Hello, Im new to growing outdoors but I have tried hydro and really like it but wanna try outdoors for the yield and taste. My first experience was going to the local hydro store where the guy convinced me to buy a bag of happy frog and put my hydro seedlings in it, which burnt them right up. I havent been back to that store. So I currently have a near full bag of happy frog, a bag of jiffy mix (walmart), and 10 babies in a germination tray. In the germination tray I have 4 autos and 6 photos. Im in a northern midwestern climate (Ohio). Its still pretty cold here today we where in the 30s, though snow is melting. I found the subcool recipe, but its massive amount of ingredients and he recommends that you leave the mix outside for 30 days which wont work here its will freeze and thaw a few times. So Im looking for a good mix which i will only need to water, and doesnt need as long of a rest period. Does anything like this exist? Please help thanks!
well I've never used happy frog or jiffy mix... but I take it that jiffy mix is a peat moss based seed starting mix of some sort. I was going to keep it simple for you and tell you to mix compost and peat moss about 50/50. If the happy frog was too strong mix it in with the jiffy until the mix is lighter and aerated. Happy frog is already amended so you can very well just use that and water with molasses.. or water with just water. I've never used either products but if you want to keep it short n simple... just dilute the happy frog with a peat based mix.
Look in the organics section, there are lots of recipes like subcool's (some are better) for water only soil. That cycling is important, though. It doesn't need to happen outside necessarily but it does need to happen or it will burn your plants.
That's odd that Happy Frog would burn up your plants. It's a mild soil geared towards seedlings and small plants. I'm guessing something went wrong when transitioning grow styles. To be honest organic growing IS a lot to learn, no matter what anyone says. But it really only takes a short time to get comfortable and then it's second nature. These are the recipes I use. Seedling mix (fool proof) 1 part perlite 1 part peat 1 part compost Super Soil per large bag of soil add 8 cups rock dust 1 cup kelp 1 cup alfalfa 1 cup bone meal 1/2 cup neem meal 1/2 cup guano 1/2 cup rock phosphate 1/2 cup greensand 1/2 cup lime Or you can make your own base mix out of the seedling recipe instead of starting with the bagged soil. Some people will flame you for not making your own base, but do whatever works for you.
I personally started out with just bagged soil and fed with teas and top dressings my first organic run. That gave me time to learn about all the different amendments before I tried building my own soil. Now I geek out on stuff like this. It's like a mad science experiment that rewards me with pounds of dank buds.
I would bet it was more a water issue than HF burning your Plants.. I use ocean forest and seedling do fine.. I now mix With 707 for faster rooting. I have cold temps till mid June. I think you could lay black Visqueen down put mix out and cover. That would make a Huge difference. It's 55 high here the other day and in my Greenhouse it was 97 so with a mix cooking and sun you Should be set
I like your mix. That is pretty much what I do for my seedling mix but my veg soil mix is usually whatever I can get my hands on. I know that most beginner growers aren't going to go out and start buying all these organic admendments and might not even be able to get them w/o going online, so I just advise people to LEARN as much as they can but work with what they got.
Thanks it looks like im going to have to order most things online, I noticed that your mix doesnt include earthworm castings, but pretty much every other mix Ive read have them which ingredient do you use is a substitute for them? Im having trouble finding any locally except at big box places like home depot and Im not sure if those would be best quality.
Sorry there should definitely be worm castings or compost in there too. If you make your own base mix with the compost/peat/perlite that will be covered. If using bagged soil for your base, add like 20 cups of castings or compost per bag.
I have a few questions about this recipe because I'm looking into the same thing. 1) Does it need to be cooked or aged? 2) Can this used be used for pots and the ground? 3) If doing one bag of this recipe, how many plants will it support? I'm trying to figure out how much I would need for my garden, in the ground. Thanks, E
this is the gold standard for a beginners organic mix. And it does need to cycle or cook for a few weeks. It's simpler the the others posted on this thread. Once you got the soil downno more worry about adding nutes. Just water and watch for bugs. "Flowering" nutes & ph is a non issue with organic soil. http://forum.grasscity.com/index.php?/topic/1116550-Easy-Organic-Soil-Mix-for-Beginners http://forum.grasscity.com/index.php?/topic/1357118-Scotty%27s-first-grow
Kiss... Keep It Simple Stupid. Grab your self a bag of this and you won't need to worry about all that other stuff. 1 of each bag and mix them with some native soil. http://www.jollygardener.com/soil_master_nursery.htm
This is exactly the answer I'm looking for. I really don't have a green thumb. I can "paint by numbers," in regards to soil and nutrients. I have the training, trimming, watering, and lighting down; my wife has the knack for the soil and stuff. I just need to take this info and pass it along to her and she will know what to do with it. I'm doing all the research so she can get working on my plants. I say "my" because this a key factor into me getting healthy again.. E
1)Yes it needs "cooked" like any soil that has dry amendments added will need cooked. 2)Yes it's good for pots or in the ground. For large pots and in ground outdoors, I like to add a few shovels of native soil as well. 3)Each batch of the recipe above will make about 15 gallons which is about as small as you will want to go outdoors per plant. Many growers use 100+ gallons per plant.
They are quality organic potting soils that work great for a base soil. Then you can start to add some other ammendats that others have listed.
Thanks!!! This is very helpful. I have read things over and over and still don't understand certain things. However, I understand it when you guys put it as simple at that. It seems that growing got overly complicated. I have an acquaintance who lives in the desert, who loves growing any kind of seed(s) that he can get his hands on. He has grown pine trees and eucalyptus trees from seeds, then popped them in ground. Some live and some die. However, he just gives them water and whatever organic material he has around the yard and viola - things just work. My soil is very clay like. So, we will have to add extra stuff for drainage. I've been reading the gypsum is pretty good for clay soil. I think our soil is pretty rich. So, I think it would take very little effort in getting it up to it's full potential. E
This is a recipe for larger batches. It can amend 16 bags of soil or an 8x8 area of base soil. My raised beds are a mix of native soil, potting soil, and compost plus all these amendments. 1 bag manure 1 bag compost 20 cups rock dust 5 lbs kelp 5 lbs alfalfa 3 lbs guano 3 lbs rock phosphate 4 lbs bone meal 4 cups neam meal 2 cups feather meal 4 cups green sand 4 cups lime
That is the key. You don't need every single ingredient I listed to have a great soil. Just use whatever you can find and use the recipes provided for ideas. I looked at other people's recipe, changed it around to use the ingredients I liked, and it works. Trees in nature don't have an exact recipe, they get what they get. Dead leaves and limbs fall and add compost. Animals come by and leave manure. Things die and rot. Super soil is the same idea. Add some manures, some compost, some organic this and that's and you have a soil.
Earthworm castings 40%, vermiculite 30%, perlite 30% something like that. Looks like gold. Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
It's not all that complicated once you start to learn things. It takes time and research along with some trial and error but it becomes slot easier as time goes by and the soil only gets better each year. If it seems to much to swallow at the moment I would keep it simple. Both mjmama and Sgt are very knowledgable and helpful. Keeping things simple will be your best bet. My suggestion would to purchase some GeoPots or SmartPots. I would start with no smaller than 20 gallons. The bigger you use the bigger the plant will be. I run Geopots as they are stronger than most other pots. Using them you don't have to dig into the hard ground and the roots will form a great rootball along with the benefits of using a fabric pot. Place the pots where you get the best and most sunlight. For soil call around to landscape supply places and ask for what they have for a super soil. But the best soil you can afford to fill the pots with. This will take mist the guess work out of it. With the correct soil you can just water when needed and harvest when ready. As you do research and learn you can start implementing what you learn such as top dressing, teas and eventually you will be able to build your own soil. I do recommend that you get a hold of a grow bible or two. The more you can learn the better your results will be. It's an non stop adventure into learning and improving each year or grow. Never stop learning. As you will find organics nay seem difficult but in the long run you will have a healthier soil and plants. Remember you are injecting the plants in one way or another, anything you put into the plant gets absorbed by it and ends up in your body. That alone is good reason to stay away from synthetic nutrients. As far as books I would suggest Ed Rothensals and Jorge Cervantes books. Both guys are expert growers and are very well known in the cannabis industry. Eds book is used at Oaksterdam and Jorge's is a long time writer for high times and has written grow books for a long time. Reading both books will give you a good understanding of growing cannabis and everything from seed to harvest, drying and curing, soil and other growing mediums, indoors and outdoors, breakdown of the science around cannabis and growing it along with different methods/ styles if growing . They also cover issues concerning the plant weather it's nutrient deficiency or over fertilization, pest and benifical insects, diseases and other issues. I own both and still reference mine occasionally even after all the years I've been growing. I see the knowledge as the best investment you can make toward growing. Well worth the money you spend on the books. They will answer most questions you will have with growing and will introduce you to building soils. As you get more comfortable and have success you then should start reading about building soils along with soil life. Hope this helps you out a bit and good luck.