Thanks @Myfriendis410 and @Mrcrabs! Yeah, I’m looking forward to the adventure. I will be using more commercial soil than anything (basically what MountainMan1 recommended) but I’m going to try one or 2 holes with native soil amended and just see what happens. I’m getting my PH pen in on Monday and I’ll get back with y’all once I have it. Meanwhile, I’m going to to go pickup some FFOF and Happy Frog Soil Conditioner as well as some perlite, Wildroot Organic Mycorrhizal Fungi (16 strains and ends and echo) and azomite.
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Thanks good info.
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Listen to these guys. I’m very basic in my soil growing (miracle grow straight from bag to pot with a seed) . Not much experience in soil building and outdoor growing here.
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I don’t have much to add but another couple outdoor growers I didn’t see mentioned here @Sasquatch @highcountrygal
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Hey @DTOM420 … first off most that grow out side are either dfigging a 3 x 3 or 4 x 4 hole and put some good soil in the ground or use grow in pots. You could buts up the native soil some and add some gypsum to it to help improve the drainage. @highcountrygal is the expert on that. You want your soil ph to be 6.3 to 6.8 and soils like Fox Farms and others will get you that. If your ph is above that a little to start, you can give your girls a guano tea and that will drop your ph but it will take a little time (about 4 wks) and is not a quick fix. I grow in pots because you have more control and ts easy on my back. @Sittingbull64 grows outside in the ground. Im sure hes got some good advice
Just don’t over think it .
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@Sasquatch Thanks for that advice! That’s what I’m doing for the plants that’ll go in the ground. I’m digging some 3-4’ wife holes about 20-24” deep and filling them with soil mixed from the ingredients below. I’m also mixing in about 15% native soil with additional perlite, worm castings, bat guano, pear humus, myco and some green sand. I’ll have to look into the gypsum. My plan is to back fill the holes with more of the native soil mixture towards the outer edges and the bottom; transitioning to the FF stuff towards the middle. A comment I read suggesting to plant seeds in a mild soil mixture above some FF Ocean Farm inspired me to set up some holes where the roots can discover the native soil gradually, as the plant really matures. I’m going to build 2 massive holes (6-7’ wide x 3’ deep) in preparation for next year’s season, where I can get them into the ground in mid March or early April and let them grow all the way through the summer! I’d like to see what something like Big Bud, White Widow, MIS or some other XXL strain.
Because the soil here doesn’t drain rapidly, I’m going to build drain channels from each hole. There’s a slight grade to the whole area and I thought I could make use of that by building a drain channel and filling it with river rock, to form a French drain of sorts. I’m hoping this’ll help on those occasions where we get these freak storms that drop 3+ inches of water. I’m afraid that the new holes could turn into catch ponds without some way for water to escape. What do you think about that?
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I think you must have a tiny wife. You might want to plant her a little deeper to keep the coyotes from digging up her bones.
Sorry, dark joke lol
Looks like you’re off to a great start, bud! 
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@DTOM420, I am on my second outdoor grow. I have soil in my vegetable garden that sounds similar to yours - clay with a near neutral pH. My well water, on the other hand, is on the opposite end of the spectrum. It’s 8.2-8.4. I have toyed with the idea of an injector system as you discussed, but that seems like a real pain.
I have two large raised beds right in my garden plot that are full of a mix of garden clay and compost/mulch. I put mesh on the bottom to keep pocket gophers out, and the first year I filled one with garlic and the other with onions. Pocket gophers made their way in anyway and decimated my crop. After that I just planted flowers in those beds, and last year I added my first cannabis grow - two Super Silver Haze plants. Grew two trees, huge yield, but had a few issues. That said, I did nothing but throw plants in the garden and let my drip irrigation water them.
This year, I decided to use fabric pots. I enjoyed using them in my indoor grow this past winter, so I planted five plants in them. I have not adjusted my water pH and so far, everything really looks quite good.
The soil will buffer some of the pH issues, so it may not be as troubling as you think. The main issue I worry about is nutrient uptake, but thankfully the plants will talk to you with their appearance and tell you if they’re having trouble.
Enjoy the grow.
@nostril I’ve been lurking around your grow thread and it looks great. Thanks for the words of encouragement! I’ll figure it out, one way or another. I’m waiting for my gear to arrive - hopefully some of it will begin to arrive late in the week. I’m hoping to start some germination asap. I’m also waiting on a few remaining amendments that should be arriving this week. If I can have some babies by Aug 1, I’ll be a happy camper. It’s 106° as I’m typing so it’s tempering my excitement to get going. Well, that and some Royal Sensi medicine I’ve got. Lol!
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I don’t know how much it will help in an outdoor situation, but the best piece of advice I ever read was to have everything in place before you start. These babies grow fast, and they will get ahead of you if you’re not prepared.
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Thanks for the advice @elheffe702! BTW - I did think your dark humor earlier was funny - it took me a minute to realize the damn auto-correct messed up my earlier post, lol! That’s what I’m doing right now - preparing soil mixtures. I’m experimenting with several mixtures to see what works best for me, with my water. I’m even starting to work on holes for next spring. Hoping that some time sitting in the ground will help. Particularly the ones that will include a percentage of native soil. Trying to practice, “The 6 ‘P’s’ - Prior Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance!
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