Can I Mix Supersoil with Base Soil?

[The3rdMan]

Everyone seems pretty much in agreement that the bottom 1/3 to 1/2 of the planter should have super soil and the remainder with base soil.

I saw this assertion today on growweedeasy.com: Don’t mix the soils together! Keep the pure super soil on bottom to help conserve nutrients until harvest. When everything is mixed together, growers are more likely to run into nutrient deficiencies partway through the grow.

This is the first time I have seen this advice explicitly stated by anyone and it does not make sense to me.

Could someone explain how mixing super soil with the base soil would cause nutrient deficiencies? I don't see how the nutrients are used up more quickly when super soil and base soil are mixed together.

For example, the instructions say to fill bottom half of pot with super soil and top with base soil. I would like to mix the two together and fill the pot with the mixture of the two.

I start with solo cups, move up to 1 gallon fabric pots, and finally into 7 gallon fabric pots (the 7 gallon pot contains the super soil).

 

[Boatguy]

Doesnt make any sense to me. My plants roots hit the bottom of the pots less than week after transplant. Maybe they mean if you start a plant in the final pot..
I dont think you would have a problem with mixing, and if you use up the nutes a topdress with the super soil should fix it pretty quick

 

[MustangStudFarm]

Could someone explain how mixing super soil with the base soil would cause nutrient deficiencies?

SuperSoil is so phosphorus rich that it will lockout iron. I've had nothing but bad luck with rock phosphate...

 

[JoeBlow5823]

Doesnt make any sense to me. My plants roots hit the bottom of the pots less than week after transplant. Maybe they mean if you start a plant in the final pot..
I dont think you would have a problem with mixing, and if you use up the nutes a topdress with the super soil should fix it pretty quick

Or even just a dry amendment top dress. Part of not running out of nutes is using a big enough pot. I find that you need 30-50 gallons of dirt per 1000w light.

 

[MustangStudFarm]

Or even just a dry amendment top dress. Part of not running out of nutes is using a big enough pot. I find that you need 30-50 gallons of dirt per 1000w light.

I think that iron chlorosis is often misinterpreted as a nitrogen deficiency.

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[Mr. Cheetah]

theoretically, you can mix whatever you want

 

[youraveragehorticulturist]

I agree with Boatguy and Joe, it's no problem to blend the supersoil with "regular" soil. Or even to mix supersoil with used soil from a previous grow, as a way to reammend.

Like a lot of soil growers I started out with supersoil, following subcool's recipe. Mixing it with regular soil to "water it down" and using that blend throughout the pot is how I first transitioned away from supersoil. I think Mustang is right, sub's recipe is a little strong and can be overkill. I don't mess with rock phosphate anymore either. And like Joe mentioned, I think medium strength soil in a bigger pot is better than super strength soil in a smaller pot.

 

[Hash Hound]

Everyone seems pretty much in agreement that the bottom 1/3 to 1/2 of the planter should have super soil and the remainder with base soil.

I saw this assertion today on growweedeasy.com: Don’t mix the soils together! Keep the pure super soil on bottom to help conserve nutrients until harvest. When everything is mixed together, growers are more likely to run into nutrient deficiencies partway through the grow.

This might be from their Supersoil vs Coco experiment?
They are using Kind Soil as the supersoil and are using Coco Loco on top of that. Maybe that is what they are referring to not mixing?

I mix my super soil all together with very few problems, the occasional scratch of the head wondering whats going on with a few leaves, but thats about it.

I've also used fresh Supersoil on the bottom and my used Supersoil on top, but it's still the same mix.

 

[Dabbie McDoob]

I wanted to offer some key info here:
1. Never mix super soil w/ coco coir.
Why? Untreated coco coir binds phosphorus and Cal, Fe and Mg. Essentially, decreasing bio available nutrients.
2. Sometimes, depending on the mix the soil has to be mixed, i.e. partially broken down amendments etc

Suggested mixing.
1. I prefer to do a 50/50 mix with peat/perlite mixes and the super soil in 1 gal containers from the cell pots
2. Once ready to bloom I transfer to 5 or 7 gal cloth pots with 100% super soil.

Best of luck, organic is the way