Soil mixtures

[Tommy89]

@SeniorCitizen , while doing your test, I'll take 6 different samples, but what proportion of water to soil sample should I use for this? Also, can I use tap water or must it be distilled? Thanks.

 

[Chuck]

@SeniorCitizen , while doing your test, I'll take 6 different samples, but what proportion of water to soil sample should I use for this? Also, can I use tap water or must it be distilled? Thanks.

This test is very simple. Just put a big handful of soil into a pint jar and fill it up with tap water, put a lid on it and shake it a couple of minutes to put the soil in a solution. Then let it sit a few hours until it has settled. This will only tell you how much of the basic soil elements there are in the sample, i.e. sand, silt, clay, organic matter, nothing specific. It is used as a guideline as for what to add to soil. You were worried about moisture levels dropping. If you have a lot of sand in that soil that is probably the reason your garden soil dries out rapidly. And to fix this you add finished compost or well dried and aged manure. I worry about that soil having stuff in it that is not good, for you and your plants. It may be perfectly safe and then it may not.

 

[Tommy89]

This test is very simple. Just put a big handful of soil into a pint jar and fill it up with tap water, put a lid on it and shake it a couple of minutes to put the soil in a solution. Then let it sit a few hours until it has settled. This will only tell you how much of the basic soil elements there are in the sample, i.e. sand, silt, clay, organic matter, nothing specific. It is used as a guideline as for what to add to soil. You were worried about moisture levels dropping. If you have a lot of sand in that soil that is probably the reason your garden soil dries out rapidly. And to fix this you add finished compost or well dried and aged manure. I worry about that soil having stuff in it that is not good, for you and your plants. It may be perfectly safe and then it may not.

Great, will do. I'll post a pic of the result once a few hours have passed. I just wanted to confirm that this will be with the soil that I already had that is unbranded, the "nutrient-void one" right?

 

[Chuck]

Great, will do. I'll post a pic of the result once a few hours have passed. I just wanted to confirm that this will be with the soil that I already had that is unbranded, the "nutrient-void one" right?

right

 

[SeniorCitizen]

@SeniorCitizen , while doing your test, I'll take 6 different samples, but what proportion of water to soil sample should I use for this? Also, can I use tap water or must it be distilled? Thanks.

As Chuck mentioned the amount isn't very important. In gardening soil I prefer to fill to about maybe 60% soil and complete with water. But as you can see I didn't feel there would be nearly as many layers of different compounds ( elements ) in the known sand test so that jar was only filled to approx. 50%.

 

[Chuck]

And after the soil settles and the water is clearish, is the time to do a Ph test by taking out a small amount of the water with a soda straw and putting it on the paper strips.

 

[Tommy89]

Okay, I'll post a pic as well as the pH result tomorrow. Thanks!

 

[Tommy89]

This is the video: https://photos.app.goo.gl/VikLegGURxvD7FPNA

I see 4 layers (hope you see the same). The top most one just looks like larger particles. This is 7 hours after letting it settle.

 

[Chuck]

This is the video: https://photos.app.goo.gl/VikLegGURxvD7FPNA

I see 4 layers (hope you see the same). The top most one just looks like larger particles. This is 7 hours after letting it settle.

I think I see four. Shake it up again, really thoroughly and let it sit longer. There will be definite distinct layers if done correctly. What I see now appears to be about 50% sand. I can't really tell about the silt and clay. The very top layer is organic matter. After you shake it up again wait until the water is clearer and take better pictures. Take your pics outside in the sun so we can get better resolution. We need to be able to take measurements in order to get a fairly accurate percentage.

 

[Tommy89]

Okay, will do. Meanwhile, should I be buying other things such as compost, gardening soil, and coconut coir? If so, which of these are good:

for compost: https://www.acehardware.com/departm...fKOAaHhcon6HFd3K1ahoCrWgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds (it is OMRI certified)

or this for compost: https://www.acehardware.com/departm...MZDyVdgpK3nl_PjwSbBoCb80QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds ( it wont burn the roots even though it is manure right?

Coconut coir: https://www.amazon.com/Viagrow-VCCB...1-1-22d05c05-1231-4126-b7c4-3e7a9c0027d0&th=1

Thanks again.

 

[Chuck]

Okay, will do. Meanwhile, should I be buying other things such as compost, gardening soil, and coconut coir? If so, which of these are good:

for compost: https://www.acehardware.com/departm...fKOAaHhcon6HFd3K1ahoCrWgQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds (it is OMRI certified)

or this for compost: https://www.acehardware.com/departm...MZDyVdgpK3nl_PjwSbBoCb80QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds ( it wont burn the roots even though it is manure right?

Coconut coir: https://www.amazon.com/Viagrow-VCCB5-Coconut-Block-Soilless/dp/B0106PTZ2M/ref=sxin_9_ac_d_pm?ac_md=1-0-VW5kZXIgJDIw-ac_d_pm&cv_ct_cx=coconut+coir&dchild=1&keywords=coconut+coir&pd_rd_i=B0106PTZ2M&pd_rd_r=f1f9dde9-4b08-481d-82c7-b915b80c3562&pd_rd_w=l7V8i&pd_rd_wg=pFqoY&pf_rd_p=87b17135-d2e8-42b0-9994-ad493f4457d3&pf_rd_r=844EMVNZDEQTT4J0BTF5&qid=1609079581&sr=1-1-22d05c05-1231-4126-b7c4-3e7a9c0027d0&th=1

Thanks again.

All three are good products, but don't start buying stuff until you know how much you will need or even if you really need it. You have to know what you are dealing with before you can fix it.

 

[Tommy89]

I see 5 layers now. After 36 hours. In case you don't see it, one of the five layers is hidden at the bottom.

 

[Chuck]

Soil only has sand, silt, clay and organic matter To tell the difference between silt and clay from a picture you need much better pictures. I don't know if it is the lighting or what but I can't make heads or tails from that picture.

 

[Tommy89]

I don't think it's a pictures problem since the pictures look the exact same way it looks in person. The top layer is organic matter is the bottom one sand, also is there a particular part of the picture you want me to focus on? Thanks.

 

[Chuck]

I don't think it's a pictures problem since the pictures look the exact same way it looks in person. The top layer is organic matter is the bottom one sand, also is there a particular part of the picture you want me to focus on? Thanks.

The bottom layer is sand. Then next layer is silt, the next layer is clay, the next layer is water, the next layer is organic matter. What I need to see is a clear picture of the sand, silt and clay with no reflections from the glass which is obscuring what I need to see. Make your picture the same quality of Senior Citizens. picture.