soil question for the pros

[spook719]

Hello my friends first id like to thank for the all the people on here, ive learned so much. Now to my question: Im gonna run 200 gallon smart pots and im wondering if you guys think this soil mix will work. I will also be brewing act soil mix; 60 percent lambert 111 which is (A blend of coarse Canadian peat moss with perlite and nutrient starter charge, limestone balanced pH (5.5-5.8) and a wetting agent. EC of 1.2-1.7 This media is formulated by combining the major components of both LM-3 andLM-6.) 20 percent local earth worm castings and 20 percent horse manure. As far as amendments im still researching and deciding. Ive read tom hills recipe, and ive also seen ganja ds, butte, and a few other people like to add a lot of amendments. If you have any suggestions please chime in.. Thanks a lot for all your help..

 

[Tiami]

sounds good. 20% horse manure sounds a lot, because your potting soil is already fertilised. but you couldn't know before you test for EC. you would get more response in organic soil forum.

 

[SeaMaiden]

How many SmartPots at that size, and do you have to have bagged soil? I would nix the perlite altogether, it offers nothing in terms of feeding the plant or keeping it... anything. Rice hulls work much, much better, IMO/IME. What I would honestly suggest is to look around locally at your yard supply places, nurseries and garden centers, find some top quality pre-made topsoil, then amend that with rice hulls, some rock dusts (bentonite, Azomite, volcanic dusts, soft rock phosphate for future years, green earth, lots to work with), some manures of your choice, worm castings since it's not open to the earth for worms to get in there and do that work for you, and some plant-based meals OR, what I prefer to do, use alfalfa hay, the sweepings. Inoculate with compost tea and/or some other microbial inoculant.

Amounts are not my gig, I'm notorious for mixing up my soil the same way I cook--by feel.

If your pots are not going to be well fenced off from animals like raccoons, then I HIGHLY suggest you never use anything like blood meal, bone meal, or fish in any form. I lost a whole planting of corn to raccoons when I laid down some dry hydrolized fish in the seed bed before fencing off. Raccoons dug up damn near every fucking seed of corn I'd planted, but didn't eat the corn. They were likely looking for the fish that was only in granulated form. Also, there's a lot to be said for lining the pots, inside or out, with hardware cloth.

Good luck and happy growing!

 

[Henrik]

Horse manure aint so hot Tiami. I know people who have grown pumpkin straight in that kind of manure, fresh i think. so I personally would be afraid of too much of that..

I would also raise the ph some... 5.5 -5.8 is a bit low.. Ok for potatos

 

[Sinkyone]

I would second the rice hull and Azomite (or something similar) recommendation. If you use 20% horse manure make sure it is well composted - fresh can be too hot. Personally I am not a big fan peat moss and perlite - I would just use some locally sourced soil if it was me. It is likely to be much cheaper too. Definitely get some myccos in there too, like Mykos from Xtreme Gardening. Earthworm castings are a good addition, but in my opinion they should be used more like an inoculant rather than an amendment. You can get the same benefit from them by scratching them in around your root ball when you transplant and on the surface of your smart pots, and by using it to brew ACT. In this manner you still get the benefits of the castings, but you use much less.

You definitely need some nitrogen in there too, cannabis uses more N than any other element. I like using feather meal for slow release N, and then top dress with guanos for faster release N. Alfalfa meal and blood meal can also provide short term N but it is easier to burn plants with those two so be careful! You also want some Ca and P in the mix, after N those are two of the elements cannabis really chows down on. I like using bone meal since it provides both Ca and P.

 

[spook719]

Thanks for your your input everyone