post ur best grow medium mixes

Im about to make a mix up and i have vermiculite, perlite, bag soil, mushroom compost and worm castings. What should i use and in what proportions or let me know what u guys use
 

jdizzle22

Well-Known Member
I'm lazy, so all I've done is buy a bag of FoxFarm Ocean Forest and mix it 2 parts for every 1 part normal per lite.
In the future I hope to mix it with FF potting soil and light warrior, and possibly recreate older versions of the 'moonshine man mix'
 

dura72

Well-Known Member
miracle gro (70%), perlite(25%) vermiculite(5%), doesnt need any nutrients for almost the entire veg cycle.
 

g0ld3n3y3

Member
When i did my first grow i was assured that the best was also a perlite and verm mix for those fert reasons so i bought 3 sacks of a ready mixed brand. And at first it was ok but as the plants got further into bloom i started to find that unles i juiced them literally every 2hrs or so it would start to dry out really quickly, and if i couldnt see to them for 4-5hrs it would be solid and leaves gaps round the sides of the pots, meaning i had to spend ages carefully dribbling the juice onto the soil or it would just run straight out the bottom of the pots. (admittedly the main cause of the quick dry was mainly due to my growing knowledge(or lack of it to be more accurate) and that i was using 5x600w lights which with the type of ballasts i had on the floor heated my 2x3metre room so much i had a right nightmare at first trying to just keep the temp below 30C) at 1 point i had a ludicrous setup of my intake and outtake fans and then 7 household fans and an air cooler i had to constantly fill wit iced water on full whack and it would still get too hot in there. In the end i invested in a more powerful outtake which helped a little until 1night i discovered a solution that was just so unbelievably simple it seemed impossible. Now in my 2nd room i have 7x600w, my outtake+intake and just 1 normal pedestal fan in the corner of the room and my temp is now a steady 25-28C with no more worry. And its all thanks to 1 upsidedown plastic plant pot :-D Anyway back to my soil, i still find that my mix drys out way to easily so now i use a crushed cocos soil which i think is perfect. Its really finely ground and retains fluid much longer and even if accidently allowed to go bone dry you can just chuck water at it and you dont lose a single drop out of the bottom of the pot.
 

kysmoker

Active Member
40% Sphagnum Peat Moss
25% Vermiculite
25% Perlite
10% Earth Worm Castings

This is a really good mixture. It hasnt got any nutrients (for the most part) so youll have to add nutrients or fert to the mix as your plant grows. This also gives you a greater degree of control in growing. The mix has a nice, light, fluffy feel. Very aerated. Drains well, but not so much that your watering everyday.

Ive used mushroom compost.... to grow mushrooms >.> Ofcourse, that was compost made for growing shrooms, not compost that was composted by shrooms, I assume theres a huge difference lol.
 

jdizzle22

Well-Known Member
Does the peat moss or earth worm castings have any micro beasties in them? That could be a benefit of mixing in at least one bag of potting soil/mix, should make it easier to keep the micro organisms that benefit your root system alive, plus you wouldn't have to buy them separately. I know Ocean Forest comes with them, just make sure everyone you stay away from bags of soil that contain those time release fertilizers.
 

blower

Active Member
Good post mane. Yes all pro growers write your routine from babie plants or clones. Through their veg cycle all the way to havest. Include feedings,soil mediums, everything
 

jdizzle22

Well-Known Member
Some people claim that Ocean Forest is too hot for some seeds and clones, but I planted my paper towel seeds right in and out of 4 only one didn't pop out of the dirt. But that stuff was bagseed so there are plenty of other reasons why it probably wasn't the soil (handling the seeds, coming from bagseeds who knows if they were actually viable anyway, etc).
 
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