news story / By Zach St. George

The Dirt

That plant-pleasing ‘Humboldt’ soil mix isn’t fully Humboldt grown

(Dec. 15, 2011)  Chad Waters and Chip Baker wander around a sprawling complex behind the Murphy’s Market on Glendale Drive in Blue Lake. They point out a pile of compost, a plastic earthworm farm, a heap of coco fiber. Forklifts and loaders lumber past, puffing white exhaust in the crisp morning air. They are the microbrewers of soil, and this is the brewery.

Waters and Baker own Royal Gold Soils, one of at least four local companies that package soil.

As orange plastic bags puff full with soil, Royal Gold workers pull them away from a hopper, put them on a conveyor belt, and send them to a machine that seals each bag with a hiss. PHOTO BY ZACH ST. GEORGE

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People all over the country buy soil from Humboldt, no doubt hoping that some of the region’s renowned green thumbery will rub off on them. The success of Humboldt’s soil entrepreneurs demonstrates the potency of both the Humboldt name and the local marketing chops — particularly since much of what’s in the bags doesn’t come from Humboldt at all.

For non-gardeners, the soil we’re referring to comes in plastic sacks, often labeled with bright colors and hippie motifs, and can be found at gardening, horticulture and hydroponics shops throughout the country. There are different kinds of soil for different stages in the plant lifecycle, and for different plants and their varietals. The bags promise staggering growth, excellent flavor and generally mind-blowing plant health.

To be clear on the terminology: “Soils are naturally occurring bodies on the Earth’s surface,” said Susan Edinger Marshall, a wildland soils professor at Humboldt State University. “Strictly speaking, [these products] are nursery mixes.” Humboldt’s actual soils — the stuff the redwoods grow in — are mostly mineral-based, or inorganic, while Humboldt’s packaged soil products are primarily organic.

Whether you’re growing grapes in a greenhouse, roses in a raised bed, or weed way back in the hills, your requirements for soil will be different than what is naturally available, says Marshall. Thus the packaged soils, or nursery mixes.

Unlike their free-roaming brethren, plants in pots have limited space for their roots, which is a major disadvantage. Potted plant growers compensate by focusing more nutrients in the space they have, often with the help of packaged soils that provide better drainage or more minerals of one kind or another.

By volume, sphagnum peat moss and coco fiber are the biggest ingredients in local packaged soils. They’re both great as a base — they’re light when dry and can soak up and hold a lot of moisture when wet. Coco fiber is a waste product in the sub-tropic textile industry, and is shipped to Humboldt from India, Sri Lanka, Mexico, and the Philippines. Sphagnum peat moss is non-renewable, and is found in bogs throughout the world. Much of the moss packaged here comes from Canada.

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