I'm pretty positive that I can get everything except for the 2-3-1/2-4-1 stuff and the liquid seaweed/maxicrop. Do you guys know anything I could use in place of them? Molasses is gonna be added but I'm not sure it'll do the job of the seaweed.
Alright I think I have a mix going on here. Do you guys think this'll do the job or did I screw up the ratios? It was tricky finding the NPK ratios for everything. I figure relying on a tea for flowering will simplyfie soil mixing. I figure letting the tea steep without bubbling for a day or two would be acceptable right (less air pumps required)? *Every three days or so when the soil requires it. Finger test and all that. I'm more worried about burning and PH issues then overwatering.
Ah shit - bone meal ain't gonna work for a tea. Should I just add two cups to the soil mix? If it takes time to break down I'd imagine it'll be ready just in time for flowering.
Don't want to leave a brother hanging. Just a friendly suggestion. Be real careful with the lime. The changes it makes in the soil should be considered ‘permanent' for the impact to a ~120 day grow. CaCO3 is a powerful element and absolutely must be understood and respected for what it will do to chemically alter your soil. Word! Also, peruse some journals, study what people are doing, review what, if any, problems they are experiencing, etc. etc. etc. Let me try to distill it down for you succinctly (at least how I view the world through my lens). First, make a list of all 13 plant required nutrients. This is an absolute to ensure you supply all required nutrients. If you haven't reviewed Liebigs Law of The Minimum this is a must read for anyone trying to cultivate any type of plant but since we're only interested in MJ, read it three times! Second, identify the source you are going to supply to provide each element. Specifically with ‘N' determine is it, water soluble N or is it water insoluble N. This is important to understand because water soluble N will be released mega-quickly compared to water insoluble N. The latter requires healthy soil biology to break it down. This is the nitrification process. Some reading on the nature of the other plant nutrient elements would be suggested in order to understand what is occurring chemically in the root zone. Which are mobile, which are immobile, which react and how with one another. It's a delicate balance. Third, establish a baseline of quantity required based on the size of your container. A #3 nursery container holds about “3 gallonsâ€. But the best thing to do is actually measure it one cup at a time to fill the container up. Doing so you will dump between 44 – 50 cups of material in a 3 gal container. Fourth, determine best guess for amounts of nutrients based on package directions. You have to do some math but break it down based on amount per sq foot and backwards compute how much that means to your approximate volume of container. Fifth, mix each container separately for your own peace of mind. It will take a little longer initially but once completed you'll be very happy you did it this way. This will help to ensure you know exactly what it is that is in each container in an effort to assist with future problem diagnosis and future plant nutrient needs. I've found that step one above is crucial to ensure ALL plant nutrient elements are included in your mix. Bone meal, blood meal, guano, N-P-K complete fertilizers, etc., do not necessarily have all the micronutrients your plant will need and you will have to supplement those somehow. Azomite is probably one of the top three suggested amendments to ensure micronutrient sustainability. Hope this helps and good luck dude! Subcool's mix is a great starting point but it needs an update for the 21st century IMO. It won't get you there indoors.
Thanks man. I'm heading in today to see what amendments I can find. Worst case scenario is that I go soil less or hempy.
Well it was a pretty awesome day. The place had 5-1-1 fish emulsion as well as a 0.3-0.3-4* seaweed extract for sale (assuming I can use this in place of the maxicrop/seaweedstuff). I can pretty much get everything to make up the soil. However I was not able to find anything like the 2-4-1/2-3-1 stuff for flowering. All I could find were 0-10-10 and 1-10-10 fish emulsions. I'm not sure where to go from here. *If the total overall NPK ratio is 5.3-1.3-5 (5-1-1 plus the seaweed) that should work good for veg right? The nitrogen and potash levels seem in line with other ferts used for that phase.
Be carefull using dolomite lime. A better alternative is oyster shell or, limestone. This will supply needed calcium and neutralize the ph. I would use a fish hydroslate rather than the fish emulsion. I would also mix in the soil a dry starter fert like Epsoma starter plus that includes Mychorrhize and many of the ammendments needed to build a microbial soil. The fish/seaweed would be good ferts but, if you can't find locally you might go with dry ferts like epsoma brand for you veg and flowering needs. Epsoma is more available and seen at home depot, lowe's and better nurseries....
I've never seen it so I'm guessing its like Fox Farms soil - impossible to find in Canada. Couldn't find a hydroslate unfortunately - this is just a garden center I have to work with. If I could get one of the commercial ferts I would, but the hydrostores are 300 km away. I'm pretty sure I've got the veg stuff covered but finding the damn flowering ferts is driving me nuts.
I hear ya....The fish emulsion will work and is more important if your making ACCT as the fish hydroslate is cold processed. As for the NPK ratios of the FE you found would be better for flowering than veg. Basicly any fert used for growing tomatoes is good for veg.