209 Cali closet grower
Well-Known Member
Was using Kellogg soil.
IMHO its chunky p or nothing at all for these base soils and pro mix's, i'd also rec a cover crop or a nitrogen fixer to companion plant with in pro-mix, like a cloverI am in the midst of trying a 40% promix HP-CC 60% fox farms ocean forest and the results are fantastic so far. I did add quite a bit of perlite though because I like my pots to dry out rather quickly. Heres the entire recipe:
40% pro mix
50% ocean forest
10% perlite
+ 1 tbl soil sweetner (dolomite lime) for every gallon of finished soil.
Reasoning is I love ocean forest but at times it can be to hot, low ph, and doesnt dry out fast enough. With the amendments things seem to be perfect right now. lush green veg after about a month of 18/6.
Obviously I will have to feed them sooner but I don't have a problem with that at all.
how long has that plant been flowering?I Have used promix lots before ,all types of promix , its a great starter soil and a perfect base soil
Bit like anything else commercially available its not sterile so issues can and will arrise gnats etc
when i used promix HP as a base i would also use Sheep manure , sand , sea compost it worked really well for beginning of veg and half way where i started adding chem nutes
down fall of promix is 99 percent of the time you will encounter PH fluctuations and massivee salt build up and this usually occurs 2nd - 4th week of flower hence the threads whats wrong with my plants 3rd week of flower lol
To combat this and only way is last week of veg transplant into bigger pot with new soil
then your golden
As for using soil its user preference to say your going to yield more is utter Bull shit if that was the case then study after study would say organic grown is out yielding conventional ..
Truth is its not nor never will beat conventional ..
But i would say this its much easier buying couple yards of screened top soil
and put a yard into a wooden box and start throwing in all your veggie table scraps fall leaf fall etc, grass clippings , and coffee grinds , even ashes and charcoal from it within couple months your going to have a soil that will take you from start to finish
I Experimented this year
instead of purchasing all the amendment crazes you here on mj sites i went with View attachment 3521225 View attachment 3521226 View attachment 3521227 View attachment 3521228 View attachment 3521232 and used the KISS approach
40 percent top soil
40 percent compost
10 percent grass clippings
5 percent live worms
5 percent chipped cardboard
And let me tell you folks no feedings only rain water plant is 5 months old mofo did she grow presently 5- 6th week of flower and fadding started but still not one fucking drop of nutrients ..
only thing i did was add 2 times grass clippings as a mulch on top of soil
this my friends is the bomb plant and walk away
will be using exact same soil for my 3 monster cropped clones indoor which will veg indoor until next spring where they go out side
it started flowering 1st week of sept 8 - 9 week strain she is staying out to end of oct maybe week into NOV took a branch off lower plant to just give it a test and shes looking good mind you i am north of the 60th parallel and temps have been shit - 4 to18 degrees Chow long has that plant been flowering?
I'm going to stick with my soil. If I decide to go to hydro I will run flood and drain with hydroton rockI use Promix as a base for super soil. I also use it in my worm bin and compost pile.
When promix dries out it becomes very hard to water. The water rolls across the top and down the sides of the container. Cloth pots help with this a little.
Nice plant. Nice old-school method. That said...if YOU had PH issues 99% of the time when you used the Promix, it wasn't caused because of the Promix. I read FAR more PH complaints and worries from non-Promix users here. Which makes sense as most Promix users are not trying to balance 20 other additives.while they are starting with s consistantly neutral product.I Have used promix lots before ,all types of promix , its a great starter soil and a perfect base soil
Bit like anything else commercially available its not sterile so issues can and will arrise gnats etc
when i used promix HP as a base i would also use Sheep manure , sand , sea compost it worked really well for beginning of veg and half way where i started adding chem nutes
down fall of promix is 99 percent of the time you will encounter PH fluctuations and massivee salt build up and this usually occurs 2nd - 4th week of flower hence the threads whats wrong with my plants 3rd week of flower lol
To combat this and only way is last week of veg transplant into bigger pot with new soil
then your golden
As for using soil its user preference to say your going to yield more is utter Bull shit if that was the case then study after study would say organic grown is out yielding conventional ..
Truth is its not nor never will beat conventional ..
But i would say this its much easier buying couple yards of screened top soil
and put a yard into a wooden box and start throwing in all your veggie table scraps fall leaf fall etc, grass clippings , and coffee grinds , even ashes and charcoal from it within couple months your going to have a soil that will take you from start to finish
I Experimented this year
instead of purchasing all the amendment crazes you here on mj sites i went with View attachment 3521225 View attachment 3521226 View attachment 3521227 View attachment 3521228 View attachment 3521232 and used the KISS approach
40 percent top soil
40 percent compost
10 percent grass clippings
5 percent live worms
5 percent chipped cardboard
And let me tell you folks no feedings only rain water plant is 5 months old mofo did she grow presently 5- 6th week of flower and fadding started but still not one fucking drop of nutrients ..
only thing i did was add 2 times grass clippings as a mulch on top of soil
this my friends is the bomb plant and walk away
will be using exact same soil for my 3 monster cropped clones indoor which will veg indoor until next spring where they go out side
I used to be a bat guano cowboy, and used pro-mix like it was freestuff, i was WAYYY too heavy handed with the tea's, kelp meal, high p guanos etc that i had lockout and salt build-up issue's, i find it finda funny how easily i stray from things i know work when i'm on a tangent or working in my garden with other things on my mind. Been using sunshine #4 and i'm happy.Nice plant. Nice old-school method. That said...if YOU had PH issues 99% of the time when you used the Promix, it wasn't caused because of the Promix. I read FAR more PH complaints and worries from non-Promix users here. Which makes sense as most Promix users are not trying to balance 20 other additives.while they are starting with s consistantly neutral product.
YOU having a salt build-up problem also is not the fault of the medium. Not much to build up when you feed 1/2 tsp per gallon and water to run-off (dumping run-off) every water...while mixing in water-only waterings not to mention finishing the last 20-30 days with water only. In any case, salt build up has never been a problem for me.
As to the rest, you probably spent more time cutting up cardboard than I do adding my 1 fert the whole grow...so no...not easier either.
I have a back scratcher tool that I use between waterings or before watering that I loosen the top with that eliminates the problem you describe. I also water with a sprayer most the time. That is slower but also eliminates pooling and "rolling". Of course, this is doable/feasible when you have a small number off plants.I use Promix as a base for super soil. I also use it in my worm bin and compost pile.
When promix dries out it becomes very hard to water. The water rolls across the top and down the sides of the container. Cloth pots help with this a little.
Best way to water is slowly and small amounts. It gives time for the top to absorb the water. I created a small pool on top and wait a couple minutes before watering.I use Promix as a base for super soil. I also use it in my worm bin and compost pile.
When promix dries out it becomes very hard to water. The water rolls across the top and down the sides of the container. Cloth pots help with this a little.
Bacteria and fungi can survive dry conditions. They create a film in the pockets of soil and can access the small molecules of water present in organic matter.this is from promix website, please notice the last one listed.
- Dries out more frequently than general purpose, peat‑based mixes
- Well suited for low-light growing conditions and high humidity
- Less difficult to overwater crops
- Reduces incidence of water related problems (root diseases, algae and fungus gnats)
- Holds less water for improved leaching of fertilizer salts during crop cycle
ALSO, you should never let your soil fully dry out, that solves the other issues. especially if organic, fungus and bacteria don't thrive in dry soil. how many people think they have an organic soil, then let it fully dry before watering, then wonder why it didn't work or faded to early?