What Planting Mixes Do You Use?

Randm

Active Member
I am planning my summer grow and am preparing the ground for my girls. Obviously I want to reap the potential that they have but am a bit confused about all the different mixes that people use for their garden soil.
I am starting off with a compost/worm casting mix that I pick up at the local worm farm which is a 80% compost and 20% worm castings. To this I will be adding blood and bone meal, bat guano, azamite, and diatamatious earth ( for bug control ). Kind of based on Subcools mix, only lighter and not as 'hot'.
My question is, what else would be a good additive to add? Or am I overdoing it with the additives? This will be my first outdoor grow and I am a little aprehensive, as I want to give them all that they need without having to add nutriants to them all the time. If I can have a good rich healthy soil I figure I can keep the store bought nutriants to a minimum.
What do you use?
 

plantvision

Active Member
Well I probably will take alot of flak for this response, but from what I read on here alot of time is spent on soil prep. I have worked with plants my whole life, now let it be known I have not had a lot of experience with mj, but a plant is a plant. The worm casings are a absoulte powerhouse for a plant. The next is making sure of your ph. With the wrong ph you could be wasting your time. A good potting soil will take care of that. Potting soils are only for starting a plant, there is little or no nutrients for further growth. Another problem with potting soil is, it is to light to hold moisture for long periods of times. Which if your a outside grower you need. I hear alot of people on here spending to much time on bedding there plants. A plant likes to be natural. So when planting you need to mix in the native soil with your root ball. Reason for that is a plant will go root stagnant, it will just grow in a circle in potting soil. Babying a plant is the down fall of alot of plants. I am a firm believer of fertilizer, and you cannot excpect to give all the nutrients at once. But that is another post. Hope this helps. :clap::clap::clap:
 

dudemandigo

Well-Known Member
I would do a soil test, check the PH, and the available nutes that are already in the soil. The plant likes to be natural so you can just add amendments into the native soil.

this year my plants are going directly in the natural soil again, after i clear the grass and shrubs, and i will mix in earthworm castings and cover with mulch. I will be brewing organic teas, one for veg and one for flowering, applied 2 times/ month
 

dirrtyd

Well-Known Member
OP not seeing kelp in your mix kelp meal or a soluble kelp will do. Also I would add some alfafa meal to the mix. It was already mentioned perlite. dirrtyd
 

Randm

Active Member
First, thanks for the input.
I should have mentioned that the area I am planting in is basically just rocks and clay, so what I have done is to make raised beds in some areas and just dug a series of big holes in other areas. as there is not much in good soil naturally I figured I would have to start from scratch and make my own. I just don't want to go nuts and add everything in the garden department to it. I figure that the worm castings are the key, and what it does not supply I will add.
Blood meal for nitrogen , Bone meal for the roots, calciam and magnesiam (oyster shells and epsom salts). Azomite because it has virtually ALL of the trace minerals your plant could need. And finally, because it is an outdoor grow, diatamatious earth to eliminate the possibility of root eating bugs.
 
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