Need a new guerilla soil mix quickly

[thizzness]

I've got a spot in the ground that I had planned to fill with an organic mix, but due to the extreme difficulty of bringing in enough water to get the peat wet, I'm rethinking that idea. Instead I'm thinking of picking up some generic top soil from the hardware store and amending it with some nasty time-released chemical ferts. Any advice? I'm not sure about using chemical ferts, especially time-released, but its looking like my only option.

 

[D.S. Toker. MD]

Hey thizness

Go to the store and buy you a 3cu ft bag of Miracle grow and pour it in your hole. I guarantee that bag of MG will grow a 1lb plant. I have had many grow sites that were on a steep incline where it was mostly rock. I pick out a good size hole, pour a bag of MG in it and whala! 1lb of smoke.

I know many will scoff, but ive only been doing that for more than 20 years and anyone that tells you it wont works hasnt done it at all. In a perfect world it needs a 1/2 cup of lime per bag because its really a little low in ph for maximum growth, but it does a pretty good job straight out of the bag.. Try to pour it in the hole a week or so before planting so that it airs out a bit and the mould that forms inside the bag dies. I have poured it straight out of the bag and planted though.

Mix in 1/4 cup of osmacote in the whole.


a tip thizness. The nutes in MG are timed released and that release is controlled by soil temps. If you go now and buy several bags and sit them out behind the garage, over the summer the bags will get wet and hot and the nutes will release. During fall rains and freezing and thawing over the winter, come next spring you will have some of the finest, mostly organic soil you can find. The chem nutes get released and leached over the seasoniing period and the stuff is as good as anything fox farm sells for 30 bucks a bag.
Ive got 10 bags out behind the shed seasoning right now.

good luck

 

[crfhonda]

excellent advice Toker! I have a few bags of MG seasoning also. I cant believe no one has ever thought of tht before. I do it every year and trust me the soil is amazing after the nutes go away. Although it does grow some nice plants if your limited to a budget.

 

[RedDirtWarrior]

I wish I could be like you guys and just get premade soil and bring it up to my spot. Unfortunately I have security issues hauling bags of soil to my spot, its in a very populated area and if anyone saw me would spell disaster for sure.

I have a plan to use only materials from the forest and coco bricks to make my soil mixture, unfortunately, I will have to use chem ferts as well.

 

[thizzness]

Toker I took your advice and hauled some miracle grow garden soil to my spot. I was actually very close to being seen carrying the bags as the path I take parallels a road for a while and I did it in the middle of the day on memorial day. Fortunately I was lucky and only saw some vehicles on the return trip when all I had was a backpack, but I definitely should take more care and only do these trips at night.

But one question, how much perlite should I mix into the soil? I already planted a few plants but haven't had the opportunity to amend the soil yet, so I'll have to dig them up and do that soon. I ended up using 2 cu ft of miracle grow, so I'm thinking about 4 gal of perlite (about 30%)? I don't want too much drainage tho.