Soil Mix

[sargentscraps]

Hi all, I've been doing a lot of reading lately on soil mixes and there is a great deal of information, but not so much on specifics. everyone says use this and that but never really specifies how much. Im going to be doing a guerilla grow that needs to be as self sustaining as possible due to it being a long distance from where i live. The soil around is very clay based and in other words not great. So in other words i need a very good water retentive soil. I plan on obviously using water crystals as one way of aiding but I need multiple ways. If anyone has soil recipe, ideas, thoughts, tips in would be greately apreciated. I read that possibly mixing clay in with the soil mixture is a good idea just because it is so good at storing water for longer amounts of time? thoughts? Please dont write back saying 'research theres lots of info'. I know this, i have done my research.

Any thoughts are greately apreciated.

Cheers

[Amos]

Hey mate. Once i read your post i thought you'd instantly get some good results looking at non-weed related places regarding soil.

I just googled "how to improve clay soil" and there looks like a good bit of Horticulture info. A quick read indicates that digging a large area, adding a shit load of 'organic matter' like grass clippings, compost, shredded leaves, and mixing well with the clay will improve it instantly, and it should get better.

 

Not sure about water retention though

 

Edit: mate just found this nugget too

----When working with clay soil, it is best to mix in with it some gypsum. Gypsum really helps to break up and unlock your clay dirt.

 

I did a few Horticulture certs so im interested in this stuff

Edited August 4, 2010 by Amos

[sargentscraps]

Cheers for the info amos but after more researching i have come up with the solution to my water problems.

 

If people have used thesed before please let me know, if not.......this could be a great addition for the guerilla grower

check it out!

http://www.enter-shop.com.au/catalogue/c92/p692

[sargentscraps]

wait now i've found this, its on the website but this is a video which explains it.

[brick]

I like the water tubes better. Protection and insulation at the same time. Good for cold night climates when plants are young. You can also add your nutes when due for a refill. Never used them. Gives you a bit more control over what goes into them.

[sargentscraps]

Yeah think ill go with that one, i like that it doesnt block out the sun as well. Now to the main question, im going to be using sealres products becasue im organic growing and they have a great organic range. Now my questions are quantities.

Im going to use their 'Searles Garden Soil Mix' as my base and add the following in.

Heres the website to look at the organic list of products, http://www.searle.com.au/OrganicRange.html

I want to mulch in their 'Searles Real Compost Mix' as well as their 'Searles Cow Manure' and 'Searles Blood & Bone'. The problem with these is that i have no idea how much of them to use. I realise my soil garden mix is the base but roughly how much of the others do i add? This is the main question and i realise its going to be variable depending on the person but if anyone has input that would be great. Down the list they also have plenty of other products if anyone would like to reccomend any to add. The ones ive mentioned are the basic good ones i know off. So if you know any good info sites, personal info, anything....would be apreciated.

Cheers

 

 

 

 

 

Heres

[GIY]

mate "clay" is just a reference to the particle size that makes up a soil. clay particles are the smallest particles int he soil something like between 0 - 10 nm. Clay is the most important part of the soil, because the particle sizes are so small clay contributes a massive amount of surface area to soil for holding water and nutrients. So what you actually want is a clay soil. The problem with clay occurs when you have low organic matter and high sodium. in contrast With high levels of nutrients and high organic matter, clay can be the best soil you can get. Google the book "the nature and properties of soil" read chapters regarding soil structure.

 

I have experience guerilla growing. and if self sustaining plants is what you want then u NEED CLAY

 

Prepare the soil with some gypsum and lime Add a 50 / 50 blend at 10 g per m.

Then add up to 20 g per meter of poultry manure.

then add a mineral fert just before flowering. THIS IS ALL THE FERT U NEED dont get to carried away with ferts like most sotners, remember plants photosynthesis for food they dont eat soil.

if water efficiency is what u want go easy on the nitrogen.

 

Australia is plagued with subsoil problems so dig deep planting holes, add lime gypsum and pellets at depth, and plant on raised mounds.

 

Flood irrigate with lots and lots and lots of water. Make sure u keep weeds well away with pre emergent herbicide.

 

If you can get soil into the subsoil your laughing. The plants can survive off subsoil for weeks even in extreme conditions.

When a topsoil dries out the surface roots send hormonal signals to the plant to switch to econo mode. However if you have subsoil moisture the plant will be still have water, but be in economode cause of dry surface. The result is a plant growing very efficiently. THis is how wheat crops are able to harvest 2.5 t per hectare in arid parts of the country with no water other then winter rains two months earlier. Wheat in these conditions are so efficient they nearly put grain weight on on a gram for mil basis. My experience with weed is that is as efficient as wheat with sub soil moisture.

 

i have had plants thrive with three weeks 5 mm of rrain because i flooded the plants with a pump for fucking hours.

[sargentscraps]

Thanks alot for the detailed response GIY, thats a big help. Just some question, may be a little stupid but want to clarify.

WHen you say 10g per meter you mean 10 grams per square meter of soil? and with the poultry manure you say 20g per meter? 20gram per meter is pretty low, im guessing i dont follow? and can you reccomend a mineral fert? what do you mean by this?

thanks so much for the help.

scraps

[GIY]

hey mate your right on a number of things

 

Yes i ment per meter squared.

 

And yes 20 g is too low. I am used to dealing with kg per hectare cause i am an agronomist by trade and doing the calculation to meters squared in my head i got it wrong by a factor of 10.

 

it should have been 200 g per meter squared for the poultry manure which is equivalent to 2 tonne per hectare. You can go as high as 10 tonne per hectare equivalent (1 kg per meter squared) if you want but dont go much higher as you run the risk of burning.

 

poultry manure is best incorporated at depth too because the nitrogen in poultry manure (despite popular belief) is not slow release and is easily converted to gas and lost to the air.

 

By mineral fertiliser i ment standard chemical fertilisers. "Nitrophoska blue special" by incitec pivot is a good product its 12-9-14 or something like that. 40 kg bag will cost ya $60. Guerilla growing is the best hobby ever. I love fishing, hunting hiking and heaps of outdoor stuff but for me guerilla growing is the best. gets you out in the bush, is super challenging, hardwork, and there is always that chance youll strike it rich with a good sunny spot and plenty of rain, no steeling and ull score big.