Soil choices

[Celtic voyager]

Morning all..

Is standard organic potting soil/compost, bought from garden centres good for autos, with bio bizz nutes, grow, cal mag, fish mix and bloom,  added throughout the growing period. 

I've been reading up on various soil types on here, from canna terra professional to bio bizz all mix, with mixed results from users..

And input on this would be greatly appreciated 

[ratdog]

i buy a decentish compost and mix it 60/40 with coco, gives a nice fluffy medium that drains well. just need to feed slightly sooner than normal, but i like that personally.

[Celtic voyager]

Hi ratdog 

My plan was/is, to buy good quality potting compost and perlite. 

Mix 3 liters of perlite with 12 liters of compost/potting soil, (4 to 1 mix), soak seeds for 36 hours, then pop them into the soil Mix in 12lt pots.

I'll add the bio bizz nutes when need, starting roughly after the third week.

Well that's the plan anyway 

[murphyblue]

Like @ratdog said.

I just made some up this morning although not 60/40 used a little less coco mine was about 4-1 compo/coco with a couple of added extras.

Probably a lot cheaper than buying the branded ready mixed compos.

And u dont need to waste money on perlite either its just not needed.

 

[ratdog]

@murphyblue i'm seriously considering getting some of the cal/mag pellets that eco thrive are selling to add to mine, i like the idea of the whole beanstalk thing, but it's very pricey, but just the cal/mag additive would save my sanity, this beanstalk stuff in coco is bloody amazing so far though.  i can keep plants healthy if only my water was better quality!

[MindSoup]

@ratdog you could add some glacial/basalt rock dust/ azomite or something to your soil mix to boost the cal/mag levels in a slow release fashion. Might take a few runs to work out if/when you'll need to top dress it, but it's very affordable. 

Edited December 18, 2022 by MindSoup

[the punter]

I used perlite when I first started growing because I thought thats what you did, it turned out to be pointless, all it did was float to the top and used up space, not buying it will probably save you 10 quid.

[murphyblue]

3 minutes ago, ratdog said:

@murphyblue i'm seriously considering getting some of the cal/mag pellets that eco thrive are selling to add to mine, i like the idea of the whole beanstalk thing, but it's very pricey, but just the cal/mag additive would save my sanity, this beanstalk stuff in coco is bloody amazing so far though.  i can keep plants healthy if only my water was better quality!

 

Would be easier especially as u always seem to suffer with the water mate.

I got a large bottle of cal/mag as my water is pretty soft also.

 

Here's what i made up this morning.

 

 

Made up a block of coco added couple of handful's biochar used liquid seaweed/warm water to thaw out the block which filled one pot.

Grabbed 2 pots full of compo out of the shed added in half the coco and 3 slack handful's of worm poo.

Don't need it for a bit but i seen someone on here trying to warm up compo and reminded me to get some in been bloody freezing round here its sat in the other room should warm on its own by the time i need it.

[ratdog]

Just now, MindSoup said:

you could add some basalt rock dust

 

 

been adding dolomite but i still had issues with one of my celias, even with ga nutes, so far the beanstalk pups are fucking mint, no issues or burning tips at all, so the ca fortify is a winner for sure and no worrying about how much. it only takes 1.25gs per litre too, so about 9p per litre with postage. assuming my maths is correct

[Celtic voyager]

So.

If I'm reading all the replys correctly 

Thanks to everyone for replying 

I'll be safe enough just using a good quality organic potting/compost mix from a standard garden centre, perlite not needed, and just add nutrients (bio bizz, since I have them already), I should be good at that. 

I was under the impression that perlite was needed for aeration of the soil for good healthy roots..

I was looking at the canna terra and bio bizz, and other types of soils, but got to bogged down and hung up on which was the correct ones to use.

I'm only growing four autos, so I'd like to keep is as simple and as easy as possible, stress free.

 

[murphyblue]

If i remember right Oldtimer1 said it somewhere on here u just don't need it in compost so that was good enough for me and haven't used it since.

 

[MindSoup]

13 minutes ago, Celtic voyager said:

I'm only growing four autos, so I'd like to keep is as simple and as easy as possible, stress free.

Have a look at @blackpoolbouncers old content mate, he's a champion of keeping things simple and used to do very well with the Autos. 

 

This thread of his might be quite useful for you. Just keep in mind this one is about growing photos so not everything (I.e. potting on in stages) applies. 

 

http://www.uk420.com/boards/index.php?/topic/397734-the-low-maintenance-way/

 

 

 

 

Edited December 18, 2022 by MindSoup

[BilgePump]

I add a small amount of perlite if I'm making up my own 60/40 peat/coco but only as a visual reference point so I can tell when we're evenly mixed.

 

Fwiw my 60/40 comes from my local garden centre (or work as I prefer to call it) I use Erin sphagnum moss peat formulated compost and whatever Coco bricks we have in (usually Coco boost or jiffy) if I didn't have shitty water too (I'm the next catchment over from ratdog) that mix would be spot on and cheap as chips, iirc 145L of media costs about 14 quid to make.

 

Avoid new horizon if you want to go peat free , it could be great but it could be a bag of twigs and gravel

 

[Celtic voyager]

Just now, BilgePump said:

I add a small amount of perlite if I'm making up my own 60/40 peat/coco but only as a visual reference point so I can tell when we're evenly mixed.

 

Fwiw my 60/40 comes from my local garden centre (or work as I prefer to call it) I use Erin sphagnum moss peat formulated compost and whatever Coco bricks we have in (usually Coco boost or jiffy) if I didn't have shitty water too (I'm the next catchment over from ratdog) that mix would be spot on and cheap as chips, iirc 145L of media costs about 14 quid to make.

 

Avoid new horizon if you want to go peat free , it could be great but it could be a bag of twigs and gravel

 

Hi bilgepump

Thanks for the reply. 

In your opinion, which would be the better option, coco or perlite, or neither.

Would the compost on its own without coco/perlite, become to stodgy, and hold to much water, poor drainage. 

 

[Celtic voyager]

Forgot to say 

This will be purely an outdoor grow.

If that makes a difference to my original question.