Ok @Tinytuttle you twisted my arm. I ordered some azomite with my kelp meal and I’ll pick up some earthworm castings too.
I’m still not sure on the lime. I like the idea of the added call and mag but not raising the pH.
I’ve been wanting to go back to soil for a while but somehow it seems more complex than sticking with hydro and salt based ferts. I know it will be easier in the end though. I’m just have to get my hands dirty and get into it.
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@Hashtree Get basalt instead of azomite if at all possible
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To tell the truth i’v yet to use lime in any of my grows some peeps like it for the minerals of calcium and magnesium , EWC have calcium in there excrements that’s immediately available… as far as Mag is concerned Epsom salt could be used, iv used small amounts of Epsom recently but don’t think iv actually needed to tell the truth
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I think basalt more difficult to obtain in certain areas that’s been my observation anyways
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Kindly bet you grow some straight 
I use Basalt, it has more minerals and a higher concentration by weight than azomite, almost 50% more on some of them.
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Trust me on this one, don’t skimp on the lime in this recipe. It does more than just help balance pH. It also adds calcium and magnesium in addition to improving soil structure.
You could replace the lime with a mineral mix like in the Coots recipe. Equal parts gypsum, oyster shell flour, glacial rock dust, and basalt dust. Problem is, only the gypsum can be found at Home de Pot.
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Wouldn’t dolomitic lime pellets work for this, and be available in most garden centres.
I have a big bag of it, and was thinking of adding some to my pots. I have the coots recipe soil with gypsum in it, but I dont want to make the soil too high a ph, as my water by the time I use it is around a PH of 9.
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Either one will “lime” the soil. If we are talking organics, forget about pH. The plant/microbes will be able to readily adjust the pH in the rhizosphere.
With the pellets, use about 1/3 more than what is on the recipe. The pellets have clay added (not a bad thing IMO) to make the into the pellet shape.
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Thanks @ReikoX. I will add the lime. The next question @Shadey already asked and a you answered as well. You guys rock!
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For a Cal/Mag amendment I’ve been using espoma garden-lime
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Soil is really good as a ph buffer. You should be just fine IMO
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So I made my first batch of living soil this week and started my new grow project.
Soil mix is:
33% peat
33% compost
33% lava rock
Amended with:
Neem meal
Fish meal (stinky stuff)
Bio char
Worm castings
Kelp meal
I pre-hydrated the peat, because it is so dry.
Problem (maybe) now is there is some mold growth in the soil. I have seen this before in compost piles but it goes away when spread and sun hits it.
@Sebring @ReikoX @Tinytuttle have y’all ran into this before and is it a problem?
I planted my clover today and wanted to know before I plant any more beans.
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Bacteria is good. That’s what you want.
I don’t see anything that is going to give you calcium, magnesium, and other minerals. You should put some basalt rock dust in there and gypsum if possible or dolomitic lime. These help with ph buffering. What size pots are you using.
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Thanks for the info, I was thinking that it was ok, but wanted to make sure as this is my first go at living soil. I found some info on some other posts that say this is ok as well.
The container is 90” long, 2’ deep by 2’ wide. Total of one square yard of growing medium. I will be posting a grow log here shortly with all of the photos.
I will have a second container that will be 6’ long 2’ deep by 2’ wide as well.
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Nice big beds, your going to rock that grow. I just asked as the bigger the pot of soil the better the buffering of water PH.
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White fuzzy mycelium is good. It is beneficial to the plant and they can form a symbiotic relationship.
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Thanks @ReikoX,
Now that I have added all of this media to my grow the RH is sitting @ 80%. 3 of the seedlings didn’t make it after day two & they like high RH. One of the test seedlings is still going, today is day 4 sense sprouting from the ground. Top of the soil was super dry this morning and the light is about 3’-4’ off the ground. I added some water today as it’s little leaf was drooping and the ground was dry.
Do you think I need to throw a dehumidifier in there to get the RH down? I have a humidifier in the other part of my grow trailer, because it is always low. I have it set to 50% and it’s automated (only turns on when needed).
@Sebring have you had any experience with indoor living soil?
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Your RH is high at 80% if you cant reduce it with an extraction fan, you will probably need a dehumidifier.
What is that little orange thing on the leaf, in the pic above, it looks like a bug?
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I agree 80% RH is too high. I freak out when I get 60% RH, but I live in the desert. 
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