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For those who use ProMix BX

djdestructo

djdestructo

What do you add if anything to the soil?
I have bat guano and liquid ferts that I am going to add to the mix, but I am wondering what else if anything I need to add.
Thanks :)
 
Are you just using it for seed starting or as a growing medium for long term potted plants? If you are just using it for seed starting use it as it is. If you are using it to grow in pots I would mix some well composted manure in there - enough to provide some nutrients while still keeping the "looseness" of the promix. You will still have to feed it nutrients a couple times a month but you need to with all potted plants anyway.
 
I plan on using it for the long term, I was thinking of adding some worm castings and bat guano and maybe some bone meal if that would work.
 
I add pearlite and some granular fertilizer. PROMIX can be a tough drainer sometimes, and I find that adding a good amount of pearlite helps things stay more even. Also, there is relatively no nutrition in the soil. So you can either feed with granular fertilizer in the mix, or feed with liquid at a later time. I would not (or very carefully) do both. You dont want to over feed.

When I pot up, I through some myco blast in the planting hole, which will help the roots. Also I give them tea a few times a season, which compliments the granular fertilizer well.
 
I add compost, worm castings, and perlite to mine for potted plants. I really only add enough compost and worm castings to build the microbial colonies, then I feed them with liquid fertilizer through the year. Compost/worm castings go in at about 1:6 ratio. Perlite isn't even measured, I just eyeball it until the mix "feels" right.
 
Hey brian I pick up a bag of perlite by canadiantire last week and its a robbery 8.99 a bag about 10 litres. Damn so expensive I only put 2 cups of perlite on my mix .5 compost and .5 peat moss. I don't know if that will work.
 
You can use worm tea in place of worm castings if you want. Bat guano works really well too.
A little bone meal cant hurt either
 
Kwest13 said:
Where do you guys find your worm castings? I can't seem to find any nearby.
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search google for hydroponics stores in your area. Visit a few of them and find one that is really friendly. I found one store and i have never walked out paying full price for any item. Maybe im just lucky that way
 
This year I'm using a mix I found online. It consists of

40% Promix BX
25% Perlite
20% Worm Castings
10% Composted steer manure
5% Bat guano
2 T. Of Espoma garden lime ( 1 T. per gallon of soil mix)

So far it has worked very well when transplanted into. Plants really took off. An I plan on using this same mix in my 5 gallon buckets for this seasons grow.
 
The key is to have a good distribution of nutrients. You need a little quick release to get the plant something to feed on right away.

But you'll also be well off having a source of slow release nutrients that will last through the season and inbetween fertilization. Guano (bird, bat, etc..), kelp, fish meal are all good sources of organic nutrients that will break down slowly. The key is to jump starting the microorganisms that will help break all those down into usable sources. This is where good compost and worm casting/worm tea come in. Providing you stay away from really high phosphorus fertilizers, you'll get a little ecosystem in your ProMix that your plants will love.

My plan this year is:

ProMix
Composted cow manure (my microorganism jump start)
Perlite (to balance the density of the manure)
Fox Farm Marine Cuisine (a blend of a bunch of organic fertilizers as well as a bit of synthetic. This is my main food source)

I think as long as you stick to a formula, you'll get good results without complicating things too much.
 
Excessive levels of phosphates will affect the mycorrhizae but only in excess. Just because it's synthetic doesn't make it poisonous. Read up on some of the cocktails weed growers use and you'll learn that there's a wide range of products you can throw into your soil and still maintain a healthy environment.
 
amps said:
Excessive levels of phosphates will affect the mycorrhizae but only in excess. Just because it's synthetic doesn't make it poisonous. Read up on some of the cocktails weed growers use and you'll learn that there's a wide range of products you can throw into your soil and still maintain a healthy environment.
Click to expand...

Thanks that's nice to know. I ran a search here a while back, and it was something I was looking for. If synthetic ferts is ok with pro-mix or not. All I found was that synthetic ferts will not work with Mycorrhizae, that salt build up will kill most of the myco and even worse the slow release....

, Vegas
 
I have several varieties going in 4-gallon pots of Pro-Mix HP which has more perlite than the BX mix. I amended with one part worm castings to 5 parts HP, and mixed in a little less than two cups of Tomato Tone. I also feed with Cal-Mag and Pro Blend Pro Bloom every few weeks.
 
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