Good Cheaper Soils, Compost, Moss Peat & Mixing Together

[indochronic]

Right Iv been getting 50L bags of soil for around 18€ a bag and i was thinking on using a cheaper soil (50L for about 7) and im not sure what to pick theres afew different types that might be good like.. ross bush compost, cactus , aquatic, orchird and others. i plan on adding perlite to what ever i pick and i was thinking something like bat ganuo aswell to make it abit more suitible for the ladies or would it be a good idea ? the first bag on this list seem alright there a couple of other bags on the next pages Compost

 

[oiuhdfukg]

Most soils should do the job. The biggest thing as you begin is to test the soil pH and make sure its in the neighborhood of 7. If the soil is too acidic or alkaline your plants won't do well, so checking pH is really important. You can then add whatever nutrients the plants need. I use General Organics for nutes.

If you add peat moss to the soil you may have to also add dolomite lime to keep the pH in the right range.

 

[indochronic]

thats good to know, i can also check the bag for the Ph i remember the last bag i had said the ph on the side. Yea i use them to, But... my GO grow and bloom buffer my water to 5.5 ??? know anything about that? the G.O weed, root boster, and i think the bio bud is ok it just the bio thrive grow and bloom. I ment to make a thread about this a while ago. No peat moss for me then. cheers

 

[indochronic]

I was also thinking about making tea and nettle mix. im not sure how to but someone wil have info on it im sure. i also have a compost bin that all sorts go into banna skin, egg shell, tea bags etc. i plan on using feeds on photos and nt autos so much unless iv a light mix i can give them at bloom

 

[Fuzzy Duck]

I would more than likely avoid other soil/compost mix's for other said plants such as orchid, cactus etc as these plants prefer a totally different soil mix all together... aquatic soil is for pond plants, orchid is bark chippings, cactus is more likely very free draining etc


You will more than likely get away with a general bag of potting mix with most of that stuff PH buffered between 6 & 7 some of this will come with nutrients in for plant growth for a few weeks or more & add perlite if desired.

 

[oiuhdfukg]

Don't throw anything too acidic like orange or lemon skins into your compost bin. The worms can't eat it. My worms prefer carrots, for what its worth.

 

[indochronic]

cheers for the reply. Yea im gonna get a bag of the best one they have ill have a read on the back to see whats in it. And i will be adding perlite to it as these kinda bag soils, the soil seems heaver rather to one ud get in grow shop i can get some john innes soils to theres JI#1 is a light mix for seedlings with light feed and J.I#3 is for later growth. iv used these before and they seem decent, if uv heard of John Innes or used it id be happy to hear what u think. The worms might like the veg more, potato skins aswell might be good
I also have a stove that i burn wood in and empty that in a pile near the compost bin so id say the soil theres pretty good. I plan on using ash/ sutt soon in my soil or on top iv heard its good And for my tomatoes too. (might test it on them)

 

[oiuhdfukg]

Definitely add perlite, at least 25%. I forgot to mention that. I also use sheep manure as well but that's all a matter of personal preference. But the perlite (or vermiculite) is pretty much a must.

You have to be careful about using ash from the stove, I've heard mixed things about that. If you burn newspapers or anything like that it can be very bad for the plants because of the ink. Make sure it's just wood ash, but if there's paint or stain on the wood for example you can't use those ashes.

 

[indochronic]

Does vermiculite do the same job as perlite ? i always thought it held water:/ Definitly, only sticks of the ground and fire wood ash
Back to the Gen. Organics tho. I post this above and just woundering on ur input?

Yea i use them to, But... my GO grow and bloom buffer my water to 5.5 ??? know anything about that? the G.O weed, root boster, and i think the bio bud is ok it just the bio thrive grow and bloom. I ment to make a thread about this a while ago.

 

[oiuhdfukg]

I just add everything to my water and give it to the girls. To be honest I've never given much thought to how it affects pH. I check my water pH every so often to be sure it's not too high or low, but I don't think the GO nutes will cause any significant fluctuations.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong but as far as I know vermiculite or perlite can be used, they do the same thing.