GWE super soil ratios for small grow

[Ovi]

Hello GWE peeps,
I'm looking to transition from DWC to super soil to reduce the amount of water I have to use. I'm planning to follow the GWE super soil recipe, my problem is I don't have a large grow so I don't need 210lbs worth of soil (only 6 ladies in 5x5 400W HID). These are some of the questions I have -
Any recommendations on ratios for making a smaller batch? What is the best way (if any) to store super soil after cooking without it "going bad or being contaminated"? Are top dressings necessary throughout the grow when using super soil? If so what are the best ratios and when should they be applied? Any premade organic soil that measures up to this recipe? I really appreciate any and all info!

[dphipps1020]

I found a soil amendment on eBay for pretty cheap, worked well too. Or you can try doing the math yourself. So if the original recipe calls for 8 bags of soil but you only plan on using 2, multiply every ingredient by 0.25. Just an example, I forget how many bags it says to buy exactly.

[Flatlander]

I use nature's living soil from Amazon. I buy the 5lb bags. One bag amends 25 gallons. I use it along with pure organic earth worm castings, coco coir and FFOF. Every other watering I add mycos and molasses. No chemicals whatsoever. My current grow of zkitlez is growing amazingly. The super soil amendment can be stored indefinitely. If it isn't used for months you can just add enough water to make it moist and store it in a dark place for 2 weeks and it's good to go.

[Ovi]

Thanx dphipps1020 - Thanx for info I hate trying to figure out the math 😆 Flatlander - I have used FFOF in the past and looked into the amendment but didn't think about combining them, I think I'm going to give that a try. So you don't use any kind of top dressing/nutrients or any additional soil additives throughout the grow?

[dphipps1020]

If it helps any, I mostly just used the Ocean Forest and Happy Frog mixed and nothing added. They did just fine all the way through. If you're planning a long veg time, you may end up having to add nutrients during flower.

[SoOrbudgal]

I keep my mixed soil in a tub with a lid 32gal got 2 of them. It continues to cook inside that tub as temps warmup outdoors. Just make sure you put in at least 30% perilite more the better. I also make a tea for outdoor plants in summer.

[Ovi]

Thanx SoOrbudgal for the tips! Now you've sparked my curiosity about the compost tea. Would you be willing to elaborate on how you make and what you use it for? Thanx again!!

[SoOrbudgal]

Hi Ovi I use a cheese cloth sack and fill it with 1cup each of worm casings, dried cow patties or Llama poo, kelp an composted green grass. I use a 5gal bucket with a lid which i just tie the bundle up drop it in and it sits there in the warm sunshine for 1/2 day then it get shaded. I let this soak for several days and swirl it around. I use this to water my outdoor plants. I've even placed old salmon heads in the bucket when i had some. I use it all when i water them only cause it gets really nasty in about a week. Welcome

[Cali]

Ovi i would recommend you watch Buildasoil channel on YouTube. Jeremy the owner is doing a series of videos on living soil. He is growing in a 10x10 and has a few different ways of growing in living soil. He is doing 10 gallon pots, citypickers, and a 3x3 bed I believe. It’s cool you can see how much easier it is to grow in a lot of soil vs small pots also how easy it is to grow on city pickers. I believe he calls them something else the city pickers you’ll know what I’m talking about when you watch the videos. Anyways his soil is based on the old Clackamas Coot soil mix which is the one I’m using now due to it’s simplicity. He just added his own compost or worm castings and maybe changed an amendment here and there b it for the most part it’s the Coots Mix. I recommend it so you see what you are getting into and what I mean is I started with 20 gallon pots and this last time I down graded to 5 gallon pots but didn’t realize it’s more work because you have to top dress a lot more then you would in a bigger pot. I went almost 2 years not really doing much but watering every now and then with kelp and alfalfa. Check it out so you know exactly what I’m taking about. I’m sure you will love it. Being that you have done dwc you will be able to see the difference living soil makes when making herbal medicine it’s second to none in my opinion. Go ahead and ask away I will try to help as much as I can.