I’m trying to figure out what soil and amendments to buy for my upcoming grow in 9a. There are a lot of places that are within reach that sell FoxFarm products and I’ve had great luck in my veggie garden with their products. However, I’ve read some people saying its too hot in some cases. I can’t find a good source for Promix around here and I don’t have a clue which of their products to order online. I’m going to start with both auto flowers and some photo plants in grow bags as well as holes in the ground. I’d love to get some advice and recipes that I can copy.
Promix Bx or HP i believe. Orange bag. Im looking into them myself. The mycos are supposed to be amazing for root development
I read the same about mycos.
Try filling the pot 3/4 full with fox farms ocean forest and the top with happy frog or something a bit less hot. This will let the seedlings roots develope some before they hit the hotter ocean forest.
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If you have a grow store…ask for advice. Yes, Fox Farm FERTILIZED is famous for being too hot. Get some non-fertilized media and mix 50/50…should be ok. I prefer to control the amount of nutes with liquid additives. Then I can switch up the nutes for Blooming.
Please stay away from Miracle Grow…it’s too hot and will hold water, drowning your roots.
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I am pretty new, but I have been using Pro-Mix HP and it is great.
Hard to over water as it drains so well and onty thing in it is what I put in. Like Hydro with Dirt? Anyway I really like it. about $39 on Amazon. I also use General Hydroponics nutes. So far it has been pretty smooth sailing.
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That’s a good combination. I’m playing with Promix HP right now and my girls are happy.
Welcome to ILGM. We are happy that you came to us. I hope what I posted helps you. If you need anything else just tat me like this @garrigan65 that’s it.
Have you thought about making your own soil mix ?
this is what I use. Amounts will vary depending on size of pots and how many plants your going to grow.
Here are the amounts we’ve found will produce the best-tasting buds and strongest medicines:
8 large bags of a high-quality organic potting soil with coco fiber and mycorrhizae (i.e., your base soil)
25 to 50 lbs of organic worm castings
5 lbs steamed bone meal
5 lbs Bloom bat guano
5 lbs blood meal
3 lbs rock phosphate
¾ cup Epson salts
½ cup sweet lime (dolomite)
½ cup azomite (trace elements)
2 tbsp powdered humic acid
This is the same basic recipe I’ve been using for the past 15 years. The hardest ingredient to acquire are the worm castings (especially since many people don’t even know what they are. FYI: worm poop). But don’t decide to just skip them: Be resourceful. After all, worms comprise up to ¾ of the living organisms found underground, and they’re crucial to holding our planet together. Also, don’t waste money on a “soil conditioner” with worm castings; source out some local pure worm poop with no added mulch.
Now for the break out of this recipe for those that do not need a mix on this massive scale.
I Council’s soil recipe broken down for the lazy folks
Full Recipe
8 large bags of a high-quality organic potting soil with coco fiber and mycorrhizae (i.e., your base soil)
25 to 50 lbs of organic worm castings
5 lbs steamed bone meal
5 lbs bloom bat guano
5 lbs blood meal
3 lbs rock phosphate
¾ cup Epson salts
½ cup sweet lime (dolomite)
½ cup azomite (trace elements)
2 tablespoons powdered humic acid
1/2 Recipe
4 large bags of a high-quality organic potting soil with coco fiber and mycorrhizae (i.e., your base soil)
12.5 to 25 lbs of organic worm castings
2.5lbs steamed bone meal
2.5lbs bloom bat guano
2.5lbs blood meal
1.5lbs rock phosphate
3/8 cup or 6 tablespoons Epsom Salts
1/4 cup or 4 tablespoon sweet lime (dolomite)
1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons azomite (trace elements)
1 tablespoon powdered humic acid
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
1/8 Recipe
1 large bags of a high-quality organic potting soil with coco fiber and mycorrhizae (i.e., your base soil)
3.125 to 6.25 lbs of organic worm castings
.625 lbs or 5/8 lbs or 10 ounces steamed bone meal
.625 lbs or 5/8 lbs or 10 ounces bloom bat guano
.625 lbs or 5/8 lbs or 10 ounces blood meal
3/8 lbs or 6 ounces rock phosphate
3/32 cup or 1.5 tablespoons Epsom Salts
1/16 cup or 1 tablespoon sweet lime (dolomite)
1/16 cup or 1 tablespoon azomite (trace elements)
3/4 teaspoon powdered humic acid9
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I had issues with this exact mix (worm castings easier to find online now) so I was wondering if there is more to the process than just mixing the soil. Does it need to bake in the sun, or cure under a tarp, or some other process before it is ready to use?
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Yes I’ve seen this recipe and instructions to let it cook for a couple months
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So for a newbie, wanting to get a plant started, this might not be the best option initially. I would have been better off knowing this…
@garrigan62 - Thanks for the recipe! How much volume or weight is in one of those base bags of soil? I mean, soul comes in lots of sizes of bags. All the other ingredients come in measureable sizes but “8 bags” is not very clear. I’d like to try this but I’ll need a better measurement to do it. Thanks again!
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Well that’s a good question, cause soil comes in different sizes. But the size of the bag all depends on how many plants you plan on growing. This is what you need to figure out before you start buying. also the size of your pot or what ever your going to use. You got to have a plan before you buy your soil products. and yes letting your soil cook for a couple of months will be fine . I use this and all I do is check my grils every 3rd day and water that’s it. Till flower then i’ll add Scott Super Bloom from start of flower till the last week…Here is a pic’s of what I got…
Indoor grow and she grew to 5. 8"
Do you see the string. The buds got so heavy I had to tie them up…
All done with that soil I make and a little water every so offen……Oh and I’ll feed them a little Mico tea every other week
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Mykos is an excellent product, in my opinion. Mine was gifted to me, so I’m biased there, but:
Both plants were grown more or less identically, besides being different strains. But roots is roots, yo.
The top was grown with only whatever mycorrhizae was left living in the Happy Frog soil after sitting in my closet for a month or so, after sitting who knows how long it sat at the store, after who knows how long it sat on a truck, after…you get it…and the bottom got Mykos at sowing and potting up. I had to wash away the soil to find the roots on the top plant…
Also: All about Mycorrhizae, its benefits, application and research and development
This is a write up on a company’s site selling their product. I’m in no way endorsing it, or any other, just referencing the information.
You are fine my friend. No worries. Is’t growing fun there is so much out there. but after a few grows you get your own nack at growing and if it works for you than it’s all good my friend…
Happy Growing
Will
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Nice plants, but you still didn’t answer the question. Any recipe with one vague ingredient can ruin the whole mix. What if he thinks ‘big’ is a 2qt bag, and I think it’s a 3cu ft compressed cube?
We’re baking a cake. You’ll need a big bag of flour…
@garrigan62 - I’d like to try that recipe for a couple of holes I’m going to get ready for next season but I still need to know what size bags you’re referring to. Until you include an exact measurement for the potting soil, it’s not a complete or useable recipe. A bag of potting soil could have 1 gallon, 1.5 cu feet, 3.8 cu feet, etc. Each one of those would alter the proportions of the ultimate mixture and prevent me from producing the exact result you’re recommending. Do you have an old bag of the potting soil you use laying around? Maybe you could check one and let us know the size.
Also, I noticed the quantity amount that shows up in your recipe for epsom salts, sweet lime and azomite has a weird look ‘A’ with a line over it (not sure what this symbolizes: Â) before the fraction (3/4 or 1/2). Can you clarify? Are the amounts as follows:
3/4 cup Epsom Salts
1/2 cup Sweet Lime
1/2 cup Azomite
I’m sorry about the delay my friend here is thre answer to your question ,
1.5 cubic ft bags of Roots Organics soil
As for the A go’s I don’t have a clue Means nothing I figure. Type O
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I think if you cut-n-paste some things, the font doesn’t translate and throws in weird stuff for some symbols. And thanks for the answer. I doctored it for convenience, and if this isn’t OK with you I’ll take it down.
@garrigan62’s soil recipe:
Full Recipe
8 1.5 cubic ft bags of Roots Organics soil or a high-quality organic potting soil with coco fiber and mycorrhizae (i.e., your base soil)
25 to 50 lbs of organic worm castings
5 lbs steamed bone meal
5 lbs bloom bat guano
5 lbs blood meal
3 lbs rock phosphate
¾ cup Epson salts
½ cup sweet lime (dolomite)
½ cup azomite (trace elements)
2 tablespoons powdered humic acid
1/2 Recipe
4 1.5 cubic ft bags of Roots Organics
12.5 to 25 lbs of organic worm castings
2.5lbs steamed bone meal
2.5lbs bloom bat guano
2.5lbs blood meal
1.5lbs rock phosphate
3/8 cup or 6 tablespoons Epsom Salts
1/4 cup or 4 tablespoon sweet lime (dolomite)
1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons azomite (trace elements)
1 tablespoon powdered humic acid
1/4 Recipe
2 1.5 cubic ft bags of Roots Organics
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
1/8 Recipe
1 1.5 cubic ft bag of Roots Organics
3.125 to 6.25 lbs of organic worm castings
.625 lbs or 5/8 lbs or 10 ounces steamed bone meal
.625 lbs or 5/8 lbs or 10 ounces bloom bat guano
.625 lbs or 5/8 lbs or 10 ounces blood meal
3/8 lbs or 6 ounces rock phosphate
3/32 cup or 1.5 tablespoons Epsom Salts
1/16 cup or 1 tablespoon sweet lime (dolomite)
1/16 cup or 1 tablespoon azomite (trace elements)
3/4 teaspoon powdered humic acid
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