simple and cheap potting mixes?

Discussion in 'Growing Marijuana Outdoors' started by railroadgrower, Mar 9, 2011.

  1. yeah i could use some ideas... i plan on planting in 5 gallon buckets and using mostly cheap (organic) potting soil. what are some good things i could mix in with the soil? im thinking about nutes and things to adjust the texture of the soil to help it retain moisture but have no clue where to start looking any pointers would be nice
     
  2. Great place to come RRGrower.

    If you would like to keep it organic without adding chemical fertz to your plants you could start off by airing out your soil ~20% perlite if it does not contain any already, this will help with the draining, or as you put it 'texture'.
    The problem with the rest of my suggestion is that you cannot start a seed or clone directly in soil with these amendments as it will burn it, keep that in mind by starting you seedlings in a nutrient free soil like sunshine #4

    Amendments to keep your plant healthy during its life cycle (no measurements because I am not sure what the correct proportions are for a 5 gallon bucket

    Worm Castings
    Bone Meal (high P-K)
    Bat Guano (high phosphorus)
    Blood Meal (high nitrogen)
    Definetly going to need some Dolomite to level out your pH
    Other small things like trace elements and humic acid can help but wont make or break your crop. Im off to dinner, will add more if i forgot when im back
     
  3. Outdoor stickies
     
  4. ok thanks for the perlite suggestion sounds like a good idea. would bagged soil with 20% perlite burn the seedlings? because i was hoping to keep them in the same container for the year. iv read all the stickies and guides i could find at some point or another theres just afew things im still not sure about but thanks
     
  5. #5 Corto Malteze, Mar 10, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 10, 2011
    Being alone for the first grows is essential imo.

    Spend several days scouting. You'll need a car. Look for water sources.

    Prepare your spot (haul, cut branches...) in the early morning-evening (I only go late evening-night with red head lamp if nec.). Knowing each part of your area is vital esp at night and hauling stuff.

    Bring plants only when the grow spot is set up.

    Only do 5-6 plants the first time (two spots) in sunny spots. You can start them indoors if it's cold in Spring where you are or if you want extra big yields (use an MH lamp for 1 month). If started outdoors, monitor your seedlings for the first month (rain, wind). Use big solo cups for 2-3 weeks then up the containers. If doing auto seeds use bigger pots directly or change faster (early flowering caused by being root bound).

    Look for a South facing spot for best results (the sun is crucial to get lots of buds and healthy plants). But the South also means exposed. That's why you need to scout to find the right location. Use a compass. Look for plains in elevated areas. East is good (sun in the morning and midday is good against mold). West can be good if it's all you got. Don't plant in the North (fluffly buds very little yield).

    Cover your tracks on your way out if nec (watch for your foot prints and hide face if nec.). Look for other footprints (place things to see if moved). I place branches on the ground of some grows to not leave prints. Go as less often as possible. Use mulch to reduce waterings.


    1. Easy Seedling mix = 20 % castings + 40% peat + + 40% perlite (or vermic.) (full stop) You can miccorhyze but I never use them.

    2. Easy plant mix = 20-30% castings + 30-40% peat + 5 cups of powdered dolomite lime per bale of peat+ 30-40% perlite (mix separatley). (You can use compost if you have it)

    + 20% Real nutes mix you SEPARATE from the castings basis: kelp-chicken manure-high P bat guano - bone meal - blood meal etc... (place hotter nutes at bottom of the hole to not burn plant and to avoid critter digging). I also add some organic slow release dry ferts too (1/2 handful per plant). You can just use slow release ferts if you want (espoma, osmocote...).

    I cook the Real nutes mix in bags in my yard (add water in bag every week and leave in the sun for 5-6 weeks). These will be placed at the bottom and lower part of hole. You can cook them under the hole as well if you don't have a yard. Or place a tarp outdoors to wrap up the nutes in (sun and water). You can also mix everything on the spot if you don't have time or can't at home (just keep the hot stuff under). Splitting open peat bags and perlite bags is easy right on the spot but I prefer to have it all mixed in well and packed in big back packs.

    I place the Easy plant mix with only castings (and a bit of "real" nutes to up it) wrapped in a big tarp and water the same. The peat, lime and nutes will mix in well like this. I use this plant mix in 3/4 of the hole. That way I can add harder nutes at bottom hole and monitor exactly what the plants will get (you don't want them to burn). The castings are low heat and are the plants' main food (no need to liquid feed imo with 20-30% castings in the soil and enough nutes at the bottom -2 reg. shovels of real nutes is good for the whole season)(+ a bit of slow release nutes).

    Place plants in May-June (N. hem).

    Use Epsom salts twice (1 tea spoon per gallon of water). Don't over do the dosage as the plant can get dark green and get puffy leaves (excess salt). Epsom salts are important to add (avoids and can cure the plant's yellowing by giving it trace elements).

    Optional but good: use Worm castings tea 3 or 4 times. Use it esp. when you place the plants for an innoculation of plant helping bacteria. You can foliar feed with the tea too.

    I bring along aphid spray when I visit as this is very common during veg. outdoors. You want your plants to be aphid free when flowering starts (yield and you don't spray buds you'll smoke).

    Top and fim 4 or 5 times in season esp. in veg. (= pinch plant ends).

    LST with mason string (= tie down plant) during veg every time you visit. Do this gradually. Bring scotch tape if you brake a branch.

    Stakes: I add them in mid Flowering as I like the plant to get strong on its own.

    Supercropping: Twist and crunch branches (see how to do it as can be tricky). This increases yield and strengthens plant.

    Top dress soil of the plant with 1 inch of bloom nutes in beg. flowering season ( = place dry nutes around the plant's drip line to not burn it with nutes right over the root ball). Top dressing can save your grow because you don't want your plants yellowing during flowering.

    Use ziploc type bags to harvest (no smell in car).

    Drive slowly on your way home. Trim, cure and enjoy.
     
  6. Great advice CM.
     
  7. I love it! Always new info
     
  8. sunshine #4 with a bag of perlite and a bag of peat moss added does pretty well. indoors and out.

    simple and cheap if you can find a distributor.
     
  9. I have a small bale of sunshine #4, can I use just this to start my girls indoors? It says its already got perlite, coco coir, etc.
     
  10. You want cheap?

    I'm buying a yard of compost from the city for $22 and then mixing about 25% perlite(~$15/4cu ft bag)...Thats it!

    Cheaper than anything.
     
  11. I use :
    1 part natural dirt
    2 parts potting soil
    1/2 part perlite ( you can use sand to)
    And usually 1/4 compost but only if I have it.
     
  12. Edit:

    Make sure the manures you use are composted.
    No need to place in bags and water (as mentioned above) but if you're in a hurry you can do that to speed up the mixing of nutes and the rest and cooling off. Always place hotter mix in bottom half and not touching root ball. For the seedlings use castings, for the bigger plant mainly horse manure (in main mix = castings+horse + a bit of others), and at bottom (later for plant), I use high P guano (won't burn so you can out some all around too), kelp (high K) -doesn't burn- and chicken shit (even composted can burn but one of best manures -very complete). 5 pounds guano- 5 pounds kelp- 3 pounds chicken manure is what I place per hole. Rest is mix with horse and castings.
     

  13. What's your yield like and what country are you from?
     
  14. This was helpful. I usually mix my potting soil which contains pearlite with a little manure and give a low dosage of flowering ferts later. you can reuse the soil if you freshen it up with some kind of shit. Also, when reusing soil make sure you find a way to get all those trace nutes back in the soil. I've had probs with this before.

    I never knew about the epsom salt trick until now. Woulda been helpful
     
  15. My soil is cut with
    1part MG garden soil
    1part native clay
    1part sand
    1:1part Aged horse/rabbit shit.
    6 hrs direct sunlight was my mistake.
     
  16. #16 Rippedmofuck, Jun 21, 2011
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 21, 2011
    so im working off:

    scotts soil x3 bags
    sheep manurex2 bags
    bone meal (box)
    and i have insecticide soap foraphids and bugs.

    think thatll work? imunsure as to how much to water on a daily basis though. im using 3 camoflagued pots.

    Also, how much of each to you think i should put in the pot?

    I got work, so ill be checking back later tn please offer me your take~
     
  17. A couple tips and perhaps a most important one is MAKE SURE that there are plenty and correctly placed drainage holes when using 5 gallon buckets as if the holes are to small the holes can clog.Keep the cheap shit potting soil to the bottom of the buckets with something closer to a premium soil mix to the top,as the plant matures it will be able to use the poorer soil more efficiently with less problems.I add polymers to the buckets and a layer of mulch to the top 4 inches making sure to keep it away from the stalk.A small round cut out of chicken wire can keep animals from digging them up,many a time I have found dead plants from diggers.Also the use of fish based,bone or blood based and just animal based period greatly increases the odds of intruders of the animal kind.After a thouro watering I have seen this set up grow unattended for 70 days with good results.
     
  18. #18 Corto Malteze, Jan 13, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 13, 2012
    Yes don't use blood and bone meal or fish as they attract animals. Green ferts, organic slow release, chicken shit (strongest, place at bottom), kelp, lime and bat guano (high P and N) will cover all the bases.
    I don't use teas ever (too far) but they work well and can be a plus if possible.
    I now dry outdoors for 3 weeks under a tarp. This is very nice and will avoid any severe mold problems if the way home is long. And avoid being a stink bomb on the road. The trip can turn your buds into mush if it's a few hours drive... outdoor drying is great.
     
  19. I take it your new to this.

    1 - Fox Farm , Ocean Forest .. Found in Hydro stores & will have everything you need already in the mix. 20+ a Bag from most stores.

    2 Depends on where you live as to what type of soil is available. Now I have used Kellog's Patio Plus before w/ a side by side to fox farm. $6 a bag @ Home Depot

    They are both wonderful soils & all you have to do is add PH correct water. Perlite & all that good shit is already there.

    Vegg in 1 gallon pots & transfer them to a fresh 5 gallon for flowering. I usually move them 4-7 days before flowering.
     
  20. So the last post was 5 months ago, but was linked here from corto maltese's sig.
    Thanks
    This kid i know has tons of shit laying around. One can see the greenhouse light dep and flower room in my signature. Those are the grows from the collective.
    One patient has went rogue, outdoor, and following the collectives guidelines, has her atty close, and has 3 patients.
    Some of their pics are in that thread, or will be after today. They potted up some moms into like 20 gal pots, some "subcool supersoil" which is basic ammendments in subcool proportions...probably many names he just added his. zBottom 1/3 ammended soil, top is promix(thought that was an east coast brand...bought 2 bales on west coast), mixed with Black Gold compost(worm castings etc) and black gold waterhopld coco blend, even ratios, then 30% perlite to that(maybe too much) topdressed with Mex bat guano(high N) neem seed meal, a handful of azomite, a handful of hydrated lime and couple pinches of epsom salts
    Chykn shit would be possible, as would maybe a gallon or two of water, but other than that, all tapped out.
    If a hundred bucks or so fell from krishnas right hand(his left is holding a 13 point lightening bolt), what would be best spent on, in eugene(down-to-earth brand has a store there.
    My friend was thinking getting another 5 lb thing of azomite(using organics, he has noticed trace deficiencies) some guanos and some meals(esp neem seed meal for top dressing and drenching)
    Any tips are appriciated. Not at all a newb, but in reality, a year of making nutes from scratch. but this is the first year of making soil
    as an aside, my friends are harvesting greenhouse a bit here and there, indoor is done and re-started. The soil is being placed in a pile, outside, on the driveway(yes, its getting to be a big pile). Aside from my friends grand ideas, can anyone tell me exactly what must be done to reuse soil? these were foxfarm and gardner and bloome (local one), hate to waste it.
    They also have a few yards left of the 20 yds of soil they bought for garden. pH at 6 and has composted "forest products" sawdust, humus, etc, composted steer manure, and soil, thinking about areating it with perlite(maybe 25%, or 3:1) for top dressing etc...shit is getting expensive,
    But the bubble seems to make it worth it
     

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