Am I doing it right?

[SmokinErb]

Here's my plan on making my soil mix. First timer so I just want to verify I'm getting this right. Please note that these are for Mandala strains which are pretty light feeders in general, I feel like I'm mixing this too hot by trying to add a little variety to just the bone/blood/kelp meal.

2.8 cu ft bag promix bx (21 gallons)
1 cu ft bag perlite (7.5 gallons)
1 cu ft bag EWC (7.5 gallons)
8 1/2 cups bio-tone starter plus (suggested 3 cups per cu ft rate)
2 1/2 cups dolomite lime (2 tbs per gallon)
2 1/2 cups bone meal(4-12-0)
1 1/4 cup greensand (0-0-0.1)
1 1/4 cup kelp meal (1-0-2)
1 1/4 cup soft rock phosphate (0-3-0)

2/3 cup dried blood will be added to 10 gallons of above mix for veg/mothers. I'll be growing SOG where cuttings go pretty much straight to flower so I don't think I'd need blood meal in all the mix?

Mix everything really well and wet it with some de-chlorinated water + Liquid Karma @ 1 tbs/gal.

Mix it all a few times a week for 2-3 weeks, taking care to not let it dry out. Should be ready to use after that?

EWC and blackstrap tea for watering. Nutrient teas to battle any deficiencies.

 

[Scrappy4]

First Erb, are you sure you have a 2.8 ct bag? Most are 1.5 or 3.8.

Yes, your mix does seem too hot. I'd lose some of the tone or the meals, or cut some of each. The rate I read for the tone ferts, is 3 cups per cf, and that is a hot mix. You are just under that, but have added all those meals. Due to your short growing/veg time I would just run the bio tone, and treat any problems appropriately along the way.....scrappy

 

[mad librettist]

lose everything, keep:

2.8 cu ft bag promix bx (21 gallons)
1 cu ft bag perlite (7.5 gallons)
1 cu ft bag EWC (7.5 gallons)
8 1/2 cups bio-tone starter plus (suggested 3 cups per cu ft rate)
2 1/2 cups dolomite lime (2 tbs per gallon)

biotone has: Hydrolyzed Feather Meal, Pasteurized Poultry Manure, Cocoa
Meal, Bone Meal, Alfalfa Meal, Greensand, Humates, Sulfate of Potash, and
Sulfate of Potash Magnesia

Your EWC is a bit high. Make it 20% of your mix. Also, you can replace the perlite with turface, axis, playball, Napa 8822, CarQuest calcined DE oil absorber, rice hulls, barley hulls, zeolite, or pumice. Consider combining some of those, and pay attention to what needs screening and what doesn't. The promix will have perlite, up to you if you want to replace it.

Think about:
Azomite
glacial rock dust
bit of clay (very little bit)
adding real topsoil

 

[SmokinErb]

Thanks a lot man, that's exactly what I was looking for. I've never done this before so I don't know what's considered "hot" or not.

I haven't actually purchased it yet, I'm requested that a local garden shop stock it and I THINK they'll order a pallet. I may have it wrong and that it's 3.8 rather than 2.8. Okay after checking the website they make both a 2.8 and a 3.8 loose fill pack.

Anyway, the biotone seems more like a veg fert @ 4-3-3.

Biotone @ 6 cups
kelp meal, soft rock phosphate and greensand @ 1 cup

Would that be better? I'm just aiming for a balanced mix here. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around flowering @ 4-3-3. I'd like a better P source, but bone meal just seems like overkill. I suppose I could always keep some guano on the side for compost teas if necessary.

Edit: Thanks again, Mad. I didnt see your reply until after I posted that. Uhm, so seems everyone agrees to just use Biotone. My one concern, once again... 4-3-3- all the way through flowering? The mix will be used in a SOG with only about a week of veg, if that.

Double edit: I know the ProMix has perlite in it, I opted for the BX over HP because it has less in it. I'd like to use something other than perlite, but it just seems that's whats easily available so that's what made the list. I'll have to check out those DE oil absorbers for sure! The glacial rock dust I know I can get my hands on, so I'll add some of that too.

 

[mad librettist]

no worries, the biotone has plenty of bone meal. you are good all the way through with it. Never mind the NPK it's 2011.

a little fish hydrolysate goes a long way. Add it when you get nervous, it won't hurt anything as long as it isn't "fortified" with salts. I can vouch for neptune's harvest - made by assholes but it's good shit.

For top dressing, mix some EWC with biotone, rock dust, etc...

 

[SmokinErb]

Appreciate it again man! This cuts my expenses back quite a bit! Oh goody! More toys I can buy!

 

[mad librettist]

and remember you are using this as a starting point. Some strains will want it richer (more biotone).

the last harvest I did before my life turned upside down was a biotone grow.

 

[SmokinErb]

I just have no basis for comparison as to what the dosages are for amendments. That, I don't imagine, I'll get until I gather organic experience.

Thankfully Mandala strains, which is my likely route at this time, are light feeders so I hopefully won't need more ferts.

 

[mad librettist]

I'm growing mandala too!

I've got 3 mandala 1's in #1 smart pots. All are flowering nicely. one pheno is yellowing prematurely but responding to neptune's.

 

[SmokinErb]

Which strains?

I'm opting for Satori, Krystalica, and Point of No Return SOG style. I'd like to get some BOG Sour bubble and blue moon rocks too if I can relay a light or two to another chamber for bushes as they don't perform so well SOG.

 

[mad librettist]

i'm trying for mandala #1 and 8 miles high from the mandala lineup.

then maybe blue satellite 2.2 and mixed sam skunkman seeds

my objective is always mod scrog.

 

[SmokinErb]

I can vouch for Mandala#1, that's some nice stuff. Grows quick and easy! All 5 that I dropped germinated, got a couple females out of that. Can't quite recall the odor as I was growing some 6 strains at the same time (Speed Queen was in the mix, also decent stuff)