Soils ain't soils - Bunnings, supermarkets, specialty stores, compost?

[itchybro]

Not tilling in the traditional sense but, yeah keep the soil turned over regualry slowly adding compost to keep it aerated most soil goes rock hard and clay like after its had water running through it constantly it gets compacted
Aerated soil promotes life.

tilling soil slices & dices beneficial microbes & forces fungal colonies to take longer to establish , you get bacterial microbes fairly quickly but fungal take allot longer & in some ways they are more important

keep the compost pile covered & moist ( not wet ) it shouldn't go hard on ya

 

[Bigfoot (aka Lil’ Wristy)]

tilling soil slices & dices beneficial microbes & forces fungal colonies to take longer to establish , you get bacterial microbes fairly quickly but fungal take allot longer & in some ways they are more important

keep the compost pile covered & moist ( not wet ) it shouldn't go hard on ya

I've grown and studied mushrooms in the wild and on paper which gives me a good understanding (FIRST HAND) on how fast Mycelium growth is and how cutting up my Spawn gives me more colonies lol.

 

[itchybro]

I've grown and studied mushrooms in the wild and on paper which gives me a good understanding (FIRST HAND) on how fast Mycelium growth is and how cutting up my Spawn gives me more colonies lol.

Ahhhh ..... ok rightio
if you get a chance have a read of the book Teaming With Fungi & as an added extra Teaming With Microbes , both writen by Jeff Lowenfels

 

[Bigfoot (aka Lil’ Wristy)]

Ahhhh ..... ok rightio
if you get a chance have a read of the book Teaming With Fungi & as an added extra Teaming With Microbes , both writen by Jeff Lowenfels

Ill have a look for it, Thanks heaps mate!

 

[VinDeezle]

I've grown and studied mushrooms in the wild and on paper which gives me a good understanding (FIRST HAND) on how fast Mycelium growth is and how cutting up my Spawn gives me more colonies lol.

It's crazy how quick mycelium can spawn in the right environment. This is like 36 hours of cooking some yard soil and Coco with a cup of kelp and half a cup of rock dust.

 

[itchybro]

yep fun isn't it

 

[durban kid]

yep fun isn't it

View attachment 28553
View attachment 28554

Look hairy pot but are you not also increasing the chance of mould as well or are they different kinds or spores just curious about it

 

[RidingOnwards]

You can use Neem as a drench, but I haven't had too much luck with it. Tired Neem top dress previously with no luck as well. Diatomaceous earth as a top dress, but it's messy as all hell.. I have found the Neem oil drench will kill larvae but not deter the mothers. Peroxide will also kill larvae.

Mozzie bits/bacillus thuringiensis is the best bet however from what I have heard.

Nothing beats hypoaspis miles though. Absolute powerhouses.

Yeah I’ve used neem, n you need to be pretty persistent with it, I usually drench and spray foliage too,often followed with a second drench, n once gone usually that’s it, and it’s never affected plants.

 

[itchybro]

Look hairy pot but are you not also increasing the chance of mould as well or are they different kinds or spores just curious about it

it's all about using beneficials

what we know is if those tomato seed starts in those pucks are given normal aerobic conditions the beneficials will out compete any pathogens 100% of the time

if i was to over water those pucks , the conditions would change & become anaerobic , this would promote the pathogens that would out compete the beneficials as the beneficials would struggle to survive in anaerobic conditions just like the struggles pathogens would have in aerobic conditions

as a side note , we also know about facultative anaerobes which do best in aerobic conditions but will survive well in anaerobic conditions , these are fermentation organisms

i mention this because the fuzz you see in those pic came from a wheat bran i made into a bokashi which is made via a fermentation process

 

[Bigfoot (aka Lil’ Wristy)]

At this point we are just discussing semantics
Producing and crafting your own soil will always been superior to buying anything from Bunnings regardless of how you do it.
You can buy some types or "living soil" or "Super Soil" which can be quite expensive depending on your budget.
But nothing compares to the satisfaction of working your own earth and making it rich.

 

[VinDeezle]

At this point we are just discussing semantics
Producing and crafting your own soil will always been superior to buying anything from Bunnings regardless of how you do it.
You can buy some types or "living soil" or "Super Soil" which can be quite expensive depending on your budget.
But nothing compares to the satisfaction of working your own earth and making it rich.

I've checked out a couple of "super soil" mixes and over $40-60 for 27 L seems insane so I skipped out on them.stright away.

I also find the mixing, composting and cooking strangely therapeutic so it kills two birds with one stone.

 

[mushrooms]

If you want pests, diseases and wood chips in your soil mix go to Bunnings.

If you want someone to capitalize of your laziness go pay for overpriced premade soil mixes.

If you want to have healthy plants that only need water feedings till harvest go make a hot compost/super soil mix, tend to it once or twice a week and 8-10 weeks later it will be ready for potting.

Get a worm compost, all your kitchen scraps go in and you get quality worm castings (poo) in return while your worms will breed and multiply. I personally started with a small worm compost of red composters and over the months collected regular worms in my garden (known for breaking down other organic material such as leaves and branches that red composters ignore), few years later my backyard has worms everywhere, under pot plants, in garden beds, soil mixes etc. and I have half a dozen worm bins on the go continuing to be topped up with organic material. In the span of 3 years my worm farm has probably expanded by 20x with little maintenance.

Getting some chickens pays for itself too as they're walking fertiliser machines for your yard, give you eggs, hunt pests and overall lovely company. Your general chicken feed mix from stores is rich in nutrients and ends up in the chooks droppings, for example the grains are rich in phosphorus and potassium (n-p-k) and most of it goes into the poop. The poop needs to be aged/composted/diluted etc. Egg shells are also a source of calcium to be added into your soil mix.

If you have access to worm/chicken castings you can make compost teas to keep/feed your organic soil full of microbes, beneficial bacteria, fungus and so on.

 

[itchybro]

I've checked out a couple of "super soil" mixes and over $40-60 for 27 L seems insane so I skipped out on them.stright away.

I also find the mixing, composting and cooking strangely therapeutic so it kills two birds with one stone.

If you want pests, diseases and wood chips in your soil mix go to Bunnings.

If you want someone to capitalize of your laziness go pay for overpriced premade soil mixes.

If you want to have healthy plants that only need water feedings till harvest go make a hot compost/super soil mix, tend to it once or twice a week and 8-10 weeks later it will be ready for potting.

Get a worm compost, all your kitchen scraps go in and you get quality worm castings (poo) in return while your worms will breed and multiply. I personally started with a small worm compost of red composters and over the months collected regular worms in my garden (known for breaking down other organic material such as leaves and branches that red composters ignore), few years later my backyard has worms everywhere, under pot plants, in garden beds, soil mixes etc. and I have half a dozen worm bins on the go continuing to be topped up with organic material. In the span of 3 years my worm farm has probably expanded by 20x with little maintenance.

Getting some chickens pays for itself too as they're walking fertiliser machines for your yard, give you eggs, hunt pests and overall lovely company. Your general chicken feed mix from stores is rich in nutrients and ends up in the chooks droppings, for example the grains are rich in phosphorus and potassium (n-p-k) and most of it goes into the poop. The poop needs to be aged/composted/diluted etc. Egg shells are also a source of calcium to be added into your soil mix.

If you have access to worm/chicken castings you can make compost teas to keep/feed your organic soil full of microbes, beneficial bacteria, fungus and so on.

what about if you 2 guys wanted to make your own soil available to the public ,

how much worm castings / compost would you need to make ? ,

how much land /factory space would be required to produce a large amount of it ?

how much would the ingredients cost to feed / make castings or compost ?

what amendments would you add & how much do they cost ? ,

how many employees do you need to make the mix if making by hand ?

if you use a mixing machine how much is the machine ?

how much is lab testing ?

how long will product testing take ?

how many bags used for testing at no return ?

will you need to borrow money , how much are loan repayments ?

employees , super . work cover , wages , vehicles ?

the list can go on & on ,

so how much do you reckon you'll charge for your 25 liter bag of potting soil ?

 

[VinDeezle]

what about if you 2 guys wanted to make your own soil available to the public ,

how much worm castings / compost would you need to make ? ,

how much land /factory space would be required to produce a large amount of it ?

how much would the ingredients cost to feed / make castings or compost ?

what amendments would you add & how much do they cost ? ,

how many employees do you need to make the mix if making by hand ?

if you use a mixing machine how much is the machine ?

how much is lab testing ?

how long will product testing take ?

how many bags used for testing at no return ?

will you need to borrow money , how much are loan repayments ?

employees , super . work cover , wages , vehicles ?

the list can go on & on ,

so how much do you reckon you'll charge for your 25 liter bag of potting soil ?

struck a nerve did we lol. How dare we favor our own soil. Absolute miscreants we are.

 

[Bigfoot (aka Lil’ Wristy)]

If you want pests, diseases and wood chips in your soil mix go to Bunnings.

If you want someone to capitalize of your laziness go pay for overpriced premade soil mixes.

If you want to have healthy plants that only need water feedings till harvest go make a hot compost/super soil mix, tend to it once or twice a week and 8-10 weeks later it will be ready for potting.

Get a worm compost, all your kitchen scraps go in and you get quality worm castings (poo) in return while your worms will breed and multiply. I personally started with a small worm compost of red composters and over the months collected regular worms in my garden (known for breaking down other organic material such as leaves and branches that red composters ignore), few years later my backyard has worms everywhere, under pot plants, in garden beds, soil mixes etc. and I have half a dozen worm bins on the go continuing to be topped up with organic material. In the span of 3 years my worm farm has probably expanded by 20x with little maintenance.

Getting some chickens pays for itself too as they're walking fertiliser machines for your yard, give you eggs, hunt pests and overall lovely company. Your general chicken feed mix from stores is rich in nutrients and ends up in the chooks droppings, for example the grains are rich in phosphorus and potassium (n-p-k) and most of it goes into the poop. The poop needs to be aged/composted/diluted etc. Egg shells are also a source of calcium to be added into your soil mix.

If you have access to worm/chicken castings you can make compost teas to keep/feed your organic soil full of microbes, beneficial bacteria, fungus and so on.

I have a worm farm and harvest the castings every couple of months all the baby worms will be good to anything you add it too

 

[itchybro]

struck a nerve did we lol. How dare we favor our own soil. Absolute miscreants we are.

no not at all , I've been making my own soil for a fucking long time there brother , not to sell just for my own use , there's enough people on here that can confirm that for ya

it's just if you don't want to buy a pre made soil mix that's your choice no problem at all but don't go suggesting something is to expensive when you have no idea what go's into producing a large scale commercial product

I have a worm farm and harvest the castings every couple of months all the baby worms will be good to anything you add it too

that's great , now how would you go producing tonnes per year , got enough kitchen scrapes & backyard garden waste to make that happen ya reckon ?

 

[VinDeezle]

no not at all , I've been making my own soil for a fucking long time there brother , not to sell just for my own use , there's enough people on here that can confirm that for ya

it's just if you don't want to buy a pre made soil mix that's your choice no problem at all but don't go suggesting something is to expensive when you have no idea what go's into producing a large scale commercial product


that's great , now how would you go producing tonnes per year , got enough kitchen scrapes & backyard garden waste to make that happen ya reckon ?

If I have to pay $100 for 2.5 pots of medium I don't care "what goes into producing a large scale product" and frankly I don't give a flying fuck. I'm a cheapskate and it's not my job to care about other people's profit margins and overheads when I decide whether something is overpriced personally.

Get off your high horse mate.

 

[itchybro]

If I have to pay $100 for 2.5 pots of medium I don't care "what goes into producing a large scale product" and frankly I don't give a flying fuck. I'm a cheapskate and it's not my job to care about other people's profit margins and overheads when I decide whether something is overpriced personally.

Get off your high horse mate.

it is totally your right to make any choices for your self , no problem what so ever but casting aspersions over other people is over stepping ,

if you'd said these soils are a little expensive for you there would be no issue what so ever with that comment but to say it's over priced implies you have insight into producing a commercial quantity of potting soil when you don't

how's life up there on your own high horse dude

 

[Pixie]

Didn't think people could argue over some dirt and chookshit piss funny I reckon

 

[Indy]

Didn't think people could argue over some dirt and chookshit piss funny I reckon

Don't come between a man, and his dirt.