Outdoor Grow Guide

[Corto Malteze]

You can ask here and we'll try to help you out, no pb.

[SensiHead]

ive been using a pro-mix bx60 - cow manure10 - worm casting10 - shrimp compost mix20, but there's no good source of potassium in that mix, is there something organic i could add into my mix that wouldnt up the ph too much? is mined sulfate of potash going to fluctuate the ph alot?

ill give it seaweed solution in early-mid flowering and molasses solution in late flowering but i wanted something in my mix in case im not able to go alot

thx

[Corto Malteze]

You can mix kelp for potassium. I'm not sure how much but check on the package for the volume you plan. You can also mix in an all round NPK organic medium release fert (not slow release) to cover all the bases.

[SensiHead]

ok thx corto,

i thought seakelp only comes as a concentrated liquid?

and about the medium release fert, u mean the powder ones?
something similar to this---> High Tech Garden Supply

thx

[Corto Malteze]

I don't have actual kelp here but I use a similar product which comes in powdered form. It has high K and comes from the sea. Greensand also has K.
Yes that looks good (the FF product). If it doesn't say "slow release" or "immediate action" then it's just regular speed so good. The slow stuff prevents from "flushing" and the immediate stuff can be too harsh. But the one you linked looks really good and complete.
You can also top with wood ashes for high P and K (don't mix it in though I think).

Good luck!

[SensiHead]

thx corto...
ive decided to stick to my mix, and give 'em a bit of GH's floranova... hopefully they'll do good

[sourdiesel420]

would anyone recommend me using Fox Farm Ocean Forrest ogranic potting soil for outdoor growing? how about organic bloodmeal water mix?

[smellslikedank]

how long can u keep a germinated seed for without it losing the ability for it to be potted and grow

[Corto Malteze]

Originally Posted by sourdiesel420

would anyone recommend me using Fox Farm Ocean Forrest ogranic potting soil for outdoor growing? how about organic bloodmeal water mix?

I think a known formula is 50¨% FF 20% castings 30% perlite for outdoors (perilte drains so use if it's rainy where you are). If it's dry in your region, add some vermiculite (15 vermi 15 perlite for ex.) to hold water. 1-2 TBS water crystals (all mixed) if it's very dry like me here. You can replace perlite with lava chips.

Originally Posted by smellslikedank

how long can u keep a germinated seed for without it losing the ability for it to be potted and grow

I don't know. Plant it pointy tip down as soon as the white shoot comes out (1/4 "). I place mine in distilled water for 24 hours and they al crack open and show the white root.

[smellslikedank]

thanks brah

[sativasam]

Well I got 16 (4 more to go out) plants in the bush an have a little nigglin worry about my second grow area. The topsoil in this particular plot is only 18-24inch deep and has a very heavy clay subsoil that doesnt drain at all. 2 litres of water will sit for nearly half an hour!! Most of my holes are small enough to not collect too much rain/runoff I feel being only 2 foot square. I used a nice well drained homemade soil mix to fill em along with the usual sweat an blood.

My big worry is that in some of the larger 3ft sq holes I have dug rain water could collect sufficiently to drown the roots later in the autumn. I tried digging in some drainage with a pick axe which made little to no discernible difference to my drainage. Should I half refill these larger holes with the native clay soil to make them smaller? Good topsoil is easily available around this area but will require much labour once again to bring it to my grow site. I also have the native turf available as cutting turves was the easiest way to dig this area.

I was also thinking on burying a tarp/plastic sheet over half the hole to prevent too much water collection or possibly digging some runoff channels to allow the excess water to drain away easier. The last thing I want is almost mature plants drowned with too much rain which will surely be prolific in the UK autumn. Any ideas would be appreciated.

Keep it green.

[namewasdallas]

Here's something i didnt read on the first page and think it's the most important for people feeding plants in the ground. Take a good size sturdy stick and jam it into the ground 2ft radius 4 holes around the plant, These holes will serve to poor your nutrient solution to get to your rootball, Also you can water regular like this, I belive this to be the best method as just pooring your nutrient solution at the base of the plant wont ever make it fully to the root ball,


Also if you have a big bushy plant and want to tie the branches down, take some fishing line and a heavy sinker and attach to weight down branches ( LST in a sence)

[Leapfrog]

^^^^That making "holes in the dirt" method ...well...you should be using a porous substrate in first place...if your growing medium is so hard that you have to make holes for liquids to get down to the roots...your plant will be suffering far worse because of that packed dirt...and your liquids not making it down to the roots will be a minor problem compared to the non porous dirt.

[Corto Malteze]

Don't use a tarp as it will hold water and not prevent water to stagnate (exact contrary of what you want).
So the problem is your holes are too big and you have clay around? Just use local soil to complete or don't fill holes completely. You can use branches/leaves to fill them up too if you're afraid the water will stagnate if you don't fill em up. Don't use pine needles or oak leaves as they're both very acidic.
Being very rainy (UK right?) make sure your soil mix drains more than it retains water. So you need a lot (30-40%) of perlite or lava chips. The downside is that you'll also need to water a lot this Summer but that's the only way (a draining soil mix) if you don't want them to root rot in the Fall.

[sativasam]

Thanks for the advice Corto. Looks like I will be hauling more dirt as theres a convenient supply of good soil close by. I would have preferred to grow in better soil but the site was the only one of many possible sites that were stealthy enough. On the upside theres a good population of mycorrizae present in the clay soil as the Bee orchids I found in full flower there cannot grow without them. The Orchids also take 2 years to flower so I know the site is real safe.

The compost I have been bringing in is very coarse and pete free, I find large twigs etc in it, perlite is already part of my regular mix and I will be adding more. Watering shouldnt be a problem with a canal fairly close by, though after hauling all those gallons I will certainly be a lot fitter and in need of a drink myself!!

My other site has lovely river silt/loam for native soil which I mixed with a compost/perlite/vermi/coco pete mix. Coco pete bricks are great for bulking up soil mixes being easy to carry and helping retain water in this case.

What do you think to the drainage channel idea? the clay soil site is on a very slight incline and I was thinking of digging a 6inch x 2 foot deep run off channel below the holes to ensure water can escape later in the season. Maybe I could dig the channel in the early autumn when the rain becomes more regular? We usually have good sun here in the UK until early Sept at least, the site also faces south and gets full sun from morning until about 6-7pm.

Thanks again.

Keep it green.