I've grown outdoors in the past with Miracle Gro soil. Everyone says this stuff sucks. Even though I didn't have a terrible experience, my plants could have done better. I'll be taking some clones off my indoor grow and putting them outdoors and I want to use something better than MG. Here's what I plan to do: 1 part spaghnum peat moss 1 part cheap potting soil 1 part perlite a bit of mushroom compost Does this sound alright? I'm considering adding some other organic matter like worm castings. Anyone have any advice about what else to add? Also, how important is pH in soil? Whats the proper pH for soil? How do I measure pH in soil? I have a pH pen from growing hydro, but how do I measure the pH of the soil?
The soil mix sounds fine, but if you're in a dry area you might want to add some vermiculite in it to help it retain moisture. Here in California the humidity is so low and length of sunlight so protracted that I made it 25% vermiculite and the rest some nonnutrient EarthGro soil. My understanding is that perlite helps with aireation but doesn't retain moisture as well as vermiculite. As for the PH issue, this s my second grow, and since the pots have good drainage and I use fertilizers conservatively, the PH doesn't seem to be a problem. Basically, if you don't overdo the fertilizers and use decent soil, your PH will be fine. Wish you a succesful grow!