Soil

[gwheels]

Apparently you can use ACTUAL soil to grow plants....who knew...



I was thinking of actually trying 1 or 2 plants in a 7 gallon pot with soil (Happy Frog and Ocean Forest with perlite for aeration). Other than just remembering to water it without nutes, is there anything i need to watch out for because i am running just coco and water systems?

Soil....i only ever used it outside.

 

[socaljoe]

Watch out for fungus gnats.

 

[H.A.F.]

Watch out for fungus gnats.

I am trying mixing neem-seed meal in the soil at the start. Bumps up the N a little, but hopefully provides a deterrent.

 

[H.A.F.]

Oh, and letting it dry between watering's - watering every day won't work

 

[gwheels]

coco is feeling pretty good. lol

 

[H.A.F.]

coco is feeling pretty good. lol

I don't know, I have days go by when my plants don't need anything but me saying hi and staring for a bit

 

[Schwaggy P]

Watch out for fungus gnats.

This is the best thing I've found to take care of them. I mix it into the soil and sprinkle on the top before first watering.

 

[H.A.F.]

I am trying the Greenfields soil for the first time this grow to see if those are really Fox Farms gnats I have been getting

 

[gwheels]

I will find those mosquito bits. Now that i have traction i dont care if they veg for a long time.

Soil sounds pretty easy. I wonder if it tastes different Next time i go to the hydro store im getting some dirt and finding the mosquito bits.

fungas gnats love wet coco too. Time to eradicate them. They cant fly in a wind tunnel though !

 

[Evergreengardener]

I will find those mosquito bits. Now that i have traction i dont care if they veg for a long time.

Soil sounds pretty easy. I wonder if it tastes different Next time i go to the hydro store im getting some dirt and finding the mosquito bits.

fungas gnats love wet coco too. Time to eradicate them. They cant fly in a wind tunnel though !

Buy the bits online you’ll find them cheaper and if using fox farms don’t mix the happy frog and ocean forest start them in happy frog and if you want to mix soil mix the ocean forest with a bag of the strawberry fields and up pot into that mix.

 

[yougrowyourway]

In my limited experience with soil when it comes to watering, less is more.

 

[H.A.F.]

In my limited experience with soil when it comes to watering, less is more.

When you do feed/water - water slow. A garden sprayer works for even distribution, with a regular watering can just use a quart or so at a time and let it settle for a few minutes. Do this until you get a decent amount of run-off compared to the pot size.

If you pour a gallon of water into a 5-gallon pot all at once you will get run-off - gravity -vs- absorption. But you can run about 2 gallons through before run-off if done slowly.

Lift the pot dry, lift the pot soaked, know the feel

 

[yougrowyourway]

When you do feed/water - water slow. A garden sprayer works for even distribution, with a regular watering can just use a quart or so at a time and let it settle for a few minutes. Do this until you get a decent amount of run-off compared to the pot size.

If you pour a gallon of water into a 5-gallon pot all at once you will get run-off - gravity -vs- absorption. But you can run about 2 gallons through before run-off if done slowly.

Lift the pot dry, lift the pot soaked, know the feel

True. Iforget to say things that I may find basic or common sense that others may overlook or truly just not know better. Thanks haf

 

[H.A.F.]

That might be the main difference. Compared to other methods, soil is less on the science side and more on the intuitive side.

 

[H.A.F.]

True. Iforget to say things that I may find basic or common sense that others may overlook or truly just not know better. Thanks haf

No worries, chime in if I miss something.

 

[High kev]

Buy the bits online you’ll find them cheaper and if using fox farms don’t mix the happy frog and ocean forest start them in happy frog and if you want to mix soil mix the ocean forest with a bag of the strawberry fields and up pot into that mix.

I mix the ocean forest fox farm together with pro mix and earthworm castings I have no reason why besides I didn’t know what to use so I mixed them all together. Lol. What’s the reason not to mix the fox and the ocean together? Is it because ocean is stronger? I used to feed them with nutrients too which I believe over fed them. You told me I shouldn’t feed them the first month or so... you were right and my plants seem to be growing much better because of you. Thank you for your help. That tip was crucial for me. I kept wondering why my tips seemed burned. But they seem much better now.

 

[Evergreengardener]

I mix the ocean forest fox farm together with pro mix and earthworm castings I have no reason why besides I didn’t know what to use so I mixed them all together. Lol. What’s the reason not to mix the fox and the ocean together? Is it because ocean is stronger? I used to feed them with nutrients too which I believe over fed them. You told me I shouldn’t feed them the first month or so... you were right and my plants seem to be growing much better because of you. Thank you for your help. That tip was crucial for me. I kept wondering why my tips seemed burned. But they seem much better now.

The happy frog suits young plants better than the ocean forest the ocean forest is nice for plants in veg has good amount of nutrients in it and the strawberry fields has a nutrient blend meant more for flowering so if your going to use their line that’s just the way I would mix them. Happy frog wouldn’t be in my pots over 1 gal then transplant into the bigger pots of those mixed, and that’s just cause I don’t like like to mix nutes so that blend would hold them until mid flower maybe a little latter imo unless you have some nutrient greedy bitches

 

[Evergreengardener]

When you do feed/water - water slow. A garden sprayer works for even distribution, with a regular watering can just use a quart or so at a time and let it settle for a few minutes. Do this until you get a decent amount of run-off compared to the pot size.

If you pour a gallon of water into a 5-gallon pot all at once you will get run-off - gravity -vs- absorption. But you can run about 2 gallons through before run-off if done slowly.

Lift the pot dry, lift the pot soaked, know the feel

Only water to run off if your using bottled nutrients though if your going for a living soil you want to minimize runoff I water my soil about every other day with a smaller amount of water and don’t really deal with gnats or water logged soil ever

 

[MtRainDog]

Mmmm... soil. Don't know what bags of FFOF or the like cost but I'd take this route over any of 'em:

Easy Organic Soil Mix for Beginners

When I see people fussing over pH in their FFOF I feel bad, truly, because it can all be so easy. Nutes? Yeah no bottles of store bought stuff in my garden. Kelp meal teas all the way.

 

[gwheels]

I will check it out. I just want to fill 1 or 2 pots and see how i like it.

Coco in a small pot is like that too you have to water it in bits...like 1 cup at a time and let it soak in or it just shoots out the sides or out the bottom but doesn't soak.