hey all, new to this organics thing. im starting on the soil mix to be ready by warmer weather. ive got pro-mix, compost, bone meal, ewc, and a 12-12-12 fertilizer. is that too strong for this mix? also is alphalpha meal and lime absolutely needed? nobody local has it cause were out of season :/ thanks in advance!!
Most 12/12/12 (N/P/K) type fertilizers are not organic. The 12/12/12/ numbers note the percentage of Nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus that is in the mix of chemicals you are putting on your plants. When gardening organically you are building a living soil that does not need the help of N/P/K type fertilizers.
gotcha, i stumbled upon the BAS.com thread. i ordered 1cu ft of soil from them. i want to do more research on the amendments and the roles they play in the soil. i started reading a little bit after i posted this earlier and there is a lot more to this than i had first thought. i will keep lurking around these parts and probably start a journal when i get the grow up and going. got the tent all set up and everything ran, now just gotta wait for the soil and the weather to warm up a bit thank you guys for the info
Well, the alfalfa meal would be food for the beneficial cultures/worms that you don't seem to have, depending on whether or not that compost was treated, so not a lot of point in adding it but you will need the lime that helps to naturally balance the pH in your mix. The 12/12/12 ferts would probably cause nitrogen toxicity and isn't well suited for the needs of marijuana, but the only way to know for sure is to try it I guess.
The Blogs Jeremy has put together over at BAS are pretty informative. I would spend some time browsing through them. I'd also suggest reading through at least the beginning of this thread here at GCO - Easy Organic Soil Mix for Beginners Link - https://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/111655... The above thread gets into at least some basics on HOW what we do works and that is much, much more important for you right now than simply mixing a few items together without knowing why you are doing so. By reading through even the first dozen pages of the thread it will help you grasp why you are adding the various items together to form a soil mix. Id also suggest reading through even the beginning (or more, if time allows) of this thread. No-Till Gardening Link - https://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/129986... Between those two threads and the blogs at BAS you'll be well on your way to a successful organic garden. J