Hey guys whats up. I'm planing on starting a grow in my woods, this is going to be my first grow. I've done a ton of research and am very confused lol. How should I prepare the grow site soil wise? I'm doing this in the woods in an area that gets a lot of sun. What do I need to test exactly in the soil? And what is the cheapest way to get started, (what kind of soil and nutes do you suggest)? Should i dig 2x2x2 feet holes and fill them with soil? Sounds pricey lol. I've heard other things like using trash bags and 5 gallon buckets filled with soil? I have a ton of bag seed i plan on using all from the same half pound my buddy had. Do you think it will all be the same strain?? Also there is creak near by but the water is stagnant and has probably been sitting there for a while. However theirs a lot of wildlife in the creak, small fish, frogs and such. Would this be a bad source of water for my plants? I'm sorry I've just heard so many different ways of doing this and i just want to make sure i get it done right.
I want to grow in the dirt, i was thinking like 4 or 5 plants maybe more if it wont cost me to much. As far as my budget, as cheap as possible lol
ok... so there's several options... some more expensive than others... Option A (easiest, most expensive): 2x2x2 filled with Fox Farms Ocean Forest / 25% Perlite... this'll give you all the nutes you need for veg growth, and won't require you to mix your soil... it's relatively expensive soil, no lie... but it works well, and leaves you with the peace of mind that you don't have to pH balance things... you'll need some flowering nutes of some kind as well... Option B (proven mix, cheaper in the long run): 2x2x2 filled with Promix BX / Worm Castings / Perlite / Vermiculate... you'd have to mix your own using this, and the initial cost of the ingredients will be a bit pricey, but you'll be able to make a LOT of soil with one big bag of each... this isn't as rich as the FFOF, but still sustains a good two weeks of veg growth nutes... you'll want a light veg nute and flowering nutes for this mix... Option C (cheapest mix, but who knows what pH?): 2x2x2 filled with topsoil / mushroom compost / perlite / vermiculate... similar to the mix above, but you'll need a pH meter for this mix... however, mushroom compost and topsoil are cheap in bags, and a lot of places have topsoil and mushroom composts for sale by the truckload... you'll need to get your pH right with really, any mix you mix yourself... but i know for a fact Option B will come out to 6.2-6.8, cause i use that mix for seedlings myself (check the sig)... i have no clue what the pH value of mushroom compost and random topsoil will be... you'll still need a light veg nute and flowering nutes with this mix, but it's your best bet if all you want is cheap... whatever route you choose, you'll need flowering nutes... i can recommend what's in my sig or the fox farms line...
so for each plant i need to dig a 2x2x2 hole? How many bags of say fox farms/perlite would i need per hole?
unless you've got good soil to plant in, yea dig a 2x2x2 for each plant... it'll prolly take like a bag and half per hole after you mix the perlite in... i dunno... i always sucked at math... mabodah where u at u love these math questions?
2'x2'x2' equals 8 cubic feet per hole. 25% perlite = 2cf/hole. I buy perlite in 4cf bags. 75% FFOF = 6cf/hole. 1.5cf per bag = four bags/hole.
For big grows I use an Excel spreadsheet with linked formulas that determines required components by mix percentage and cost by hole/pot size, total components by cubic feet, number of bags/loads required and cost.
Thanks so much guys. Would the soil from my uncles corn field work?? He said i could use as much as i want if i hooked him up lol.
Put enough perlite in it for drainage, give it nutrients and almost any soil other than pure clay will work. I'd think that corn field has been exposed to some serious chemical treatments.