Whats your opinion on soil and Fox Farm?

[thefloyd]

Hey guys. So I'm in the process of my first grow. I started with Fox Farm Light Warrior and re potted to Fox Farm Ocean Forest. FFOF had previously killed the seedlings in my last grow attempt and I just flushed because of nute burn on my one month old plants.

The reason I went with Fox Farm was because I had read praise of it throughout posts. I purchased the soil a very long ago. Now I feel like I read more people have issues with it. I was hoping the soil would make things easy for a novice like myself. I even bought two Fox Farm Liquid Nutes in case I ever needed them.

In the future I'm not sure I want to continue using Fox Farm. Perhaps the issues I've been having are entirely my fault and I should stick with Fox Farm. This conclusion would be nice, as it was expensive soil.

I want to hear what you guys use. I figure, if it works for you, it should work for me. Thanks.

 

[mtbazz]

I used to use FFOF all the time, never had any problems, not even burned seedlings. I switched to Happy Frog, which is giving me the same results and is a little bit less expensive.

 

[yngsheezy]

I also use FF Happy Frog. I use it from start to finish. Never had a problem.

 

[Phedrosbenny]

I started out using fox farm.But ive also used Sunshine mix,and pro-mix.I re-use my soil.It all ends up together in a tote and then I put amendments in it from time to time. Its been my experiance that they just get better as time goes by.The only other thing I add in is some top soil when i think it needs it.

 

[SmilinBob]

I don't use fox farm, but I use soil. If it's burning your seedlings then start them in something else, or give the soil a heavy rinse before using it.

 

[Mr. Greengenes]

I mix my own, but I bought a bag of FFOF to try out just so I could answer questions about it. The FFOF is a bit 'hot' out of the bag, certainly too much nutrients for seedlings, but about right for plants 4" and up. I added around a TBS per gallon of ground oyster shells to buffer against PH swings from the nutrients. All things considered, FFOF is about as good as any other premixed soil medium. Certainly not the 'holy grail' of mixes, but that should be no surprise to seasoned growers who know that if anything, the 'holy grail' is in your skills not your ingredients.

 

[FlaDankster]

I started out using fox farm.But ive also used Sunshine mix,and pro-mix.I re-use my soil.It all ends up together in a tote and then I put amendments in it from time to time. Its been my experiance that they just get better as time goes buy.The only other thing I add in is some top soil when i think it needs it.

I have a 50 gallon tub of FFOF about half way full that i just cleaned up(roots)from my first go....into my second now.I want to reuse it myself.....how do you not at $22 a bag!!It has had a pretty good amount of fresh h2o run through it bein i was usin nutes but it should(key word"should")be thoroughly rinsed.

Being used should i add lime to this soil now?None added on the first run and things were good as far as any ph went.

If i do/should add lime would i "more than likely" be able to cut down or even cut out the cal mag+?

And you mentioned that you add some amendments in from time to time......dose it not matter if you don't add all of the amendments at the same time?

Sorry to the OP...not meanin to cut in on your thread...but since you got FFOF you should reuse also just cause of the price tag!

FD

 

[reckon]

$22 a bag!?!?! you're gettin burned

I pay $12.50-$14.00 for FFOF
LIGHT warrior they like to charge you $18 a sack,..........

I use FF soils in all my grows,...I mix the three bags together (moonshine's mix), add some coco, perlite, and a pinch of late flower ferts,....then all I add during the grow is water, and some molasses during early, and mid flower.

I like the results I get with fox farm soils, and the places out here (sf bay area) don't rip you off, so it's affordable.

 

[FlaDankster]

$22 a bag!?!?! you're gettin burned

I pay $12.50-$14.00 for FFOF
LIGHT warrior they like to charge you $18 a sack,..........

I use FF soils in all my grows,...I mix the three bags together (moonshine's mix), add some coco, perlite, and a pinch of late flower ferts,....then all I add during the grow is water, and some molasses during early, and mid flower.

I like the results I get with fox farm soils, and the places out here (sf bay area) don't rip you off, so it's affordable.

Yes i know.....still got blisters on me fingertips from gettin me money out of my wallet as i handed over close to $50 after tax for a bag each of OF and LW.......EEEKKKKK!!!! The LW was $26!

I did find another place that cary's alot of fox farm shit.It's a organic pet store.$17.99 a bag for FFOF but thats still crazy.....welcome to da sun shine state!

I've looked at the MSM mix but for me thats to much to spend.Besides....I want to mix me own,part of the enjoyment of this hobby as i see it.

Do you have any pics of your MSM mix grown nugs? Would like to check'em out.All that i've seen in MSM mix look very tastie.

 

[Zendo]

$22 a bag!?!?! you're gettin burned

I pay $12.50-$14.00 for FFOF
LIGHT warrior they like to charge you $18 a sack,..........

I use FF soils in all my grows,...I mix the three bags together (moonshine's mix), add some coco, perlite, and a pinch of late flower ferts,....then all I add during the grow is water, and some molasses during early, and mid flower.

I like the results I get with fox farm soils, and the places out here (sf bay area) don't rip you off, so it's affordable.

R- you live close to the "source" and on the west coast these soils are all cheap.. almost everywhere else they are $20+ per 1.5 cf bag.

OP-

If you really want to know, start digging into who they source the ingredients for that goes into their 'premium' soils and you'll find that FFOF is just overpriced garbage..
If you are stuck on using FF products, which I don't recommend, then I would go with the happy frog, as at least it's cheaper.

 

[Phedrosbenny]

I have a 50 gallon tub of FFOF about half way full that i just cleaned up(roots)from my first go....into my second now.I want to reuse it myself.....how do you not at $22 a bag!!It has had a pretty good amount of fresh h2o run through it bein i was usin nutes but it should(key word"should")be thoroughly rinsed.

Being used should i add lime to this soil now?None added on the first run and things were good as far as any ph went.

If i do/should add lime would i "more than likely" be able to cut down or even cut out the cal mag+?

And you mentioned that you add some amendments in from time to time......dose it not matter if you don't add all of the amendments at the same time?

Sorry to the OP...not meanin to cut in on your thread...but since you got FFOF you should reuse also just cause of the price tag!

FD

I think I paid the same as you for the FFOC I bought here.Wonder if we are both using the same spots.Yeah I would go ahead and put in some lime.I would go lean on it though.I add Mush compost,Kelp meal,bone meal,and a little Blood meal.

While growing I supplement with Earth juice grow,catalyst,and bloom.I make a tea now and then from EWC,molasses,and sometimes kelp meal along with it.I dont like to add a whole lot of Nitrogen to my plants.I dont have any problems with the amount I add.

I keep my soils in a open top tote and I sometimes add a little of the teas I make in hopes that it is help create some of the microbes that are good for the grow.I also mix the soil atleast once every couple days.

 

[FlaDankster]

I think I paid the same as you for the FFOC I bought here.Wonder if we are both using the same spots.Yeah I would go ahead and put in some lime.I would go lean on it though.I add Mush compost,Kelp meal,bone meal,and a little Blood meal.

While growing I supplement with Earth juice grow,catalyst,and bloom.I make a tea now and then from EWC,molasses,and sometimes kelp meal along with it.I dont like to add a whole lot of Nitrogen to my plants.I dont have any problems with the amount I add.

I keep my soils in a open top tote and I sometimes add a little of the teas I make in hopes that it is help create some of the microbes that are good for the grow.I also mix the soil atleast once every couple days.

I got my stuff in "gator country" here in the northern half of Fl.

How lean ya mean on the lime? And by adding lime can i look to cut back on cal mag maybe?I have well water so gotta use trusty ole cal mag but would like to add as little as possible with any kind of feeding regimen i may use.

I have some bone,blood and kelp.....no mc but thats an easy pick up at the home depot.I'm guessin that since you have bone in your mix you let it simmer some before use??My concern at the moment is how hot is to hot temperature wise for my soil to be in? The only place i can keep it is in the shed that will hit 103-105 degrees on a hot day around here......will this be no good for my soil?

I will be going with EJ once i get my soil mixed myself.I have seen nothing but good things when EJ is involved.Taste is supposed to be brought out very well with EJ also from what i understand and thats one of the reasons i grow my own.And kinda the same question on the heat for brewin teas.....will the high temps affect the brewing of teas?? Do you also brew your EJ?

Sorry for the sudden smash of ?'s

FD

 

[Mr Pengra]

How young were the seedling when you started using the liquid nutes? was it grow big? Because that'll burn them fersure. use big bloom instead, much less concentrated and is organic.

 

[the gnome]

I love FF OF,
sounds like the recent probs with it are from the west coast facility,
I'm east coast and I get great stuff
for seedlings I use a 1/2-n-1/2 or 30% mix with perlite and they thrive in it.
then I use 4:1 or 3:1 and once again, they thrive in it
cost wise I shopped around and get it for $13.95 a bag.
stay far away from most gro shops, a few i called wanted $18-$22 fooking peso's a sack!

 

[desertdweller]

FFOF all the way, it is 18.50 here in the southwest desert, i mix it 50-50 with generic potting soil from HomeDepot or Lowes, and since i am a beginner, i am using shultz 10-15-10 liquid nute in veg and flowering times. working great so far

 

[GanjaSnake]

I used to use it all the time, it's not a bad product. I find that Pro Mix or Sunshine mix works better for me though, I just mix up the nutes and tune it to my stage of development.

 

[Vermonster]

i just switched from 10 years of pro mix, i have heard you can get bad batches and burn your plants so its always need to be mixed and cut w some non ferted soil.....everyone looks happy for now but only been 24-48 hours so......def easier to work w then pro mix, doesnt need nearly as much working to get going.....

 

[ChunkyToad]

Switch to FF Happy Frog. It is a much cooler soil than Ocean Forest. OF is rich in worm castings and guano, and lots of Nitrogen. That is why you burnt your seedlings.

I've played with a lot of these soils and my favorite mixture at the moment is;

5 parts ocean forest
5 parts happy frog
2 parts roots Coco mix
1 part Age old organics mix (the stuff that holds water)
1 part Savannah Gold mushroom compost
5 T of Algamin Kelp Meal
5 T of Age old Root Rally.

If you had to skip part, use only happy frog. It is cooler than the ocean forest, and you can always add nutrients later.

 

[rubbanutz420]

I used to use nothing but FFOF soil....I got really tired of spending hundreds of dollars every grow and decided to start making my own.....Im so glad I did too....since making the switch, Its alot cheaper, and my soil is better than FFOF, you can make it just the way you want it, and since doing so, my grows have never been better....Ive been making my own soil for about a year now, and will never use FFOF or any other commercial soil mix again....Just get the 3.8 cubic foot bales of spaghnum peat moss and add some good shit to it....pleanty of recipes on here that work great......after you do a couple grows with it, you can really dial in the additives for what you want.... Dont be scared to make your own, I was worried things would go wrong, but it never did.....main thing is to add lime and give it time to break down, like 2 or 3 weeks.....I like to add Black Cow cow manure, kelp, azomite, worm castings...and then i add alittle dry ferts too, just to get me through veg without having to feed at all....works great..I get fat buds with very little leaf to trim...Its easy and cheaper....My buds went from good shit to Grade AAA.

 

[dragging hooks]

been using all FF products for 5 years and never had a burn
just now starting to experiment with adding stuff to FFOF
and trying other nutes