soil / soil-less mediums?

[estranged]

looking for some help on soil/soil-less mediums,,
can i go from a soil grow to something like cocoa coir in a pot and just water with nutes?? or do i need a hydroponic setup for cocoa coir?

just looking for a solution to nothing but time release nutrient soil around here,, i can not even find a hydro shop anywhere in canada that sells fox farms or black gold let alone any soil online to order,, and most U.S. shops don't ship canada or if do it cost a fortune to ship,,

do i have to grow in soil for the micronutrients and organisms that are present in it when not using hydroponics or aeroponics or what ever else oponics,,

what are some options i have and dont wanna switch to hydo really,,as seems to complicated for a newb like me just yet,, lol,,
like can i go 50% perlite 50% vermiculite and just have to water and feed more often or would they retain too much,,or 25% perlite 25% vermicultie 50% cocoa coir??
i dont care if i have to water everyday even,,

or should i just go with best soil i can find and cross my fingers,,

 

[ReactiveLlama]

Re: soil / soil-less mediums??

Have you tried a shovel and a bucket?

I'm just screwing around. But you're right no one will sell soil online. It's heavy and thus the shipping can be super expensive. However if your local garden centers have any kind of soil then if you ask I'm sure they can order in regular potting soil.

I'm in Canada too and I'm actually thinking of giving a Canadian made soil called Sea Soil a whirl when I grow and thankfully it seems as just about everyone carries it, I half expected to see a few bags at the local 7/11. If all else fails though you might be back to my original sarcastic suggestion. If you can't buy it, digging isn't a bad option. It introduces a lot of unknowns but I've heard you can sterilize soil so it's possible.

Best of luck!!

 

[Harry Red]

Re: soil / soil-less mediums??

This is a good soiless mix that works for me.

50% Sphagnum Peat (I like MG Canadian with starter nutes)
30% Perlite
20% Wormcastings
2 Tbls powdered Dolomite lime per gallon of medium as a PH buffer

I find it to be stable and fairly easy to use...



Harry

 

[estranged]

Re: soil / soil-less mediums??

thanks for the suggestions guys,,
i really can't beleive that every store i went (home depot, wal-mart, home hardware, greenhouses, and other local stores that sell soil) all just had MG and Schults time release,,,thats ridiculous!,, small city of 60,000 people and thats the choice,,

but in the end, i do think maybe im getting too hung up on this fox farms soil, but the way its talked about on here you would swear it was the midas touch for marijuana,, ,,but i suppose soil don't make the rules, a good grower could likely grow weed in his asshole, lol, maybe look into a mix like harryred, but the starter nutes are what im trying to avoid,and worm castings i have not seen either,,maybe i gotta open eyes i dunno,,lol,,

At my parents farm they have two big vegetable gardens that they rotate every year, and man that soil is rich, i swear like 12 inches of topsoil, every other year one that is not being used, is used as compost (last years garden refuse mulched in with cow and chicken manure), after those gardens are tilled if you step in the garden be prepared to sink to yours knees in fresh soil, i always dreamt of growing there casue really secluded gardens too, but never thought of using the soil indoors,,hmmm
but, i really don't think i wanna bring a bunch of pests into my indoor garden,, have to look more into sterilizing soil maybe,,

but maybe just going at wrong times and other soils sold out,,alot of people planting flowers here this time of year,, im sure if i keep looking something gotta show up,, is my first grow maybe expectations are getting too high and my beginners mistakes are the cause of most of problems and not the soil,,lol,,

 

[estranged]

Re: soil / soil-less mediums??

yikes! starting to blab again,