I had an organic gardening book from Sunset many years ago - we're talking decades - that contained a recipe for making your own soil. It had peat, sand, dolomitic lime and low-nitrogen fertilizer. I lost the book and didn't write the recipe down anywhere, but I used it for many years and it was great. Anyone have that recipe? It also had a variation for a lighter mix for potting soil.
I'm looking at Sunset's "Western Garden Book" (second edition, 9th printing, December 1965). On pages 31-31, they describe "U.C. Mix: The New Artificial Soil". According the the book, the mix was first developed in 1950. The primary intent was to develop a mix for container gardening and raised beds.
There are four different recipes for the mix, depending on the types of plants:
* general * cacti, succulents, and other drought-resistent plants * azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, and other acid-loving plants where drainage is restricted * light-weight for azaleas, rhododendrons, camelliasThe mix is hardly organic. Even your cited dolomite lime is inorganic. All four recipes involve potassium sulfate and superphosphate. For all four recipes, there is also a single, standard follow-up monthly feeding that includes ammonium nitrate (which I think is restricted since the Oklahoma City bombing).
If you want one specific recipe, let me know. I won't bother transcribing all four recipes (almost 1-1/2 pages of small type). Otherwise, you might look at my own , which I based on the U.C. mix. However, my mix uses coarse sand instead of fine sand and needs to be watered more often.
You have the answer but you won't give it to him, because your's is better? He didn't ask for your opinion. He asked for the recipe which you acknowledge having. If you are a mench, you'll give him what he asked for. Otherwise, know what you'll be? Yeah, you know ;O)
One thing I think I should explain to you Dave is that "organic" in a gardening is different than "organic" in chemistry.
In Chemistry, "organic" refers to a carbon-carbon bond.
On the other hand, "ORGANIC GARDENING" is the science and art of gardening by incorporating the entire landscape design and environment to improve and maximize the garden soil's health, structure, texture, as well as maximize the production and health of developing plants WITHOUT USING SYNTHETHIC COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS, PESTICIDES, OR FUNGICIDES" (capitals mine for emphasis).
Do you understand now Dave? Dolomite lime is inorganic (in the language of Chemistry) but is organic in the language of gardening. The sins of potassium sulfate and superphosphate lie in their production and not in their nature (unlikely to contaminate crops, or deform fetuses), and they could be replaced with rock phosphate and potassium ash (wood ash) in the recipes.
Class dismissed. You may now return to posing as a normal person, Dave.
Meanwhile, "pup", you may wish to consult your local library for the Dec. 1965 Sunset magazine (if they don't have it, they can get it, even if it is on microfiche, and from there copy, and print the recipe. You may also wish to look at
Let me just apologize on behave of all the wonderful posters here on rec.gardens and rec.gardens.edible for the shoddy treatment that you have received. People like Dave are killing the newsgroups with their pettiness.
Good gardening.
Whereas, the latter two sources are slower release sources (IIRC), and therefore more useful for building soil fertility in the ground, rather than in containers. Organic offers other ways to boost phosphorus, such as encouraging symbiotic bugs and fungii to process and make available what little phosphorus already exists.
Rock phosphate certainly is slow release but I have conflicting information on bone meal. One source says that it is only available at a pH of 5.8 to 6.2, and the other says from 6.5 to 7.5. Two other choices would be banana peels, and cottonseed meal. Should be quick release as would wood ash for potassium, since it is in the form of potassium carbonate (about 2 - 3%, IIRC).
David's response makes sense to me.
I wouldn't want to type out a page and a half without more info from the OP.
He didn't ask for more info. He gave him a bunch of bull-shit and the suggested his own mix that he has been publicizing in many of his recent posts. He did give the guy the issue to look for, which is good.
Upon rereading Dave's post, you are correct. pupdef should contact Dave if there is one specific recipe that he wants, other wise the library is his best bet. I'm so used to using a scanner, the thought of typing out the recipes would never occure to me.
He wrote: "If you want one specific recipe, let me know."
That fits any definition of "asking".
He gave him a bunch of bull-shit and the
Billy, will you please stand back and have a good hard look at yourself. You're beginning to make me think of James Lee Burke who can't seem to write a book where any of his characters manage to have any civil interchange.
You post a lot of stuff that frequently doesn't answer the question being asked and that many people would describe as being 'bullshit'.
That's your personal style. David answered the question using his own personal style and from where I sit his response was not only pertinent but sensible. I too would not bother to answer a question that involved that amount of typing without knowing which recipe the OP wanted.
And your answer was to criticise someone who did answer.
And I now owe you an apology for my post imediately before this one. I read from the bottom up and got to this one after I posted.
My apologies to you.
XOX
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