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fertilizer No fertilizer soil mix ideas

rebelgrower3

rebelgrower3

Im was going to use FFOF soil this coming year but after figuring the price for what i need im sure i can mix my own cheaper. The FFOF was going to cost me a little over $1000 for around 125 containers. My local nursery carries Fafards 3B which will be my base but im looking to amend it so i use little to no fertilizer all year. Here is the 3B label
 
 A versatile middleweight formula, Fafard® 3B Mix is our most popular bark based mix for expert growers. It is fit for a wide variety of crop plants grown in many container sizes from cell flats to larger pots.
 

Available In:
U.S.A. - Eastern United States only
 

Available Sizes:
2.8 cu ft bag (48/pallet); 60 cu ft bulk bag (2/pallet)

Ingredients:
Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss, Bark, Perlite, Vermiculite, Dolomitic Limestone, Wetting Agent

Applications:
Recommended for a wide variety of crop plants grown in many container sizes, from cell flats to larger pots, and suitable for both indoor and outdoor production
 
So with this base soil what would you add to it for a balanced mix. Azomite,Mexican bat and Peruvian bird Guano,bone meal,blood meal,crab meal,green sand ? Im wanting to do a mix like Subcools super soil mix but for peppers not cannabis.
 
I went through this same dilemma this season, and I can tell you off the bat don't go with the full blown supersoil.  It is a ton of work, it isn't ready for at least 30 days, and you can get the same/similar results using a much more dialed in approach and just feeding regularly.  I often get sucked into the "next best thing", and to be honest although it may work out in the end, it can always be achieved without as much work and money. 
 
If you really wanna see, I made a video on my YT channel about using Super Soil for peppers, and it was a walkthrough of my mix and how I went about it.  I also did some comparisons and photo examples on my GLog where I determined that the super soil was unnecessary.  I did find a mix that I will be going forward with in the future though. 
 
I started with Sunshine #4 advanced for my base soil for the super soil.  I had a dude at the hydro store walk me down the line on all the stuff I needed for the SS (dolomitic lime, glacial rock dust, guanos, EWC, etc), and I mixed it and let it sit for about 40 days before I potted up my plants.  At the same time I used a mixture of Sunshine, Dolomitic lime, EWC and pearlite, WITH MYCO added to the roots, and if you went outside right now (or before the weather got cold and crappy) you couldn't tell the difference between the supersoil and my mix.  The point of the supersoil is to give the plants all the nutes they will need to carry them through the season, which may be super beneficial for someone who is growing weed in the wild where they can't get out there daily to check up on it. A lot of the weed forums talk smack on the supersoil and basically say that it can be done cheaper and easier.  I found (https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=53792) website and it is where I got the straight easy mix.
 
The thing is, we have the ability to walk outside and feed the plants, and giving them AACT and the occasional fert shot will ALWAYS be better than letting them sit in the mix they are in for an entire season. Myco is a REQUIREMENT! I cannot stress this enough. This upcoming season I will start myco from the first pot up.  I think it is essential for the soil food web and building a great mycroecosystem. 
 
If you are like me, you will end up doing the thing that takes the most work or money.  I had people tell me not to go too in depth with it and I didn't listen.  I could have saved a couple hundred bucks just going with something easier and had the same or better results.  Read through the site I posted and they have a couple super easy mixes.
 
But to answer the question, I would add in some EWC, myco (right on the roots, just sprinkle the powder in the potting hole and put the roots right on it) and then feed them every week or 2 with a compost tea.  I would mix in a few fert-forward compost teas in the rotation (maybe once a month).  And these could be AACT with some fish emulsion or fish fert, or even some Bat guano. 
 
Good luck, this debate literally kept me awake at night. lol.
 
I'm gonna agree with Matt. Add tons of good fungus and bacterias right off the bat. Just make sure you have a super lite fluffy soil. There are super cheap ways to make your own fertz. Worms, worms, worms. And then worm tea. Perlite is awesome. I'd get a slow release fert, organic, something like Dr. Earth. Also I can't tell you how important carbs are to soil. Buy some Black Strapped Molasses and feed your soil every couple weeks. I could go on and on.
 
Worm castings, compost, coconut coir, coarse vermiculite, perlite, azomite, mycorrhizae, a pinch of dolomite, and a pinch of gypsum.  This is the list of amendments that go into my 'basic' home-made soil.  Last season (2012) I used this recipe without any additional ferts.  I only top-dressed with more worm castings late into the season.  I had fantastic results.

This mix is extremely fluffy!!!!!    Also.... the worm castings are by far and away the primary source of nutrition in my mix... but my worm castings are home-made and are extremely rich because they were fed a diverse diet.  So your success with a mix like mine depends on you having high quality worm castings and compost (fed a diverse diet).
 
Oh I forgot to mention the various meals that I used in "pinches":  cottonseed meal, kelp meal, and alfalfa meal are great additions in very mild application.
 
Great ideas and links thanks to everyone. I'm not trying to recreate subcools mix just something no frills that's easy to deal with this year. Where are y'all getting the microbes from? I've been looking on kelp4less but not sure which ones to get. I already use black strap molasses as a soil sweetener for years. I just work from 12-15 hours a day raise dogs and have a family and with over 100+ plants this year just trying to make life a little easier on myself.
 
I picked up everything I needed from the hydro store, but amazon/google/ebay can get you a lot of stuff with great prices. 
 
I understand about the long hours, and in that case I would recommend a fertigation system (which would totally be worth the extra few bucks).  That way you can put your ferts/aact in it weekly and let the dripline do all the work.  More work up front, but pretty much set it and forget it during the season.  I will say that subcool's mix will still require AACT to keep things thriving.  I used a variation of his mix (about 1/3 strength), and it is apparent that if I would have went all season I would have had to start feeding at about month 2/3. 
 
This season I just used homemade compost, peat moss and perlite. Things have grown very well in it and it drains really well, a little too well sometimes actually.
 
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