In article ,
"David E. Ross" wrote:
On 5/9/2009 6:45 AM, wrote:
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, camellias
The 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).
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
http://www.backyardgardener.com/soil.html
or
http://www.organicgardening.com/feat...21-185,00.html
for an acceptable potting soil mix.
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.
--
- Billy
"For the first time in the history of the world, every human being
is now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the
moment of conception until death." - Rachel Carson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI29wVQN8Go
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1072040.html