soil Should I get cheap soil, and spend a lot on compost tea? or

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DasBhut

Make a really good soil mix and just use canal water or use cheap cow manure + soil from home depot + AACT?

my canal water stats for reference:
 
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Are you growing in containers or in ground? In containers the quality of soil makes all of the difference, in my opinion. All of my container issues went away when I started using a quality potting mix. I'm sure someone with more experience will chime in, but I think that is the general consensus.
 
Depends on how many plants you have, I found it more cost effective to order 9 yards of base mix from a local supplier($140)  far cheaper than the bags.  I purchase bulk Perlite and big bricks of peat, mixing up the soil as needed.  Cooking the  base mix in covered container pretty much gives you all the nutrients you need without having to rely on MG or other more expensive additives.  Our well water here in Florida is loaded with minerals, so you don't need all those other fancy additives unless you leave your plants in the same pots for more than a year like I do sometimes. I do use Epsom salt and H202 treatments as needed.
 
Here: is how I cook my base mix:
 
http://thehotpepper.com/topic/32046-is-it-stinky/?hl=%2Bis+%2Bit+%2Bstinky
 
StupidJerk said:
Are you growing in containers or in ground? In containers the quality of soil makes all of the difference, in my opinion. All of my container issues went away when I started using a quality potting mix. I'm sure someone with more experience will chime in, but I think that is the general consensus.
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I'm going to keep 8 in grow bags/smart pots whatever they're called (or maybe walmart bags) and 16 outside
 
Spend a decent amount on soil and get rewarded n harvests it makes up in the long run. I spent a couple hundred on soil and additives and my plants love it I have a couple plants a week and a half old already working on their 4th set of leaves
 
Nightshade said:
Spend a decent amount on soil and get rewarded n harvests it makes up in the long run. I spent a couple hundred on soil and additives and my plants love it I have a couple plants a week and a half old already working on their 4th set of leaves
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that's crazy, my oldest plants are 2 weeks old and even in the good dirt I bought they're only on their 3rd set

I didn't use myco or add anything to them
 
If you practice good composting habits, this whole "buying soil" mindset will be a thing of the past. As for "spending a lot" on AACT....It shouldn't cost you anything to make. Grass, water, bubbles...whats expensive about that? Also, that canal water sounds delicious! 
 
Pepper-Guru said:
If you practice good composting habits, this whole "buying soil" mindset will be a thing of the past. As for "spending a lot" on AACT....It shouldn't cost you anything to make. Grass, water, bubbles...whats expensive about that? Also, that canal water sounds delicious! 
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I started harvesting my canal for compost, there's a few hundred pounds of dead leaves on my end they're less than an inch wide and are about 2-4 feet long

I put them in my old recycling bin and put some dirt on top, do I just sit and wait?
 
Yup...just wait. Yard clippings, egg shells, coffee grounds put 'em in there, some manure is always a good thing!!! I stay away from stuff likely to attract raccoon but most of that will compost too...fish parts, table scraps...I cover my main compost area with plastic and have a soaker hose in there that runs on a timer so it stays nice and moist. About halfway through the season I will start mixing in topsoil and old potting mix and start a "new" pile for the green stuff to start the process over again. I also have a couple worm bins that get sifted and added when I start to build mixes. Top soil, compost, worm castings some peat and perlite...done. I also have a small bit of soaker in the worm bins...and the water that seeps through is the start of my teas along with about a cup of castings, a handful of hot compost, some fresh green clippings, and kelp I collect off the beach here. I use brown sugar or molasses to feed the tea and bam! Bubbly goodness!
 
Guru is the compost king...a lot to be learned from just cruising through his glog! You do need good soil to start with...and if you're just starting your composting it'll be a while before you can build your own soil. 
 
That is what I would expect for around 2 weeks of growth... I would say that is more like starting on the 3rd set of true leaves though, not 4th, those look like the cotyledon leaves on the bottom...
 
Anyway, I'm really just busting your chops, they look good!
 
spydrweb77 said:
That is what I would expect for around 2 weeks of growth... I would say that is more like starting on the 3rd set of true leaves though, not 4th, those look like the cotyledon leaves on the bottom...
 
Anyway, I'm really just busting your chops, they look good!
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The front two drawers were older plants (first round) the back two drawers (second round) were cotyls....look closely :)
 
Pepper,
 
I was referring to Nightshade's pics, not yours.. for some reason the images you posted won't load on the machine im using now.
 
I'm sure they are looking great though :)
 
Here is a shot of my TSMBs 4 weeks in, they sprouted between 4/24 and 4/26.
 

 
 
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