Baby Bu's Soil Any Good?

[NebulaNuggets]

Hi guys, total newbie in the world of organics and soil building. Been reading up on no till, super soil and organic soil building.

I was hoping that I could get away with an "organic" grow using the baby bu's soil, maybe amend it some rather than buy all of the ingredients individually. AND not have to feed bottled fertilizers any more.

I would like a way to introduce using teas and top dressing/foliar feed with natural sources of nutrients. Otherwise it would be nice to just water and give the soil what it needs.

Been reading a lot and my head is starting to spin! I need to get seeds in soil by next week and do not have the luxury of starting up a compost pile or let hot mixes cook for a month or three. Any help with this matter would be excellent!

I did order the often recommended "Teaming With Microbes" and look to expand my knowledge into organics with this grow.

 

[hecno]

NebulaNuggets , welcome to organics mate , I can't help you with the soil I don't have anything like it in my country , that's why I'm having a go at making my own . , But I do have some advice for ya -- Run away Runaway while ya can , -- This dam organics gets under ya skin , there is not a day that goes by I am not studying some thing and checking my worm farm and dirt . One of the other lads will be able to help -- @Eye on Fire .[URL='http://@robbio']@robbio [/URL] @Puddentane

 

[NebulaNuggets]

NebulaNuggets , welcome to organics mate , I can't help you with the soil I don't have anything like it in my country , that's why I'm having a go at making my own . , But I do have some advice for ya -- Run away Runaway while ya can , -- This dam organics gets under ya skin , there is not a day that goes by I am not studying some thing and checking my worm farm and dirt . One of the other lads will be able to help -- @Eye on Fire .@robbio @Puddentane

@hecno I totally agree and I have gone from a light jog to a full on sprint into organics. I am looking into sourcing the supplies to start up a dirt pile right now, so that my next grow I can use my own compost. Also gonna be getting into starting a worm farm myself. Whatever I can do to get there, I am gonna do. And the bonus is if my dirt pile gets big enough I can start that raised garden I have been wanting. Not growing anything here in the Arizona desert dirt otherwise.

So Malibu's Baby Bu seems to be among the best bagged soils you can buy. However, for 100$ I may be able to source the materials cheaper and build my own.

The Bu's mix does have some good stuff in it from what I have researched thus far:
Coir, compost (dairy cow manure, wood chips, straw, concentrations of yarrow, chamomile, valerian, stinging nettle, dandelion, & oak bark), fir bark, perlite, worm castings, soybean meal, fish meal, fish bone meal, langbeinite, alfalfa meal, crab meal, green sand, neem seed meal, volcanic ash, kelp meal, &love.

Gotta have some love in there:smoking:

 

[Eyes on Fire]

Bokashi bins,worm farms,compost piles and the like. even higher greens based compost mix for any teas and the like as well.. here are some permaculture ideas for getting up n rolling man. good luck once all is said n done it'll have cost you work and learning. seeds and lunch in your travels lmfao!! all free from there on really short of a few cheepo materials.

 

[Eyes on Fire]

oh ya LOL i looked at that soil.Sounds great. Im sure it'll work fine if the write up is accurate. might need a few additions unless its a water only system for heavier fruiting plants and the like.. not too expensive either if it works decent as a base which I suspect it might. sooo sounds like a winner.

 

[Ronin]

@NebulaNuggets Bu's is great stuff.
I personally add Growstones for aeration/drainage.
You may need to amend it if your looking for a water only set up.
I use the Mephisto Auto Super Soil Mix in conjunction with the Bu's for my water only needs.
Good luck with your grow

 

[NebulaNuggets]

@Eyes on Fire thanks for the words of encouragement! Yeah for the initial investment you can't beat starting your own compost and worm bin. I knew two months ago I was going to get back to gardening indoors. I wish I had invested more time into researching organics and soil building rather than lights and setup etc.

@Ronin so you add the growstones for aeration, eh? Was looking at alternatives to perlite and was considering pumice and lava rock, maybe rice hulls. I also was considering the Mephisto mix but they are out. Any recommendations for amemding the bu's soil other than aeration? Organic nutes that are safe for a living soil environment? Some stuff I have been thinking about are Primordial Solutions Sea Green and maybe another premade tea solution, Malibu Baby Bu makes one that looks decent as well.

May be picking up some seaweed/kelp and maybe barley, alfalfa and a bag or two of EWC and some of the Bu's biodynamic compost. Rather than use store bought bottled nutes I want to make my own teas and just top dress if needed. Add beneficial microbes to the soil, add some straw or mulch to the surface. Keep it a living environment.

Appreciate the help, organics is the way and I am glad to be led in the right direction here at afn

 

[hecno]

NebulaNuggets , I use pumice and would never go back to perlite , The advantage of pumice is it lasts for many years , up to 7 years . I am lucky I can go to the beach and get my own .