DeeTee
Well-Known Member
You say soil , organic , is much easier than hydro yet you're stuck and open a thread saying you're not getting any good rsults with quality and quantity, what's that say.
What makes you want to grow organically
- Thread starter jbooley
- Start date
Cann
Well-Known Member
LOL go look in the infirmary thread and see how many of the issues are related to chem nutes/hydro or aero stuff....
pH problems anyone?!?!?!
why try and do all the work messing w/ feeding charts and pH up/down, PPM meters, etc...when the microbes will effectively do all of that work for you in soil...no need to "feed" anything except compost for the soil...maybe some simple inputs like comfrey or kelp topdress...or vermicompost. then it's as easy as just adding water....
of course you can make it complicated if you want lol...i rarely use plain h2o when I water...but regardless, at its purest organics is much easier (and wayyyy cheaper) than chem growing. especially hydro.....
there is no debate w/ that...its fact. the startup cost alone for a small hydro garden vs. a small organic soil garden...lol. in the right season, organic ganja farming can be as easy as planting a seed amongst veggies in your backyard...
pH problems anyone?!?!?!
why try and do all the work messing w/ feeding charts and pH up/down, PPM meters, etc...when the microbes will effectively do all of that work for you in soil...no need to "feed" anything except compost for the soil...maybe some simple inputs like comfrey or kelp topdress...or vermicompost. then it's as easy as just adding water....
of course you can make it complicated if you want lol...i rarely use plain h2o when I water...but regardless, at its purest organics is much easier (and wayyyy cheaper) than chem growing. especially hydro.....
there is no debate w/ that...its fact. the startup cost alone for a small hydro garden vs. a small organic soil garden...lol. in the right season, organic ganja farming can be as easy as planting a seed amongst veggies in your backyard...
Sativied
Well-Known Member
Growing organics is imo the easiest way to grow mj both quality and quantity. I guess it depends a lot on what you are used to. I just switched from organic on soil to hydro mainly cause I got bored just watering the plants for most of the cycle - I guess I just like using meters 
DeeTee
Well-Known Member
Cann:
" there is no debate w/ that...its fact. the startup cost alone for a small hydro garden vs. a small organic soil garden...lol. in the right season, organic ganja farming can be as easy as planting a seed amongst veggies in your backyard... "
Let's see, I buy 3,6inch pots $6.00, a bag of rockwool grow cubes $30.00, nutes $30.00 meters I'll admit are expensive abt $80 to $100, lights, well even indoor soil growers have to purchase them so I'll call that even, that's it I'm all set up, so my whole system cost $166, not counting lights. plus I'm indoors and not governed by seasons, don't have to worry abt bugs or hauling heavy pots around or changing soil if needed, I don't know what's so hard or expensive abt that?
" there is no debate w/ that...its fact. the startup cost alone for a small hydro garden vs. a small organic soil garden...lol. in the right season, organic ganja farming can be as easy as planting a seed amongst veggies in your backyard... "
Let's see, I buy 3,6inch pots $6.00, a bag of rockwool grow cubes $30.00, nutes $30.00 meters I'll admit are expensive abt $80 to $100, lights, well even indoor soil growers have to purchase them so I'll call that even, that's it I'm all set up, so my whole system cost $166, not counting lights. plus I'm indoors and not governed by seasons, don't have to worry abt bugs or hauling heavy pots around or changing soil if needed, I don't know what's so hard or expensive abt that?
hyroot
Well-Known Member
10 7 gal fabric pots $36
pro mix soil $31
Amendmants $50 ( last 6 months min)
Worm castings $19
Compost $6
Rockwool is very bad. I don't use plugs.
Free fresh aloe gel for cloning
With organic soil. No ph checking. Dol lime, oyster shell flour, compost, teas and aerating water regulate and/or buffer ph
Not counting lights. $153
2 15 gal bins with soil left over
Last time I bought soil was over 4 months ago.
With hydro. There is no way you get all your nutes for under $100
Build 2 aero kits (tubs, spinners, netpots, pvc, tubing, pvc glue, pumps) $100
Ro.system $150
Nutes $150 each month
Ph up / down $40
Ph meter $50
tds meter $20
Hydro in one month for 8 plants costs more than 10 plants in soil across 6 months....
Dun dundunnnnn
Ive been growing for over 10 years. 7 of which was hydro. Then switched
to soil and never looked back. Will be doing soil for the rest of my life.
Chem hydro is for people who do not know how to grow. Who do not know how to read a plant. Who do not take the time to learn. Anyone can grow with chems. Organic hydro is a little more difficult.
Soil is more forgiving and easier to address deficiencies with indinvidual plant needs with a specific mineral requirement. With hydro you add a bunch of minerals at once and some that are not needed.
pro mix soil $31
Amendmants $50 ( last 6 months min)
Worm castings $19
Compost $6
Rockwool is very bad. I don't use plugs.
Free fresh aloe gel for cloning
With organic soil. No ph checking. Dol lime, oyster shell flour, compost, teas and aerating water regulate and/or buffer ph
Not counting lights. $153
2 15 gal bins with soil left over
Last time I bought soil was over 4 months ago.
With hydro. There is no way you get all your nutes for under $100
Build 2 aero kits (tubs, spinners, netpots, pvc, tubing, pvc glue, pumps) $100
Ro.system $150
Nutes $150 each month
Ph up / down $40
Ph meter $50
tds meter $20
Hydro in one month for 8 plants costs more than 10 plants in soil across 6 months....
Dun dundunnnnn
Ive been growing for over 10 years. 7 of which was hydro. Then switched
to soil and never looked back. Will be doing soil for the rest of my life.
Chem hydro is for people who do not know how to grow. Who do not know how to read a plant. Who do not take the time to learn. Anyone can grow with chems. Organic hydro is a little more difficult.
Soil is more forgiving and easier to address deficiencies with indinvidual plant needs with a specific mineral requirement. With hydro you add a bunch of minerals at once and some that are not needed.
dl290485
Well-Known Member
Uh I haven't posted a thread saying i'm stuck and not getting good results- that was the OP of this thread (yet you quoted me)
As for me, i'm not an organic gardener yet- i'm in study and preparation stage. I'm crossing over from the other side of gardening. It's something i've only been studying for the last few months (but I'm an online student (= home all day) so have been reading all day and until 2am sometimes).
For this grow i've been constrained by money, a broken down car and a few other things. I"m hoping by the end of this run using bottled organic that the next grow will be the start of a ROLS grow.
Currently I'm using 8x 8liter pots in a 1 m2 tent and another 9x in a 1.2 m2. The plan has previously been to buy seeds, sprout them for the first week in a closet under cfl and then put in a tent for 1 month veg 2 months flower. I have inspections in 3 month cycles so have to pull the tents down every 3 months (and don't want to have to move live plants)
Just last night I won a 5ft aquarium light in an auction... hopefully it's appropriate but it's 3x 150w mh lamps on a bar (with 6 fluro's but I won't use them). That bar will cover the width of a sliding door walk in bedroom closet. Under the light will be a mother plant (or 2 small ones for variety) and the rest of the space will be used for striking 8 clones and growing them for about a month I think (i'll have to work out the exact details as I go). In that month i'll have them topped for 4 terminal buds and have those branches a reasonable size so I can put 4x plants in each tent and veg for 1 more month before the 2 months flowering. In that veg month in the big tents the plants get potted up to big pots/bags- either 5 or 7 gallon maybe (i'll look through ROLS thread again to see recommended size minimums and such to double check). Maybe the biggest bags I can find that will fit in the tent next to each other.
With em in big bags I should be able to get a no-till ROLS going. When I have inspections... i'm going to have to drag these big heavy pot/bags out of the room- but I use to have to drag those big bastards around when I worked at a nursery so once every 3 months isn't too bad.
DeeTee
Well-Known Member
" hyroot "
" With hydro. There is no way you get all your nutes for under $100 "
I beg to differ.
http://www.hydroponics.net/c/58
Check out the price for 1 qt each of GH Grow, Micro, Bloom. So far I've had four complete grows and havn't use half the bottles.
" With hydro. There is no way you get all your nutes for under $100 "
I beg to differ.
http://www.hydroponics.net/c/58
Check out the price for 1 qt each of GH Grow, Micro, Bloom. So far I've had four complete grows and havn't use half the bottles.
hyroot
Well-Known Member
Dee tee your missing kelp -$20, Cal mag -$25 biologicals.- $60
When I did hydro I had a full room. 8x8. In would go through a gallon of each every month. Great white every month. My grow.
Now I do an 8.x 5. But I haven't bought a thing in months except for coconuts and worms.
When I did hydro I had a full room. 8x8. In would go through a gallon of each every month. Great white every month. My grow.
Now I do an 8.x 5. But I haven't bought a thing in months except for coconuts and worms.
DeeTee
Well-Known Member
Sorry abt that I'm a bit stoned right now, my bad, I'm conversing with 3 diff people at once and thought I copied his thread but obviously got the wrong op.
dl290485
Well-Known Member
lol that's funny. I told my wife about how you quoted me twice but talked about someone else the second time and I said "Maybe he is a big stoner and made a mistake"
I guess the way you grow is doing you alright
Trousers
Well-Known Member
If you want to talk about overall strength then yes, weed is stronger today that it used to be.
That does not mean that thousands of years ago amazing weed did not exist.
There is a guy who is growing literal ditchweed on this site. He got it showing trichomes etc pretty quickly.
Allegedly the parents of Durban Poison was found growing wild with THC levels that most established varieties do not have.
Cannabis was not radically changed in the last 30 years. It is less underground now. The stronger stuff is more widely available. \
To say that all weed now is stronger than all weed then is crazy.
Trousers
Well-Known Member
I have grown hydro and coco. The cost is not that different. If you grow organically the soil can be reused.
Most of the dispensary owners I know (in CO, the greatest State in the Union) have switched to organic soil for the exact reasons I am.
It is easier.
I have talked to a grower for a dispensary about it. He switched because it was easier to care for and he says it is also cheaper in the long run. Dispensary owners really have to watch their expenses as they are not deductible. He said the bonus was being able to advertise "soil grown organic."
My grower friend switched because it was easier (lower labor costs).
He found out it is cheaper if you do it right (reuse soil, make your own fert/teas).
I do not care about cheaper. I did a run that cost me less than $15 an ounce in hydro.
If it ends up that it costs me $30 an ounce with organic, I don't care.
I won't be spending all that time mixing nutes, PH, PPM.
The time saved alone is completely worth it for me.
The fact that you are in an organic forum arguing for hydro could mean a few things:
You are interested in going organic soil or at least learning about it?
Or you just want to argue or troll?
You are really defensive about hydro?
or ?
AliCakes
Well-Known Member
I think many of us who are growing organically, have done hydro before. My switch happened for many reasons. First, I live in a warm climate and found it hard work to keep my nutrient solution under 78F....much less the ideal 68-72. This was causing a myriad of problems with my roots. Don't get me wrong, my quality and yield were pretty good, but they still weren't what I wanted. Plus, by about three or four weeks into bloom I was having to pH twice a day......I was happy to have plants feeding that vigorously, but it made me feel trapped at home. I was planning on building a DIY aquarium chiller and decided to watch a video on AMAZON prime called "David vs Monsanto" while trimming bud.
The video did a wonderful job of showing how one of the biggest agribusinesses is trying to manhandle the North American farmer into the roll of a medieval surf.....and they are winning. I know it sounds over the top and mellow dramatic, but I am really not a mellow dramatic person and that is the impression it gave me. I got MAD....and began doing additional research. That research made me angrier....not just at Monsanto, but Bayer, DOW chemical and the like. Government is supposed to regulate business to keep them from violating the rights of the little man, but yet again my country has stomped on the rights of the people and got into bed with big business instead. I wanted to stop this, but my soap box conversations are hardly influential enough to take down even one of these giants. I tell as many people as I can, but most of all - I choose to vote against the behavior of these companies with my pocketbook.
Soil desertification is a major issue, as is the nitrification of our waterways. Because of this, I have always fed my outdoor plants organically. I feel we need to be conscientious of our individual effect on the environment, but I also did not want bugs in my home. Anger made me make the choice, but many other things keep me growing organically.
Now, I water every couple of days. I subscribe to lazy methods. Unlike Cann, MOST of my waterings are nothing more than water and maybe a bit of molasses. I do more topdressing than teas. Not saying it is better - his plants are beautiful. This has given me more of my time back and I love that. I still use my pH pen, but it is once every couple of weeks - not twice a day. pH lets me know where my soil is at and what I am going to top dress with. It helps me correct issues before they become problems. I love that it isn't part of my daily routine anymore. We are also able to go out of town for a few days mid-grow. This is something I would have NEVER attempted before. I can remember being gone for 36 hours to attend a family funeral and knowing that my plants would suffer in hydro. I can now work my set up to auto water and go out of town for 9 days in a grow without ill effects. I don't do that often, but the option is liberating.
I began growing cannabis to help with medical issues that I have lived with since I was a teenager, I wanted a life with more freedom. Hydro did not seem freeing - for me, organics are. I am a science teacher by training, and have always subscribed to a view that education was a life long activity. I also grew up with outdoor organic gardens. The leap to indoor was not a big one, but it changed my life. I have learned to love soil biology - it fascinates me. I get excited when I pull out a microscope to look at predatory mites, spring tails and nematodes doing their thing. If that grosses you out - organics is not the method for you. That makes me sad, because I love it and I want more people to treat mother earth well. Traditional farming methods don't do that......but I would rather you use chemical nutrients than not grow at all.
The video did a wonderful job of showing how one of the biggest agribusinesses is trying to manhandle the North American farmer into the roll of a medieval surf.....and they are winning. I know it sounds over the top and mellow dramatic, but I am really not a mellow dramatic person and that is the impression it gave me. I got MAD....and began doing additional research. That research made me angrier....not just at Monsanto, but Bayer, DOW chemical and the like. Government is supposed to regulate business to keep them from violating the rights of the little man, but yet again my country has stomped on the rights of the people and got into bed with big business instead. I wanted to stop this, but my soap box conversations are hardly influential enough to take down even one of these giants. I tell as many people as I can, but most of all - I choose to vote against the behavior of these companies with my pocketbook.
Soil desertification is a major issue, as is the nitrification of our waterways. Because of this, I have always fed my outdoor plants organically. I feel we need to be conscientious of our individual effect on the environment, but I also did not want bugs in my home. Anger made me make the choice, but many other things keep me growing organically.
Now, I water every couple of days. I subscribe to lazy methods. Unlike Cann, MOST of my waterings are nothing more than water and maybe a bit of molasses. I do more topdressing than teas. Not saying it is better - his plants are beautiful. This has given me more of my time back and I love that. I still use my pH pen, but it is once every couple of weeks - not twice a day. pH lets me know where my soil is at and what I am going to top dress with. It helps me correct issues before they become problems. I love that it isn't part of my daily routine anymore. We are also able to go out of town for a few days mid-grow. This is something I would have NEVER attempted before. I can remember being gone for 36 hours to attend a family funeral and knowing that my plants would suffer in hydro. I can now work my set up to auto water and go out of town for 9 days in a grow without ill effects. I don't do that often, but the option is liberating.
I began growing cannabis to help with medical issues that I have lived with since I was a teenager, I wanted a life with more freedom. Hydro did not seem freeing - for me, organics are. I am a science teacher by training, and have always subscribed to a view that education was a life long activity. I also grew up with outdoor organic gardens. The leap to indoor was not a big one, but it changed my life. I have learned to love soil biology - it fascinates me. I get excited when I pull out a microscope to look at predatory mites, spring tails and nematodes doing their thing. If that grosses you out - organics is not the method for you. That makes me sad, because I love it and I want more people to treat mother earth well. Traditional farming methods don't do that......but I would rather you use chemical nutrients than not grow at all.
kratos015
Well-Known Member
Hey calm down guys there's no need for any of us to argue What not many people consider about growing is that it's an art, you're creating something that is going to have a unique outcome because it's based entirely on your personal ability, choice of medium/nutes, and so forth. Give two people the same strain and you'll see what I mean. Hydro and soil are just two different ways of growing, much like playing guitar and drums are just two different ways of playing music.
But why do I grow organically? Well, because the results are ridiculous compared to my previous methods. I used to pay $50 for those 3 tiny Fox Farm bottles that you have to be conservative with feeding. I pay less than that now for the ingredients to prepare my compost tea and it lasts for a long time! Not only that, I can be as liberal as I want with the feeding since you can't burn your plants with compost tea.
You can also re-use your soil! Since I make compost tea I always have a ton of soil amendments lying around. I just sprinkle some Alaskan Humus, Kelp and Alfalfa meals and water the soil with compost tea and I have new soil again. I also combine this with the much stronger version of this, also known as Subcool's Super Soil. Find yourself too busy to mix nutes all the time? Just mix up some Super Soil and all you need to do is water.
You also get to taste the plant the way it was meant to be tasted. Not dissing hydro at all because I know for a fact there are a lot of great hydro growers out there that can put my ass to shame and then some. But the fact is that no plant is meant to have chemicals in it, when you grow organic there are no impurities in your end result and the taste is just marvelous. At first I thought the compost teas and organics were enhancing the flavor of the end result because it tasted so damn good. But then I realized organics doesn't enhance the taste of your end result at all, it's just how it's meant to taste and you just aren't used to it because chemicals are being used instead. This doesn't just apply to cannabis, the same goes for your food as well. Again, not dogging on anyone who does hydro. It's just that most people half ass it and as a result the end product just doesn't taste and smoke like it otherwise normally would.
Organics seems way to damn good to be true. The results are unbelievable and it still seems to good to be true for me, but there's no other explanation for why my results have become so much better. I gave a grower friend with 15+ years under his belt the compost tea recipes that FresnoFarmer posted in the Organic 101 thread. He told me the next day his plants had a more healthy shade of green and they grew a little more than normal. The guy used to use chemicals all the time and he's just as surprised about this as I am. I used to think I needed the chemicals to get results, but I got a guy who used them for 15 years to give them up because the results are just undeniable.
But on the flip side, if you've been growing hydro for 15 years don't stop doing that and switch your entire set up to organics. Keep doing what works best for you and your needs because that's why you're growing in the first place right? Who cares if I tell you how good organics are, if you have a method you've been using that's tried and true you should most likely stick with it. But that isn't to say you can't experiment with a plant or two on the side, if you like it better then you can switch completely when you get the hang of it.
What not many people consider about growing is that it's an art, you're creating something that is going to have a unique outcome because it's based entirely on your personal ability, choice of medium/nutes, and so forth. Give two people the same strain and you'll see what I mean. Hydro and soil are just two different ways of growing, much like playing guitar and drums are just two different ways of playing music.But why do I grow organically? Well, because the results are ridiculous compared to my previous methods. I used to pay $50 for those 3 tiny Fox Farm bottles that you have to be conservative with feeding. I pay less than that now for the ingredients to prepare my compost tea and it lasts for a long time! Not only that, I can be as liberal as I want with the feeding since you can't burn your plants with compost tea.
You can also re-use your soil! Since I make compost tea I always have a ton of soil amendments lying around. I just sprinkle some Alaskan Humus, Kelp and Alfalfa meals and water the soil with compost tea and I have new soil again. I also combine this with the much stronger version of this, also known as Subcool's Super Soil. Find yourself too busy to mix nutes all the time? Just mix up some Super Soil and all you need to do is water.
You also get to taste the plant the way it was meant to be tasted. Not dissing hydro at all because I know for a fact there are a lot of great hydro growers out there that can put my ass to shame and then some. But the fact is that no plant is meant to have chemicals in it, when you grow organic there are no impurities in your end result and the taste is just marvelous. At first I thought the compost teas and organics were enhancing the flavor of the end result because it tasted so damn good. But then I realized organics doesn't enhance the taste of your end result at all, it's just how it's meant to taste and you just aren't used to it because chemicals are being used instead. This doesn't just apply to cannabis, the same goes for your food as well. Again, not dogging on anyone who does hydro. It's just that most people half ass it and as a result the end product just doesn't taste and smoke like it otherwise normally would.
Organics seems way to damn good to be true. The results are unbelievable and it still seems to good to be true for me, but there's no other explanation for why my results have become so much better. I gave a grower friend with 15+ years under his belt the compost tea recipes that FresnoFarmer posted in the Organic 101 thread. He told me the next day his plants had a more healthy shade of green and they grew a little more than normal. The guy used to use chemicals all the time and he's just as surprised about this as I am. I used to think I needed the chemicals to get results, but I got a guy who used them for 15 years to give them up because the results are just undeniable.
But on the flip side, if you've been growing hydro for 15 years don't stop doing that and switch your entire set up to organics. Keep doing what works best for you and your needs because that's why you're growing in the first place right? Who cares if I tell you how good organics are, if you have a method you've been using that's tried and true you should most likely stick with it. But that isn't to say you can't experiment with a plant or two on the side, if you like it better then you can switch completely when you get the hang of it.
May11th
Well-Known Member
My organic method consist of
Step 1- form a easy soil that is very little in ppm numbers. I start out with any brand of coco blocks tjey have at local hydro shop , usually cocotek by general hydroponics . Then I will add one one bag of vermiculite, 2 bags of perlite, then some form of rock for bottom and top for faster drainage and no messy coco around tops of containers. Just looks good. Simple.
Step 2- I will just buy general organics and follow the bottle. Never check water ir nute ph or ppms . I flush once a month . Which usyally ranges from 15-50 gallons per container. Just depending on stage of life its in. I use floroclean to flush as a additive.
Stage 3- rock out to some alice in chains and smoke heavily and enjoy life.
Im a rookie but follow jorge cervantes, I benefit in racing from having someone to lead me so why not gtowing, winning is winning .
Step 1- form a easy soil that is very little in ppm numbers. I start out with any brand of coco blocks tjey have at local hydro shop , usually cocotek by general hydroponics . Then I will add one one bag of vermiculite, 2 bags of perlite, then some form of rock for bottom and top for faster drainage and no messy coco around tops of containers. Just looks good. Simple.
Step 2- I will just buy general organics and follow the bottle. Never check water ir nute ph or ppms . I flush once a month . Which usyally ranges from 15-50 gallons per container. Just depending on stage of life its in. I use floroclean to flush as a additive.
Stage 3- rock out to some alice in chains and smoke heavily and enjoy life.
Im a rookie but follow jorge cervantes, I benefit in racing from having someone to lead me so why not gtowing, winning is winning .
DeeTee
Well-Known Member
I understand that soil growing ( organics ) is the way mother nature meant it to be, and there's no denying it, all I'm saying is that some of us are unable to do soil grow do to space, alot of you are fortunate to have the prveledge of living in a state where mj medically is legal, wish I was one but alas, therefore I've had no choice but to go hydro and fortunate that I can get decent results, the end goal of most of us is to have some for personall use, it's just that I see a lot of people discouraging others who want to go hydro and that tends to bug me, so I try to give thim some ecouragement in trying it, that's all I'm trying to do, I'm not saying you're wrong and I'm right, I'm just saying if you want to go hydro, do it you wont be dissapointed.
hyroot
Well-Known Member
^^^^^^^^ years ago I had a studio apt with two extra 2x2 closets. One I had 2 aero kits with 4 plants in each one. The other closet I had 1 soil bed Soma style. With 8 plants . Both under 400's . The hydro side was always around 6 zips. The soil side was always around 8 zips. The soil side, buds were chunkier. The soil side I didn't have to take apart every few days to change a resi. I had the top tub on a stage seperated from the resi. I still had to raise the stage to disconnect the pumps and pull out the resi. ... soil just sat there. My point is soil is much easier in any size space. I did mix soil on a tarp in the middle of the apt. Using a tarp made it easier for mixing soil in a small space too.
Living in a small space then. Soil side didn't make a sound. Hydro side. Pumps and spinners were pretty loud at times.
Living in a small space then. Soil side didn't make a sound. Hydro side. Pumps and spinners were pretty loud at times.
prosperian
Well-Known Member
As a newb joining RIU this year, I wanted to share my experience with other new growers reading this thread.
Don't be intimidated by the long lists of soil and tea recipes, worm bins, and soil web discussions. Growing organically has many levels of time, cost, and sophistication. Find an area of organics that works for you and adjust as you gain experience. The best part of growing organically are the guys & gals that offer encouragement and assistance in the Organics section.
My first grow: couple bags of organic soil from the hardware store. $8 (no perlite or amendments, oops I forgot!) Bottle of Roots Organics Grow and a bottle of Bloom $30, water from the tap.
My four first plants ever grown produced 9 zips of quality bud. Grow: https://www.rollitup.org/members/prosperian-552192/albums/ak47-pineapple-exp-29797/
My advice is to start small. There is no right or wrong way, just basic reading the plant and asking for advice in the organics section (stay away from other sections of RIU, they will kill your microbes).
I'm on my second grow and my soil is amended with bat guano, earth worm castings, fish bone meal, feather meal, green sand, mycorrihzae, glacial rock dust, soybean meal, humic acid and a few more things. Here is the secret, it came in a bag mixed that way. It's called Roots Organics Potting Soil $12 1.5 cu.ft. Still a pretty good R.O.I.
For now, I will keep it simple by purchasing "pre-made" organic stuff off-the-shelf and gravitating to making my own one day. Get away from the chemicals but take baby steps and there will be fewer stumbles.
Don't be intimidated by the long lists of soil and tea recipes, worm bins, and soil web discussions. Growing organically has many levels of time, cost, and sophistication. Find an area of organics that works for you and adjust as you gain experience. The best part of growing organically are the guys & gals that offer encouragement and assistance in the Organics section.
My first grow: couple bags of organic soil from the hardware store. $8 (no perlite or amendments, oops I forgot!) Bottle of Roots Organics Grow and a bottle of Bloom $30, water from the tap.
My four first plants ever grown produced 9 zips of quality bud. Grow: https://www.rollitup.org/members/prosperian-552192/albums/ak47-pineapple-exp-29797/
My advice is to start small. There is no right or wrong way, just basic reading the plant and asking for advice in the organics section (stay away from other sections of RIU, they will kill your microbes).
I'm on my second grow and my soil is amended with bat guano, earth worm castings, fish bone meal, feather meal, green sand, mycorrihzae, glacial rock dust, soybean meal, humic acid and a few more things. Here is the secret, it came in a bag mixed that way. It's called Roots Organics Potting Soil $12 1.5 cu.ft. Still a pretty good R.O.I.
For now, I will keep it simple by purchasing "pre-made" organic stuff off-the-shelf and gravitating to making my own one day. Get away from the chemicals but take baby steps and there will be fewer stumbles.
mycomaster
Well-Known Member
From my small time on R.I.U. I've found in general people who are growing medicine usually want to go organically and the people doing it commercially usually go hydro or chemical nutes, but that's not how it is all the time. I've just noticed that by paying attention. I know some people doing it commercially do it organic and people growing meds will use chem nutes, nothing wrong with either way I like organics cause I like the finished product better. That's just a personal preference. i also think the people over in organics can be friendlier and generally more helpful, but again there are tons of nice people all over this forum. Just find what works for you and go with it, Prosperian said it well by advising baby steps into organics. Some people thinks it takes a ton of cash and it just don't, be a educated consumer and you'll be just fine. Peace out.