Third Indoor - Take Deux

Mushroom compost can be highly acidic, so be aware, you may need to add some lime or dolomite to raise the pH. From my experience, I would recommend also adding some chopped alfalfa, volcanic rock dust, bio-char/organic carbon, zeolite, bentonite, fulvic acid, humic acid, amino acids, malted barley (either whole or ground into flour), wheat bran, cow manure, fish meal, commercial (general) compost/soil improver, and don't forget to add some trace elements, either soluble or granular. The 3 acids (fulvic, humic, amino) can usually be found in a liquid form and are very, very highly recommended by me for any organic soil grow. Chicken and duck poo can be quite "hot", so make sure it is at least 6 months old if you collected it fresh. Mix your blend of base ingredients 50-50 with a premium potting soil mix designed for vegetable growing and this will be about right, otherwise the base mix will be too rich and could burn your plants rather quickly. I would be adding another yard of vermicasts, this is the wonder ingredient no soil grow should be without; - it is natures' perfect planting additive and can not burn or do any harm, even if used straight. I would also suggest no more than 5% by volume of perlite and/or coir, you only need just enough to improve drainage. As both these things are inert, meaning they provide no nutrition for the plants, so there is no point having too much of either. Watering the whole pile with a seaweed tonic/extract will really boost microbial activity and get things blending together more quickly. Lastly, mycorrhizae are my latest must have wonder ingredient, since discovering "Mykos" from Xtreme Gardening a few years ago, I would not contemplate ever growing without it again, it really works and is worth every cent! There are other brands such as "Great White Shark" that do the same thing. However, these fungi need plant roots to live on/with, so no need to add them too early. For more tips from professional breeders, visit "Madala Seeds" and click on their "grow guides", they have a fairly comprehensive run down on what they do and what they don't believe in. Hope this helps, Organoman.