Best soil from lowes?

ButchyBoy · Mar 12, 2016

Larry {the} Gardener said:
I forgot the fish stuff. I buy that from Lowe's too. BIL has chickens and turkeys, so I get my manure mulch from him.

I am growing 2 Xj13's side by side that actually grew the same all the way till today sort of. One of them I left out the manures and it started fading around day 35 and faded pretty hard at day 45. The one with manures just started to fade at day 45. Both at day 56 today and 49 inches tall and both about the same size flowers. The one without manure has more pistol loss than the other at this point. I'm water only in 18 gallon tubs.
I had stopped using manures for about a year while testing soil mixes trying to get a water only mix without manures. I always had early fade so I am back to manure :lol:

Larry {the} Gardener · Mar 12, 2016

ButchyBoy said:
I am growing 2 Xj13's side by side that actually grew the same all the way till today sort of. One of them I left out the manures and it started fading around day 35 and faded pretty hard at day 45. The one with manures just started to fade at day 45. Both at day 56 today and 49 inches tall and both about the same size flowers. The one without manure has more pistol loss than the other at this point. I'm water only in 18 gallon tubs.
I had stopped using manures for about a year while testing soil mixes trying to get a water only mix without manures. I always had early fade so I am back to manure

The shit has been working for thousands of years :lol:

Bacala · Mar 12, 2016

Larry {the} Gardener said:
My Lowe's shopping list looks like this:

Blood meal, bone meal, Epson salts, lime, peat moss, Black Kow {manure compost}, MG citrus time release plant food, perlite and vermiculite. I have used a potting soil from there, {Something Jungle}, but I use mostly Metro Mix that I get from a friend who runs a nursery. I also add lots of mushroom mulch, which can be bought at Lowe's, but it's a lot cheaper to buy a truck load from a farm store. I pay $20 for a scoop, almost a cubic yard.

Most folks don't know it, but there is a guy at the Contractor's desk who can give you a break on price. I call him the Jobber, but his title is something like Project Coordinator. He is the guy who will figure all the lumber, screws, nuts and bolts needed for your new deck and give you a price that will beat HD's. {I'm sure HD has a guy who does the same thing} If my guy isn't there, I come back another day. I never pay full price at Lowe's.

ButchyBoy said:
From Lowes would be Pro mix Hp, Greensmix steer manure, chicken manure, mushroom compost. Kellogg's soil conditioner ( fine wood chips). I was buying perlite there but Napa auto parts sells diatomaceous earth (floor dry) for less and it does not float to the surface . I also buy a bottle of fish poop 5.1.1 although I really hardly use it.

Other than those things I go to a garden/pet store for my dry amendments like Kelp meal, Alfalfa meal, Crab shell meal, Azomite, Langbeinite, Humic acid, Green sand, Oyster shell..........

Still thinking a good ready-made mix is best here. Remember, this is the newbie forum and the OP is new to the craft or he would already know about soils. He doesn't need this kind of complication when getting started. There are too many things that can complicate a grow, especially for beginners so go easy until you've got some experience and confidence before adding variables needlessly.

bravedave · Mar 13, 2016

Bacala said:
Still thinking a good ready-made mix is best here. Remember, this is the newbie forum and the OP is new to the craft or he would already know about soils. He doesn't need this kind of complication when getting started. There are too many things that can complicate a grow, especially for beginners so go easy until you've get some experience and confidence before adding variables needlessly.

I agree, and while I hear good things about Kellog and one of the people I follow here does a 50/50 mix with Promix...I find it hard to believe that anything is easier than Promix and a nice water soluble 20/20/20 or in my case 20/10/20. Very consistant drainage and while I keep chemical sources of Ca and Mg around one can get by without.

Buzzzz · Mar 13, 2016

$bkbbudz$ said:
Find a gardening supply shop or find a retailer for good soils on the web. Fox Farms has a product locator on their website. I am sure if you contact other medium producers you can find their products as well. Loews, Home Depot etc are going to mostly have Miracle Grow and MG like products on their shelves, not optimal for cannabis. They will also have pro-mix and the needed additives. But, without a recipe and a good amount of $$$ it can be difficult to know what to buy.

Find a local farm supply, they have good soil and prices to match...

6ixtynin9 · Mar 13, 2016

If it has to be from lowes, get Pro-Mix. I find that Kellog's Patio Plus turns hard and dirt like after a while but Pro-Mix stays loose and fluffy. 3.8 cubic feet compressed Pro-Mix HP with Myco's -$29. Jacks Classic All Purpose 20-20-20 & Bloom Booster 10-30-20, 25 lbs each @ $35 each. 60 lbs bag of dolomite lime for $6. A total of $105 (that will last you many many season) combined with a good growing environment and properly watered plant = 5 - 6 feet trees indoors and heavy thick frosty forearm sized colas.

ButchyBoy · Mar 14, 2016

6ixtynin9 said:
If it has to be from lowes, get Pro-Mix. I find that Kellog's Patio Plus turns hard and dirt like after a while but Pro-Mix stays loose and fluffy. 3.8 cubic feet compressed Pro-Mix HP with Myco's -$29. Jacks Classic All Purpose 20-20-20 & Bloom Booster 10-30-20, 25 lbs each @ $35 each. 60 lbs bag of dolomite lime for $6. A total of $105 (that will last you many many season) combined with a good growing environment and properly watered plant = 5 - 6 feet trees indoors and heavy thick frosty forearm sized colas.
View attachment 3631035 View attachment 3631038

What is your feeding schedule with jacks? How much per gallon?

I have some of both and am going to do a side by side against my organic water only soil.

6ixtynin9 · Mar 15, 2016

ButchyBoy said:
What is your feeding schedule with jacks? How much per gallon?

I have some of both and am going to do a side by side against my organic water only soil.

Depending on your strain, whether they are light or heavy feeder, you may have to use more or less. As far as my strain goes, from clone, at transplant I start with a weak solution of Bloom Booster to stimulate root growth @ 0.6 EC which is right around 400-450 ppm on the .7 conversion. From seedling, I start feeding the minute it get it's first set of serrated leaves @ 0.3 EC which is around 200-250 ppm on the .7 conversion. After 2 weeks, I bump it up to 1.0 EC throughout veg while alternating between All Purpose and Bloom Booster (gotta keep them roots growing). Keep in mind, the results you see on top is a direct result of how well you build the root system below. Anyway, I don't follow a "1 tsp per gal", "2 ml per liter", etc rule. Regardless how much water I use, I will add Jacks until I reach 1.0 EC. During flowering, I bump the levels up to 1.3 EC. The first 2 weeks of flowering, I do 50/50 of All Purpose & Bloom Booster. Week 3 - harvest, I only use Bloom Booster and a little All Purpose here and there when needed. I feed every watering and don't ever flush because so little fertilizer are used, smoke great. Because Pro-Mix is soiless (passive hydro), I adjust the pH to anywhere between 6.0 - 6.3. Sorry if it sounds a bit confusing but here's how it looks like:

Week 1
Clone - 0.6 EC BB
Seedling - 0.3 EC BB

Week 2
Clone - 0.6 EC AP
Seedling - 0.3 EC AP

Week 3 (alternate between ferts) - 1.0 EC BB/AP
Week 4 - 1.0 EC BB/AP
Week 5 - 1.0 EC BB/AP
Week 6 - 1.0 EC BB/AP

Flower
Week 1 - 1.3 EC 50/50 BB and AP
Week 2 - 1.3 EC 50/50 BB and AP
Week 3 - 1.3 EC BB
Week 4 - 1.3 EC BB
Week 5 - 1.3 EC BB
Week 6 - 1.3 EC BB
Week 7 - 1.3 EC BB then harvest

If I grow strain longer than 50 days flowering time, I just continue the 1.3 EC feeding.

Hope this make sense and help you out somewhat. Again, you can use this schedule and tune it to what works best for your strain. This works out perfectly for mine own cross (Hindu Skunk x SFV OG) x Pineapple Express. OG Kush on its own are usually hella heavy ass feeders especially the SFV cut. Here's how my plant is currently looking. It's swelling up nicely. Fucking chunky "hardball" buds everywhere. Under a 600 watt cheapo $15 HPS bulbs, I'm looking at 14-16 oz dry weight per plant. Plants suffered in earlier stages and yield this run looks pretty low compared to past 5-6 runs of this strain. 2 more weeks till chop. Good luck.

saiyaneye · Mar 15, 2016

6ixtynin9 said:
Depending on your strain, whether they are light or heavy feeder, you may have to use more or less. As far as my strain goes, from clone, at transplant I start with a weak solution of Bloom Booster to stimulate root growth @ 0.6 EC which is right around 400-450 ppm on the .7 conversion. From seedling, I start feeding the minute it get it's first set of serrated leaves @ 0.3 EC which is around 200-250 ppm on the .7 conversion. After 2 weeks, I bump it up to 1.0 EC throughout veg while alternating between All Purpose and Bloom Booster (gotta keep them roots growing). Keep in mind, the results you see on top is a direct result of how well you build the root system below. Anyway, I don't follow a "1 tsp per gal", "2 ml per liter", etc rule. Regardless how much water I use, I will add Jacks until I reach 1.0 EC. During flowering, I bump the levels up to 1.3 EC. The first 2 weeks of flowering, I do 50/50 of All Purpose & Bloom Booster. Week 3 - harvest, I only use Bloom Booster and a little All Purpose here and there when needed. I feed every watering and don't ever flush because so little fertilizer are used, smoke great. Because Pro-Mix is soiless (passive hydro), I adjust the pH to anywhere between 6.0 - 6.3. Sorry if it sounds a bit confusing but here's how it looks like:

Week 1
Clone - 0.6 EC BB
Seedling - 0.3 EC BB

Week 2
Clone - 0.6 EC AP
Seedling - 0.3 EC AP

Week 3 (alternate between ferts) - 1.0 EC BB/AP
Week 4 - 1.0 EC BB/AP
Week 5 - 1.0 EC BB/AP
Week 6 - 1.0 EC BB/AP

Flower
Week 1 - 1.3 EC 50/50 BB and AP
Week 2 - 1.3 EC 50/50 BB and AP
Week 3 - 1.3 EC BB
Week 4 - 1.3 EC BB
Week 5 - 1.3 EC BB
Week 6 - 1.3 EC BB
Week 7 - 1.3 EC BB then harvest

If I grow strain longer than 50 days flowering time, I just continue the 1.3 EC feeding.

Hope this make sense and help you out somewhat. Again, you can use this schedule and tune it to what works best for your strain. This works out perfectly for mine own cross (Hindu Skunk x SFV OG) x Pineapple Express. OG Kush on its own are usually hella heavy ass feeders especially the SFV cut. Here's how my plant is currently looking. It's swelling up nicely. Fucking chunky "hardball" buds everywhere. Under a 600 watt cheapo $15 HPS bulbs, I'm looking at 14-16 oz dry weight per plant. Plants suffered in earlier stages and yield this run looks pretty low compared to past 5-6 runs of this strain. 2 more weeks till chop. Good luck.
View attachment 3632704

How big are those pots?

6ixtynin9 · Mar 15, 2016

saiyaneye said:
How big are those pots?

I use a DIY short and wide 14.5"x12" 8-ish gallon fabric pots using Home Depot landsaping materials. Based on my experiences, experiments and opinion, root system grows better when grown horizontally (wide) vs gown vertically (deep). This is exactly how trees grow too, wide instead of deep. I can't remember but i think it was $30 and some change for a 6'x40' or 50' roll 8 - 9 years ago. You can make hundreds to thousands of pot depending on size of pots. I grow on the cheap because I'm a cheap bastard, BUT, grows efficiently. I don't buy into the hype of overpriced Advanced Nutrient or Canna stuff and expensive Eye Hortilux, Digilux, Ushio, etc bulbs. Tried it all, works out all the same except Ushio having a VERY slight difference. Not enough difference to justify spending hundreds on 1 single bulb. I'm going on my 5th year with the same 25 lbs bags of jack's fertilizer too.

ButchyBoy · Mar 17, 2016

6ixtynin9 said:
Depending on your strain, whether they are light or heavy feeder, you may have to use more or less. As far as my strain goes, from clone, at transplant I start with a weak solution of Bloom Booster to stimulate root growth @ 0.6 EC which is right around 400-450 ppm on the .7 conversion. From seedling, I start feeding the minute it get it's first set of serrated leaves @ 0.3 EC which is around 200-250 ppm on the .7 conversion. After 2 weeks, I bump it up to 1.0 EC throughout veg while alternating between All Purpose and Bloom Booster (gotta keep them roots growing). Keep in mind, the results you see on top is a direct result of how well you build the root system below. Anyway, I don't follow a "1 tsp per gal", "2 ml per liter", etc rule. Regardless how much water I use, I will add Jacks until I reach 1.0 EC. During flowering, I bump the levels up to 1.3 EC. The first 2 weeks of flowering, I do 50/50 of All Purpose & Bloom Booster. Week 3 - harvest, I only use Bloom Booster and a little All Purpose here and there when needed. I feed every watering and don't ever flush because so little fertilizer are used, smoke great. Because Pro-Mix is soiless (passive hydro), I adjust the pH to anywhere between 6.0 - 6.3. Sorry if it sounds a bit confusing but here's how it looks like:

Week 1
Clone - 0.6 EC BB
Seedling - 0.3 EC BB

Week 2
Clone - 0.6 EC AP
Seedling - 0.3 EC AP

Week 3 (alternate between ferts) - 1.0 EC BB/AP
Week 4 - 1.0 EC BB/AP
Week 5 - 1.0 EC BB/AP
Week 6 - 1.0 EC BB/AP

Flower
Week 1 - 1.3 EC 50/50 BB and AP
Week 2 - 1.3 EC 50/50 BB and AP
Week 3 - 1.3 EC BB
Week 4 - 1.3 EC BB
Week 5 - 1.3 EC BB
Week 6 - 1.3 EC BB
Week 7 - 1.3 EC BB then harvest

If I grow strain longer than 50 days flowering time, I just continue the 1.3 EC feeding.

Hope this make sense and help you out somewhat. Again, you can use this schedule and tune it to what works best for your strain. This works out perfectly for mine own cross (Hindu Skunk x SFV OG) x Pineapple Express. OG Kush on its own are usually hella heavy ass feeders especially the SFV cut. Here's how my plant is currently looking. It's swelling up nicely. Fucking chunky "hardball" buds everywhere. Under a 600 watt cheapo $15 HPS bulbs, I'm looking at 14-16 oz dry weight per plant. Plants suffered in earlier stages and yield this run looks pretty low compared to past 5-6 runs of this strain. 2 more weeks till chop. Good luck.
View attachment 3632704

Awesome, thanks for the info. I generally run organic water only. I have two of my own crosses that appear to be hungry beotches because they fade out within the first two weeks of flower where as my others don't fade till week 7 or 8. Figured I would push some food at one while adding more amendments to another to see how they compare.

whitebb2727 · Mar 17, 2016

I use a local organic humus as a base. Its like 1.78 a cubic ft.

I add compost made from different manures, leaves, garden stalks, straw, and alfalfa.

I add fresh worm castings. Down to earth all purpose.

Espoma garden tone. Crushed oyster shell. Lime.

I think that's about it. Good water only soil. I've started doing the same thing with an outdoor vegetable garden and went no till on it.

6ixtynin9 · Mar 18, 2016

whitebb2727 said:
I use a local organic humus as a base. Its like 1.78 a cubic ft.

I add compost made from different manures, leaves, garden stalks, straw, and alfalfa.

I add fresh worm castings. Down to earth all purpose.

Espoma garden tone. Crushed oyster shell. Lime.

I think that's about it. Good water only soil. I've started doing the same thing with an outdoor vegetable garden and went no till on it.

Right on. When I do organics, I compost my own too. I like to use shredded fresh trimming, grass clipping, shakes and willow as a nitrogen source and old dried up trimmings, finely shredded and chipped dried stalks, leaves and saw dust as carb source and peat poss as base. I experimented a few times with composting using hot pepper leaves and fruits to keep the bugs away and it worked very well. Too bad I have no more hot pepper plants. I innoculate with DIY lactobacillus and cultured beneficial bacteria. The shit "cooks" really quick, literally finishes within 16-19 days depending how much I turn it and how big my pile is (usually 4 - 5 feet wide by 4 feet high). I throw in 2 bucket full of Eisenia Foetida (red wrigglers/composting worms) when the heap cools off, ammendment the soil and use it as it is, with worms and all. Awesome growth rate and yield but not easy work and not very practical if growing on a large scale.

6ixtynin9 · Mar 18, 2016

ButchyBoy said:
Awesome, thanks for the info. I generally run organic water only. I have two of my own crosses that appear to be hungry beotches because they fade out within the first two weeks of flower where as my others don't fade till week 7 or 8. Figured I would push some food at one while adding more amendments to another to see how they compare.

For sure. Dial those beotches in. I find that feeding with Alaska Fish Fertilizer greens them back up pretty good. Good organic stuff you can find cheap at hardware store or even wal-mart if yours carry it. Before when I ran organics, I would also foliar feed with pure or almost pure ammonium nitrate and see results within hours. If I don't have any ammonium nitrate in hand, I resorts to urea. A little slower than ammonium but still works good.

Best soil from lowes?

ButchyBoy

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Larry {the} Gardener

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Bacala

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bravedave

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Buzzzz

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6ixtynin9

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ButchyBoy

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6ixtynin9

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saiyaneye

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