LOTSA DIRT, AINT NO SOIL.

[Franklin Sinatra]

Howdy yall. Franklin here, back and happy to say it's getting to become grow time again.

I NEED HELP!
I have alot of "red dirt" aka loose unfertile soil. How do I turn this "dirt" into soil for cannabis plants? I need to fill up about Ten, 15gallon pots. My plan was to fill up the bottom of the pots with the crap dirt. I would then mix compost and worm castings with more red dirt and then fill up the rest of the pots.

What would you do in this situation? All opinions would be happily taken. I plan on top dressing insect frass, and neem cake as well to hopefully keep the critters away. All gonna be outdoors, PLEASE HELP!

Thanks for reading, drop your two cents pls.

 

[hecno]

What time frame are you looking at to build the soil .

 

[JP1]

Red dirt as in clay? Maybe @KIS could help you out here

 

[Franklin Sinatra]

What time frame are you looking at to build the soil .

Was hoping I could blend it w something for my next grow in a week or so. My research I've been doing is telling me I could turn it into a compost pile for later on down the road. Im listening to all options!

 

[Franklin Sinatra]

Red dirt as in clay? Maybe @KIS could help you out here

Yeah I think it's volcanic in nature.. here's something that I found about our dirt here.

"The high clay content of the soils also contributes to the reddish hue. When these clay particles are exposed to sunlight, they absorb heat and help keep the ground warm."

Any help would be appreciate m8s

 

[BII]

I presume there is a reason that I recall(?) it being rare, if ever, to see clay reported to be a significant part of soils used for cannabis growing. What does likely heavy, often water saturated or otherwise anaerobic clay (just powdered common rock) actually contribute to forming a living organic soil?

 

[FarmerJake]

The red may be iron ore within the soil, you mention you want to start in a week which I think is too short a time frame. Id recommend biting the bullet and buying bagged soil for your grow in a week but if you really want to try native soils also begin mixing them and letting them cook so they are prepped for a future grow and even then it might be just a major PITA. What kind of plants grow in your native soils?

 

[BII]

I have red clay in my yard. It is terrible. Grass, nothing, will grow on it. Leaving fallen leaves on top, it takes 8-10 years to naturally be able to support growing grass. On surface, it dries out completely, becomes rocklike, too quick; even in less than a day of good sunlight can kill off planted grass. Underneath it's presumably wet and anaerobic (holding no air). And with its likely iron content (and who knows what else?), could simply be toxic in long term to plants.

Even weeds will not grow on it. I think it best to avoid red clay, or just add a little bit to a proper mix.

 

[hecno]

A week is way to early , Which one does it look like ?

red soil, clay soil, river soil, sea soil, alluvial soil, black soil, silt soil, silt-black, alluvial-sea, alluvial-river, alluvial-red, alluvial-clay, clay-alluvial, river-red, clay-sea, alluvial river red, alluvial-red-river, alluvial-silt-clay soil​

 

[KIS]

Yeah knowing what the material is would be important. You certainly don't want a large clay fraction in your mix. Ideally you would get a soil test otherwise you're running blind, but I understand if that's not in the budget. Some things you can look at though are the physical properties of the mix.

1. Mix it homogeneously in the container, don't do layers. Google "perched water table containers" if you want to learn more.
2. Once you've mixed a container at a given ratio of topsoil and compost, etc....try watering it and see how well it retains water and how well water infiltrates the mix. This is important for optimal root health.
3. You might be better off getting a cheap bulk garden soil at a local garden supply store than using the topsoil. Maybe ask around too and see if there are any gardeners or a master gardener program that has experience growing in this red clay topsoil. They might be able to offer some experiences that could guide your decision process.

Lastly, you can always test pH and EC to get an idea of fertility if you have a pH pen or EC meter. I always like to have a soil test and a water test but again I understand if that's not in the budget. If you do go that route, you can reach out as we do help folks with soil testing on our website.