Indoor Growing on a Budget Soil/ Soiless Grow Mediums (Not water or Aero)

Ahh, but the El Cheapo humidifier got you by​:slightly_smiling_face: My Grow Partner is currently running her dryer vent inside for her houseplants to help with humidity. Then I think I saw somewhere here that someone was using it for their indoor grow :thinking:

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Great idea for vegetation stage. Funny how us older folks can find a cheaper way to get by. Especially when you’re as poor as me and my wife are.

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The price on the pH control is reasonable. What could be used as a substitute?

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Sometimes it’s just that common sense and/or old methods will work :slightly_smiling_face: I have a tendency to look at some things as NOT what they ARE but rather WHAT they can be. And the “there’s more than one way to skin a cat” mentality I was raised with

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Just mix 1 powder envelope with 250(or 200)ml distilled water and put the mix in a jar… That can be used up to 3–5 months.

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FFHF is 6.5 all day long.

Are you saying if you add perlite to it at a 50% mix? It will certainly impact the pH. Only way to be sure is via a slurry test.

The nutrients in the soil are pretty used up after a month. I dump it on the compost pile @Daddy

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@Covertgrower

we will cover that too. I’m a soil grower and that is where my experience is. I will need a lot of help from water people when we do that topic. If you want to start it and tag me, that would be fine, too.

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ok, while we are waiting they’re are natural items that can be used to adjust pH

I have been told, but never tried…

Lemon and vinegar to lower; baking soda to raise pH

If you have tried, let me know. And you science minded folks please chime in. I got that off the interweb so no idea if it is true or not, lol

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Now I’m wandering if the 30%perlite in the soil will make me adjust the pH from soil to soilless… Or will be OK in the middle… :thinking:
I also read something about ph on auto grows…and in that article they say the autoflowering strain should be good to have 6.1 to 6.5 ph… Many different types of Growers many opinions :slight_smile:

Now this is just my opinion but i give a thumbs down to aquarium ph strips. They are better than nothing. There is no precise measurement just a range as 6.5 to 7.0 , they do work to that amount, just somewhere in that range. Actually i winged it to same amount of ph up(nectar of gods) Everybody got their sample for $26.Way too expensive, a good ph meter only $15, but remember to order xtra buffer mix for calibration. Lol

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Out of likes again :rofl: I’ve read the same stuff also.

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So should we take test strips off the list? I wouldn’t be offended lol. I am hesitant to recommend them and never have.

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So aquarium test strips are in the just to “get you by” category. And I’ve yet to find a reliable substitute for calibration medium. :+1:

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Probably :slightly_smiling_face: as the risk/reward rate wouldn’t be cost effective.

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Here’s the soil I use
1/4 bag of Fox Farm Ocean Forest
1/4 bag of sterilized garden soil
2 qts Alaskan Tundra
4 qts mushroom compost
1 qt blood meal
2 cups bone meal
1qt worm castings
2qts Coco
2qts perlite
1qt vermiculite
Bear in mind @Laurap that this mix has a pH around 6.0, so you’ll need to keep the water at 6.5. my plants like it just fine.

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We got the entire lineup for that, not just the ph up. I thought it was pretty fair for getting into organic nutes. I want to say I was about $40per plant per grow with my earth juice recipe. And that was on like 3-4 week veg cycle.

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@bob31 them are ok but only if you don’t have anything else :joy:

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Is anyone using JR Peters dry nutes? Rumor is that jacks classic 3 grams, calcium nitrate 2 grams, and epsom salts 1 gram per gallon will give you almost exact npk ratio as Lucas formula. The best part is they are dry and can be bought by pounds for similar prices that we’re paying per bottle.

Obviously I can’t recommend, as I’ve never used. But I figure somebody here is.

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that would be a catchy book title @SmoknGranny

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I haven’t heard anything but I’m definitely going to do some research :+1:

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