Which is a better potting soil and why?

[con1ey]

Trying to get a feel of what everyone is using out there.

 

[VincenzioVonHook]

Home made or bust for me. I just enjoy building a good soil. No beef with pre mix.

 

[con1ey]

Looks like I'm just gonna pick up the Ocean Forest. There is like 20 of these I searched up on Google. Everyone says the same thing that Happy Frog is a little bit cheaper.

 

[twentyeight.threefive]

C) Coco

 

[Johiem]

Just be careful if you're starting in either soil, they're both a bit hot for seeds, not saying it can't be done, just be aware. I'd pick up some coco to mix about 50/50 with either of them for starting seeds. Once they're established they should be able to handle it.

 

[twentyeight.threefive]

Looks like I'm just gonna pick up the Ocean Forest. There is like 20 of these I searched up on Google. Everyone says the same thing that Happy Frog is a little bit cheaper.

The OF is a bit hotter mix than the HF. Usually not recommended for seedlings but some can handle it.

 

[myke]

Your going to end up feeding bottled food anyway so why pay extra? Just get a bale of promix and start feeding.Or add a handful of dry nutes and off you go.

 

[Paul Drake]

I’ve never found it to be too hot at all.

 

[speedwell68]

None of the above.

 

[xtsho]

I've used FFOF, Happy Frog, Black Gold Natural & Organic, etc... They all seem to work about the same. Just don't get some of that cheap crap from a big box store that looks like bark dust or anything with timed released nutrients.

I recycle and mix my own these days.

 

[hotrodharley]

Trying to get a feel of what everyone is using out there.

Neither. Pro Mix HP or Sunshine 4.

 

[Rolla J]

Happy frog has added mycorrhiza in the soil. Great for starting off with young seedlings. Happy frog soil does hold moisture in more than ocean forest. I would add in extra perlite

 

[DrOgkush]

Pre mix that stuff with seed starter 50/50. What I did before. I use mothers earth.
And re mix with ewc and seed starting mix for seedling only. Every time I start straight into any soil mix from the jump, it places my seedlings at a 2 week stunt from the nitrogen levels. Leads to all kinds of problems with the ph and roots feeding correctly.

 

[Coldnasty]

C) Coco

Meh I would never recommend coco to a new grower. It’s too labor intensive, as a matter of fact I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone unless they just want to do busy work.

 

[xtsho]

Meh I would never recommend coco to a new grower. It’s too labor intensive, as a matter of fact I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone unless they just want to do busy work.

Coco's easy if just stick some Blumats in the pots and walk away. Just check your nutrient reservoir once or twice a week and top off when needed. Coco can be as easy as water only soil. But if you're hand watering drain to waste it can be a chore. And some of the automated drain to waste watering systems just have too many parts for my liking. Blumats make growing in coco like a pilot flying a plane on autopilot. Just sit back and read a book if you want.

 

[Alcoholock]

FFOF ( Fox Farms Ocean Forest ) made Simple - Autoflower

This thread was created to help those who seem to overthink the ease of use of this highly ammended bag soil. I see many growers both new and experienced seem to post “ issues “ when trying to run this medium. I am merely showing a simple no frills method of container / bag grows for autos...

www.rollitup.org

^ has netted me and a bunch of other people good quality yields with very little fuss..and the foundation to it all is ocean forest. I've planted many seeds directly into ffhf/ffof mix and into each directly....no transplants and had good results. Keep it simple! Then from there start tweaking to your liking

 

[drsaltzman]

Nothing wrong with either though I prefer Roots 707 if you can find it.
The charge takes me completely through veg and I only buy/use bloom nutes.

 

[drsaltzman]

Coco's easy if just stick some Blumats in the pots and walk away. Just check your nutrient reservoir once or twice a week and top off when needed. Coco can be as easy as water only soil. But if you're hand watering drain to waste it can be a chore. And some of the automated drain to waste watering systems just have too many parts for my liking. Blumats make growing in coco like a pilot flying a plane on autopilot. Just sit back and read a book if you want.

I’ve thought about Blumats, but I enjoy hand watering every day.
It’s therapeutic, but also, keeps me connected with the plants.
Might be nice when going out of town but I can always find someone to tend them for me.

 

[twentyeight.threefive]

Meh I would never recommend coco to a new grower. It’s too labor intensive, as a matter of fact I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone unless they just want to do busy work.

To each their own I guess. If you want to be lazier and do more guessing, go soil. Just because someone is new doesn't mean they don't want to do work. Some people enjoy taking care of their plants. Not to mention you can pull better yields in coco if that interests you.

If you can follow simple steps it's pretty hard to mess up coco and if you do you can easily get back on track. I thought those points might be appealing to new growers.

 

[xtsho]

Another thing is to check out local nurseries in your area. Many carry some pretty decent regional products and many mix their own. I know of several in my area that carry local organic soil blends.