B3ANFLICKER
Well-Known Member
im wantin to start buyin my own soil from the local diy store but what do i buy?what contents should i look for/stay clear of?iv got my own perlite to mix in,all i need now is the soil.the FAQs dont say anything.
soil from diy store
- Thread starter B3ANFLICKER
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420Blunt's
Well-Known Member
what do you be d.i.y. store? like a store where you can mix your own soil ingredients? if you want to make you own soil i would recommend that you go buy 'marijuana horticulture - the indoor/outdoor medical grower's bible' by jorge cervantes. it has a chapter 10 called 'soil and containers' and it gives you a very good outline on soil nutrients. it also has chapter 11 'water and nutrients' that tells you what to put in your water when you start adding nutes. its a good book to have on hand. before i post a query i check i out in the book first.
B3ANFLICKER
Well-Known Member
got that book,live by it.its brilliant,i usually buy my soil from the hed shop with perlite already in it,n i wana buy my own soil from the shop n mix my perlite with it but dont some soils have nutrients in,i dont know what im lookin for on the label.should it jus be an organic soil with no nutes?
420Blunt's
Well-Known Member
yea just go with Fox Farms Ocean Forest for flower and Happy Frog for veg. i use both of them with perlite and they are looking beautiful!
B3ANFLICKER
Well-Known Member
my diy store doesnt hav choices like that...........unfortunatley,they just have regular soil.....
B3ANFLICKER
Well-Known Member
cheers dude........the answer i was lookin for...........will any organic pottin soil do?(like to be sure,i like the best for my girls as im sure u all do)
panhead
Well-Known Member
Thats one hell of an expensive soil to reccomend, infact its the most expensive soil on the market,not much benifit to using a soil like fox farms when the content & results can be easily replicated using off the shelf supplies from home depot at 1/10th the cost.
Back to the question at hand.
I make my own soil mix from products bought straight from home depot.
Potting soil......40%.
Top Soil..........20%.
Perlite............30%
Masons sand...10%
Excellent drainage,quick dry time & no added anything like fertilizers that screw up the grow.
thephantompain1990
Well-Known Member
just make sure that the soil doesnt have time released nutes in it
gangjababy
Well-Known Member
I use 30% mushroom compost
30% peatmoss
40% perlite
and 1 tablespoon of dolomite lime per gallon of mix.
30% peatmoss
40% perlite
and 1 tablespoon of dolomite lime per gallon of mix.
B3ANFLICKER
Well-Known Member
ok thanks but i already went to get it before i read this post lol.i bought some called john innes organic compost.iv looked up on the net what is in it and the website said as follows;
WHAT ARE THE INGREDIENTS?
The function of each of the ingredients in John Innes is briefly as follows:-
LOAM - Loam is the most important ingredient in the compost as it provides the main "body" of the compost. It also forms the base of plant nutrition by supplying clay, which has a cation and anion exchange capacity, that is, it absorbs and releases plant nutrients as required. Loam also contains essential micro-elements and some organic matter which provides a slow release of nitrogen to the plant.
PEAT - Sphagnum Moss Peat in the John Innes Compost increases the total porosity and improves both the aeration and the water-retaining capacity. Peat decomposes slowly into humus.
SAND - The coarse sand or grit is used as a physical conditioner to allow excess water to drain from the compost and thus prevent water-logging. It also helps to provide stability for larger plants.
FERTILISER - The compound fertiliser in John Innes Compost provides a wide spectrum of plant nutrients needed for balanced growth, including :-
- NITROGEN - for top growth
- PHOSPHATES - for root growth
- POTASH - for flowering and fruiting
- TRACE ELEMENTS - for colour and flavour
As John Innes Composts have been used by growers and gardeners for over 50 years, they have clearly stood the test of time, and they are still popular for the following reasons:-
Loam-based - John Innes Composts are loam-based - a natural medium for growing plants. Loam contains clay, humus and trace elements which provide a natural reserve of plant foods and also an excellent buffering capacity - so that it can cope with some degree of over- or under-feeding of the plants.
Air/Water Balance - Loam, peat and coarse sand provide a good balance between the amount of water held by the compost and the amount of air space after it has drained. It is easier to achieve this when three main ingredients are utilised, than when the compost is made from only one material such as peat.
Easy to re-wet - The loam and coarse grit content makes a John Innes Compost very easy to re-wet after drying out, compared with all-peat composts.
Natural pH - The pH level of John Innes Composts is at the natural level for most plants, except the lime-hating varieties such as Azaleas, Heathers and Rhododendrons.
Higher Nutrient Levels - Because of the loam content in John Innes Composts, the fertiliser levels can be increased to suit the vigour or growth rate of the plant, which would not be safe in peat-based composts.
Longer Lasting - John Innes Composts last for a longer time than soil-less composts before it becomes necessary to water and feed plants in pots or containers.
Greater Tolerance - With both short and long term fertiliser release, natural drainage and water retention, a John Innes Composts has greater tolerance and gives the amateur gardener better all round results than soil-less composts.
IN CONCLUSION:
John Innes Composts mean easier management and better plant growth particularly for:-
- Bedding plants and vegetable seedlings
- Tomatoes, cucumbers and melons
- House plants and interior planters
- Tubs, troughs, patio planters and window boxes.
gangjababy
Well-Known Member
You don't want prefertilized soil/compost. Buy a mix with no nutrients
thephantompain1990
Well-Known Member
haha yeah you did exactly what i said not to do
panhead
Well-Known Member
Same thing i thought,not the best medium for a new grower at all.
7th1der
Well-Known Member
Check out my grow with the Miracle Grow Organic Choice potting soil. its doing okay with no added nutes
growwwww
Well-Known Member
well ive brought commercial compost with nutrients in it ( sufficient for 4-6 weeks ) and done about 70-30 perlite maybe more. Its acid loving also coz all the other ones like mg were soil hating and i heard somewhere mj is loving slightly... My seedlings are alive. but will this be ok? 
panhead
Well-Known Member
Not all mg perlite has nutes in it,i do know the shit your talking about though,i wasnt paying attention & bought that shit,never again,it turned yellow & being that i wasnt paying attention i added my standard 30% perlite to the mix,after a week when shit started turning yellow i looked it over and sure enough it was the fertilized shit.
Had to transplant everything & toss the soil out.
The soil you bought should be fine, here's what I would do though. Buy a equal size portion of pro-mix, sunshine mix, canadian sphagum peat moss, (whatever you want to call it.) Then mix the 2 bags together for even consistency. Now get a big bag of regulaur perlite and mix that in there. You want a lot of perlite 20-40%, your plants are going to love you for it. Now since you have all that peatmoss add some dololimte lime, this is essential! Use 1 tablespoon per gallon of soil mixed in evenly for each pot.
I guarantee you this will be a good plant growing medium.
I guarantee you this will be a good plant growing medium.