Just add water

[staff11]

perfect!! sounds a lot like my well water.... high PPMs of delicious cal and mg. Its like there is lime in your water!
The high PPms make the high PH have that effect on your soilmix!!
Likewise, if your water has low to no PPMs, the PH of the water has no effect on your soilmix.

If you have a soil PH meter, try to mix your soil to come out with a ph of about six.... every time you add water, it will bump your medium up around 6.5... thats how I do.

But I mean... you can definitely just feel it out. I would try cutting the lime in half, and if you see ph or calmag issues, adjust with a high PH topdressing, and next time use a bit more!

PEACE!

Yeah so far I haven't noticed any issues while using my tap water with LC's mix #2 and 2 TBS of dolomite lime per gallon. I also add in about 2 1/2 cups of espoma biotone starter plus which has 4% Ca and 1% Mg. I never use a PH meter, not since the hydro days.

What exactly do issues normally look like with over limed/mineralized soil? Is it K lock out from too much calcium? I do get a lot of yellowing of the fan leaves at about the 6-7 week mark of the current strain I am growing, but it's a 10 week strain and I haven't really noticed any yield issues with the plants finishing with smaller flowers. I guess I will know a little more on the next run I have planned with a different strain. I guess it could just be the plants natural senescence.

 

[One Love 731]

Great thread full of solid info and good peeps. Can ya say sticky. Karma, One Love

 

[Nigel]

>>>

>>>

Original thread about FoxFarm Planting Mix >>> https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=190863

OK....about to mix up this mix soon for the patients and I, to just add water to our med grow)....In my free time I've aquired some amendments to add....

Any info on mixing ratios would greatly appreciated...(I'm kinda putting all eggs in one basket here)

I have these amendments as follows

- Medium size bag of Dolomite Lime (powderized with 2:1 cal/mag ratio)

- 3lb bag of Miracle Grow Organic Bone meal 6-9-0

- 3lb bag of Miracle grow Organic Blood meal 12-0-0

- Large bag of wiggleworm Earthworm Castings (says 1-0-0 on bag )

- 3lb bag of Greensand (bag says 0-1-8 with 22 trace minerals and stuff)

- 2 large bags of Fox Farm Planting mix

- 3/4 of a BAIL of Pro-Mix BX

- monster bag of perlite

- Jar of (house of herbs) Blackstrap molasses

Was also planning on using half tap water and half distilled...(our tap here is about 175ppm with 7.2 Ph
(of course letting chloramines evaporate first)

Thanks in advance for all replies....

 

[NSPB]

Okay...looking at what you have here...there are very tried and true methods you could use. Here is a concept that is pretty simple and straight forward:

1/2 bale of ProMix (leaving you with only 1/4)
1 bag FFOF
perlite as needed for drainage
1 cup dolomite
1 cup blood
1 cup bone
1 cup EWC
1/2c greensand



NSPB

 

[Nigel]

>>>

>>>

Thanks NSPB..... I'm confused why some people use 15-25% of there mix as EWC....and other suggest just one cup.

A half a bail of promix plus one large bag of soil seems like allot of medium to add just 1 cup of EWC.

I guess it's because of the blood meal being high in "N" ?

 

[VerdantGreen]

bone meal isnt high in N but blood meal is.

i just repotted my mother plants (bonsai) and i used 3g/litre of hoof and horn - its a good source of slow release N

 

[Nigel]

Verdant green

Verdant green

Thanks Verdant Green, I edited that mistake. I'll look into hoof and horn for next batch. Right now our budget is maxed out with the amendments I listed.

 

[lokes]

Yank, thanx for putting up this thread. This is my first just add water grow, and I thought the Lucas formula was simple. LOL
I made enough supersoil to last a year. Its just cooking in a trash can in my garage.
2/3rds base and 1/3 supersoil.
What I'm really excited about though, is how the plants take on all their natural colors in flower, by taking just what they need. Mycorrhizae, and Guano, FTW.

PS- Phillthy has a great soil mix on these boards. The guy is legend.

I'm using a mix by Sub that he has listed on Hightimes website.

 

[lokes]

Okay...looking at what you have here...there are very tried and true methods you could use. Here is a concept that is pretty simple and straight forward:

1/2 bale of ProMix (leaving you with only 1/4)
1 bag FFOF
perlite as needed for drainage
1 cup dolomite
1 cup blood
1 cup bone
1 cup EWC
1/2c greensand



NSPB

For those reading this, make sure to get the powdered Dolomite. Not the pebbles like E.B Stone sells. FYI

 

[Sourbear]

So I am starting a SOG perpetual grow
Adding 8 plants into my room every 2 weeks in 1 gallon pots...

And what I want to do is a Just add water thing...

I was doing some research and found this soil

Earth Juice Amazon Bloom
Contains:
peat moss
forest compost
coconut coir
feather meal
bat guano
marinebird fossilized guano
steamed bone meal
sulfate of potash magnesia from langbenite
neem meal
earthworm castings
sea kelp (ascophyllum nodosum)
humate ore (leonardite) yucca meal
oyster shell lime


Would you guys say this is a good mix for just add water?

 

[lokes]

That's a great base soil, but prob won't get you thru the whole run. Mix up a supersoil to go under the base soil. You can't go wrong with EJ products IMHO.

 

[Bennyweed1]

So I am starting a SOG perpetual grow
Adding 8 plants into my room every 2 weeks in 1 gallon pots...

And what I want to do is a Just add water thing...

I was doing some research and found this soil

Earth Juice Amazon Bloom
Contains:
peat moss
forest compost
coconut coir
feather meal
bat guano
marinebird fossilized guano
steamed bone meal
sulfate of potash magnesia from langbenite
neem meal
earthworm castings
sea kelp (ascophyllum nodosum)
humate ore (leonardite) yucca meal
oyster shell lime


Would you guys say this is a good mix for just add water?

Hey partner, I have been doing a grow like you described for about a year now except I add plants every 7 days. Before I was using chem nutes, GH, FF, AN....a lot of different stuff.

I recently switched over to being fully organic and blended up a soil that I hope will take the plants from veg all the way through flower with nothing but water added. I too am going to set up an automated drip system to water the plants to make things more simple and to help me out.

I am documenting it over in the soil grow section and so far the soil I blended is out performing Fox Farm Happy Frog by a long shot.

Here is what I used per every 15 gallons of soil:

5 gallons local organic potting soil
4 gallons peat
1 gallon cotton burr
1 gallon EWC
4 gallons perlite



Kelp meal – 2 cup
Bone meal- 2 cup
blood meal- 1 cup
Azomite- 1 cup
Dolomite lime- 2 3/4 cup
Alfalfa- 1 ¾ cup
Bat guanos N&P-1 cup each
Dry molasses – 2 cup
Green sand – 1 cup
Rice Flour – ¾ cup
Bene. Bacteria – ½ cup
DE – 2 cup

I need to fine tune the base mix a little, I want it just a little more airy and spongy like. Right now it feels just a tad on the dense side. I am not sure what to change up. I am thinking of dropping a gallon of the organic potting soil and adding an extra gallon of peat. Perhaps some vermiculite also.

 

[Sourbear]

Hey partner, I have been doing a grow like you described for about a year now except I add plants every 7 days. Before I was using chem nutes, GH, FF, AN....a lot of different stuff.

I recently switched over to being fully organic and blended up a soil that I hope will take the plants from veg all the way through flower with nothing but water added. I too am going to set up an automated drip system to water the plants to make things more simple and to help me out.

I am documenting it over in the soil grow section and so far the soil I blended is out performing Fox Farm Happy Frog by a long shot.

Here is what I used per every 15 gallons of soil:

5 gallons local organic potting soil
4 gallons peat
1 gallon cotton burr
1 gallon EWC
4 gallons perlite



Kelp meal – 2 cup
Bone meal- 2 cup
blood meal- 1 cup
Azomite- 1 cup
Dolomite lime- 2 3/4 cup
Alfalfa- 1 ¾ cup
Bat guanos N&P-1 cup each
Dry molasses – 2 cup
Green sand – 1 cup
Rice Flour – ¾ cup
Bene. Bacteria – ½ cup
DE – 2 cup

I need to fine tune the base mix a little, I want it just a little more airy and spongy like. Right now it feels just a tad on the dense side. I am not sure what to change up. I am thinking of dropping a gallon of the organic potting soil and adding an extra gallon of peat. Perhaps some vermiculite also.

Neat! do you have a thread up? I just threw mine up!
I will be interesting in following another SOG grower!
Also that soil mix sounds great! Eventually I will get into mixing more shit into the earth juice amazon bloom soil but for now I need to keep it simple!.

 

[lokes]

This is my first just add water grow. I'm sold. Frickin fan leaves are huge, plants are green, and tomorrow I finish my tubing and timers for auto drip. Easy Peasy!

 

[NSPB]

Thanks NSPB..... I'm confused why some people use 15-25% of there mix as EWC....and other suggest just one cup.

A half a bail of promix plus one large bag of soil seems like allot of medium to add just 1 cup of EWC.

I guess it's because of the blood meal being high in "N" ?

Well, the EWC have a very low amount of nutrients to begin with. It is kind of one of those things that it is really hard to use TOO much of. Whether or not you will see MORE benefit from using more, eh, who knows. However, I like to use about 10% EWC in my mixes.

From a quick google search:

Decomposing matter contains microbes such as yeast, phototropic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, actinomycetes & mycorrhizal fungi. As these microbes feed, rapidly reproduce and die, they release nutrients that are key to an earthworms diet. Since worms have no teeth, they rely on these microbes to break down the organic matter on which they are feeding on.

The nutrients created from the dying microbes also feed other members of the soil microbial food web. They all end up going through the worm’s digestive track and are coated with organic calcium from the calciferous gland. This happens over and over again. Each time it passes though the worm, another layer of nutrients, humic acid, and live microbes are added and stored within the next layer of calcium coating.

As moisture dissolves the calcium, it is an immediate food source for the plants. Once the calcium has been dissolved, the nutrients, micronutrients, and microbes will be released into the root zone creating a healthy soil food web.

So, essentially, EWC are a GREAT product to use. Keep in mind, those that are only using 1c in large batches of soil, are also using pre-amended soil products...ie Fox Farm Ocean Forest, etc...and those soils already have EWC and other such organics amendments added.



NSPB

 

[NSPB]

I need to fine tune the base mix a little, I want it just a little more airy and spongy like. Right now it feels just a tad on the dense side. I am not sure what to change up. I am thinking of dropping a gallon of the organic potting soil and adding an extra gallon of peat. Perhaps some vermiculite also.

Have you considered some coarse (#3) perlite? The stuff is rough shaped and really adds that extra bit of space / air in the soil. If you are looking for more spongy..well, peat can work for that, but I like to use peat and coir in equal proportions. Seems to give the best of both worlds that way.



NSPB

 

[the_extremist]

To anybody using Subcool's super soil, good choice, it's a great recipe. However, in my experience, his recipe is wayyy under-limed. Go with the standard cup of dolomite per cubic foot and you'll be straight. Especially if you use R/O water like myself. I ended up having to supplement with GO CaMg+ (great product, btw) on my first run with Sub's mix.

 

[lokes]

So far SubCools mix is working well for me. At one point I had some yellowing, but I added an additional watering and that went away.

I used about 1/3 super below my base mix, and next time I think I'll go 50/50.

My camera sucks, and believe me, I've tried every setting. Don't buy a Coolpix.

All I have added since day one is water. I may add some Molasses soon.

Here they are at Week 8. (Mendo Purps x Tribal Vision)