I am contacting you in regards to the medium that I am trying for my autos. I have been doing some research and I decided to go with a soil conditioner and perlite mix. I have to do the mix myself, and was hoping you could give me some pointers on the mix ratio? I was told that I should do 1/3 perlite 2/3 soil conditioner. The soil conditioner is happy frog and the perlite is black gold. I understand that autos don’t need as many nutrients as photos, but I am trying to get the best mix possible for great growth and resinous buds. Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your help
Happy frog alone is a good start. I don’t know if you need perlite with that soil. Adding some perlite won’t hurt any.
As for nutrients. I’m sold on making super soil. I like to see what goes into my plants. Making super soil is as hands on as you can gets. It’s all I use for both photos and autos. I find the bud to be more potent and colorful.
Here’s the recipe for a 1/4 of a batch courtesy of @garrigan62. There is a updated recipe but this is a great place to start.
1/4 Recipe
2 large bags of a high-quality organic potting soil with coco fiber and mycorrhizae (i.e., your base soil)
6.25 to 12.5 lbs of organic worm castings
1.25lbs or 20 ounces steamed bone meal
1.25lbs or 20 ounces bloom bat guano
1.25lbs or 20 ounces blood meal
3/4 lbs rock phosphate
3/16 cup or 3 tablespoons Epsom Salts
1/8 cup or 2 tablespoons sweet lime (dolomite)
1/8 cup or 2 tablespoons azomite (trace elements)
1.5 teaspoons powdered humic acid
I use a mix of 70% Promix Bx, 20% FFHappy Frog, and 10% perlite. Both Promix and Happy Frog already have some perlite, so I only mix in a small amount. I have used just 85% Promix and 15% perlite, too.
In general, whether using soilless or soil, it’s a good idea to mix in about 25% perlite to assist with aeration and drainage. Adding myccorhizae will also be beneficial.