There’s usually some leftovers on top of the ground. In order to rejuvenate, if things are not looking as “living” as I want, I will take some compost and mix that in. Then I’ll start adding alfalfa meal, blood meal, bone meal, greensand, power bloom. My compost contains a good mix of carbon and nitrogen sources, a percentage of which is leftover cannabis root balls, and clippings with stalks mixed in. I don’t grow weed organically so I don’t usually post my organics knowledge on the forums, but I’m sure it’s just like growing a tomato or carrot.
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Good video showing importance of Ca.
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?threadid=331317
Holy grail of CEC discussion.
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Missing 1 key ingredient, a soil test…
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YES!
to quote Reddit… “Came here to say that”
rule #1 no soil is perfect for all.
rule #2 always test NPK (several times) of recycled soil (until it is Good to Go)
I do a base soil (mellow enough for seedlings)
from that, I amend for veg and amend for top dress in flower.
Cheers
G
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All right guys. Been watching Back to Eden
What I’d like to do & PLEASE point out anything Obviously stupid 
(learning from others mistakes is key)
I’d like to make No Till Living Organic soil as follows;
5 gal pales x 4 Working from the bottom of bucket up… Will drill several holes near bottom
1st) bottom of bucket:
Bio Char + woodchip mulch +fish shit layer.
2nd) “Soil” layer.
HP Pro Mycorrhizae
Sheep Manure
Worm Castings
Neem, kelp, crab, fish bone meals
Gaga Green 444 & 284
Eggs shells crushed up
Bannana peels diced up
Dolomite lime
3rd) Leaf compost + Compost blend + Dynomyco
4th) Grow cover crop, cut it down, Cover with 3" of blended wood chip mulch… wait 2 to 3 weeks and plant young cannabis plant…
Please point out Anything that you believe is straight up stupid or you have tried and it failed.
Spending $100+ to ME is a big deal…
I know not any 1 method is better then others, but I just wanna know I’m not about to make some insanely crazy mistake before I even get the chance to do this the “right” way lol
Thanks brothers and sisters 
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It looks like a good mix for garden soil.
Not needed, but if you’re comfortable with pumice I’d grab some horticultural in various sizes to mix in. Unlike perlite they tend to stay in place in a soil mix.
Always make sure to wash them first regardless as the moisture battle in soil is annoying if you don’t hydrate them first.
If you use vermiculite same deal. Hydrate it first before mixing in soil mixes.
Perlite is also significantly easier to mix in when washed first.
If the mulch is working in place if these though that’s a much more natural aerator. Though all 3 I mentioned are natural products.
Pumice is essentially volcanic rock they heated until it popped like popcorn and puffed up.
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So pumis, volcanic rock ect. Something to airrate the soil besides perlite that’s in the HP.
Also, what specifically is not needed?
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Yes. The volcanic rock does the job of perlite much better. They’re also able to be used by microbes to find a home with oxygen below the topsoil layer
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This is also the reason for bio char and wood chip mulch at bottom of bucket. In the “soil” I’ll use volcanic rock…
Do you think ill have any issues with Air getting into the soil in a 5 gal pail with holes drilled on the sides, but near the bottom of buckets? Think hempy with lots more holes with living soil.
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Air getting in the soil is imo very good. If you use bokashi for control over aenarobic conditions they’ll likely not like a strong oxygen content, but I don’t believe that’ll be an issue here
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Don’t plan to use this… Only what I listed above is what I’ll be using. Hence my reaching out for more experienced people’s opinions lol
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Do see any issues with NOT using a cloth bag for a container? I understand it’s recommended. But I’d honestly rather use a plastic bin more
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I use both. Plastic for veg. Fabric for flower. No difference from fabric all the way.
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Also if you didnt get kelp, I’m not sure but I think nectar ships to canada. Their zues juice Is one of the best kelp/seaweed extractions on the market
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Plastic is fine. I have a 27 gallon filled with only holes on bottom for drainage and I haven’t tilled it ever. It’s been fine, but it took about a year to stabilize to a good soil. Now just about anything sprouts in it. I still find a random pepper growing here and there.
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I will add that rather than letting soil go dry I’ll grow just about anything in the soil while not growing weed. Nothing but water. They’re sacrificial plants to feed the soil, so I don’t really care to add nutrients for them and I prefer to only use water throughout a grow.
I try to grow things that will add what I want for the weed later to be broken down after they’re chopped down or allowed to die.
Chia was a shockingly neat one tbh. They have next to no needs. They appear to be nitrogen fixing or able to take advantage of the ones present in my soil.
Yellow mustard is finicky and tbh perfect for feeding seedlings back into the soil.
Brown mustard will grow like a weed and not care if the topsoil is allowed to dry out fully.
Bonus is chia is completely edible. The whole plant has similar benefits to the seeds, but a little stronger when made into a fresh tea.
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I see a few issues with this plan…
First, there are no liming agents in the soil mix. I know the HP pro has some dolomite lime, but there isn’t any in the compost. This is vital for maintaining pH. I use a mix of glacial rock dust, basalt rock dust, oyster shell flour (I suppose the egg shells are the same if you grind them to a flour consistency) and gypsum at a rate of four cups pr cubic foot.
The next issue I see is the lack of aeration. Again I know the HP has perlite, but the compost doesn’t. @OniTenshu mentioned pumice, which works but can be pricey. Perlite is still the best bang for your buck despite the limitations.
The final issue I see is pot size. You’re going to have a hard time doing more than one cycle in a five gallon bucket. In my experience, you need a minimum of 15 gallons of soil to maintain a living soil. It should work fine for the first cycle, but reusing it will be an issue.
Good luck and let me know if you have more questions.
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I can fit 2 of these in my 3x3 tent
50-litre/31.2gal totes.
Does how deep the container is prevent me from using some that’s more like a recycling bin?
87 liter/22.9 gal (could fit 4 in tent)
Regardless, I gotta make sure I can move it after it’s full of dirt lol 
Or I can just get 10gal fabric pots? This is the largest size I can use unless I don’t want air flow around the sides. So since I need the air flow, I can’t get 15gal fabric bags ;(
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Yes, I wanna make sure that I can run it again, and again ect without having major issues
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I buy this from a local supplier. I can drive and pick up a 50 lb bag for around $55. Sealife is the brand out of Maine. Works great.
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