Hydro nutes in soil?

[PizzaMan5000]

So I am pretty new to growing, and most of my gear is non existent, second rate, or second hand. I am growing in soil right now, a soil mix I have had success with in the past. But I was given a huge bottle of Fox Farm grow big. which is for hydro setups. My friend insisted it is good for soil as long as I mix 1 tsp per 3 gallons or water. Basically this is 1/6 of what is recommended for the hydro setups. I have had a touch of yellowing/ death on a few sets of lower leaves here and there, but I did have some damage from not watering for 3 1/2 days a week ago. Has anyone used fox farm in soil? Thanks!

 

[Buds Bundy]

So I am pretty new to growing, and most of my gear is non existent, second rate, or second hand. I am growing in soil right now, a soil mix I have had success with in the past. But I was given a huge bottle of Fox Farm grow big. which is for hydro setups. My friend insisted it is good for soil as long as I mix 1 tsp per 3 gallons or water. Basically this is 1/6 of what is recommended for the hydro setups. I have had a touch of yellowing/ death on a few sets of lower leaves here and there, but I did have some damage from not watering for 3 1/2 days a week ago. Has anyone used fox farm in soil? Thanks!

You are getting confused with terminology here. Hydro just means hydroponics which does not mean only growing in water gardens/system its also refers to peat (Sunshine Mix 4/Pro-mix/Etc), Coco, Aeroponics and etc... basically all hydroponics systems which means you are growing plants in an inert medium while supplying the plants with fertilizers organic or synthetic.

So unless you are using straight dirt from the outside then go ahead and use it and even then it will work fine, its just salts and composts.

 

[PizzaMan5000]

Happyfrog, perilite, and a bit of miracle grow organic.

 

[Buds Bundy]

Happyfrog, perilite, and a bit of miracle grow organic.

You'll be fine just watch the nutrients that are in the soil already so you might not have to add Grow Big for a few waterings. Not sure how long the humic in the soil lasts but I'd add some once a week to help all the beneficial microbes in the soil.

 

[PizzaMan5000]

Ive noticed with the happyfrog, it is pretty well loaded with nutes. The miracle grow organic has some nutritional value, but it is so light and airy that it can essentially be flushed with one heavy watering, but it does seem to be a perfect match with the large happyfrog bag, the somewhat small MG bag, and a dash of perilite. I noticed that when I transplant seedlings/clones into this soil, that the first couple waterings should be done directly around the stem of the plant to let the water flush more outwards than inwards if that makes sense. The light miracle grow seems to leach nutrients from the denser happyfrog, thus overfeeding some how. This could have been a candid experience, but I noticed that by being lazy and watering my plants in the back around the stems, as opposed to spreading the water evenly in my front, easy to reach plants that the plants in the front were slightly burned after a day or two, and the plants in the back were not. I put two and two together and thought about it. I use a seed starting soil from target or walmart by the way, I forget the name but it is very similar to the organic miracle grow in consistency, very peatmossy.

 

[PizzaMan5000]

The humic I was quite curious about, from what I can gather it feeds good bacteria right? Would using a bit of milk or urine during the veg cycle help with this? I always tend to incoorperate these into my grows. Also, on the bacteria front... I have heard of people actually using a bit of hydrogen peroxide I believe to kill bacteria and mold. Where do I draw the line between root rot and not having enough bacteria? Can anyone shed a little light on this subject?

 

[PizzaMan5000]

Read this in icmag issue 4 today: An ACT with a full range of microbe groups is obtainable by using quality compost or vermicompost and black strap molasses alone. Always be sure that the black strap molasses does not have added sulfur.
Humic acid in any amount is not recommended as it appears to inhibit all microbial growth in a liquid. Save it to use separately on your soil.
•Humic Acid: Any of various organic acids obtained from humus.
•Fulvic Acid: A yellow to yellow-brown humic substance that is soluble in water under all pH conditions.

 

[Buds Bundy]

Read this in icmag issue 4 today: An ACT with a full range of microbe groups is obtainable by using quality compost or vermicompost and black strap molasses alone. Always be sure that the black strap molasses does not have added sulfur.
Humic acid in any amount is not recommended as it appears to inhibit all microbial growth in a liquid. Save it to use separately on your soil.
•Humic Acid: Any of various organic acids obtained from humus.
•Fulvic Acid: A yellow to yellow-brown humic substance that is soluble in water under all pH conditions.

I don't know too much about humic sitting in liquid but maybe give Tim at http://micromaxx.ca/ a call, the number is on the site. The the company is an actual agricultural company that deals with farms and they produce humic and fulvic acids.

 

[PizzaMan5000]

Thanks for the help Buds, I'll have a fat bowl and a strong cup of coffee and have a nice bedtime read on this whole microbe thing and see what I can find out. More on this story TONIGHT