Best soil for bottled nutes?

[Quien]

Howdy y'all,

I've been running FoxFarm's Happy Frog for my grows and using Advanced Nutrients line to feed my plant. I was recommended to utilize Sunshine Mix #4 or ProMix HP, but also was told that I could simply buy cheap soil, throw it in oven safe bags, and bake it for an hour to kill any bacteria in it.

Do any of y'all have experience doing a mix with some cheap soil? It's not so much about the price, simply that it's hard to predict how to feed my plants with unknown nutrients already added to the soil.

 

[goingrey]

Even cheap soils are usually prefertilized. You could use a seed starter mix if you want some very lightly fertilized soil for better control, no need to sterilize in the oven either.

Why the recommendation to change btw? Something wrong with the Happy Frog?

 

[Quien]

Even cheap soils are usually prefertilized. You could use a seed starter mix if you want some very lightly fertilized soil for better control, no need to sterilize in the oven either.

Why the recommendation to change btw? Something wrong with the Happy Frog?

I want to introduce nutrients a lot earlier than I currently do. I only introduced nutrients at around week 8 since attempting prior caused the plants to burn.

 

[Creeperpark]

Howdy y'all,

I've been running FoxFarm's Happy Frog for my grows and using Advanced Nutrients line to feed my plant. I was recommended to utilize Sunshine Mix #4 or ProMix HP, but also was told that I could simply buy cheap soil, throw it in oven safe bags, and bake it for an hour to kill any bacteria in it.

Do any of y'all have experience doing a mix with some cheap soil? It's not so much about the price, simply that it's hard to predict how to feed my plants with unknown nutrients already added to the soil.

Baking soil stinks like hell, believe me you don't wont to do that.

 

[Creeperpark]

The easiest way I have found is to use a Happy Frog in one-gallon pots for the first 30 days with water only. Then when the plants show their flowers, up-pot into 3 to 5-gallon containers of Pro-Mix HP. Feed as needed with the General Hydroponic Flora series. I only use 1/3 the manufacture's recommendations. So easy its crazy.

 

[lemonade]

Promix/Sunshine is already pretty darn cheap. Considering you get 3.8 cubic ft per bag.

Just make sure you hydrate it before transplanting as it becomes hydrophobic when its as dry as it generally is when its shipped.

Heres a tip. Use a 400L rez and a good drill with a paddle bit and you can mix up a bale in minutes.

I add nutrient mix with a pump and wand until the soil is moist but not soaked. After thoroughly mixing take a handfull and squeeze it hard. At most a couple drops should come out. That’s it!

Of course you still have to water it in when planted. But you really shouldnt be filling pots with dry promix!