Brandon Rust 2021 Soil Recipe

[anova.330]

In summary:

Brandon’s Recipe + 3 (Recommendation) = Balanced Soil

Brandon’s Recipe
Peat 1 cubic foot 30%
Pumice 30%
Rice Hulls 10%/2.8 L
Compost 20%/5.6 L
Castings 7%/~2 L
Gypsum (calcium sulfate) 3%/~850 ml
Soft Rock Phosphate 145 ml
Potassium Sulfate 100 ml

Labs Recommendation
*Note: must use 3 X recommendation per above
0.2 MnSO4 – basically a teaspoon (so 3 teaspoons)
0.3 ZnSO4 – basically a generous teaspoon (so 3 generous teaspoons)
0.07 CuSO4 – third of a teaspoon (part / whole = .07/.2=.35 or 35%) (so one teaspoon)
8 High Ca Lime – 40 teaspoons or almost a cup (8/0.2=40) (so almost 3 cups)
5 Dolomite Lime – 25 teaspoons or a half-cup (so 1.5 cups total)

So mixing all the components, above, should render a complete and balanced soil. Initially, Brandon Rust labeled his soil as water only. Amino acid foliar feeding and soil drenches will also be used. Once the next flower cycle starts, I’m comfortable with adding about a liter of compost as a top dressing after transplant. Additionally, I would add/mix nutrients at the following rates.

Balanced Compost Top Dressing per pot
1-1.5 L compost
1 C Gypsum (generous)
¼ C Soft Rock Phosphate
¼ C KSO4 (a little less)
1 t MnSO4
1 t ZnSO4
1/3 t CuSO4

This is the balanced soil I will be using at flower.

[MrNice]

Wow thats a list of ingredients

[anova.330]

Wow thats a list of ingredients

You’d be surprised how little the dry minerals cost. Key is to use them right which I don’t know.

[MrNice]

Wow thats a list of ingredients

You’d be surprised how little the dry minerals cost. Key is to use them right which I don’t know.

Was hoping you was gona knock me bag up to use .......lol

Only joking

mn

[anova.330]

Expert Soil
I’m a fool for thinking this would be the best soil ever. Isn’t that how we all go into it when we’ve mixed a new soil? Realistically, I’m nearly clueless and have very little idea how to use these amendments as they relate to plant needs. Honestly, a bag of Fox Farm Ocean Forest would out-perform this soil easily.

I have six plants in three soil structures, yet all soil is the same. First plant is in un-tilled soil (lime has been top dressed) so I fully expect the leaves to turn necrotic by harvest time. Next two plants are in tilled soil – both showing K deficiency but I think it is more a plant weakness (for one plant) rather than an issue with the soil. Last three plants, in tilled soil, contain the compost top dressing mentioned in my previous post…two are fine as long as they stay female, one is unhealthy.

More-On
At the end of the day, I treated them all to a watered-in potassium sulfate to see if this helps. Also, I’ve got Sea 90, Potassium Silicate, and Amino N+ on the way from Bokashi Earthworks.

First pH Pen
Not that I want it, but I think my problems still lie with low soil pH. So because of that, I’ve ordered a pH pen from Amazon. Per the recommendation, two limes were called for: high calcium lime and dolomite lime. Essentially, dolomite lime contains a significantly greater amount of magnesium. High calcium lime is also referred to as Ag lime. Build-A-Soil will provide Ag lime for the next till in about 50 days.

[anova.330]

Change of Plans

My one unhealthy plant, Grease Monkey, wasn’t improving. Nestled between two PK/MK Ultra X Lime1Bx, the plant was removed and I decided to concentrate on my biggest issue – pH. Once I tilled in two cups of lime, I transplanted a TK X TK NL5 X Lime1 Bx and watered it in.

At 3X [my] recommended lime amendment, I’m ready to start a new soil again if this doesn’t work. I’m unfamiliar with the lime amendment completely.

[anova.330]

Three different soil conditions

All the soil has been amended per recommendations with one exception: high calcium lime. Ultimately, I decided to add three times the amount of recommended lime. When I began, I top dressed one cup lime in all pots thinking I could water it in – that decision was not effective. Then I tilled in the top dressed lime – more effective but not enough lime to move the pH.

That’s kinda when it dawned on me. PH is more an indication of the environment for the roots; nutrients are the content of the soil. Being at an original pH of 5.2 or 5.3, vital nutrients aren’t available to the plant. Since pH has its own range for effectiveness, I needed to drive the pH through the 5’s and into the 6’s for nutrient uptake. Thus, I tripled the recommendation for the high calcium lime.

Whether or not triple the lime is correct…is beyond me. But so far this seems to be correct (i.e. what my soil needed). In other words, the plants are looking better. In addition, aluminum and magnesium become more available to the plant and can create a toxicity at low pH levels.

This is a picture of Skywalker OG X High Mac @45 days, only able to top dress the soil with one cup of lime and water in. Deficiencies galore but has managed to stay alive.


This picture is PK/MK Ultra X Lime1 @36 days showing some improvement but continues to show potassium deficiency. I had planted another PK/MK but it became so deficient I scrapped it. This soil is tilled with one cup of lime.


Tilled with an additional two cups of lime (for a total three cups lime), this is TK X TK NL5 X Lime1 @8 days. Unremarkable so far.

[anova.330]

At Day 21, the TK X TK NL5 X Lime1 is expressing deficiencies on fan leaves. Thus my new goal is to make sure all containers are tilled with a total of four cups lime. Seems ridiculous, I know, but this is lime in action – slow to make a difference.