Looking to go organic next grow, need advice on medium (Home Depot)

As the title says, I want to go organic on my second grow. I want to grow 8-10 plants 5-gallon bags.

I was thinking of doing peat moss, perlite, vermeculite (equal parts) and some worm castings (about 1lb per plant's worth) . Is this good enough to grow in and more importantly, am I going to have to use nuts early on (since this set up has no nutes I think)? Also I dont think I would need to add any dolomite lime to this mixture correct?

I used MG before and I got 4 oz from two plants and I think I can do better now that I have 400w HPS+MH (use 250w worth of CFL's before)

Thanks gang!

Rippey

man if u got 4 ozs from MG then go get some Fox Farms Ocean Forest or Happy Frog and u will do much better. it has all the nutes (organic) u need for a 30 day veg cycle, if u go longer, get the 3 part FF nutes, and beastie bloomz and cha-ching for finishing.

btw, hope u have space, depending on the strain, those girls are gonna get huge in 5 gallon pots. i have 2 Master Kush and 1 Super Skunk and 2 Wonder Woman in 5 gal pots with OF Soil, they are 3-6-ft tall, 2-4 ft wide, under a 1000 watt dual spectrum and a 600 watt Hps. if u gat a sativa starin it could get much bigger, but u can top it!!!

shoemaker, I have a 4x4x6 tent and a 400w HPS. I did 6 last time in MG and they grew to about 5'-6' but not super wide (maybe 18"). Maybe I will scale back on the number as I think this grow will yield more. I think I found a place where I can get FF stuff so I may just do that (but it will be cheaper for me to make a soilless mix and get the nutes from there).

Rippey

shoemaker said:

man if u got 4 ozs from MG then go get some Fox Farms Ocean Forest or Happy Frog and u will do much better. it has all the nutes (organic) u need for a 30 day veg cycle, if u go longer, get the 3 part FF nutes, and beastie bloomz and cha-ching for finishing.

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Only one of the Fox Farms 'trio' is organic and the OP did say organic.

Yes I rather stay organic (as much as possible)....

For my soil mix I used 2 bags perlite, 1 bag mushroom compost, 1 bag peat moss, then take all of that and mix it with your garden soil from your backyard. Then add some kelp meal, alfalfa meal, bat guano, and worm castings. Use compost tea feedings throughout the grow.

By the way I bought everything at walmart, execpt for the bat guano.

mrrippey said:

Yes I rather stay organic (as much as possible)....

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There's no half-way. Chemicals such as Fox Farms will destroy the microbe colonies in a grow medium and then you become dependent on pricey soluble supplements. As mushroom head posted, prepare your grow medium in a manner that will provide everything plants require for their life cycles and use two AACT applications, one in veg and another in flower to reinforce the microbes.

You should add lime to your mix because peat moss is acidic.

I would also recommend you add some kind of beneficial bacteria and fungus. It will increase your root mass and help break down the nutes so they are absorbed easier by the roots.
If you're using this mix for seedlings or clones you won't need nutes at first. But once the root system gets developed you can add some veg nutes.

Kimber, do you mean adding some mushroom compost to the mix?

shoemaker said:

man if u got 4 ozs from MG then go get some Fox Farms Ocean Forest or Happy Frog and u will do much better. it has all the nutes (organic) u need for a 30 day veg cycle, if u go longer, get the 3 part FF nutes, and beastie bloomz and cha-ching for finishing.

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the FF trio isn't organic, it's organic based. you can't get those high ratios with organics...

the BEST way to find out if something is organic is by looking at the label, if it has ORMI on it, you're good to go

My issue/question is more what mixture can I use (and how to feed) with what I can get my hands in (organic). I can get organic top soil, perlite, peat moss, earthworm casting, mushroom compost, dolomite lime. All this I see at home depot down the street. What I don't know if my mix content and also feed (besides molasses).

Rippey

Lots of home improvement stores, such as Lowes and Home Depot, sell Espoma-Tone products. The one that stands out in particular is Bio-Tone Starter Plus (in the blue 4 lb bag); a complete 4-3-3 dry fertilizer that contains various species of beneficial bacillus bacteria as well as mycorrhizae (endo & ecto). The plant food is long lasting, no salts and only .3% percent of the N is water soluble, so you can mix the recommended amounts and possibly a bit extra into a good organic soil like Ocean Forest and it is not likely to burn.

Be careful what other products you buy from these kinds of places though. Most Miracle Gro (and some other brand) products are 'enriched' with synthetic fertilizers, including the perlite and sphagnum peat moss. I don't know of any Lowes/HD that sells worm castings, though a nursery in your area might have some.

Whatever you do you have to check the ingredients of everything you buy; look for a certification from a NFP review board (OMRI is most popular but that doesn't exclude others). You definitely don't want anything with ingredients like: urea, ammonium phosphate, potassium nitrate or ethylenediaminetetraacetic ANYTHING (EDTA) which is a synthetic chelating agent that will hinder microlife.

mrrippey said:

Kimber, do you mean adding some mushroom compost to the mix?

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If it has beneficial bacteria and/or fungus go for it. I know earthworm castings are a good source of beneficials. I personally like to add more to my organic mixes. I usually add either great white or humboldt nutrients white widow. I have a bunch of sample sizes that my local hydro store hooks me up with.
But pretty much any decent organic fertlizer lime espoma will add them too.

Earthworm castings are the preferred ingredient, 25% of grow medium for growers using small containers. It provides pH neutrality and feeds the microherd. 50% potting soil with an organic nutrient package and 25% perlite or pumice would make a simple, living soil productive grow medium that, with a couple AACT applications, would not require nutrient supplements.

I think I am going to go with that but add mushroom compost as well as I've read it's good as well. Can you point me' to a good resource for AACT ingredients? I am guessing this is how I feed them.

Thanks

mrrippey said:

I think I am going to go with that but add mushroom compost as well as I've read it's good as well. Can you point me' to a good resource for AACT ingredients? I am guessing this is how I feed them.

Thanks

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ACCT applications aren't a nutrient feed. They're applied twice, maybe three times during plant life cycles. They augment microbes in the living soil that supply all plant nutrient requirements. I brew my own.



four gallons of water
1 cup earthworm castings
1/4 cup kelp meal
1/4 cup fish hydrolysate
1/2 teaspoon pure humic acid
1 tablespoon soft rock phosphate
2 tablespoons organic alfalfa meal
1 teaspoon molasses

Brew for 24 hours at 75° using an air pump that provides .4 cubic feet of air per gallon (60lpm pump). Dilute as desired (normally 2 cups per gallon of fresh water) for drench and foliar applications.

I have $118 in my brewer, including digital aquarium heater, pump and air diffuser. An AACT application costs about a buck in materials and I purchase no trendy, pricey nutrient supplements.

oh wow, that is pretty cool but seems more advanced for me right now, I'm just starting my second grow. I am thinking foxfarm (60%) and mushroom compost, earthworm castings and perlite (40%) as my grow medium. FF Big Bloom for flowering but I do not know what for veg.

Rippey

mrrippey said:

oh wow, that is pretty cool but seems more advanced for me right now, I'm just starting my second grow. I am thinking foxfarm (60%) and mushroom compost, earthworm castings and perlite (40%) as my grow medium. FF Big Bloom for flowering but I do not know what for veg.

Rippey

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With regard to AACT applications, a one-time learning curve providing plant grow medium health in a cost effective manner. No frequent soluble nutrient supplement ratio or feeding schedule repetitive functions required. To each his/her own.

I wouldn't use more than 25% perlite as a grow medium component as it will limit root ball expansion. I'm not a fan of Fox Farm products. Their very expensive Ocean Forest nutrient package is designed to last through early vegetation and create dependency on their soluble nutrient supplements.

I can get organic soil for really cheap (well cheaper than FF) and use the other ingredients. Outside of molasass, I did not feed in my first grow (Miracle Grow Potting) but I want to be all organic this time (who wants to smoke chemicals). I dont think I can get all of those ingredients where I am at (mostly getting the stuff from Home Depot). I will bookmark your recipe so I can use it in my next grow (where I can order this stuff online).

Rippey