outdoor growers and organic gardening. It sparked something and voila the entire backyard soil project was born. Been reading as much as I can, watching videos, picking the brains of the amazing gardeners on here and have been winging it ever since.

I’m in the city so I only get squirrels a random raccoon or possum. The major critter around here is the darn caterpillars that love to munch the bud. lol Oh, and my dog, who loves to dig and step on plants! lol

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Now the new question is… what type of worms should I get for the new mj planter once it’s amended? Not only that but I would probably need to grow some cover crop and I was thinking chamomile or chives or something that I could just chop down once it was cannabis growing time so the worms had food right? They wouldn’t have anything to eat without decaying plant matter first right?

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I would guess compost worms (red wigglers) as they will process your minerals and decaying plant matter

Yeah. I wouldn’t go with chives as they clump up though could be just the variety I have. Chamomile would be awesome as it strengthens nearby plants and repels mosquito’s then again you may not want it until next year as it accumulates calcium, potassium and sulphur though releases it when decomposes…other companion/cover crop plants that come to mind is Holy Basil (hornworms, whitefly), Dill (aphids, spider mites), Alfalfa and Barley. Probably many others that would be beneficial in your climate

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God Damnit! My gardener got haphazard with the weed whacker again! Chopped up my bearded Iris! So bummed! I told him not to touch any of the planters. F**k! First my Brodaias now my Iris. Grrrrrrr

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Alright, I’m leaving the oldest 4 cosmos, 3 stocks and the chamomile I replanted yesterday out overnight. I’m super paranoid, but they have been hardening off and on for 2 weeks as weather allowed. Fingers crossed.

Got rid of all the shit that wouldn’t germ in the greenhouse! Replanted a few more seeds and while I was doing this I realized my petunia seeds were pelleted. So far, I tried mums, columbines and petunias with those damn coated seeds and have had zero luck. I am realizing my problem here. Went to Home Depot to find some regular petunia seeds and what do you know… gorgeous Alstromeria plants for sale. Of course I bought one. lol

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