soil Thoughts on VERY Basic Soilless Grow Mix

[compmodder26]

So, I want to go cheaper next year with my growing medium. This year I went with mainly Happy Frog, and while I am satisfied with how it performs, the cost is more than I'd like to pay again. So what I was thinking was to just mix peat or coco with perlite. That would be all I would use as far as the growing medium is concerned. I would use Dyna Gro for nutrients as it has all the needed macro and micro nutrients.

Do you think this would work?

 

[Capsicum]

Good dyna gro is perfect.

I have made my own peat/perlite/lime mixes. You have to mix, wet, and wait. It costs me more to make a soilless media then to just buy promix HP at my local hydroshop. By the time I source the materials it is cheaper just to buy it. Yes soilless media is cheaper and has higher air porosity then bagged soils but it is not as easy to grow in. There is that much less of a buffer compaired to soil a reason I even use potting soil, not promix. So from experience I would say just buy promix HP or stay with happy frog soil or bagged soil.

 

[millworkman]

Yup, it would. It is a very basic form of hydroponics and can grow some seriously impressive plants. I would use coco vs peat because if you forget to water that peat is going to be incredibly hard and incredibly hard to wet again. Also you wouldn't need large containers this way, I would go for 2.5-3 gal max since you will not need the added root space since you are feeding them all they need. Try a few out this year as a trial and see if you like it, then scale up how much you spent vs how many plants and you should see about how much you will spend next year.

 

[Capsicum]

If you use coco you need to ph your water every time you water. See, coco has a ph of 6, good right? NO not good lol Let me explain a little- Peat is a ph of 4-5 and needs lime to bring it to a ph of 6-7, the lime stays in the mix acting as a buffer for ph, so ph stays good.

With coco your not adding anything (unless you used as part as a potting mix) so there is NO ph buffer and you will need to ph your water everytime you water which is no fun.

I grew in coco chips so.....

I am saying that growing in a soilless media is not as easy as potting mix. All I use is potting mix even though I am aware of soilless media.

 

[compmodder26]

Hmm, so why would it be any harder for me if I just used peat/lime/perlite than with a straight potting mix if I don't have to do any additional PH buffering?

I mean, yeah, the initial PH testing/buffering/retesting/buffering will need to be done, but won't that be the extent of it?

And I'm not worrying about the peat becoming hydrophobic, as I like to water often with less water so the soil stays moist but not wet. That approach has worked very well for me in this grow.

 

[megahot]

Sounds good to me! It should work and work well. It might be a thought to add organic worm castings in there as well? Depending on price. Obviously you would need to feed your plants more often as well, Maybe some limestone or something to balance Ph

 

[Capsicum]

Well the compost in potting mix (composted forest products,ect..) act as even a better buffer then just lime.

If you can not find promix hp 30-40bucks a 3.8 cu ft bale that expands to 7 cu ft. You need to get the 3 cu ft of premier peatmoss, perlite, lime. Then mix peat using 2 tbl sp of lime per gal of peatmoss. Use 15% perlite.

I have a media that is pinebark/peat/lime and costs me about 1.50 a cuft!!!! so it costs me 15 cents to fill a #1 nursery pot. I have a bunch of cacti in it along with some house plants.

 

[compmodder26]

Sounds good to me! It should work and work well. It might be a thought to add organic worm castings in there as well? Depending on price. Obviously you would need to feed your plants more often as well, Maybe some limestone or something to balance Ph

Yeah, with the Dyna Gro I feed with every watering. It seems to work out quite nicely for me.

Edit: Guess I should point out that I'm using Dyna Gro this year, in case anybody was wondering.

Well the compost in potting mix (composted forest products) act as even a better buffer then just lime.

If you can not find promix hp 30-40bucks a 3.8 cu ft bale that expands to 7 cu ft. You need to get the 3 cu ft of premier peatmoss, perlite, lime. Then mix peat using 2 tbl sp of lime per gal of peatmoss. Use 15% perlite.

I have a media that costs me about 1.50 a cuft!!!! It is pinebark/peat/lime. I have a bunch of cacti in it along with some hous plants. The air porosity is so low I would not use for any type of real production.

And of course I'm all for the easier route too. My local hydro shop doesn't have ProMix HP (online at least). I'll have to check and see if they can order it for me sometime.

 

[Capsicum]

Yeah, with the Dyna Gro I feed with every watering. It seems to work out quite nicely for me.

Edit: Guess I should point out that I'm using Dyna Gro this year, in case anybody was wondering.



And of course I'm all for the easier route too. My local hydro shop doesn't have ProMix HP (online at least). I'll have to check and see if they can order it for me sometime.

Yup dyna gro really takes care of everything and great priced. Which product do you use? FP?

Yea I just went through making my own media and I will no longer make my own media anymore. It is too much waiting on the lime to balance and mixing this and that. I found bagged potting soil worked better then my peat based mix.

 

[jedisushi06]

Get in your car. Drive to a garden store. Pick up happy frog and ocean forest. Drive home and grow so nice chiles. easy as pie.

 

[queequeg152]

75% peat, 25% perlite, 100ml wetting agent, 1 cup dolemite lime.
OR
66%peat 33% perlite, 100ml wetting agent, 9/10ths of a cup of dolemite lime.

way way way way way way way way cheeper than promix.

 

[compmodder26]

Get in your car. Drive to a garden store. Pick up happy frog and ocean forest. Drive home and grow so nice chiles. easy as pie.

Again, I like Happy Frog, but it's too expensive for my liking. The idea is for me to save money. I'm getting good results, with HF, no doubt. But I'd still like to explore cheaper alternatives.

75% peat, 25% perlite, 100ml wetting agent, 1 cup dolemite lime.
OR
66%peat 33% perlite, 100ml wetting agent, 9/10ths of a cup of dolemite lime.

way way way way way way way way cheeper than promix.

Thanks queequeg152!!

 

[SanPatricio]

Capsicum has posted the advantages of pine bark mulch in a mix. He points to the air it gives to roots, not compaction when wet
like peat moss does.

When I potted my babys up I used pine bark mulch to form a one inch ‘shell’ in my 3 gal. pots, then filled this ‘nest’ with MG potting mix, watered with rainwater/limewater/Epsom salt mix. Three weeks later, without any ferts I had to move up to 5 gal buckets! The roots were growing like crazy. Capsicum – you know your stuff – Mucho Gracias.

 

[compmodder26]

Yup dyna gro really takes care of everything and great priced. Which product do you use? FP?

Yea I just went through making my own media and I will no longer make my own media anymore. It is too much waiting on the lime to balance and mixing this and that. I found bagged potting soil worked better then my peat based mix.

I'm using the all purpose (7-9-5) and my plants love it. Pumping out pods all while still getting bigger. Win-win!

 

[megahot]

I'm using the all purpose (7-9-5) and my plants love it. Pumping out pods all while still getting bigger. Win-win!

Im using dyna grow bloom 3-12-6. I love it and am seeing great results! I also add in a little worm tea as a foliar spray. I dont feed my plants very often with the dyna bloom, because I use worm tea spray quite often and bone meal once in a while along with cal-mag once in a while. Whats your pod count at so far Brian? Oh ya, I also have fish fert and blood meal in case I think the plants need a little N boost

 

[compmodder26]

Im using dyna grow bloom 3-12-6. I love it and am seeing great results! I also add in a little worm tea as a foliar spray. I dont feed my plants very often with the dyna bloom, because I use worm tea spray quite often and bone meal once in a while along with cal-mag once in a while. Whats your pod count at so far Brian? Oh ya, I also have fish fert and blood meal in case I think the plants need a little N boost

Last count on the naga morich's where 70 between the two of them, Yellow 7 Pot: 7, Fatalii: 25, Butch T: 15, 7 Pot Jonah: 35 between the 2, Bhut Jolokia: 1 .

 

[megahot]

Thats odd about your Bhut count being low. Thats a very good count for being so early in the season excellent job! My bhut has the most pods out off all of the rest. But your Bhut will come along soon they seem to flower a ton so you can expect tons of pods when they start to set!

 

[Capsicum]

Capsicum has posted the advantages of pine bark mulch in a mix. He points to the air it gives to roots, not compaction when wet
like peat moss does.

When I potted my babys up I used pine bark mulch to form a one inch ‘shell’ in my 3 gal. pots, then filled this ‘nest’ with MG potting mix, watered with rainwater/limewater/Epsom salt mix. Three weeks later, without any ferts I had to move up to 5 gal buckets! The roots were growing like crazy. Capsicum – you know your stuff – Mucho Gracias.

I have grown in 100% 1/2" pine bark. Check it out!!

I have used pine fines/perlite too in a mix.

it would cost me 40-50 bucks to make a 3.8 cu ft compressed bale of 75%Peatmoss 25%perlite. And making your own peat based media is a lot of work. pro mix is going to be a perfect mix and ph everytime.

After growing in a few different grow media, I end up with favoring potting soil for the greater buffering capabilities then these soilless high porosity mixes.

 

[compmodder26]

Thats odd about your Bhut count being low. Thats a very good count for being so early in the season excellent job! My bhut has the most pods out off all of the rest. But your Bhut will come along soon they seem to flower a ton so you can expect tons of pods when they start to set!

Yeah, the Bhut has me somewhat puzzled. It's thirstier than the rest of the plants too (it is a bit bigger as well, so that could account for it). Last night I upped my drip irrigation time from 2 minutes one time each day to 2 minutes twice a day. I did this because all of my plants were showing some pretty good wilt between 2 and 7 at night consistently. Today, all plants seem happier including the Bhut. So hopefully it will set pods better.

 

[Cyan]

http://www.mysquarefootgarden.net/mels-mix/

Mel's mix is a fine soiless mix. Though I modify mine by using a bit more manuer and less peat moss. I don't much care for peat moss or perilite. I've got some tomatoes growing in my mix now and its doing just dandy fine. For peppers you can mix in a bit of sand as well. The vermiculite was the only thing that was a pain in the ass to find (you should find it locally). I add a bit of organic fertilizer occasionally. When I made the mix I put a bunch of organic fertilizers in, fish meal, bone meal, bat guano etc... When I first made it (before it settled though watering) I could put my arm down to the bottom of the container with ease.