what's your favorite soil?

yea its pretty much in the title. just trying to get a wide variety of opinions is all.

plus i want my grow to have some tasty smoke.

i like to mix my own
peat moss
pearlite
Vermiculite
pinch of bio-tone
maybe some worm castings or bat guano

MG garden soil

Foxfarm Ocean Forest

what would be cheaper to buy a bunch of foxfarm soil or just to mix my own? i honestly want to mix my own, but at the same time i tend to be super lazy and i hate doing unnecessary work. plus i live in philly so there really isn't a good spot that i could make a compost heap.

hey don you can goto walmart or watever and buy some tarps or for small batches an 18 gal tote with lid for 5$ i buy pearl verm and peat in the big bags wich are about 15$ each and would prolly last you 3-4 seasons of growing 10-12 plants up to 2 gal pots .. unless you are doing over 30 plants a season but FF soil is easy and already pre mixed and might have to add abit of pearlite ot it .. so its yer call could also look at pro mix and or even miricle grow organic and add pearlite .. i got a bag to try but it looks awefully full of bark chunks so we'll see

If you want something straight outta the bag I'd go with Fox Farm Ocean Forest. I find it is an okay base soil on its own, but I would cut it with 1 part perlite, 1 part worm castings. It'll last you a couple grows if you do it this way too.

Please please please do not use fox farm ocean forest. My first grow I made the mistake of using ocean forest and it was a struggle from start to finish. I'll be the first to say Fox farm makes decent products. I still love their neuts, and some of their other soils may not be bad (I refuse to give their soil another chance).


WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: Ocean forest has enough neuts to go from clone/seed all the way to flower. And then if you do not flush for multiple weeks when you start your flower neutrients your going to have buildup. I burned the hell out of my first plants because of the fox farm soil, I then watched multiple friends do the same thing. You cannot use this soil with the basic fox farm chart that they provide, or you WILL get nutrient burns.


Since then I have switched to Sunshine mix 8 (I add a few things but a GREAT basic grow medium)

i never had any sort of problem with FFOF. I think maybe u got a hot batch or something. maybe something else went wrong because i have never heard of things like that happening.

that's why i would recommend if for anyhting other than satisfaction of knowing exactly whats in yer soil by mixing it yerself

ive also heard some of the ff soils are hot so not recommended for seed/seedlings

donthatetaylor said:

what would be cheaper to buy a bunch of foxfarm soil or just to mix my own? i honestly want to mix my own, but at the same time i tend to be super lazy and i hate doing unnecessary work. plus i live in philly so there really isn't a good spot that i could make a compost heap.

Click to expand...

You can buy compost for $5 a bag

Ocean forest is over-priced, but if you're lazy it may be worth it to you.

For seedlings 1/2 pearlite 1/2 coco coir is fine, but I buy a cheap local soilless mix.

1 part pearlite (not MG)
1 part coco coir (or canadian peat moss)
1 part composted manure - or moo doo(optional), or you could substitute earthgrow (also $5 a bag)
1 20 lb bag worm casings
1/2 bag green sand
1 - 2 cups hydrated lime (1 cup per cubic ft.

It's about half the price to mix your own, but the learning experience is priceless

What about U.K. growers what soil do you guys use?
For seedlings I prefer B&Q's sowing & cutting soil & BioBizz light mix for clones, veg & flowering but Ive heard great things on Bcuzz Gold Label soil.

Fallen Buckshot said:

i like to mix my own
peat moss
pearlite
Vermiculite
pinch of bio-tone
maybe some worm castings or bat guano

Click to expand...

Yep, same here plus a touch of dolomite lime.

yea i dont use them anymore, i use soiless mixes with coco in them. working great and very controllable.

I still use FF OF but just as a part of my base mix which is:
1 part FF OF
1 part Worm Castings
1 part perlite
1 part lobster compost
1 part composted cow manure

I then add multiple things to that base including some layering, spikes, and zones. I like my soil to have everything in it so all I have to do is straight water and maybe a Big Bloom tea once a month. That is just my flowering containers though. My veg containers I use completely different mix.

thanks for the advice everyone. i was just gonna buy fox farm soil but i think i will try making my own soil a chance. should help my growing experience i guess. i just really want to go all organic this time. last time i went with chemicals and yea my yield was nice but i feel like the bud wasn't what it potentially could be. so all advice when it comes to organics is well appreciated and i'm also just looking for an easy way to try organic growing out for this first grow.

donthatetaylor said:

thanks for the advice everyone. i was just gonna buy fox farm soil but i think i will try making my own soil a chance. should help my growing experience i guess. i just really want to go all organic this time. last time i went with chemicals and yea my yield was nice but i feel like the bud wasn't what it potentially could be. so all advice when it comes to organics is well appreciated and i'm also just looking for an easy way to try organic growing out for this first grow.

Click to expand...

An easy way to grow all-organic for a first time is this. Get some FF OF soil. Cut it with 1 part Worm Castings, 1 part perlite. A lot of people claim that they have good results without the added perlite, but those microbeasties NEED oxygen, so you want to make sure your soil doesn't get too compacted and constant waterings will do that so add plenty of perlite to the mix.

Next, go to ebay and get the full BMO liquid line. Use as the directions tell, keep an eye on your ph. Make sure your water source has a low TDS. Most tap water is very high in TDS so you may need to invest in some distilled or RO or collect rainwater.

This is about as easy as it gets with organics. Your yeild won't be that impressive with this set up, but you will get very potent 100% organic bud for your stash with minimal work and a great starting point to the bigger world of organics growing!

I would have to agree with destros beard, FF OF containes alot of good organic materials, but it does get too compact once in use. The worm castings will give you more benefitial bacterial(micro-beasties) and will not likely burn your plants, i dont know about the guy saying he forbids FFOF cause it WILL burn your plants. you just have to adjust to your seedlings needs, and i guess he didnt do that. I bought a bag of FF Light warrior and OF. i mix up the perlite, worm castings, and OF and then make a small hole in the soil and put the LW where the seedling will live its first couple weeks at, seeing as LW is a seed starter and will not burn your seedlings, but provides good acids and micro organisms and hormones to start your plants off right. Do your thing and keep em happy(your plants)

i use Aurora Roots Organics, i never have to adjust the ph and my ladies have loved it from seed its like $17 but its super easy, happy 420!

Roots Organics is another fine soil. Will still need some modifying, but great straight outta the bag.