I like to mix FFOF with FF Happy Frog around 50/50 and then mix in 50% perlite after that.
Never touched light warrior before.
Never touched light warrior before.
FFOF Soil: Does it need to be mixed with anything?
- Thread starter Hella THC
- Start date
ambr0sia
Member
BurnOne knows what he's talkin' about - This soil mix (LC's Mix #1) is top notch.
LOL Brother B1 says that about every bag soil, regardless of what's in it!..... But I can still bang out 3-4 oz's per LST plant with it, jus by adding a lil perlite, and feeding and transplanting when I should. It's a balanced soil jus like it is. If you can't grow in it, yer not going to be able to grow in any other soil mix either, because you have other issues affecting the plants.
Go back far enough in the "Organics for Beginners" thread and I explain why you don't need extra stuff in it. I'm too tried to go into it now. lol BC
Go back far enough in the "Organics for Beginners" thread and I explain why you don't need extra stuff in it. I'm too tried to go into it now. lol BC
Interesting thread, it's cool that there isn't any "one right way" to do things, I love that about growing.
I want to try B1's mix, just for giggles, but can't find dolomite lime. . .
What is this stuff? Where can I get it cheap? There are no grow shops within about 250 miles of me, but there are one or two green houses . . . I saw I can buy it online, but in 50 lb bags . . . the shipping would kill me as I'm in a "Zone 7."
Any ideas?
I want to try B1's mix, just for giggles, but can't find dolomite lime. . .
What is this stuff? Where can I get it cheap? There are no grow shops within about 250 miles of me, but there are one or two green houses . . . I saw I can buy it online, but in 50 lb bags . . . the shipping would kill me as I'm in a "Zone 7."
Any ideas?
ambr0sia
Member
Most standard, run of the mill gardening stores stock dolemite lime, and if they don't they can easily order it in for you. Suuuuper cheap stuff, like $7 for 50lbs.
ambr0sia
Member
I don't know about you, but I'm personally pretty hesitant to take purchasing advice from the same person that's trying to sell me something; For the same price as two bags of FoxFarm's soil, you can have 10x as much of your own soil - If you're willing to take the time to mix it, that is.
Hella THC
Member
While this is a good point, I highly doubt the dude working the local garden supply shop is making commission off your purchased soil.
That being said, it's really not in someones best interest to "push" a soil on you. Results speak for themselves, and the product will sell itself if it works, and works well.
I'm happy I have a choice where I can pay more money but know it's a good product. Now, maybe after growing for 20 years, I'll change my mind, but for me as a beginner, the cost isn't an issue.
- Hella
LOL
But what if, it's an honest person doing an honest job - who gets customers BACK because of good friendly advice that WORKS?
Then your attitude and fears are,,,,, mis-guided?
He's working in a garden supply - and- by my book - is taking care of the customer.
Yes - I too used to think $20 a bag for dirt was too much - until I tried it once.
Price went up - it's $25 now, so I try to get it on sale - but if the garden needs it - the garden gets it.
And,, for those of us who can add some pearlits and a dash of Dolomite Lime - it's a noticable improvement in results.
I usually had intermittent bug problems with soil - that was a drag.
Your still going to need a ph tester - and ya gotta learn not to over/under water -- If I can do it - anybody can
O
otherwhitemeat
For the record, I bought enough to make 8-10 bags of FFOF and paid about $120 for the ingredients. It takes me 10 minutes to mix up a batch every month or so. It took me longer to drive to the hydro store to buy the FF. FFOF has quality control issues and each bag comes with it's own fungus gnat colony starter kit. For $25, that shit better grow my weed, blow me, and NOT call me in a week. Last two bags I bought had MAJOR quality control issues (grew yellow mold and caused major lockout issues)
For the price you pay, you shouldn't have to mix it with anything. It's decent enough soil and easy as heck for new growers to have results.
But one could get the same results amending something 1/2 the price, IMO. Or build their own for less time than it takes to drive to the store.
For the price you pay, you shouldn't have to mix it with anything. It's decent enough soil and easy as heck for new growers to have results.
But one could get the same results amending something 1/2 the price, IMO. Or build their own for less time than it takes to drive to the store.
Fox Farm will be an exhibitor at a trade show up in Portland later this week. Unfortunately they'll be playing to a very hostile customer base for their products and general gibberish that they interestingly enough refer to as 'technical support'
Once you drop Fox Farms' indoor garden store retailers they ain't got squat. Nada. Nix. Nine. Nil. None. No one in the horticultural industry is going to pay $10.00 per c.f. for FFOF, HP or their biggest joke of all - Light Warrior. Perlite, a handful of peat and EWC and a tablespoon of micorrhizae powder with a price tag of $15.00? Laughable.
I plan on dropping by their booth and pester the poor souls stuck there to be ridiculed and snickered at - it's the least that I can do. Hopefully some stoners will wander by and stroke their maligned egos - "Dude! Zup? That Tiger Bloom is the shitzz!"
CC
Once you drop Fox Farms' indoor garden store retailers they ain't got squat. Nada. Nix. Nine. Nil. None. No one in the horticultural industry is going to pay $10.00 per c.f. for FFOF, HP or their biggest joke of all - Light Warrior. Perlite, a handful of peat and EWC and a tablespoon of micorrhizae powder with a price tag of $15.00? Laughable.
I plan on dropping by their booth and pester the poor souls stuck there to be ridiculed and snickered at - it's the least that I can do. Hopefully some stoners will wander by and stroke their maligned egos - "Dude! Zup? That Tiger Bloom is the shitzz!"
CC
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They do talk it up way too much..
But for a beginner, its not a bad way to go. Gets good results, very user friendly, and is fairly consistent. Its expensive, but its a good option unless you're one of those that has to pay more then like 15 or 20 for any bag.. I got them for 12-15.. I built on it with perlite, EWC and dol lime which made it better.. But you're right, its not what they crack it up to be, but I do think you can get decent results from it without doing much more then potting/watering; which is what some people want. I have moved on to other mediums
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^ this is true, my bro grows but is not interested in anything but to grow. I tell him to get FFOF and he likes it, has good results, never Ph's never really needs nutes other then the seaweed I gave him..
is it worth $20 to him, he says it is as he doesn't have time or want to mess around
is it worth $20 to him, he says it is as he doesn't have time or want to mess around
bakelite
Active member
BC and Burnone are right, it doesn't need much. I like to cut is with 20% perlite, 10% EWC and 30% or so Promix or Coir depending on how hot the bag is (I found it to vary a bit). I had some Phosphorus deficiencies once so I also throw in 1-2 tbsp of either bone meal or high P guano (Jamaican etc.). Also 1-2 tbsp dolomite and you should be all set. Adding all this makes an awesome mixture, cheapens the soil mix and helps stretch the bag a bit further at the same time.
-bakelite
-bakelite
here's my take: a great way for beginners to go is to mix up a mix! skip the shortcuts, avoid products with "mj" marketing, and your grow will be more satisfying. Organic is so very forgiving.
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Well, I don't know about yall, but this right here^^^ is what it's all about to me. People growing their own! I think it's groovy that some want to make their own soil mixes or use one from here, hell there's some good ones, I know, I've tried them all over the years. But if some one wants to go with a bag soil, FFOF will get the job done. There's many reasons why a person may want to go that route. That's their choice.
Hey Clacky, yer bovine excrement always cracks me up! lol always the zealot, belittling somethin or someone. Does that make you feel good about yerself?..... Cornering those guys at the FF booth will be yer big chance to squeeze the soil receipe out of em. Ya know, that makes me think, if FFOF is jus bull shit soil to you, why are you calling them to ask them about it for then? Clacky?!?... are you using FFOF? it's ok....you can tell us, we're all like family here. LOL!
Just for the record. Any soil can mold, it won't hurt anything jus let it dry out alil. It won't cause lockouts, that's bovine excrement.
I come here every day to help folks grow their own bud, I don't really care what medium they use, to each their own. One love is the bottom line! BC
clack should feel good about himself, because he is looking out for amateur growers everywhere who are being ripped off. You may be offended now, but that includes you. I would think twice about belittling a person who is looking out for you. bad karma. If you really don't want to make a mix (it's almost as easy as buying the bag), there are products marketed to regular houseplant people that are just as good.
your argument is the equivalent of buying bottled water for 20$, then pointing out it gets the job done with only a few modifications. true, but not an answer to the charge that FF products are a complete rip-off that depends on the ignorance of growers cultivated through collusion with less than scrupulous grow suppliers, aka the local hydro store. I don't think either of us would have a problem if this stuff was properly priced.
your argument is the equivalent of buying bottled water for 20$, then pointing out it gets the job done with only a few modifications. true, but not an answer to the charge that FF products are a complete rip-off that depends on the ignorance of growers cultivated through collusion with less than scrupulous grow suppliers, aka the local hydro store. I don't think either of us would have a problem if this stuff was properly priced.
I could careless what you think MaryJohn! lol I have no problems spending 20$ to grow 1500$ worth of weed. My argument? what argument? The topic of the thread is do you need to add anything to FFOF to grow pot. I said alil perlite, that's it. I do it all the time, so I know it can be done.
Perhaps you didn't catch it, but I have made my own soil mixes, many many times over the years. I have my reasons for using bag soil now, none of which I feel I have to explain to you. lol I'm not new at this, I've been around for years. So no, I don't need saving by some pompous over zealous organic purist like you guys that think yer way is the only way! lol Imagine that!
Maybe you should read the last line in my last post again, and let that sink in.... BC
Perhaps you didn't catch it, but I have made my own soil mixes, many many times over the years. I have my reasons for using bag soil now, none of which I feel I have to explain to you. lol I'm not new at this, I've been around for years. So no, I don't need saving by some pompous over zealous organic purist like you guys that think yer way is the only way! lol Imagine that!
Maybe you should read the last line in my last post again, and let that sink in.... BC
RE: FFOF
B.C.
If the trade show I referred to was geared towards the grow store retailers or even the consumer-oriented home & garden show then your criticism would carry some weight.
However that is not the case. This is a trade show for growers in the nursery stock trade which is over $1 billion per year in Oregon. California's nursery stock receipts are probably double that (Monrovia Nursery comes to mind).
When a small grower gets a small contract of say 1,000 - 2,500 plants for Loew's or HomeDepot, etc. you then make arrangements for soil to be delivered to a potting shed where your soil is mixed to your specifications or you can deliver the ingredients to be mixed and then have the pots filled. You specify the pots that are required for a specific contract.
Companies like SunGro (Sunshine Mix) and Pro Mix will custom blend if that's your choice. Minimum order is their 60 c.f. bales (a tad over 2 yeards). If you want one of the plethora of mixes that they currently offer - they can obviously do that.
If you need to know what percentages of peat moss, coir, perlite, pumice, vermiculite, whatever, a sales rep is ready and willing to answer your questions. That's part of the business model.
Since Fox Farms wants to enter this market then understanding how the market works would seem to me to be a wise decision. No one is going to buy a potting soil without knowing what it contains and in what specific quantities. That's a no-brainer.
If the position of Fox Farms is that the consumer doesn't need to know or is too stupid to understand what the numbers actually mean - then that's their decision.
But if they want to sell to professional growers, the questions are only going to get more complicated (kudos to Judge Judy for that phrase/concept).
BTW - Sunshine Mixes at the 60 c.f. quantity runs less than $3.00 per c.f. FOB Woodburn, Oregon. FFOF runs $10.00 delivered to Woodburn, OR - $7.00 per c.f. difference. For that amount of difference the typical grower can easily buy their own EWC, mycorrhizal (from the same source that FFOF procures their product) and bat guano.
Plus FFOF does not have their soils available in anything other than their 1.5 c.f. bags meaning that even if their product warranted the prices quoted, the additional labor expense of opening each and every bag and dumping it into the potting machines only adds to the price imbalances.
HTH
CC
B.C.
If the trade show I referred to was geared towards the grow store retailers or even the consumer-oriented home & garden show then your criticism would carry some weight.
However that is not the case. This is a trade show for growers in the nursery stock trade which is over $1 billion per year in Oregon. California's nursery stock receipts are probably double that (Monrovia Nursery comes to mind).
When a small grower gets a small contract of say 1,000 - 2,500 plants for Loew's or HomeDepot, etc. you then make arrangements for soil to be delivered to a potting shed where your soil is mixed to your specifications or you can deliver the ingredients to be mixed and then have the pots filled. You specify the pots that are required for a specific contract.
Companies like SunGro (Sunshine Mix) and Pro Mix will custom blend if that's your choice. Minimum order is their 60 c.f. bales (a tad over 2 yeards). If you want one of the plethora of mixes that they currently offer - they can obviously do that.
If you need to know what percentages of peat moss, coir, perlite, pumice, vermiculite, whatever, a sales rep is ready and willing to answer your questions. That's part of the business model.
Since Fox Farms wants to enter this market then understanding how the market works would seem to me to be a wise decision. No one is going to buy a potting soil without knowing what it contains and in what specific quantities. That's a no-brainer.
If the position of Fox Farms is that the consumer doesn't need to know or is too stupid to understand what the numbers actually mean - then that's their decision.
But if they want to sell to professional growers, the questions are only going to get more complicated (kudos to Judge Judy for that phrase/concept).
BTW - Sunshine Mixes at the 60 c.f. quantity runs less than $3.00 per c.f. FOB Woodburn, Oregon. FFOF runs $10.00 delivered to Woodburn, OR - $7.00 per c.f. difference. For that amount of difference the typical grower can easily buy their own EWC, mycorrhizal (from the same source that FFOF procures their product) and bat guano.
Plus FFOF does not have their soils available in anything other than their 1.5 c.f. bags meaning that even if their product warranted the prices quoted, the additional labor expense of opening each and every bag and dumping it into the potting machines only adds to the price imbalances.
HTH
CC
