Living Soil?

[big rockpile]

Using mix of 1 part Peat Moss, 1 part Perlite and 1 part Compost.

Do you let this cook?

I've seen several mix and go.

big rockpile

 

[Chuck]

Peat has zero nutritional values. It is also anti-fungal which means very few if any fungal soil microbes. Compost is very low in NPK. All perlite does is help maintain moisture and soil oxygen and also has zero nutritional value. I don't know what you are trying to grow but this mixture MIGHT be OK for starting seeds but nothing else.

 

[big rockpile]

Peat has zero nutritional values. It is also anti-fungal which means very few if any fungal soil microbes. Compost is very low in NPK. All perlite does is help maintain moisture and soil oxygen and also has zero nutritional value. I don't know what you are trying to grow but this mixture MIGHT be OK for starting seeds but nothing else.

I seen several mixes this way and I was thinking as you something more needs to be put in.

Went to soil for Square Foot Gardening and this was the mix.

It is the same on almost all. One does use 50% Peat Moss, 33% Perlite said 17% Compost.


Thing is all are saying no other Fertilizer needed.

I might add most don't worry about NPK or PH.

big rockpile

 

[Chuck]

Don't believe anything on the internet. What you just stated is total BS. The only way one does not need "fertilizer" is when one gardens like Meadowlark and his "fertilizer" is turned under cover crops and cow manure.
Peat has no, none, zero, nada nutrition and neither does perlite. Perlite is a form of volcanic glass. And if one thinks he is going to grow nice heathy plants with17%-33% compost he had better think twice. NPK is just numbers stating the volume of nutrients in a substance but it is important to know what and how much you are feeding your plants. And if one doesn't know if his soil is alkaline or acidic he isn't much of a gardener and anything he successfully grows is just by pure dumb luck.

 

[big rockpile]

Well mostly watching gardening shows and Mel has been gardening all his life I know the last 35 because for awhile I was using his method.

I was just trying to figure out if it needs to cook some use it just mixed others let it set 4 weeks.

This from what I've seen is a very standard mix.

Truth I was thinking the same and I'm potting out of two mixes I put Lime and Organic Fertilizer in but I'm also checking out some with the mix.

big rockpile

 

[big rockpile]

I just looked it up and it says it is fertilzed by the Compost.

big rockpile

 

[Chuck]

Compost has limited nutritional value. What it does have is a LOT of soil microbes which in turn make available what nutrients are there. One can grow in straight compost (depending on what is composted) but when you only have 1/3 of the growing medium as compost you are very limited. Pure chicken manure compost has an NPK of 5-4-2. That means that you have 5% NITROGEN per ounce or per ton of the compost although it is mostly used by the plant.You will have about 1.6% nitrogen when divided equally with the peat and the perlite. And that ain't much. But go ahead and plant with it. Just Sayiing. I just don't want to read about your spindly non performing plants

 

[big rockpile]

Yes but do you let it cook?

big rockpile

 

[Chuck]

Yes but do you let it cook?

big rockpile

What do you mean "cook"? Let it sit? Put it in water? Or put it over a fire and roast it?

 

[big rockpile]

What do you mean "cook"? Let it sit? Put it in water? Or put it over a fire and roast it?

I have no idea why you are commenting when you don't know anything on the process.

big rockpile

 

[Chuck]

I have no idea why you are commenting when you don't know anything on the process.

big rockpile

Why I am commenting? Over 60+ years in agriculture. If you want an answer to your questions make it plain what you are asking. If you add peat, perlite and compost together what do you have? The answer to this question is just about nothing except for maybe 5% nitrogen, 4% phosphorus and 2% potash IF the compost is made with nothing but pure chicken manure which is doubtful, then you have less than 2% nitrogen with all the other stuff added. How would you "cook" this stuff if it requires cooking. This entire idea is flawed. I don't know who these Einsteins are that you are so enamored with but as far as I am concerned they are completely ignorant and clueless of what a plant needs to produce. Please enlighten me about this "cooking". Maybe I can learn something

 

[Meadowlark]

...
I might add most don't worry about NPK or PH.
...

Stupid is as stupid does...the legendary Forrest Gump

Don't believe anything on the internet. What you just stated is total BS. The only way one does not need "fertilizer" is when one gardens like Meadowlark and his "fertilizer" is turned under cover crops and cow manure.

@Chuck, I previously tried several attempts to no avail to show this poster how one can make a soil mix far superior to any commercial product and for essentially free.

The response that PH and N-P-K don't matter is typical.

 

[Chuck]

Stupid is as stupid does...the legendary Forrest Gump


@Chuck, I previously tried several attempts to no avail to show this poster how one can make a soil mix far superior to any commercial product and for essentially free.

The response that PH and N-P-K don't matter is typical.

Well, as we say it here in Texas, you can take a horse to water but you can't make him drink. And this is one thirsty horse.

 

[big rockpile]

Why I am commenting? Over 60+ years in agriculture. If you want an answer to your questions make it plain what you are asking. If you add peat, perlite and compost together what do you have? The answer to this question is just about nothing except for maybe 5% nitrogen, 4% phosphorus and 2% potash IF the compost is made with nothing but pure chicken manure which is doubtful, then you have less than 2% nitrogen with all the other stuff added. How would you "cook" this stuff if it requires cooking. This entire idea is flawed. I don't know who these Einsteins are that you are so enamored with but as far as I am concerned they are completely ignorant and clueless of what a plant needs to produce. Please enlighten me about this "cooking". Maybe I can learn something

So you would lean more to Super Soil well this isn't Super Soil.

big rockpile

 

[Chuck]

So you would lean more to Super Soil well this isn't Super Soil.

big rockpile

I lean toward productive plants and what you are proposing WILL NOT GIVE YOU PRODUCTIVE PLANTS. Go ahead and waste your time and money. I couldn't care less.