Hi folks! I’m new to GC, not new to growing but new to soil and organic growing (Did some hydro grows back in the 1990s). Wanted to get some feedback on my soil mix. Please bear with me here as I started on this originally using Subcools SuperSoil which, as I’ve learned more, have come to realize isn’t so super! In any case, I have a “super soil” mix that I’m wondering if I can still use, or if I should just put it in my outside garden and start from scratch. I’m aiming for a living soil, with the eventual goal of moving to no till once I feel like I’ve got the process down better (and have a larger container for the soil). Should note that this is for an indoor grow in a 4x4x8 tent with 4x HLG QB96 Elite v2 run off of 2x HLG 320h-54 drivers. Soil Mix: 1.5cf Roots Organic original mix 6-8lb EWC 1.5 cups blood meal 1.5 cups Happy Frog Cavern Culture 1 cup fish bone meal 1 cup alfalfa meal 1 cup kelp meal 1 cup muriate of potash* 6 oz rock phosphate 2 tbsp dolomite lime 1/2 cup azomite I watered this to being “moist” with water that had humid acid dissolved in it, as well as 1 tsp Great White for microorganisms. This is all cooking right now. But, after more research I’m thinking of adding bio char, neem meal, and some langbeinite*. My concern is, am I/have I added too many amendments? Should I scrap this and start over, or will this mix work out ok? This mix will go into 20 gallon cloth pots, fyi. *I have a grow going now with a first attempt at a super soil and have had ongoing problems with potassium deficiency so want to make sure this doesn’t happen again! Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
Your soil is already pretty well amended IMO. Biochar is OK as it isnt really a nutrient but IDK about adding more neem. Perhaps just top-dress some need after you plant your plants in the soil to get the pest management benefits from it.
Thanks, Scoobydoobie! Any thoughts on the mutate of potash vs adding the langbeinite? Muriate pf potash gets dissolved and washes out quickly from what I’ve read. Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
A tsp of langbenite is a good starting point in a 5 gal container. I haven’t used potash as it’s kind of unpredictable. The alfalfa and kelp are good sources of K. If you think you are deficient, I would suspect there isn’t enough lime in the mix. I don’t know if roots soil comes with lime in it or not. If not, I would use closer to a cup and a half of lime, as opposed to 2 tbs. Your water quality is something else to consider as well. If you are using ro water, a lack of lime in the soil may compound the issue. HTH Cheers Os
Hey man! Welcome to GC! Personally, i think there's a little too much in there already. I would run with what you have and see how it turns out. I think you look a little light on the liming agent though. If you're lacking potassium i would try and get some quality humus in there. Is you EWC home made or store bought?
EWC are store bought, unfortunately (Wiggle worm brand). I wondered about the lime as my current grow soil ph has been high at around 7.5 so worried about nutrient uptake. But, I’m all for adding extra to be sure and try it out. I just use tap water, try to leave it out overnight to remove chlorine. My water tends to be hard (Midwest living!) Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
You can top dress a couple tablespoons of lime and scratch it into the top couple inches and then water. I don’t know how long your current grow has left, but you could probably repeat the process every week for a couple weeks. For any remaining mix not in use, just bump up the lime. That 7.5 pH suggests poor uptake just like you thought, lime will help. cheers Os
Thanks, Os! Current grow is at week 3 of flower (out of 9). I’ve been using white vinegar to lower my water ph, with some success. I’ll try the lime option and see how that goes - really want this current grow to finish as strong as it can so I can stop spending my $$ on herb! Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
I’ll definitely check that soil testing out. FYI muriate of potash is KCl, so no sulfur. You’re probably thinking of potassium sulfate. Sent from my iPhone using Grasscity Forum
Recipe looks ok except I don't see enough aeration. How dense is this dirt? Some charcoal and or perlite would be a good addition IMO (in my opinion). If you're going for living soil you should probably look into IMO (indigenous micro organisms) the idea in a nutshell is more fungus in your soil=better plants. Idk if I'd ad the potash to the base soil mix or try to add as needed. But that's not a suggestion, I honestly don't know which is better.