So im doing an outdoor grow in some woods by my house i have a great spot picked out and i already prepped my soil and everything, i have seedlings in a starter tray and im letting them grow big and strong until i think theyre ready to go in the ground. The other day i was checking on them and i accidentally broke the main stem on one but not all the way and i figured it would be fine if i just put it straight in the soil that was unprepared just to see how it does, i dont care if it dies i have plenty more of them, the soil seems very fertile there are lots of plants and bushes growing everywhere so i just dug a small hole and put the seedling in it covering the part that i broke by at least an inch or two. i see all the posts on here about how important soil is and how u should go buy soil so it bugged me out cuz i dont want to buy a ton of soil when i dont have to im not worried about maximum yeild because i have a bunch of plants but i just want to make sure this soil wont kill them or anything bad like that the seedling i put in the soil a couple days ago seems to be doing very well eventhough i broke the stem so i was wondering....IF the soil is bad for your plants in some way how soon would you notice problems with a seedling planted in it?? i really think that the soil is going to be wonderful for the plants especially since my broken seedling is doing well in untreated soil but if you have any insight on the matter it would be greatly appreciated THANK YOU ALL in advance
The type of soil is what makes the difference. In my neck of the woods most grow in the forest where the soil is acidic and mostly clay. Here digging a hole and importing soil is a nesessity. If you are growing on farmland or former farmland the soil may be fine. If it is mostly sandy loam, fine; if mostly clay you will need to import some amendments. A few tests could be the answer.
Look around you. Is there dense vegatation? Trees? If yes then you should be good but a soil PH tester and NPK level tester combo pack sold at most nursery and or garden centers would be quite worth the money for you considering they are all but five bucks and usually come with multiple use capsules. Be scientific! Try to out do yourself each grow. Just don't get too technical. Hence frustration may set in and progress will stop all together.
thats exactly what i want to get but idk if home depot had any when i went because i didnt know exactly what i was looking for and the only ones that the person showed me were like electronic for like 15 bucks and at the time i didnt have much cash...but tomorrows payday!!!!! ill definately start looking for something like that But could someone post a link of a website that has those or show me what i should be looking for? cuz i couldnt find any at homedepot or i wasnt looking correctly
I use one made by Hanna and I've found eBay to have the best prices on them. I use this one because it's waterproof and very accurate: Hanna HI 98121 Digital pH ORP T Combo Meter Tester NEW - eBay (item 250418884354 end time Jun-03-09 16:59:02 PDT) If you're going to get serious about growing I strongly suggest reading one of the numerous articles about pH testing. It's not complicated but to do it right requires following established procedures or you're wasting your time. When you buy a decent tester you'll also need the following to use it, so buy them all at the same time: pH 7 buffer (for calibration) Cleaning solution Storage solution Distilled water (to mix with your soil for testing purposes) It's a one-time investment and you'll thank yourself for doing it when it removes all doubt about the pH status of your soil and water.