Need suggestions on What soil and fertilizer to use

So i plan to grow next year and i am very unsure of what soil and fertilizer to use, and for the soil i mean like the soil you buy in bags at lowes or the home depot (etc. miracle grow), and by fertilizer i mean plant food. I apologize in advance, because i am a complete noob at this, and i am growing in the woods, IN ground, not in a pot. The reason i plan to buy soil is because the place i plan to grow doesnt have the best soil. Any feedback will help, thank you! :joint:
 

vilify

Well-Known Member
dirt wise. anything that lists as organic would be best. stay away from miracle grow.. Dr Earth is a good brand. pretty sure one of the 2 stores carry it.

dr earth(or any brand for that matter) has bags that come premixed with ferts in them.. great for outdoor grows.


another suggestion would be hitting up a local hydro store and looking at some dirt.. and they will always help you out with what you are looking for.
 
Wow! thanks for the tips guys! i will look into this! thanks alot! when i have the finished product i will gladly share my results!
 

loquacious

Well-Known Member
Can anyone recommend me a soil that is sold at lowes please?
Miracle Gro or Sta-Green will do excellent! Make sure that whichever one you get has moisture control. I have grown with both and had excellent results. Somehwere on here there is even a thread where a mod did a side by side grow of Miracle Gro and Fox Farms and Miracle Gro came out on top by a wide margin. Don't listen to people who say they are bad soils as they don't know their ass from a hole in the ground!
 

niknasty

Member
MG soils work fine, great for growth actually. They say don't use it because you can get a much better tasting product from something organic. MG has an organic soil though so you can try that.
 

stumpjumper

Well-Known Member
Lowes sells some Jungle Soil that is supposed to be decent. I think theres a post about it in the CFL section.

I would get some FoxFarms or Dr. Earth personally.
 

namtih024

Active Member
most of the POTTING soil at lowes will work fine, provided you start your plant in seedling mix first so it doesnt burn. read the label and stay away from soils pre-mixed with time released fertilizers, if it says "feeds up to six months" or something similar, stay away (general recommendation, if your experienced you can use time release ferts). time-release ferts are incased in a crystal that over time washes away with feedings and stays in soil for some time, this make flushing the soil hard and complicates liquid nutrient feeding as well as nutrient changes for different parts of the plants life.
you could mix a soiless mix from lowes. they sell the ingredients, (vermiculite, perilite, organic humus) mix in equal parts for a low nutrient soiless mix that will do well with a good nutrient regimen.
as far as nutrients, most any nutrient will work to some degree, i will admit i have used miracle grow nutrients (for vegitables and fruits) with moderate results, so yes miracle grow will work. but the results from miracle grow pale in comparison to a brand like CANNA which i use religiously now with amazing results. but in soil where there are plenty of avalible trace elements and micro nutrients most any decent nutrient brand should work, be it from lowes or the hydro shop
 

xochilives

Active Member
stay away from grow shops when buying soil, you pay too much and get too little. Instead go to a nursery of a landscaping center, buy peat based soil ( which what most of the shit they sell you at a hydro store is ) and amend it with a dry fertilizer of your choice, i would use happy frog, good amount for ten bucks!
 
most of the POTTING soil at lowes will work fine, provided you start your plant in seedling mix first so it doesnt burn. read the label and stay away from soils pre-mixed with time released fertilizers, if it says "feeds up to six months" or something similar, stay away (general recommendation, if your experienced you can use time release ferts). time-release ferts are incased in a crystal that over time washes away with feedings and stays in soil for some time, this make flushing the soil hard and complicates liquid nutrient feeding as well as nutrient changes for different parts of the plants life.
you could mix a soiless mix from lowes. they sell the ingredients, (vermiculite, perilite, organic humus) mix in equal parts for a low nutrient soiless mix that will do well with a good nutrient regimen.
as far as nutrients, most any nutrient will work to some degree, i will admit i have used miracle grow nutrients (for vegitables and fruits) with moderate results, so yes miracle grow will work. but the results from miracle grow pale in comparison to a brand like CANNA which i use religiously now with amazing results. but in soil where there are plenty of avalible trace elements and micro nutrients most any decent nutrient brand should work, be it from lowes or the hydro shop
Wow! thanks for a great response! when you say "burn" what do you mean, sorry i am ver new to this haha.
 

namtih024

Active Member
well burn is when a plant gets too much nutrients and begins to show negative effects, usually yellowing accompanied by dry brown crispy leaf tips, hence the term "burn". most soils you purchase at lowes or wal-mart will be fortified with nutrients to grow a healthy plant for at least two weeks (check labels as this time will vary). a young clone or seedling would have a hard time if placed directly into this soil because they need to develop a root system that can take it in first or they will "burn". most people will sprout/ plant seedlings and clones in a small pot, or bed of seedling mix, which should be labeled as such at lowes or wal-mart. as seedling mix is light and fluffy to allow air and moisture to get to the small rootlets without suffocating them, it also has very little nutrients and wont "burn" small clones and seedlings. once a plant has established a good root system (usually marked by signs of upward growth) you can plant into the final soil.
 

sonar

Well-Known Member
stay away from grow shops when buying soil, you pay too much and get too little. Instead go to a nursery of a landscaping center, buy peat based soil ( which what most of the shit they sell you at a hydro store is ) and amend it with a dry fertilizer of your choice, i would use happy frog, good amount for ten bucks!
This is excellent advice. Peat based producted such as promix or sunshine mix are the way to go. They are cheap and work great. IMO there is no reason to use expensive soil like FFOF in an outdoor grow. Especially a guerrilla grow where anything can happen. Outdoor plants get huge, so you are going to want to dig big holes and you will go through a lot even with just a few plants. I usually use 2 of the 1 cu ft bags per plant and honestly, that probably isn't even enough.

Depending on where you live, Lowes might actually carry promix (east coast) or sunshine mix (west coast). If not Ace Hardward sometimes carries it. Where I live they keep the 1 cu ft bags in stock, but can order the huge 3.8 cu ft compressed bales. I'd stay away from the bales though unless you can drive close to your patch or you are a beast. You save a little money (they break down to like 7 cu ft) but weight like 60-70lb.

Nutes, I used Fox Farms Peace of Mind this year but I'm thinking about switching to Marine Cuisine next year for a time release. Been using up my Botanicare liquid nutes from last year for the few times I had to actually hand water.
 
This is excellent advice. Peat based producted such as promix or sunshine mix are the way to go. They are cheap and work great. IMO there is no reason to use expensive soil like FFOF in an outdoor grow. Especially a guerrilla grow where anything can happen. Outdoor plants get huge, so you are going to want to dig big holes and you will go through a lot even with just a few plants. I usually use 2 of the 1 cu ft bags per plant and honestly, that probably isn't even enough.

Depending on where you live, Lowes might actually carry promix (east coast) or sunshine mix (west coast). If not Ace Hardward sometimes carries it. Where I live they keep the 1 cu ft bags in stock, but can order the huge 3.8 cu ft compressed bales. I'd stay away from the bales though unless you can drive close to your patch or you are a beast. You save a little money (they break down to like 7 cu ft) but weight like 60-70lb.

Nutes, I used Fox Farms Peace of Mind this year but I'm thinking about switching to Marine Cuisine next year for a time release. Been using up my Botanicare liquid nutes from last year for the few times I had to actually hand water.
Can you be exact on what fox farm nutrient? like, what is the actual name of it, cause there is like 3 types of peace of mind
 

poplars

Well-Known Member
http://forum.grasscity.com/outdoor-marijuana-growing/384922-rangerdangers-guerrilla-grow-guide.html

Read this guide very helpful to Guerrilla growing,

For Soil I like Form Farm Ocean Forest, as almost everything you need, even keeps the plant feed for a few week in seedling stage.
there are so many nutes out there, I dont have much to say on that subject because ive only used Foxfarm, wanting to try others.
good shit I added that link to the FAQ in this section.
 

sonar

Well-Known Member
Can you be exact on what fox farm nutrient? like, what is the actual name of it, cause there is like 3 types of peace of mind
Peace of Mind All Purpose 5-5-5. I feel for the most part, almost any time released nute will work as long as you know how and when to use it.
 

catmando

Well-Known Member
i used happy frog acid loving dry fert.

its made by fox farms and was pretty cheap

it has an npk of 6-4-4 which is the same as grow big

i just mixed it into my soil when i ammended, and also made a little tea out of it
 

Rottedroots

Well-Known Member
Hint #1 my friend is to scope out your locations now while the leaves and greenery are out there. It's the best to find the sunny and private spots now!
I think ammending the existing soil is often the best way. Sometimes it's just played out. I prefer to lug bags of a good dehydrated manure. Chop a bale of peat into your location just to keep the tilth right.
If your gonna try and fill too many 20"X20" holes with store bought dirt it will cost a forture and be a major work out. Unless you soil really sucks amending is cheaper and easier than anything else. :leaf:
I'm just about done prepping my outdoor sites for next year. "most" of the holes are done and the locations are marked on the GPS. I think I have a pile of five plant spots out there where mortal men have not stepped in years and a loss of one area would not be critical. Best of luck to you Budski.
As the old saying say..."You need a $5.00 hole for a $.50 plant" I like more like a three dollar hole. Start Hauling!! Ha Ha..
 
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