Triple R
Well-Known Member
Looking for any help in best soil and feet mix to prepare soil for an outside grow in the ground with no pits, also what size hole is recommended. Thanks for any and all tips.
Best medium for growing in ground outside
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Silverfox125
Well-Known Member
Never grown outside but living organic soil is great anywhere.
good luck
good luck
Not sure what pits are as in .....
My favorite way to grow would be outside. Even though recreational is legal here I can't grow outside since the plants would attract attention and then someone would try to take them. This is something a buddy and his wife have been talking about for their medical grow and they asked me a very similar question.
First thing would be to find an area that can be stripped of the sod or grasses. It should be at least 3 to 4 feet away from any shrubs or trees. Checking the shadows ahead of time will tell if the plants will be shaded by nearby trees, shrubs, walls or buildings. This also helps determine just how many hours of direct sunlight will hit the plant. The sunlight will be good even on a cloudy day.
I would want a hole approx 3 feet across and about 3 feet deep. This should be optimal since the bigger the hole the bigger the potential plant. Even just digging the hole and putting the same soil back in helps since it loosens up the soil and cuts off the roots from nearby trees or shrubs that can compete for water and nutrients. Do not back the hole up right to the shrub or tree line. I could get by with a 18 inch by 18 inch hole but the plant will not get as tall.
Buying some decent compost from a landscape supply yard is next on my list. This is to mix with the soil from digging the hole or several holes. Also get a bale of Peat Moss to add to the soil mix.
I would consider adding some Kelp Meal, Shrimp or Crustacean Meal, some Neem Meal, and possibly some stone or rock minerals along the lines of Azomite and Basalt.
All of this gets mixed in so the that all the microbes and other organisms in the hole can get to work on breaking down all the soil amendments while the plant is still very small.
Other fertilizing components, especially those with high ratios of water soluble nutrients, can be added later.
Or, just dig a small hole and let nature do its thing. This will work but the amount of the harvest will not be as much. Planning ahead always works wonders in growing plants.
I thought maybe "nutes" as in nutrients but you already mention "feets" which is probably ferts as in fertilizers.
My favorite way to grow would be outside. Even though recreational is legal here I can't grow outside since the plants would attract attention and then someone would try to take them. This is something a buddy and his wife have been talking about for their medical grow and they asked me a very similar question.
First thing would be to find an area that can be stripped of the sod or grasses. It should be at least 3 to 4 feet away from any shrubs or trees. Checking the shadows ahead of time will tell if the plants will be shaded by nearby trees, shrubs, walls or buildings. This also helps determine just how many hours of direct sunlight will hit the plant. The sunlight will be good even on a cloudy day.
I would want a hole approx 3 feet across and about 3 feet deep. This should be optimal since the bigger the hole the bigger the potential plant. Even just digging the hole and putting the same soil back in helps since it loosens up the soil and cuts off the roots from nearby trees or shrubs that can compete for water and nutrients. Do not back the hole up right to the shrub or tree line. I could get by with a 18 inch by 18 inch hole but the plant will not get as tall.
Buying some decent compost from a landscape supply yard is next on my list. This is to mix with the soil from digging the hole or several holes. Also get a bale of Peat Moss to add to the soil mix.
I would consider adding some Kelp Meal, Shrimp or Crustacean Meal, some Neem Meal, and possibly some stone or rock minerals along the lines of Azomite and Basalt.
All of this gets mixed in so the that all the microbes and other organisms in the hole can get to work on breaking down all the soil amendments while the plant is still very small.
Other fertilizing components, especially those with high ratios of water soluble nutrients, can be added later.
Or, just dig a small hole and let nature do its thing. This will work but the amount of the harvest will not be as much. Planning ahead always works wonders in growing plants.
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- #4
Triple R
Well-Known Member
Lot of good info thanks smoking wings. Guess I should proofread post next time, damn spell check changes what I type. It was supposed to say, ferts and pots as in ground no pots.
I was also thinking of another possibility to avoid having to do all that digging. It would be just some of the digging.
Buy some of the inexpensive plastic trash cans. Cut the bottom off and cut the top part off. A couple of holes in the side should be OK so maybe add them. Dig only half of the hole and put the remaining part of the trash can in. Fill in around the side with the dirt from the hole.
Now mix up the soil with compost and any other amendments and put that mix into the trash can. A couple of weeks later it is ready for the plant. It means less digging, the planter/pot can drain quickly after heavy rains, since there is no bottom the roots can go straight through, if the top area starts to get to dry the roots can pick up moisture from below since there is no bottom, and it has some of the conveniences of a large pot.
One downside is it cannot be moved around until after the season is over.
Buy some of the inexpensive plastic trash cans. Cut the bottom off and cut the top part off. A couple of holes in the side should be OK so maybe add them. Dig only half of the hole and put the remaining part of the trash can in. Fill in around the side with the dirt from the hole.
Now mix up the soil with compost and any other amendments and put that mix into the trash can. A couple of weeks later it is ready for the plant. It means less digging, the planter/pot can drain quickly after heavy rains, since there is no bottom the roots can go straight through, if the top area starts to get to dry the roots can pick up moisture from below since there is no bottom, and it has some of the conveniences of a large pot.
One downside is it cannot be moved around until after the season is over.
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- #6
Triple R
Well-Known Member
I like that idea. I can control the soil and feeding better that way also. Once I transplant to outside they will stay there till harvest so that's not a problem.
The pots also act like a raised garden bed and will heat up quicker in the spring, cool off quicker than the soil in the evening when the days were really hot. Plus you can use the bottomless pots next year. Add some nutrients to replace what was used up.
Compare the cost of the trash can and a plastic pot of about the same size. If in an urban/suburban area there might be a recycling area. People throw away their trash cans because they wore holes in the bottom or some rodent chewed a hole in them. I found some for holding yard waste that way.
This is giving me some thoughts and I will have to call my buddy and his wife.
Compare the cost of the trash can and a plastic pot of about the same size. If in an urban/suburban area there might be a recycling area. People throw away their trash cans because they wore holes in the bottom or some rodent chewed a hole in them. I found some for holding yard waste that way.
This is giving me some thoughts and I will have to call my buddy and his wife.
luckydux
Active Member
Not to steal your thread but I have a somewhat similar inquiry.
I’m planting in rows and plan to amend the native dirt. I’ve considered just purchasing a ready mix blend like something from buildasoil and just till it in but that seems like a waste. Then like smokingwings already stated I think I should just find a few yards of the best compost I can find and till that in, toss in some amendments very similar to what was suggested, and call it good.
Not sure about adding peat because I had the native soil tested a few months ago and it has a ph around 5 and not many nutrients at all. It has a CEC of 11 and 40% of that is calcium if I’m reading the test right
Any ideas or suggestions??
I’m planting in rows and plan to amend the native dirt. I’ve considered just purchasing a ready mix blend like something from buildasoil and just till it in but that seems like a waste. Then like smokingwings already stated I think I should just find a few yards of the best compost I can find and till that in, toss in some amendments very similar to what was suggested, and call it good.
Not sure about adding peat because I had the native soil tested a few months ago and it has a ph around 5 and not many nutrients at all. It has a CEC of 11 and 40% of that is calcium if I’m reading the test right
Any ideas or suggestions??
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- #9
Triple R
Well-Known Member
Hey no prob. Any information youcan get will help me too
I will chime in and see if I can help.
What kind of native soil do you each have? Have you tried digging up the planting site yet to see what is currently there?
As for the hole size, I have been researching others' grow journals to get an idea of potential sizes based on the variety you are planning to grow. If you have no concern for maximum growth, then prepare as large of a hole as you can compared to pots that are 100 gallons or larger. I am planning on preparing a hole that is 4x4 by a few feet deep for a single Blue Dream which are known to get huge in CA sun. I have heavy clay soil. My methodology will be to dig out the hole and move all that soil onto a tarp where I can break it up into small pieces and amend it easier than in the hole. I plan on adding quite a bit of course all-purpose sand, lots of worm castings, good amount of peat, kelp meal, alfalfa meal, neem seed meal, azomite, and high quality compost mainly for top dressing. On top of that a cover crop to act as a living mulch. Then I'm going to be feeding the soil with a variety of nutrient teas. I may add some other nutrients to the soil but for right now, those are the primary ones I can think of.
What kind of native soil do you each have? Have you tried digging up the planting site yet to see what is currently there?
As for the hole size, I have been researching others' grow journals to get an idea of potential sizes based on the variety you are planning to grow. If you have no concern for maximum growth, then prepare as large of a hole as you can compared to pots that are 100 gallons or larger. I am planning on preparing a hole that is 4x4 by a few feet deep for a single Blue Dream which are known to get huge in CA sun. I have heavy clay soil. My methodology will be to dig out the hole and move all that soil onto a tarp where I can break it up into small pieces and amend it easier than in the hole. I plan on adding quite a bit of course all-purpose sand, lots of worm castings, good amount of peat, kelp meal, alfalfa meal, neem seed meal, azomite, and high quality compost mainly for top dressing. On top of that a cover crop to act as a living mulch. Then I'm going to be feeding the soil with a variety of nutrient teas. I may add some other nutrients to the soil but for right now, those are the primary ones I can think of.
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- #11
Triple R
Well-Known Member
Good info bro thanks. Natural soil here is actually good farm country soil but I will be adding some organic soil to the natural along with worm casings n probably some peat moss along with natural ferts unfortunately the area I live in Grow is very hard for me to tend on a daily or weekly basis. As they say let nature take its course
