I got a crap ton of Happy Frog, and also Coco Loco.
What do I need to get to make this into no-till compatible soil?
Sorry for the short post/question.
@ReikoX, @miyagi @DavesNotHere any insight?
Thanks guys!
Jelly
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I’m following because:
- I have the same question.
- You will get some great answers from giants.
Thanks @Jellypowered
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A lot more naturally derived compost.
Do you have a compost pile?
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Not overly difficult to make a well built soil no-till. Get yourself some cover crop, some good, quality compost (Malibu if it’s available), some worm castings, some dry amendments (neem, kelp, fish bone, crab/lobster shell), and start reading! Shoot me a PM with any questions.
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Is this the stuff?
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Yes this is the shit. Pun intended.
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Try and find it locally though. Shipping compost is a bitch. While Amazon says free shipping, I get bags locally for $20
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Just two days ago I found out my city offers free mulch and compost if you’re willing to pick it up. Shovels and buckets. Headed there next week to fill with humic compost. Then buy some EWC from the shop. Worms from the bait store and cover from the natural market in bulk. I have a couple smaller pots brewing already, so they’ll be testers soon.
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I’m not an expert by any means, but you should probably check to make sure that the worms they sell would be happy living in a pot. Red Wrigglers are the go-to for composting worms and I think they do well in no-till. I used to get nightcrawlers for bait, which I’ve read do not appreciate the confined spaces of indoor growing/composting.
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For that mix I’d add crushed oyster shells, pumice, more compost/EWC, kelp meal, fish bone meal, fish meal, alfalfa meal, insect frass, crab meal, basalt, and malted barley powder.
If you’re gonna order stuff from buildasoil Id get the volcanic pumice in place of normal pumice. In my mind it’s adding aeration and more trace minerals.
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You will still need perlite or other aerator, lots of it.
Also, it is doubtful that you will be receiving organic compost. Look for K-Cups & other plastic bits.
99
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Dave pretty much nailed it, that’s pretty much my recipe give or take a few ammendments.
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I’d always check compost from a source not my own ! Your senses ( sight, smell… that’s a big one, and feel ) compost always needs to be areated should smell like fresh forest floor. They might have big arearation machines to to the job. Compost should never go above 160* or nasty things could start growing in it and go anaerobic. Test it with soil and tomato seeds first as a checker. If good you may want to reinnocculate with biologics ( worm tea). Lots of not broken down wood chips would be a nitrogen robber in your soil!
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All of my no tills are happy frog based because its cheap and super full of mycorrhizae . All i do is cut it with some food compost, manure based compost, aeration of some kind, quality top soil or coir, gypsum and worms. The worms are the great equalizer here. The ingredients dont really matter all that much so long as you have worms because theyre going to eat anything you top dress with as you learn what your soil needs and your soil will get better over time. Even if its not ideal the first run, by the second or 3rd cycle youll probably be able to go mostly water only because the pots will take care of themselves. But ya happy frog isnt bad as a base just remember its hot!
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Not sure if I’m totally sold on this product yet picked some up at my local grow shop last fall using it now as part of potting mix for tomato seedlings and I’m having a bitch of a time with phosphorus def, but there slowly recovering from it though with other inputs . However looking at the ingredients that go into it I’d say I’m pretty impressed though! I think I paid $22 for my bag kinda of pricey IMO!
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I’d have to agree with @PrimalPractitioner here ! To date investing in red- wigglers is the best thing I’v done ! There home now is a 20-25 gallon smart pot they did just fine over-winter in my garage!
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Yes that is what I use! Malibu is great. I got a chance to meet Randy at the Indo Expo, he is the guy who makes this if i’m not mistaking.
He said he doesn’t bubble his teas anymore. I have heard other no-tillers mention that it has a risk of bringing in unwanted pathogens.
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I like to use grow stones, clay hydroton, and rice hulls for aeration, as perlite tends to break down quicker, and makes your soil harden. Oh yes don’t let me forget a major component, sunshine peat.
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Also there are organic dry amendments that heat up the soil. I would stay away from these amendments, mostly because there are other ways of feeding the plant everything it needs without having to “cook” your soil. I usually mix my no till pots on the day of transplant, at least for the first round of that pot. I like to layer my pots, some do spikes like the Rev.
I measure my amendments, then lay in some soil and compost maybe a couple of inches to cover the bottom of pot, then I put in my amendment mix, then add another layer of compost, soil , and aeration, then do another layer of amendments. This way as the roots stretch out, there will be multiple layers of amended soil, meanwhile the worms and microbes are able to break down the other nutrients. The biggest and most important ingredient being a good sourced kelp meal.
You will benefit greatly from keeping your soil moisture level balanced, not letting it dry out, or over watering. The more rounds you run these pots and keep the soil life balanced and happy, the better they will get. Just like a nice pair of jeans.
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I stay away from these:
Ingredients like blood meal, chicken poop, bone meal, bat guanos there are probably more, but those are the first to come to mind. Mostly because of the nature behind the products production.
I substitute these with things like, insect frass, worm/vermi compost, kelp meal, crab meal, things that are more ocean byproducts.
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