Need soil help
- Thread starter Johnbeers
- Start date
Emilya Green
Well-Known Member
yes, there is an all in one soil... what have you heard?
Emilya Green
Well-Known Member
Welcome to the forum by the way @Johnbeers! How did you find us?
Fox Farm or Coast of Maine...amongst many others
Emilya Green
Well-Known Member
I was thinking more along the lines of Sohum or one of the other living soils that can be purchased online these days, but yeah, there are a lot of great soils out there for all kinds of growing methods. @Johnbeers, is it your intent to go full organic and use one of the soils that claim to be water only?
Yes.
If buying in the store the soil is usually called "water only" or something like that meaning that all you have to do is water when needed.
Better yet, build your own Super Soil. Using just those two words do an internet search and then using the same two words do a search on this message board. Start browsing through all the links. After a couple of hours of reading you should have the basics down on how to build a soil.
Then advance to Living Organic Soil and you could build one of those soils. Keep in mind that for a LOS project you will have to consider using 15 gallon pots.
In the long run I found out that today's Super Soil is not that far off from the soils I learned to build back in the early 1970s for general landscaping, flowers and vegetables. Difference today is the addition of a few soil amendments to provide what particular plants will need at the different stages of grow between a seedling/clone until the day it gets cut down.
During that little bit of research is a lot of fun. Even if some of what you learn is something think you will never need you are going to end up ahead of the game because you did learn something. That guy on Jeopardy who just hit the $2 million mark says that most of his answers are things he learned about while actually trying to learn about something else entirely.
Have fun.
If buying in the store the soil is usually called "water only" or something like that meaning that all you have to do is water when needed.
Better yet, build your own Super Soil. Using just those two words do an internet search and then using the same two words do a search on this message board. Start browsing through all the links. After a couple of hours of reading you should have the basics down on how to build a soil.
Then advance to Living Organic Soil and you could build one of those soils. Keep in mind that for a LOS project you will have to consider using 15 gallon pots.
In the long run I found out that today's Super Soil is not that far off from the soils I learned to build back in the early 1970s for general landscaping, flowers and vegetables. Difference today is the addition of a few soil amendments to provide what particular plants will need at the different stages of grow between a seedling/clone until the day it gets cut down.
During that little bit of research is a lot of fun. Even if some of what you learn is something think you will never need you are going to end up ahead of the game because you did learn something. That guy on Jeopardy who just hit the $2 million mark says that most of his answers are things he learned about while actually trying to learn about something else entirely.
Have fun.
gira
Active Member
I read about this sohum living soil is it true one only adds water?
Emilya Green
Well-Known Member
Yes, as long as you do it correctly, water only... you don't even have to worry about pH.
gira
Active Member
I’m an older fixed income (aka retired) grower that would love to go organic living soil and am wondering if I can use the sohum would it still be recommended to use the dandelion fertilizers?
Barney86
Well-Known Member
There's someone on here doing a comparison of soil v hydro and his cheap, shop bought, water only gear is kicking hydros ass!
If I can remember who he is I'll find out what soil it was.
Anyone know who I'm on about?
If I can remember who he is I'll find out what soil it was.
Anyone know who I'm on about?
Emilya Green
Well-Known Member
Here we get to the difference between the concept of using a fertilizer to supercharge and already thriving grow, vs using nutrients out of a bottle simply to feed to plants. Since "feeding" is taken care of in the sohum system, dandelion ferts can be used with their original and intended purpose... to make your plants bigger and your buds more numerous.
gira
Active Member
That’s what I’m looking for! Cheap and somewhat easy! I only grow three plants at a time. Have the space/lighting to do more, and did try twelve on my first grow...just too much for this old man. Besides, I like spending time and attention on plants individually.
gira
Active Member
Regarding lights, I am currently flowering my three ladies under 1200W HPS.
Emilya Green
Well-Known Member
thats sort of what I was under a couple of years ago... a 600w MH and a 600w HPS, all inside a large raptor air cooled hood. It worked pretty well, but I did pay a lot more for electricity than I do now under LED.
Nunyabiz
Well-Known Member
Just make sure that your soil tilth is correct, very good aeration, doesn't compact, isn't hydrophobic.
And if using a super soil method go with at least 7 gallon fabric pots and if doing a true Living Organic Soil No-till then a flat minimum of 15 gallon fabric pots.
Grow your soil, let the soil grow the plants.
And if using a super soil method go with at least 7 gallon fabric pots and if doing a true Living Organic Soil No-till then a flat minimum of 15 gallon fabric pots.
Grow your soil, let the soil grow the plants.
Squirrel05420
Well-Known Member
Thoughts on pro mix premium potting mix? I grabbed some of this by accident and well I'm thinking of giving it a try looks like its npk is 30-30-30 thinking of taking back to the store
Bush Doctor 77
Well-Known Member
If you mean "soil" exactly, the good ones have been mentioned for organic growing. If you mean media where you can use hydroponic nutrients, there are many options. Sunshine Mix and PRO-MIX are the most used peat/perlite mixes. There is the choir option, too. I do my organic growing outdors, and grow hydroponically in Sunshine Mix indoors. Important for me is KISS! Welcome.
Deketx
Well-Known Member
Take it back, unless you want to mix it into your outdoor garden. That's too hot.
Only thing with this is that it would be expensive! Most new growers can't and aren't going to make their own IMO. And premade soil is $$. But if love pots full of the waterless soil in using now but that would break the bank,lol
Nunyabiz
Well-Known Member
Not sure I follow you.
I use 25 gallon pots and 3 years ago I spent $54 per pot which included all the soil (3 bags each) all amendments and cover crop seeds, (all of it on sale) all of which I am still using today and I am starting my 8th grow shortly.
So far that's less than $7 per grow and just keeps getting cheaper each grow.
That was highest quality store bought bagged soil.
"Oly Mountain Modern Mix 2" living organic soil.
So overall I don't see how it could be much cheaper.
Yeah, but the buy-in is still $54/pot. Run eight plants that first grow, and you'd have just spent $432 before buying lights, tent (or some reflective material, if growing in a cabinet/room), fan(s), carbon filter, seeds, et cetera.
Not every first-time grower wants to spend a week's pay (or more) just to see if he/she can grow cannabis. I don't think the person you were replying to was arguing that it's significantly expensive long term.
My house isn't expensive when its price is averaged across the years I've lived here plus all the future years I
.
