Risse Greenhouse uses compost-based soil assembled from straw and horse manure, with added water.
FAIRBANKS, Alaska - One of the most basic ingredients to a successful planting season is having the right soil.
According to Co-Owner Glen Risse, “If you take a green source and a brown source and you add water, the microbes in the horse manure will react with the straw and it’ll get hot. All those microbes moving around within that soil creates heat, and so for those of you who have compost piles at home that get really hot, it’s those microbes moving around in that pile that create that heat. That’s what we’re looking for in our soil.
To that compost is added peat moss. “Stringy, sphagnum peat, this is just ideal for what we want. We want the stringier the better,” said Risse, adding the peat moss bought at stores often is not as good for soil structure. “If you take and compare this peat, how fine it is compared to the coarser peat that we buy locally, we prefer the course peat. It gives you more oxygen in your soil.”
Risse also adds coconut core, a mix of ground up coconut husks. “The coconut allows good drainage but it also holds a lot of moisture.” Finally, a dash of coarse sand adds drainage and stability. According to Risse, “It also gives us weight in the pot so things don’t tip over as easy.”Once a plant has been established, and has started growing roots, then the time comes to fertilize. “Every plant needs to be fed just like you need to be fed. Most soils have enough to get them started. In fact, when you plant a seed, the seed has enough nutrient in it to get its first set of leaves, the cotyledon leaves.
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