Advice on soil mixture to keep soil the most dry

[fvitterbi]

Hi Everyone,

I'm in the Carribbean, it's gloomy and rainy here right now and my outdoor soil is waterlogged and can't dry even in 10 days, the plants simply don't grow, and nothing (floating row covers, etc.) can block the rain effectively.

So here's the plan I got some great advice from forum members and so I'm going to switch up my soil strategy, going forward, for this type of climate. Basically the roots need a lot more oxygen.

I'm new to using Perlite and Coco and we don't have many products available here.
Can you let me know your thoughts on the following?
Check the pictures below

1) Fibra de coco (coco fibers)
2) Soil w/ perlite mixed
3) Normal organic soil (sustrato organico)

So I am thinking i am going to mix these in the following portions

70% of the Soil w/ Perlite mixed,, 15% of the normal organic soil, 15% of the Coco fiber
I won't mix in any fertilizer. I'll do all that by liquids.

I'll start with solo cups, once 3 inches tall, I'll move to a 1 gallon plastic pot with holes in the bottom,
Once 1 foot tall, move to 3 or 5 gallon smart pots, depending on the strain. I am hesitant to try 5 gallon pots again. The growth was a lot slower than in 3 gallon ones.

Does this work or would you do any changes to this?

 

[Papageno]

Not less than 30% perlite.


Standard basic soil blend is 1/3 good bag soil, 1/3 perlit, 1/3 some mix or one or the other of Steer manure or Worm castings. There is a lot behind that. The coco is also very good especially when using a composted soil. The deal is understanding the components. Coco is dead and nutrient free like the perlite and is a medium for nutrients to soak into and be made available for later use by the plant. It is not a aeration component like perlite.

So understanding the components helps you figure out the ratio.

For your situation I would try 1/3 perlite, 1/3 your good organic bag soil, 1/6 coco, 1/6 worm castings or composted chicken or steer manure.

 

[Islandgrow]

Hi Everyone,

I'm in the Carribbean, it's gloomy and rainy here right now and my outdoor soil is waterlogged and can't dry even in 10 days, the plants simply don't grow, and nothing (floating row covers, etc.) can block the rain effectively.

So here's the plan I got some great advice from forum members and so I'm going to switch up my soil strategy, going forward, for this type of climate. Basically the roots need a lot more oxygen.

I'm new to using Perlite and Coco and we don't have many products available here.
Can you let me know your thoughts on the following?
Check the pictures below

1) Fibra de coco (coco fibers)
2) Soil w/ perlite mixed
3) Normal organic soil (sustrato organico)

So I am thinking i am going to mix these in the following portions

70% of the Soil w/ Perlite mixed,, 15% of the normal organic soil, 15% of the Coco fiber
I won't mix in any fertilizer. I'll do all that by liquids.

I'll start with solo cups, once 3 inches tall, I'll move to a 1 gallon plastic pot with holes in the bottom,
Once 1 foot tall, move to 3 or 5 gallon smart pots, depending on the strain. I am hesitant to try 5 gallon pots again. The growth was a lot slower than in 3 gallon ones.

Does this work or would you do any changes to this?

May need to add some extra perlite. I am in the caribbean as well. And I can not seem to find coco . If you were to go with coco straight you would need a ph pen and calmag and feed every watering because coco holds no nutes .

"carpe diem"

 

[GratefulGrace]

Not less than 30% perlite.


Standard basic soil blend is 1/3 good bag soil, 1/3 perlit, 1/3 some mix or one or the other of Steer manure or Worm castings. There is a lot behind that. The coco is also very good especially when using a composted soil. The deal is understanding the components. Coco is dead and nutrient free like the perlite and is a medium for nutrients to soak into and be made available for later use by the plant. It is not a aeration component like perlite.

So understanding the components helps you figure out the ratio.

For your situation I would try 1/3 perlite, 1/3 your good organic bag soil, 1/6 coco, 1/6 worm castings or composted chicken or steer manure.

I would try a soil list, medium like perlite, coconut choir, sphagnum moss, peat, worm, castings, bat guano, some sort of acidifying agent. You might even want to add in some larger size stones that are aerated BBB like volcanic rock. You don’t necessarily want a growing medium that does not hold any moisture, but what you want is a growing medium that drains easily and allows oxygen, but also holds moisture during dry periods.

 

[Roy Growin]

70/30 coco/perlite will drain and dry best, esp as you are planning to bottle feed [you would need to obvs]
You could top dress with the organic compost every week or two so water retention is at the surface rather than in the root zone