New Grower Any Simple Soils?

[ThaGreenBandit]

Wzup, AFN?! It's been awhile since I been here, but I'm so glad to be back because that means I'm about to get my first grow crankin'! Only problem is, all of the reading I have done to learn about growing has been about hydroponics. Nothing about soil, because I always knew, with absolute conviction, that hydroponics was the way I wanted to go. Well, I'm not able to go that route right now, so, soil it is. Anyone mind providing me with a brand of soil that I don't have to mix myself, worry about being to 'hot', or have to make any major adjustments to? Eventually, I wanna learn how to mix my own soils, and all that, but not right now. With this being my first grow, I don't wanna have to worry about that. I'm hoping that there is a good soil that someone can recommend to me, that will produce some quality budz as long as I do my part and give my babies all the TLC they need. Any suggestions?

 

[az2000]

Anyone mind providing me with a brand of soil that I don't have to mix myself, worry about being to 'hot', or have to make any major adjustments to?

I think the simplest way to go is Pro-Mix HP, General Hydroponics Flora series (3 part) and the so-called "useless" schedule. (<<link) Pro-Mix is peat and considered "soilless." Something between hydro and soil. I did this for my first grow and it turned out really well.

Most people who use Pro-Mix say they have to add 1 tbsp/gal dolomite when potting. Muddy (an admin on this forum with extensive Pro-Mix experience) says he doesn't have to do this. But, there's a lot of people who do. And, my ph (out of the bag) seems lower than his. So, I'm still on the "add dolomite" bandwagon.

Anyway, Dolomite is the most soil prep you'd have to do. Other than that, calmag and silica supplements when feeding. And, some bloom booster in flower (I used GH's liquid and powder KoolBloom).

I think Flora series is good for beginners because it's ph-buffered. It helps keep your ph stable, I believe.

Edit: If you used Pro-Mix HP, you'd want to add 20% perlite to improve drainage. Mix 4 scoops Pro-Mix, 1 scoop perlite. It's not essential, but it helps. Seems to be what most Pro-Mix HP users do.

 

[ThaGreenBandit]

Good lookin' out, AZ, I appreciate all the info you just dropped on me. Thanks for taking the time to do so. If I am using the Multi Total from the Dutch Pro Auto flowering nutrients, will I still have to supplement cal mag?

 

[Muddy]

Pro Mix or Sunshine #4 would be good choices and neither will require any amendments, although they can be amended with things like guano, composted manure or worm castings. Which Pro Mix to use depends on what kind of lighting you will be using. Pro Mix HP is good for low heat sources, LEDs, CFLs, T5s. Pro Mix BX for HPS lights. BX contains vermiculite which holds more moisture so works best under higher heat. HP doesn't have the vermiculite. Both contain sufficient lime so no additional is needed. The only thing I add is 4 grams of 17% aluminum sulfate per gallon of mix. This helps to lower the starting pH of Pro Mix to a more suitable range for growing weed.

 

[Darth Vapour]

I recently bought promix vegetable and herb mix to try outdoor, it's OMRI certified

http:// http://www.promixfindgrowtopia.com/product/detail/pro-mix-vegetables-herb

Can you add the aluminium sulfate in water to lower pH Muddy? I'm growing in B'cuzz hydromix hp, very similar to promix hp.

 

[ThaGreenBandit]

I'll be using LED's

 

[az2000]

If I am using the Multi Total from the Dutch Pro Auto flowering nutrients, will I still have to supplement cal mag?

Probably. It seems cannabis thrives on Ca/Mg -- especially when grown under LED. (There's a sticky about it in the LED forum.). If you use reverse-osmosis filtered water you'll have even more reason to supplement with Ca/Mg because the filter removes naturally occurring minerals from the water. If you add dolomite lime it will be a source of Ca/Mg too.

If you use Pro-Mix HP, I would water a half-gallon container of sample soil with ph 6.5 water, and check the ph of the runoff. Do that for 10 days (watering every 3-4, checking the runoff's ph) to understand the starting ph of your soil. I say this because I haven't had Muddy's experience with 7.0 out of the bag (and his need to adjust down using Aluminum Sulfate). It may be a regional thing. Or, maybe I got an old bag. I'm sure he's had experience with far more bags than the two I've gone through.

But, stilll, there are a lot of people (via google search) who say they experience low ph with Pro-Mix HP and they supplement with dolomite. It's not just me. So, I'd encourage you to do your own test before planting, and monitor the runoff through the entire grow. (Checking ph of a new bag and through the grow is good to do with any soil.).

It's probably already sounding like a lot of drama, but it's a good medium because it doesn't have pre-loaded nutrients. Puts you in control of everything. The only thing that's a question in my mind is the starting ph and whether PM (or most peat-based mediums) has enough dolomite to last the entire grow.

 

[ThaGreenBandit]

Thanks again, AZ. I should be picking up either some PM or OF this weekend. Hopefully I'll have my seed planted within 2 weeks. I wanna try to do a journal, and if I do, hopefully you and Muddy will throw some more advice and tips my way!

 

[Muddy]

Be careful if you buy the OF. They have had quality control issues for the past couple of years and the pH of their soil has varied a lot right out of the bag, often as low as 4.5. If you get one of those bags you will need to add some dolomite lime to raise the pH. Also, OF contains a lot of worm castings and guano, which can make it too hot for auto seedlings. Most who use it mix it 50/50 with some Happy Frog. I would not recommend using OF unless you have a good soil pH probe like the Control Wizard Accurate 8. Unless you can check and verify the pH of the OF you could be setting yourself up for pH issues during your grow.

 

[ThaGreenBandit]

Shit. Damn, I wish I woulda been checking for responses while I was out shopping earlier! Just walked through the door, smiling from ear to ear, with my freshly bought bag of OF, and your response is the first thing I see, Muddy. I ordered some powdered dolomite lime earlier, so I'm not that bad off, right?