Why is my soil like a rock?

I have two baby girls, 32" and 28", growing in miracle grow organic choice soil (low nutes), I just started watering with fox farm grow big and botanicair sweet grape. The soil has been hard since before the grow big n grape shit, I was just wondering if anybody has had this problem, or if anyone knows what to do.. If ya got any help, will b more than appreciated, and +rep of course..

Quick bump.. Phones bout to die lol..

You need to add perlite at about 40% of soil volume. When you water it compacts the regular soil, perlite mixed in will cure this. Perlite also holds oxygen which is good for your roots.

hayzeheven said:

Quick bump.. Phones bout to die lol..

Click to expand...

and get a computer lol hahahaha

could it be root bound?

whiterhyno420 said:

and get a computer lol hahahaha

Click to expand...

People like u I could live without...

slk said:

could it be root bound?

Click to expand...

nah bro it ain't root bound, it's in a 5 gallon paint bucket with about 3 and a half gallons of soil in it. I had a good feeling my answer was going to be perlite. What can I do about that now tho? Could I transplant into another bucket with the same soil and perlite 60/40 mixed at the bottom and rough up the top layer of the older soil and just add another gallon of the 60/40 to it, and water it? That's what I'm thinkin of doing now that u said that, please someone tell me if that's not a good idea lol.

Views keep goin up but no onE seems to have an answer lol

http://www.epinions.com/review/Miracle_Gro_Organic_Choice/content_348763688580

The instructions are simple: Mix the Miracle-Grow Organic soil with native soil (the soil in your yard), plant, water well and cover the area with mulch. This soil is not meant for container gardening


transplant with perlite mixed soil just don't lose to much of the main root ball... water heavily then do not water again till the leaves droop just little... dont feed for the next 2 or 3 weeks using up the MG nutes in the soil.. then use the grow big again

Thanks dogglet, yea I did mix with native soil even though it didn't call for it, the bag I purchased was potting soil, I did notice on the other bags the pot in the large red circle with a cross thru it lol. The post was great info n that is what I will probably do. The plants are pretty old for veggin, almost 2 months old actually. They had no nutes and poor lighting for almost a month and a half, I don't think there are any nutes left in it, unless u were refering to the new soil after a transplant. I was just wondering Also tho, wut do u mean "just don't loose too much of the main rootball"? I should trim the rootball or something? I was planning on keeping the whole chunk of soil that's in there now, intact.. No?

Sorry bro, woulda def already +repped by now, just still confused about that rootball part lol

i wouldn't worry about it too much at this point.. i mean, growing outdoors, there is no perlite... the soil can get hard all the time and the plants have np.. just learn from your mistakes and worry about it next time.. right now, you could only add perlite below the soil unless you wanted to risk knocking off the rock hard stuff from the roots.. then you will harm/damage worse than anything.. leave be and use more perlite next time

Thanks tokinman, exactly what I was thinkin. I guess I was just looking for someone to second my opinion lol. I prolly won't be adding perlite, instead I think I might keep them how they r, and then just sprout another seedling in a peat pellet, and toss it in some perlite/and any soil with barely any nutes right? Any good recomondations of brands and types? Preferrabpy something I could get at homedepot/lowes would b nice lol, gardening n hydro stores are a good distance, and their hours are not to my advantage lol.
+rep to u bro

per lite or peat-moss vermiculite works real well

hayzeheven said:

Views keep goin up but no onE seems to have an answer lol

Click to expand...

he jus gave u a f*kin answer...

i think any perlite is fine, as long as it doesn't have any nutes added to it.. to me, that would be the real concern.. i have never seen any w/ nutes though so should be good with any ole perlite.. norm it is good to mix like 30ish% perlite w/70% soil.. some may say 40%/60%.. it is really your pref there.. just don't use nutes until the plants have grown a bit.. normally like 2-3 weeks or so after sprouting..