For some time, I have been contented to just use Black Gold potting soil as my grow medium, fearing any dirt out of my yard, for example. The Black Gold was the best of the potting soils, I found, but it didn't work all that great. I failed to recognize a fundamental mistake for three or four crop rotations: commercial potting soil is a pretty inadequate grow medium for cannabis. Not that it doesn't try, but even with the built in nutes, there is something deficient using it straight from the bag. It isn't that it is a poor quality product, it just doesn't have the right mix for both halves of the grow cycle. And it is much too peaty for this plant variety. Using it straight, I was getting nitrogen deficiencies, chlorosis, and a general failure to thrive in my crops until I changed my soil recipe. Now, suddenly, all is quite well and my current crop is going crazy, with healthy, green vegetation and excellent, much improved budding. My soil recipe I add 50% plain old dirt, dug from a foot deep or more (below the bug and compost line) in my back yard, to 50% Black Gold potting mix. I mixed this together well, then add 5 to 10% sand and two big, heaping double handfuls of pearlite (per wheelbarrow load) to this mixture. I use 5 gallon buckets and begin with at least x4 half inch drain holes around the circumference of the bottom, for drainage. I usually have at least one in the bottom middle, too. I fill the grow bucket with enough 1/2 inch gravel to cover the holes, then cover this with enough sand to just hide the gravel, to keep the flies out of the drain holes. Fill to the top with the dirt /soil mix. Plant. Maybe this is old news to many indoor growers, but it took me nine rotations to figure it out for myself. I should mention that once the plants are repotted into this mix and adjusted, I give them a good prophylactic application (including the top of the soil in the buckets) of Neem oil, applied in the usual way (thorough spraying and then a spray water rinse). I have not seen any pests in my grow room so far, after two months. the plants are doing very well indeed. Much, much better than any previous crop. Fear not your (decent) yard soil- it makes the best additive to the commercial potting stuff. Just sayin' GM
good way to save money just gotta be careful about the pH and clay...throw in a cup of dolomite lime, a cup of blood and bone meal, some cottonmeal seed, some bat guano and more perlite and your plants will be super happy..
Per five gallon bucket?!? I don't think I need any more additives to the soil I have built- it is working great. This grow is amazingly happy, by far the best I have had and with no early onset chlorosis. My frugality button was nicely pushed as my yield went much higher. Thanks for the input, I will try adding small mounts of those ingredients too. Just sayin' gm