Mixing up soil. Need help on ratios please!

MistaRasta

Well-Known Member
Hello all. I decided to take a trip to a nursery in which I hadn't been to in a while.
To my pleasant surprise they stocked up on their selection of soil amendments. They're main brand is called Espoma. I have heard very little on this brand and was wondering if anyone could help me with the ratios of mixing it up. Espoma isn't the only amendment but here they are:

Fox farm ocean forest (base soil)
Earthworm castings
Espoma bone meal 4-12-0
Epsoma Epsom plus 0-0-22 (also 11% magnesium)
Jamacian bat guano 1-10-1
Pulverized dolomite lime
Roots organic orgenism (mycorize)


I'm looking to fill 4 5 gallon pots every round with this mix.
I'll tweak It to my liking of course but dont want to start off on the wrong foot. I'll be mixing and let sit and cook for a month or so. This will be my first true organic grow in which I'll mainly be using water, and some Maxicrop (trace minerals) and catalyst (earth juice). Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Stay high! :leaf:
 

MistaRasta

Well-Known Member
I guess I should be more clear. I'm wondering how much of each amendment
I should add to 1.5 cubic feet of soil. I would go for subcool's super soil but unfortunately can't find
All of his ingredients around my area. Also, the Epsom plus has ALOT potash in it. (0-0-22) vs kelp meal which is (1-0-2)
Should I go on the safe side and just use kelp meal for my potassium supplement?

Any and all help would be appreciated. I'm fairly new to true organics and wanna get that sweet smell and taste of Mother Nature herself.
 

Divitus

Active Member
the ocean forest is fine by itself
Not if you want to do water feedings only from start to finish. What kind of area do you live in? Get your epsom salts at Wal-Mart if need be. Also, don't forget about your azomite, blood meal, and humic acid (if you can find it, or just order it). Also, I would get some Light warrior to cut that Ocean forest (ocean forest is too hot to use as base soil by itself). Mix your OF/LW 2-1. If you have any questions just ask, just got done mixing a batch of super soil.

Peace
 

MistaRasta

Well-Known Member
Exactly, ocean forest runs out of nutes about 3 weeks in which I don't want to happen.
I have Epsom salts, and I love using them, they make my babies so green. But I was looking for
A potash supplement, and this one had mag in it so I bought it.

I forgot about describing light warrior, I love the stuff. I don't grow
With out. But I need to figure out how much of this stufto put in my soil. I know
It's hard to burn with organics but it can happen and I don't want it to.

So like I said, any and help is appreciated :D
 

farmerjoe420

Well-Known Member
Not if you want to do water feedings only from start to finish. What kind of area do you live in? Get your epsom salts at Wal-Mart if need be. Also, don't forget about your azomite, blood meal, and humic acid (if you can find it, or just order it). Also, I would get some Light warrior to cut that Ocean forest (ocean forest is too hot to use as base soil by itself). Mix your OF/LW 2-1. If you have any questions just ask, just got done mixing a batch of super soil.

Peace

i understand he wants to water from start to finish but why not just mix supersoil. i live in the fucking mountains and i can get every ingredient for ss. i dont mean no harm but if your gonna do it, why not just use a proven method instead of trying to re-invent the wheel. just sayin
 

MistaRasta

Well-Known Member
I'm not trying to reinvent anything. Like I said, none of the hydro shops or lowes or whatever, carry all of subcools ingredients. If they did, this question wouldn't be up. But I have to make due with what I can get and am looking for the best alternatives and the best way to use them. It's a very simple question, but no one seems to have an answer. So I'll do what I used to before I spoiled my self in these forums. I'll go experiment and see what happens.

But I guess the main question is; how much of a product would you use if it had an 0-0-22 ?
That's all im really wondering I guess. Maybe a tablespoon per gallon of soil? Possibly..
 

farmerjoe420

Well-Known Member
the only thing i could say is try to be more resourceful in locating the supersoil ingredients if you want a water only grow. did you ask your hydro store about ordering what u need? most stores will order you what you need and if you can get FFOF, CASTINGS,BONE MEAL, GUANO at your hydro shop, they should be able to order you the rest of the stuff. like i said, the shop i go to in the next town has most of what i need and if not they can order the rest. i dont know where you live but im in a very remote location so im sure you can locate what u need.
i think most people cant say for sure because they dont know the answers to your questions. but if you have the time and resources to experiment thats great. what items cant you locate anyways? i could share with you a few places ive located things i couldnt find in the store if you tell me what your looking for.
 

Jack Harer

Well-Known Member
I don't know that I'd go adding a lot of anything to FFOF which seems to be pretty hot all by itself. Rather start out with a good base potting soil with no added nutes. You can get one at almost any nursery or garden center. Then I'd add about (per 5 gal bucket) 25% EWC, a cup and a half of the bone meal, about 2-2 1/2 cups of Espoma Bio-Tone plus, and about 2 cups of lime. Add in some perlite, and you're done. The Biotone has all the mycos in it. I'd save the Kelp, and guanos for weekly teas and foliar feeding. Use the Epsom at 1 tbsp per gal a few times thru the flower phase for added Ca, Mg, and S.
 

farmerjoe420

Well-Known Member
I don't know that I'd go adding a lot of anything to FFOF which seems to be pretty hot all by itself. Rather start out with a good base potting soil with no added nutes. You can get one at almost any nursery or garden center. Then I'd add about (per 5 gal bucket) 25% EWC, a cup and a half of the bone meal, about 2-2 1/2 cups of Espoma Bio-Tone plus, and about 2 cups of lime. Add in some perlite, and you're done. The Biotone has all the mycos in it. I'd save the Kelp, and guanos for teas and foliar feeding. Use the Epsom at 1 tbsp per gal a few times thru the flower phase for added Ca, Mg, and S.
i am a fan of the bio-tone myself. i add it to pro mix bx along with castings and it works great i agree that the FFOF is hot and doesnt really need anything
 

Jack Harer

Well-Known Member
Sometimes when I'm growing out clones, I'll use EWC and the BulbTone (3-5-3), but yeah, before I started using bunny poo and EWC, I used BioTone and EWC exclusively with fabulous results.
 

MistaRasta

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the answers guys. I saw the biotine plus, I knew I should've bought it. I guess I'll go out tomorrow and pick it up. And I want to add to a mix of ocean forest and light warrior. I know how hot ocean forest is and wasn't planning on putting my babies in the mix until they're old enough. I guess il make it a little more simple, I'll just order the azomite and leave a few things out and bubble them up when need be. In the meantime I'm gonna go ahead and smoke a bowl and starting my mix.

Stay high!
 
The only thing u can't find in the hydro store is the lime sometimes and the azomite which is a must to use in the soil that u can order online and if u spend more then 50 bucks it free shipping. Order mother earth brand they have it all from blood to bone meal and lime.
 

farmerjoe420

Well-Known Member
Thanks for the answers guys. I saw the biotine plus, I knew I should've bought it. I guess I'll go out tomorrow and pick it up. And I want to add to a mix of ocean forest and light warrior. I know how hot ocean forest is and wasn't planning on putting my babies in the mix until they're old enough. I guess il make it a little more simple, I'll just order the azomite and leave a few things out and bubble them up when need be. In the meantime I'm gonna go ahead and smoke a bowl and starting my mix.

Stay high!
you could really do a whole grow with FFOF using ewc tea in veg and just bubbling guano tea for flower. for me the azomite and humic acid was the only things i needed to locate and have shipped but that was as simple as a google search and an ebay purchase. you should also do a search for LC'S SOILLESS MIX. their are some mixes that are good. i dont know why i didnt think of it in the first place.
 

Jack Harer

Well-Known Member
You can do an entire good sized grow with a basic potting soil, EWC, Biotone, and Bone meal for under $45, and get everything locally. Add kelp, humic acids and guanos for teas, and you're up to about $75. Still getting everything locally.
 

Endur0xX

Well-Known Member
you can take a look in my journal, me when I mixed my soil I fuckup a little coze I had forgotten what the guy at the hydro store told me to do! hehe but anyway, I was suppose to mix the following amount :

2.5 lbs Guano ( roughly half of a 2.2kilo bag )
5 lbs Flower Power mix from Welcome Harvest Farm 4-10-4 ( fish meal, bone meal, greensand, canola seed meal, langbeinite, kelp meal, rock phosphate )
2.5 lbs Fish & Crab from Welcome Harvest Farm 8-5-1
2.5 lbs Neem Cake 4-3-2

then I was suppose to take only 14 cups out of that mix to mix with 1.5c.ft ,... but me I put it all in, and it was a lot more than 14 cups so I had to go buy another bail of dirt :wall: got lots of soil now hehe! but yeah I guess about 14 cups of all your potent stuff I think is about the norm.. anyone?
 

mugan

Well-Known Member
well i mix my own organic soil, i found the secret is in the beneficial microbes, you still need all the proper food , but most organic fertz are time release which if not balanced your plants can run into hot spots or have to deal with deffs, so making sure your soil is alive and healthy is key . you can also use molasses to multiply the lil guys if you think you don't have enough and it ill also give your plants cal mag,
 

MistaRasta

Well-Known Member
Right. The whole object is the same as super soil. I want it hot enough to push my babies through about the last two weeks of veg and go all the way through flower. With the exception of adding a few sugars here and there. I don't mind adding teas but am not an omri expert by any means. I'm used to looking at a feed chart to be honest. With this kind of stuff it takes intuition. I didn't have time to pick up the biotone today but will definitely get it on wednesday. In about a months time millions of little bennies will be living in my dirt. Thanks guys!
 
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