hello grasscity. i am pleased to become a member of your growing community. as i keep reading the many wonderful posts here, i just know that this is the place i need to be at + to learn from. to begin, when growing i seem (at least to me) to start out o.k., (seedlings, early veg., even into flowering, a week or 2), up to a point + then problems. currently, i started 2 batches of seeds (1st batch - just after xmas + 2nd - after new years). i now have a mix of some 68 seedlings (some feminized from the attitude seed bank, some that s/b fem + the rest a mix of boys + girls) all growing in their own cup of promix (with no other additives). within the next 10 days i need to upsize my containers, + now this is where my problems start, so please bear with me + help a fellow grower out. its winter, i have only a 1/2 bag of promix left to grow with + i'm going out early next week to try + get a couple bundles more, this is the base i hope to work from. i have just a few additives to possibly use (nothing like the lists i've been looking at here) but i haven't a clue as to the what amounts to mix in when dealing with mixtures of say 10 litres, at a time. (space is at a premium around here - impossible to mix large quantities) i have - worm castings, veg + bloom bat guanos, bone/blood meal, epsom salts, dolomite lime, a small bag of alfalfa meal, "tarantula" - a beneficial bacteria, molasses, + a bag of vermiculite. what to use - how much of each ? i also have a dozen "air pots" - i've never used them before, + my largest pots (which i don't think are large enough) i was going to veg in them + then when i'm ready to flower - i was going to cut the bottom off the container + set that on top of another container full of fresh soil. i also have some liquid organic concentrates, plus i was going to try + make some compost teas later. (so much to do + learn, so little time). i have taken pics + everything looks good. i want this grow to be finished (at the latest) by the end of may. once again, thanks for checking in + helping out.
Depends a little on which promix were talking about, i'll assume the promix bx. However as to your issue of how much to add you can use some common percentages of amending your soil which are popular here on GC. From there its basic math. To your promix 10-20 % Pumice or Perilite, Some people on this forum shy away from using vermiculite. Too to remember why or advise you on usage. 20% is good for flowering. 1-2 liters soil aerator 20-30% Wormcastings, so 2-3 liters of wormcastings per 10 liters soil As to using your dolomite lime I would be hesitant to add because a lot of the promix's soils already have dolomite lime added. A lot of Promix retailers will advise 2-4% Guano added if available. 200-400 ml per 10 liter soil Alfalfa meal, I've done 3 cups to 25 liters so for 10 liters that'd be 1.2 cups if you wanna be exact. As to the Epsom Salts I can't advise you there because I never have used it. Also can't advise you on the Blood/Bone meal because I've opted to stay away from anything that might potentially burn my babies if added as a soil amendment. (guano's, blood meals/bone meals) Follow the instructions for the tarantula on the label. I mostly use molasses when making a tea but otherwise I rarely use it. Maybe a tsp or two per gal of water when I'm feeling frisky. Personally I would suggest buying some Kelp Meal and Azomite/Greensand to top off your mix. Good luck and welcome to GC.
Describe the mixes you were using before, and the problems you had, if you don't mind. This can better tell us what you'll need to tweak, and potential issues that may arise. Most of the ProMix formulas certainly do have Lime in them, but it's not always enough, depending on what you're putting in, and what your water source is like. I've also heard a lot of bitching about QC going down. At the max though, I'd add it at 1/2cup per cf, ot 1 TBS per gallon. Over liming your soil is probably one of the worst ways to start a grow. I'd also look into Oyster Shell to replace your Dolomite, once you're out. So, you need 10l batches? Find a dry litre measure of some sort. 6 scoops of Promix, 2 scoops of EWC, 2 scoops Vermiculite. If you can pick up Perlite, then I'd go with that instead of the Vermiculite, but I guess it will do in a pinch if it has too. That'll be around about 2.5 gallons of base mix. So, Wong's mostly got it covered from there. Personally, I would leave the Epsom Salts out. Your Lime will have you covered on good slow release magnesium. Blood is good at 1TBS/gal (~2.5TBS/10l), and double that for the bone. Alfalfa meal seems to be pretty forgiving, I've heard anywhere from 1TBS/gal to 4+/gal. It's got plenty of N in it, so you can back off the Blood a bit if you're using a decent amount. Personally, this would be my go to N source for what you have, as it also has a host of natural plant hormones and microbial life that are a plus. Really, if you have this and Kelp, you can ditch a lot of other stuff. And I would agree with Wong on the Kelp and Azomite. Very good to have. Most of this information can be sourced in this thread: http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/316510-organics-beginners.html Would be good to give it a read if you haven't. Check out the LumperDawgz soil mix threads too. Welcome to the board. Keep your common sense turned on, and keep on reading, and you may just get through this first year without the hydro shop guys completely screwing you.
nice. + thanks for replying. my grows have all been "green quantity, but with very little quality", so i didn't keep any records of what i did. containers that were probably to small, letting plants get to large, not enough fresh air - was unable to open the window, temps very hot when lites on, overfert., not enough water - plants very wilted, ph out of whack, a lack of privacy + a continental working shift, also i forget lots of stuff so quickly, it all helps contribute to my problems. i do know i didn't use kelps, humas, composts, teas, etc., one grow was with flora nova grow/bloom, another using powdered chemicals, + whatever else i grabbed at the hydro store that the guy said was good. i also tried (+failed) running a RDWC system. i've been trying to read all the threads here on organic growing + it looks so challenging. i'm going to try + spend a few hours now searching for where i can obtain some of these organic items. i also think i will start a thread in the organic grow journal, the better you can assist me with.
I've never used pro-mix but I've been a dirtbagger for a way long time. Basically I make it 40% perlite and 60% soil. You can't have too much drainage. Also, I stay away from vermiculite because of it's moisture retention. If you are using Mycorrhizae then you will have all of the water retention you will need. Just mho. Good Luck
surprise, surprise (for me). i was searching the web looking for organic suppliers nearby + i found one. it lists a whole bunch of organics, but i don't really know which to choose. they offer a full line-up, such as: general organics "vegan line" which i have a couple bottles of, also the fox farm organic based nutes for soil (6 btls), plus a variety of other goodies;- a humbolt 3 pack, bio marine fish mix / f.f. marine cuisine 10-7-7 soil / rainbow grow w mycrocorssie / fish + crab meal / roots organic HP2 / fulvic acid / humic acid / rare earth / mycorrize blend / earth juice meta-k / superthrive / meta naturals/ organic calcium / + more. help me out here please. what should i choose, + why those. i've read lots about the fox farms nutes, didn't even know i could find them in canada. they also have other items in stock, just not listed. can you make me a list of your "musts" + "wants" if you had to choose from this list. - i believe a couple hundred bucks for some quality organic nutes is money well spent, + i've spent so much to date, a few hundred more makes absolutely no difference at all. thanks
Skip the overly colorful bottles to start with. Most of them will do more harm than good in a thriving soil anyway. Go ahead and pick up, or start searching for steady sources of these items: Kelp Meal, and/or Kelp Hydrolysate (liquid) Alfalfa Meal Azomite Oyster Shell Soft Rock Phosphate Crab Meal Fish Hydrolysate Dyna Grow Pro-Tekt Dyna Grow Neem Oil And whatever liquid organic calcium supplement they have. Or make your own. Good EWC! Look for local suppliers. Good stuff is hard to come by from the grow stores, but it will do. Also, is your room good? Good soil will only do as much as other conditions allow it to. If you've been putting off getting those extra fans or whatever, then KISS and fix your enviroment first.
went to the (organic) hydro shop yesterday + obtained as many items as possible that fit the lists, so here is my list of available items to use. 2 bundles BX promix + 1/2 bdl. promix HP., / earth worm castings / grow guano / bloom guano / alfalfa meal / dolomite lime / langeinite / kelp meal / rare earth / myco maximum / tarantula (beneficial bacteria) / molasses + sucanant / hi purity cold pressed neem oil / + a bunch of liquids: - organic concentrated seaweed / cal - max / flora nova bloom + bio bud + bio thrive / grozyme / muskie (fish emulsion) / + humex (fossil force - non organic) + ph down. i will try following the instructions on the packaging + looking over posts + threads that may help explain which items to use + quantitys to put in. because i have 3 different types of containers to grow in (12 x air pots + 8 x 5 gal. buckets + lots of smaller pots that i will veg. in + then cut the bottoms off those containers + place them on top of a new container full of "blooming" soil). any thoughts are much appreciated + welcomed. time is a factor for me (because of my working shifts) + i will not be able to mix anything up before monday. my plants are currently growing under several flor. lites, + are quickly becoming root bound. i was also thinking about cutting off some of the excess roots from a couple of the plants prior to putting it into a larger container.