WhiteWidower
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Cool
Fox Farms Soil: Ocean Forest or Happy Frog
- Thread starter PhishyPhil
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Steve McStoferson
New Member
So you're saying Happy Frog isn't as consistent as Ocean Forest?
I'm finishing up a grow right now with Happy Frog and have to say it is a really nice soil. It's a bit thicker than Ocean Forest, and even then I would say it is a very light soil. I have no drainage issues, and still need to water daily. I don't see the need to mix in additional perlite with Happy Frog or Ocean Forest.. Both drain very well (as long as you don't pack it in the pot of course).
On top of this, I haven't had any issues my entire grow, and have not had to adjust my pH level at all.
I can't give too much experience with OF just yet because I've only used it on seedlings and house plants, but from my experience with it thus far, it is a much lighter soil than Happy Frog, maybe a bit too light for my taste.
I'm finishing up a grow right now with Happy Frog and have to say it is a really nice soil. It's a bit thicker than Ocean Forest, and even then I would say it is a very light soil. I have no drainage issues, and still need to water daily. I don't see the need to mix in additional perlite with Happy Frog or Ocean Forest.. Both drain very well (as long as you don't pack it in the pot of course).
On top of this, I haven't had any issues my entire grow, and have not had to adjust my pH level at all.
I can't give too much experience with OF just yet because I've only used it on seedlings and house plants, but from my experience with it thus far, it is a much lighter soil than Happy Frog, maybe a bit too light for my taste.
I use Ocean Forest from the bag with no added perlite or anything else.
My reasons are the following.
When used in the proper container it is already a very well draining soil. It does not compact like a cheap clay dirt and restrict root growth. I veg my plants in 1 gallon pots and flower in 5 gallon pots.
It's the richest most nutrient packed bagged dirt on the market. It makes no sense to me to dilute it and have to use other products like calmag to make up for diluting it.
I use it with only the FF base three nute program and I dont have any problems with plant health, ph, growth rate, and yield quality/quantity is top notch.
Since the above posting i've changed my program to a blended soil mix of 1 bag of Ocean Forest + 1 bag of light warrior + 1/2 bag of Happy Frog. I've changed my nutes over to the new General Organics line and I'm using Air Pots containers. So far my plants are liking the new mix.
The pic below is of two 1 week old clones in the new mix. You can see how there's alot more perlite in the mix from the Light Warrior being added but instead of being plain inert perlite, it's also packing coir, humic, and organic compost.
OilFieldTrash
Well-Known Member
Orangeblood your plants look very healthy. I have been following the posts on your air pots tread since the beginning. I love the way that you can just peal the pot away from the grow medium. Your new mixture of dirt sounds interesting. Why did you switch from the FF nutes?
Hi OFT!
Really my only reason for changing was to take advantage of the other things the Fox Farm line has to offer. I was thinking if Light Warrior is great for clones and seedlings then it will surely offer more benefit to flowering root zones and then OF and Happy Frog have so much to offer why not blend them all! So far it's a really groovy mix. Drains like Hydroton in the Air Pots!
The change to organics was to get away from chemicals and salts.
OilFieldTrash
Well-Known Member
OB I read somewhere in a 420 post where one person said that he just fed with FF Big Bloom and skipped the FF Grow Big, then went to FF Tiger Bloom. Looks like the Grow Big gets you out of organic and into some chemicals.
Tiger Bloom is chems too, and big bloom isn't certified organic...
I added perilite to my fox farms the first grow, then never again.. No drainage problems and I still have to water every two to three days.
I added perilite to my fox farms the first grow, then never again.. No drainage problems and I still have to water every two to three days.
elfstone
New Member
I have successfully mixed the following for a super soil that you can transplant your clones into directly and not have to add any additional nutrients for the entire grow:
1 bag Fox Farm Ocean Forest
1 bag Fox Farm Light Warrior
1 bag Fox Farm Planting Mix (bat guano and worm castings)
I use a 7 gallon black bucket and just water mindfully. You know you need to water when you lift the bucket and it is light.
Subcool's mix also looks very promising and I will be trying that on the next grow. I think I will be using the local nursery organic mix as the substrate.
Elfstone
1 bag Fox Farm Ocean Forest
1 bag Fox Farm Light Warrior
1 bag Fox Farm Planting Mix (bat guano and worm castings)
I use a 7 gallon black bucket and just water mindfully. You know you need to water when you lift the bucket and it is light.
Subcool's mix also looks very promising and I will be trying that on the next grow. I think I will be using the local nursery organic mix as the substrate.
Elfstone
The303Stoner
New Member
I'm mixing FFOF with General Hydroponics Just Right. Than I'll try the just Right alone. This mix looks killer and my grow bags are supper light. Thinking about mixing in some light Warrior.
We've been using ocean floor and it's been wonder full. The PH is mega low....really the only draw back but other than that our plants loved it and even the little clones have hopped right in without transplant wilt or anything.
Dexter4Morgan
New Member
For those of you that use the FF Ocean and Perlite mix do you have holes in the buckets as well ?
Steve McStoferson
New Member
yeah you will want holes in the buckets to help drainage so the soil doesn't get too soaked. It also helps get more oxygen to the roots, which your plants will love. Holes are definitely a must in any type of soil mix.
Most of my problems went away after I found this soil.
I go 70%-30% FFOF to Perlite but have also gone 100% FFOF with no problems. I strive for simplicity and balance in a grow so Ocean Forest is my bedrock. I don't add many nutes in bloom and I never check the PH. It's just some amazingly fertile soil.
But one question. Will my leftover FFOF still be good to use next spring/summer? Does it degrade?
I go 70%-30% FFOF to Perlite but have also gone 100% FFOF with no problems. I strive for simplicity and balance in a grow so Ocean Forest is my bedrock. I don't add many nutes in bloom and I never check the PH. It's just some amazingly fertile soil.
But one question. Will my leftover FFOF still be good to use next spring/summer? Does it degrade?
You can re-use it, but the plants will have sucked a lot of the nutrients out of it, so you're probably going to need to add some nutes from the get-go, and then continue adding nutes through the grow.
I might re-use soil I've grown MJ with in my garden, but I think it's worth the expense to grow my MJ plants in new soil, and knowing how it's going to perform is good too, as opposed to dealing with depleted soil.
A CRF like Osmocote+ or Dynamite would be a good way to give old soil a fresh nutrient charge, however.
I might re-use soil I've grown MJ with in my garden, but I think it's worth the expense to grow my MJ plants in new soil, and knowing how it's going to perform is good too, as opposed to dealing with depleted soil.
A CRF like Osmocote+ or Dynamite would be a good way to give old soil a fresh nutrient charge, however.
Dexter4Morgan
New Member
What do you guys do with the "used" dirt ? I would thinking dumping in the garden would be a good idea
I was thinking of using my used dirt for my cups of seedlings next year. Then transplant into fresh soil. That's why I asked. I usually just dump my used soil in my backyard.
I don't know what everyone pays for FFOF but my hydro store gives me a discount rate of around $19.00 for a large bag. It's on the westside of LA. If anyone wants the store name just let me know.
Hey thanks for the info Setting Sun. You're a wealth of information. I've learned a lot from reading your posts.
I don't know what everyone pays for FFOF but my hydro store gives me a discount rate of around $19.00 for a large bag. It's on the westside of LA. If anyone wants the store name just let me know.
Hey thanks for the info Setting Sun. You're a wealth of information. I've learned a lot from reading your posts.
Steve McStoferson
New Member
not bad, I usually pay 20 for OF and 19 for happy frog, which is a much better deal since the OF is only 1.5cuft and the HF is 2cuft.
I usually just dump my old dirt in the yard, use it to fill holes. It normally is just a huge root ball by the time I'm done, but it doesn't take long for the roots to decompose if you break it up well. Always give back to the earth
I usually just dump my old dirt in the yard, use it to fill holes. It normally is just a huge root ball by the time I'm done, but it doesn't take long for the roots to decompose if you break it up well. Always give back to the earth
In regards to watering 8oz per 3gal container, wouldn't recommend that watering method. Let the plants dry more, much more, and then hit them with an amount of water that shows runoff and fully saturates the soil. Water less often with more water and let the roots have the oxygen rich enviornment that allows them to expand and search.
I use a 20% perlite, 35% Ocean Forest, 35% Happy Frog, along with the last 10% being worm casings, bat guanos (Indonesian, Mexican, and Jamaican), Peruvian seabird guano, Mycos Maximum, some organic compost, and a few mosquito dunks crushed up in the soil.
Really? You guys had that problem? My last ladies had very well developped root systems and were very healthy with 75%FFOF 10-15% Perlite 10-15% Light Warrior, and I added a couple handfuls of vermiculite. I literally but rootball blocks into the garbage bag and threw it out like that. It had me paranoid for a while. But that's crazy you guys went through that
The Light Warrior also lightens up the mix, in the subcool piece he recommends a mix of the two, which I may try, might mix in a little perlite and Happy Frog. I'm new, but have done a lot of gardening outside and a lot is just what you like, once you get the basics....
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