Best potting mix available from Bunnings for outdoor grow.

[Guest50138]

p.s...you going to get a bit of perlite to mix in to aerate it a bit? not a bad idea...but not the end of the world if you dont....from memory bunnings do sell small bags of it...and i have seen the 100ltr bags there too.

Gday I was wondering what you guys here thought about not adding perlite into these garden mixes,I stoped useing it about 3 year ago and i carnt say that i have noticed a significant difference,the reason i stoped useing it was more to do with enviromental issues ,keepin it out of water way,s ect plus recyling mixes around the house garden full of perlite, just plain suss if you ask me,this has been an informative thread ,thank all .

 

[happyherb]

if you think to dont need it dont use it...lots of potting mixes have bark chip which do the same job as perlite...as is why its a possible good idea to use perlite with coco to break up the mix..

i hear ya with the perlite dumped in the garden...no probs if you dont grow at home...cause normal ppl use it too....even seen a place here adding it to there soil mix and adding an extra $50 to the price per tonne....so many ppl around the place that are non growers will look like growers to us...and those ppl will think we have the extra $50 a tonne to splash out on the perlite mix..HH. =]-~

 

[EeJay]

Thanks for all this info guys, I've totally forgotten about soil now and went and bought me some coco the other day. Only problem is it's got a slow release fertiliser in it which I guess just means I'll have to let it sit in some water for awhile and double wash it before use.

Just be aware that a lot of slow release beads are made so that heat is the main trigger of nutrient release. Water undoubtedly plays a part, but heat is the main thing. I'd suggest washing it, then putting it in a black garbage bag and let it bake in the sun for a few hours. Wash again, bake in the sun again and wash again.

p.s...you going to get a bit of perlite to mix in to aerate it a bit? not a bad idea...but not the end of the world if you dont....

I personally only use perlite for my cutting mixes. For anything else, I subscribe to Mandala's train of thought that the more inorganic material you use in media, the less nutrients it will be able to hold.

For those of you battling the heat, are you guys mostly doing it in pots or ground? I don't think I could live with using pots in an area further than my backyard. I'd be looking at possibly burying the pots and then treating them the same as I would if they were planted into the ground. Plenty of mulch, at least 7cm thick, preferably tea tree mulch. It's not as "whispy" as sugar cane or lucerne, but is fine enough to create a nice dense suface where something like wood chips would fail. As it breaks down, it will actually provide it's own NPK value, where sugar cane/lucerne really only provide nitrogen, and bark mulches will actually drawn down nitrogen and stuff with your fertiliser formulations. The only con is it's typically the most expensive mulch out there. Just be aware of late summer rain. In Sydney, we get a lot of storms and can get a shitload of rain, which if your site is mulched heavily, will then be detrimental and invite mould. I'd move all mulch off the soil surface in such an occurance.

I think the jury's still out about imbedded water crystals, but there is a product called Rainbird, which isn't very widely distributed, that gradually releases water from the surface as a gel. Seasol Planting Gel is also an option as you're potting up or planting.

One product i've only started using this season is Yates Droughtshield. It is applied to the foliage as a spray-on liquid. As it dries, it forms a clear, thin polymer film, which then helps as a barrier to the elements. It's main function is to minimise water loss through transpiration, but it also gives some protection against wind and mild frost. It is said to expand with a growing leaf up to 100% and last for up to 90 days. I think 90 days is a bit dubious, but it's almost impossible for the ordinary person to test for. For anyone big on foliar feeding, you may have to weigh up the pros and cons of such a product as it would no doubt render foliar feeding much less effective.

 

[happyherb]

"I personally only use perlite for my cutting mixes. For anything else, I subscribe to Mandala's train of thought that the more inorganic material you use in media, the less nutrients it will be able to hold."

well perlite is organic..and two...if you have a heavy soil you wont grow decent plants...if we are talking soil...if its a good organic mix it should nearly take you through right to the end of flower without any ferts ...so "holding nutes aint a prob(we all just go overboard and wana add shit)...if going coco..most may treat it just like hydro using ferts most waterings...so again they are getting LOTS of ferts and wont suffer from added perlite

..again...if you find you dont "need" dont use...if you do...use.HH. =]-~

 

[EeJay]

Perlite is a glass, thus inorganic.

 

[happyherb]

its volcanic rock thats heated...and whats glass made from anyway???...heated stuff you lay on at the beach? .HH. =]-~

 

[hairydog0069]

the water crystals work for sure i recken. got 1 plot with and another with out. 1 without needs alot more water. no 1 has mentioned mushroom compost . its a standard in all my plots. retains moisture good and is a good soil builder. add a little sand if u have clay soils.

 

[EeJay]

its volcanic rock thats heated...and whats glass made from anyway???...heated stuff you lay on at the beach? .HH. =]-~

Yeah, that all says "inorganic".

 

[Cabri]

Its organic.

Its organic.

Best Potting Mix for sure Black & gold or Hortico Green bag Cut 70/30 with Cow patts ground up by hand into powdered Peat. Cow coco patt.
Fully sick Floral boosta.

 

[BENJI]

Not all of them dude....3 here are doing well & starting to put on some weight. they also have trays to keep them wet.

Well i gave all of em a transplant into bigger pots but lost 2 Jack Herer cuttings a superskunk x deepchunk seedling and nearly lost my chemstar keeper my 2 sativa AB cuttings (luckily i have back ups of the AB's) my wally C99 female and a SSSDH x Jack Herer burnt pretty bad but im crossing my fingers they recover bro apart from that everything is good when i get this new soil mixture of yours all mixed and into action i think they will do just fine in the hot weather weird thing is outa all the girls the 2 SONIC BOOMS didnt even get affected by the heat infact they are loving it,,,Cant wait for my new LED lights to arrive i have a slight feeling they will be COOLER than my HPS...Damn heat...

 

[happyherb]

Yeah, that all says "inorganic".

?...you +google +read =the end on this from me.HH. =]-~

 

[Guest50138]

"Perlite is an amorphous volcanic glass that has a relatively high water content, typically formed by the hydration of obsidian. It occurs naturally and has the unusual property of greatly expanding when heated sufficiently. It is an industrial mineral and a commercial product useful for its light weight after processing. Wikipedia."
Well after reading abit more about perlite ,be it organic or not was not really the point i was making,just doent belong in waterways ect .eejay the sandstone escarpments surrounding sydney can be a real test .45 deg+ heat 'loads of rain at the wrong time rippers ect I dont miss it at all. Hot and dry were i live now,much shorter autum though .I think about all those garden beds that i made on north facing escarpment full of perlite left to eventually wash into water courses ,that what im trying to avoid .Thank again everybody. Oldman
Oh happyherb I sore santa on the tele this morning at that bash down there in SA he didnt look to happy.cool change comin soon hang on
Benji Cheers:

 

[Squiggles]

my mix from bunnings consists of

vermicultre/perlite 50/50 mix 1 bag
composted worm manure half bag
yates pro potting mix 1 bag
coconut fibre husks for mulch

i use this indoor and out
and yes it is a very light and airy mix
but works for me as i tend to over water my plants
outside its great for breaking up the clay soils around here

well thats my

 

[ScrubNinja]

Squiggles, I've never seen composted worm manure at bunnings. Am I just missing it?

 

[EeJay]

?...you +google +read =the end on this from me.HH. =]-~

Then I suggest you look up the definition of inorganic. Google, Wiki, whatever you want to refer to will indicate that perlite is in fact inorganic. A very simple way of determining whether a substance is organic or inorganic is to ask whether it comes from a living organism or not. Perlite does not come from a living organism, thus is inorganic. I didn't think this would ever be an issue.

 

[HippySlayer]

Well i gave all of em a transplant into bigger pots but lost 2 Jack Herer cuttings a superskunk x deepchunk seedling and nearly lost my chemstar keeper my 2 sativa AB cuttings (luckily i have back ups of the AB's) my wally C99 female and a SSSDH x Jack Herer burnt pretty bad but im crossing my fingers they recover bro apart from that everything is good when i get this new soil mixture of yours all mixed and into action i think they will do just fine in the hot weather weird thing is outa all the girls the 2 SONIC BOOMS didnt even get affected by the heat infact they are loving it,,,Cant wait for my new LED lights to arrive i have a slight feeling they will be COOLER than my HPS...Damn heat...

You mean the CCF#1 cuts ? I thought it was the SB#3 cuts that didn't take ?
I mulched all today with Brunnings easy-wetta mulch...

 

[Squiggles]

comes in a yellow bag Scrub i believe its made in perth and seasonally available

would love to be able to help you further mate but i havent purchased soil in a few months and my local bunnings is a bit of a trek

 

[BENJI]

You mean the CCF#1 cuts ? I thought it was the SB#3 cuts that didn't take ?
I mulched all today with Brunnings easy-wetta mulch...

Woops yeah bro i meant the CCF#1 cuts they havent grown much but are still green as my thumb...lol

 

[Technique]

i did a little test... with some soil at home..

had about 4 seeds in soil mix i made up. growing for about 2 weeks under the 4 pin fluros i have..

then tried another seed used canna soil under the same fluro and its twice the size in 1 week compared to the others..

(could be the seed.. but all other plants are healthy) the canna stuff just seems to grow quicker!

i have since transplanted to canna and all seeds are looking alot better than before!

is expensive @ 28-30 a 50L bag.. but it seems good! cant wait for harvest

 

[Guest50138]

Hey Technique ,I was thinkin somthing along the same line ,would make a good thread
Canna V Bunnings. Cheers