If you haven't already see about getting one of those little babies pools... the little plastic ones...that's what I use to mix all my soil block mix into mix it aslot easier to do than trying to do it in the gorilla cart or wheel barrel. I've tried all sorts of methods and the little babies pool works really well cuz you can get a small little shovel in there to turn everything and they hold alot of material...great video!
I really enjoy watching your channel. The information is very value. I thank you so much for all you do and how much your inspiration means. Keep the videos coming. I am new to your channel.
I am so glad your video popped up on my UA-cam feed to watch. Thanks for your detailed instructions! I have also enjoyed watching your other gardening videos. Blessings!
Sometimes it is a challenge. If Im working in the garden, many times I will film the work and do a time lapse and a voice over so it doesn't take too long. The time consuming part is the editing!
Good to know. I have the smaller blocker but havent used it recently. I have started using air pruning trays from bootstrap farmer for my smaller crops and really like them:)
Thank you for this recipe. Getting all the ingredients now. Will try it this season. BTW, when you get a moment, can you please share how you prepare your inground soil beds growable? I have clay soil in California and they clumbs together by the size of golf balls :(.
We have clay as well. This video, that is linked below, shows how we built our garden. The second part is specifically how we built the inground garden:). I hope this helps. Let me know if you still have questions. ua-cam.com/video/J5xKwmEu5fM/v-deo.html
Hey :) ! I'm not exactly an expert - terrible memory for technical details and never quite get around to doing much "by the book" - but I grew up on clay soils and my 1st own garden was as well. I learned the hard way what it means to be sure to not work your soil - especially clay- when wet !! That's before I began all no-till, and learned how to start a garden from sod without tilling, too. I have had to move far-ish away and then move again and again since, so, I have yet to be anywhere long enough to really get to the point my garden soil has had time to really show a lot of improvement, but even on that 1st clay one I made mistakes with, where I'd had a ton of leaves was turning very nice, very quickly ( not necessarily chopped fine or anything, but many folks say that's best- just run the mower over em once or twice while dry, before adding to garden or compost pile). Nearly as nice, nearly as quickly was the area where I gotten an old, starting to rot, roundbale of hay applied thickly as mulch over potatoes. The more I learn about and experience no-till, and even back in that garden I hadn't necessarily tilled those areas the next season, the more I believe those who say you don't need to till in these organic matter inputs, to loosen, fluff-en ( that's a word, right ?) soil or etc. . That, just like out in nature, top-down is how it works best. Even the desirable light disturbance of hoof actions of cattle herds/wild herds for ex., seems to be mainly necessary only to break up any crusting surfaces or break up & slightly work in dried plant materials in arid climates, in which it will otherwise just sit there, not decaying or anything and become life-blocking thatch. Anyway, for more insights on growing in clay, head over to the no-till growers podcast channel here on YT, Farmer Jesse has clay and is on a newer farm and gets torrential rain events there in KY, and is a pretty experienced grower but also has gobs of interviews with other growers there. No offense to this channel ! I'll check out her video on it, too, myself ! Just, the more info the merrier !
@@ajb.822 Thank you for those tips. I have been waiting for the rain to stop here in CA so can at least work with the soil :( . Will check out Farmer Jesse. Thanks again.
I typically bottom water and just pour the water into one side of the tray. You could also try a squeeze bottle that you could just apply a gentle stream to your seedlings and see if that helps.
I use a very similar diy mix for 2" blocks but for the 3/4" blocks i have a mix from Promix that is sieved to an extremely fine sized and does hold together properly. Any perlite i've purchased is really chunky and too big for use in mini blocks, they're going to,fall apart. The promix is
Bottom watering is a huge factor in avoiding fungus gnats. But I also keep yellow sticky traps on hand in case I have a problem with them. They really do help:)
I probably wouldn't if you think that rot was caused by a bacteria. But if the planted rotted because it was too wet or the crown was covered in soil, then you may be ok to reuse it.
You’ll want to make sure that your soil mixture is very wet before you start making the blocks. If you squeeze your soil, you should see a few drops of water come out. As you make the blocks, use the palm of your hand to push the soil into the blocks to ensure that it packed as tightly as possible.
Yes! It works very well. The mix is nice and airy and is great for developing a strong roots system in seedlings. Plus, it has really good nutrients to nourish the plants!
If you haven't already see about getting one of those little babies pools... the little plastic ones...that's what I use to mix all my soil block mix into mix it aslot easier to do than trying to do it in the gorilla cart or wheel barrel. I've tried all sorts of methods and the little babies pool works really well cuz you can get a small little shovel in there to turn everything and they hold alot of material...great video!
That is a fantastic idea! I never would have thought of that! Thank you for the advice:)
I really enjoy watching your channel. The information is very value. I thank you so much for all you do and how much your inspiration means. Keep the videos coming. I am new to your channel.
Thank you so much! So glad you are enjoying it!
love that you're using black kow. Some of the best stuff we have found that make a nice dense block.
Thank you!
Thanks for sharing how you mix your ingredients for your soil blocks. I have been loving this method.
Its my favorite way. It produces the best plants
I am so glad your video popped up on my UA-cam feed to watch. Thanks for your detailed instructions! I have also enjoyed watching your other gardening videos.
Blessings!
You are so welcome! I'm so glad it as helpful and you are enjoying the other videos as well.
Thank you so much for sharing your mixture. I’ll be using your recipe
You won't be disappointed. My seedlings grow so quickly and are super healthy.
Brand new to your channel, thanks for the recipe !
You're welcome. This mix is what I use every year and always gives me fast growing strong seedlings.
very easy to understand thank you
You are welcome!
You people are amazing. How do you have time to do all your outdoor work & do UA-cam Videos? Thank you.
Sometimes it is a challenge. If Im working in the garden, many times I will film the work and do a time lapse and a voice over so it doesn't take too long. The time consuming part is the editing!
nice! exactly the same mix we use with the 1 1/2 and 2in blocks. With the 20 blocker we put vermiculite instead of perlite.
Good to know. I have the smaller blocker but havent used it recently. I have started using air pruning trays from bootstrap farmer for my smaller crops and really like them:)
Thank you for this recipe. Getting all the ingredients now. Will try it this season. BTW, when you get a moment, can you please share how you prepare your inground soil beds growable? I have clay soil in California and they clumbs together by the size of golf balls :(.
We have clay as well. This video, that is linked below, shows how we built our garden. The second part is specifically how we built the inground garden:). I hope this helps. Let me know if you still have questions. ua-cam.com/video/J5xKwmEu5fM/v-deo.html
Hey :) ! I'm not exactly an expert - terrible memory for technical details and never quite get around to doing much "by the book" - but I grew up on clay soils and my 1st own garden was as well. I learned the hard way what it means to be sure to not work your soil - especially clay- when wet !! That's before I began all no-till, and learned how to start a garden from sod without tilling, too. I have had to move far-ish away and then move again and again since, so, I have yet to be anywhere long enough to really get to the point my garden soil has had time to really show a lot of improvement, but even on that 1st clay one I made mistakes with, where I'd had a ton of leaves was turning very nice, very quickly ( not necessarily chopped fine or anything, but many folks say that's best- just run the mower over em once or twice while dry, before adding to garden or compost pile). Nearly as nice, nearly as quickly was the area where I gotten an old, starting to rot, roundbale of hay applied thickly as mulch over potatoes. The more I learn about and experience no-till, and even back in that garden I hadn't necessarily tilled those areas the next season, the more I believe those who say you don't need to till in these organic matter inputs, to loosen, fluff-en ( that's a word, right ?) soil or etc. . That, just like out in nature, top-down is how it works best. Even the desirable light disturbance of hoof actions of cattle herds/wild herds for ex., seems to be mainly necessary only to break up any crusting surfaces or break up & slightly work in dried plant materials in arid climates, in which it will otherwise just sit there, not decaying or anything and become life-blocking thatch. Anyway, for more insights on growing in clay, head over to the no-till growers podcast channel here on YT, Farmer Jesse has clay and is on a newer farm and gets torrential rain events there in KY, and is a pretty experienced grower but also has gobs of interviews with other growers there. No offense to this channel ! I'll check out her video on it, too, myself !
Just, the more info the merrier !
@@ajb.822 Thank you for those tips. I have been waiting for the rain to stop here in CA so can at least work with the soil :( . Will check out Farmer Jesse. Thanks again.
I’m sure it’s probably my fault but when I use this mixture for small 3/4” blocks they never hold together during waterings
I typically bottom water and just pour the water into one side of the tray. You could also try a squeeze bottle that you could just apply a gentle stream to your seedlings and see if that helps.
I use a very similar diy mix for 2" blocks but for the 3/4" blocks i have a mix from Promix that is sieved to an extremely fine sized and does hold together properly. Any perlite i've purchased is really chunky and too big for use in mini blocks, they're going to,fall apart. The promix is
only available in bales but the nursery i use breaks it down into smaller bags for us small gardeners.
You need a cement mixer !!!
It sure would save on time and your back 😊
I think I do need one of those! Ill put it on my Christmas list for next year😁
@@MorganHillFarms my advice is only because I’m 57 and should have taken better care of myself 😏
How do you all avoid fungus gnats with this mix?
Bottom watering is a huge factor in avoiding fungus gnats. But I also keep yellow sticky traps on hand in case I have a problem with them. They really do help:)
Can you reuse soil mix that had strawberries with root rot?
I probably wouldn't if you think that rot was caused by a bacteria. But if the planted rotted because it was too wet or the crown was covered in soil, then you may be ok to reuse it.
My soil bocks using this eclipse fall apart and I’m not sure why
You’ll want to make sure that your soil mixture is very wet before you start making the blocks. If you squeeze your soil, you should see a few drops of water come out. As you make the blocks, use the palm of your hand to push the soil into the blocks to ensure that it packed as tightly as possible.
Have you tried this mix in seed trays?
Yes! It works very well. The mix is nice and airy and is great for developing a strong roots system in seedlings. Plus, it has really good nutrients to nourish the plants!
How much perlite was added?
5 gallons of Perlite
@@MorganHillFarms May I ask where do you get the big bag of perlite? Thank you.