Advice on this soil

[Saint85]

It takes to long to download so I just posted the picture of the soil I'm using it's 2 bags of 10 cubic feet I'm pretty sure it's a a soil and compost mix was wondering what to mix it with and what are you're thought Gardener's

 

[OldManRiver]

Be useful to see the backside, where it might list the ingredients.

 

[Saint85]

Be useful to see the backside, where it might list the ingredients.

I will get that for you after work

 

[Saint85]

It takes to long to download so I just posted the picture of the soil I'm using it's 2 bags of 10 cubic feet I'm pretty sure it's a a soil and compost mix was wondering what to mix it with and what are you're thought Gardener's

View attachment 878827

 

[Jimster]

From what I can see, there isn't much added to it. You will probably want to add Perlite at the minimum, which will help with drainage and keep your roots happier. I like to add some composted manure and some wood ashes to help buffer things and to provide micro nutrients. There are a zillion recipes for adding stuff to your growing medium, from very very simple to more ingredients than a 7 course buffet. I would recommend starting easy and you can improve on things as your experience increases. Too many variables at once isn't a good idea, especially for a newer grower who isn't familiar with the bunches of stuff that can go wrong.

 

[Saint85]

There is cow manure in it already it's a soil and compost

From what I can see, there isn't much added to it. You will probably want to add Perlite at the minimum, which will help with drainage and keep your roots happier. I like to add some composted manure and some woodashes to help buffer things and to provide micro nutrients. There are a zillion recipes for adding stuff to your growing medium, from very very simple to more ingredients than a 7 course buffet. I would recommend starting easy and you can improve on things as your experience increases. Too many variables at once isn't a good idea, especially for a newer grower who isn't familiar with the bunches of stuff that can go wrong.

 

[the rrock]

Yeah I would think that is excellent soil(it will get the job done)), dont waste your time or money on additives if your a new grower. keep it simple. Where was it purchased at Bro?

 

[Saint85]

I'm not a new grower just new to organic growing been trying to learn knf and no till

Yeah I would think that is excellent soil(it will get the job done)), dont waste your time or money on additives if your a new grower. keep it simple. Where was it purchased at Bro?

 

[Saint85]

I got it at Walmart

Yeah I would think that is excellent soil(it will get the job done)), dont waste your time or money on additives if your a new grower. keep it simple. Where was it purchased at Bro?

 

[Jimster]

There is cow manure in it already it's a soil and compost

A little more won't hurt, but I would add perlite if you can find it to help with drainage. I use Promix which drains very well... an actual soil/dirt mix would hold a lot of water by itself, which is a big reason for a lot of failures for newer growers. Plants need a ton of light, but also need to have Oxygen at their roots. Go easy on nutrients until your plants get larger, as it is easy to overdose on nutrients when young... the manure should help to provide nutrition so that you won't need to use as much, if any, supplemental fertilizers. Good Luck... keep up the good work!

 

[Saint85]

So I was emailing the company that makes magic dirt and they say no perlite or vermiculite and no rice hulls so I'm going to give it a shot see what happens

 

[Jimster]

So I was emailing the company that makes magic dirt and they say no perlite or vermiculite and no rice hulls so I'm going to give it a shot see what happens

Did they say that they didn't contain any of the perlite and stuff, or did they NOT recommend using it? I noticed that it holds a lot of moisture according to the bag's front label. This might cause some issues down the road, but every grower is different and gains experience each grow. In my experience, moisture is great but excessive moisture can cause a lot of problems. Of curse, this is my opinion only.

 

[Saint85]

Did they say that they didn't contain any of the perlite and stuff, or did they NOT recommend using it? I noticed that it holds a lot of moisture according to the bag's front label. This might cause some issues down the road, but every grower is different and gains experience each grow. In my experience, moisture is great but excessive moisture can cause a lot of problems. Of curse, this is my opinion only.

Did not ask you are right about the moisture well see

 

[Saint85]

Also what about just using dirt from outside wouldn't that be really using mother nature to my advantage

 

[Dirtbag]

Says it's just cow manure digestate on the bag. Nothing else, just composted cow manure.

Would I grow in just that? No. Mixed with 3 times as much peat or coco and an equal part perlite and a couple cups of gypsum, yes. On it's own it's going to stay too wet too long, not have enough air and be too hot I would think.

 

[Jimster]

Also what about just using dirt from outside wouldn't that be really using mother nature to my advantage

Dirt from outside will work, but will not usually give you stellar results as it is typically poor drainage and lower nutrient content than pre packaged mixes. If you mix water and dirt together, you get mud. If you mix a good growing medium, you should not get the thick mud that you get from regular dirt, and dirt is usually much more likely to get compacted. It can certainly be done if it is properly prepared and loosened up. Farmers plow and then disc their fields to break up the soil to make it easier for young roots to penetrate. You could do it this way but I think you will run into problems with water control and root penetration. The dirt around my location is a lot of clay, and it doesn't make for great growing without a lot of work to improve it's nutrient content and to loosen it up.

 

[Madbud]

Why risk it, add some perlite to a couple of plantings.

 

[Saint85]

Why risk it, add some perlite to a couple of plantings.

Ok I will I was just trying to cut a little corners but it's understandable I won't as soon as I get some more founds I will get the Coco and I was thinking rice hulls or does it really matter also some amendments which what's really best to keep in mind when buying amendments

 

[Jimster]

Ok I will I was just trying to cut a little corners but it's understandable I won't as soon as I get some more founds I will get the Coco and I was thinking rice hulls or does it really matter also some amendments which what's really best to keep in mind when buying amendments

You don't need coco if you are using this soil and add perlite. Perhaps you can mix the two successfully, but most growers grow in one medium or the other. The perlite is very cheap and simply keeps the soil loose and helps with draining. Coco is used in place of the soil and uses a different method of growing to prevent issues. Are you following a recipe for the soil? There are quite a few out there and some may be better suited for more advanced growers than others, which can make them complex to make and use properly. I'm sure some other members will chime in as well, and most have considerable experience and have made every mistake possible.
I use a mix of 80% Promix and 20% compost/manure, a handful of wood ashes, and regular 20-20-20 fertilizer (Jacks). This is super simple and will give you better results than you thought possible. You could provably mix the bagged soil in place of the compost and manure. This will keep you from wasting the dirt that you already bought.
Good luck and use patience. Don't try to grow the worlds biggest plants... learn how to grow well first, then it I easy to advance your grows without multiple sources for problems. If you want to use Coco, make sure to do a little research on it, especially mixed with dirt. Go easy on food, plenty of strong light, and good drainage, and you will have success. Good Luck!!

 

[PlumberSoCal]

You don't need coco if you are using this soil and add perlite. Perhaps you can mix the two successfully, but most growers grow in one medium or the other. The perlite is very cheap and simply keeps the soil loose and helps with draining. Coco is used in place of the soil and uses a different method of growing to prevent issues. Are you following a recipe for the soil? There are quite a few out there and some may be better suited for more advanced growers than others, which can make them complex to make and use properly. I'm sure some other members will chime in as well, and most have considerable experience and have made every mistake possible.
I use a mix of 80% Promix and 20% compost/manure, a handful of wood ashes, and regular 20-20-20 fertilizer (Jacks). This is super simple and will give you better results than you thought possible. You could provably mix the bagged soil in place of the compost and manure. This will keep you from wasting the dirt that you already bought.
Good luck and use patience. Don't try to grow the worlds biggest plants... learn how to grow well first, then it I easy to advance your grows without multiple sources for problems. If you want to use Coco, make sure to do a little research on it, especially mixed with dirt. Go easy on food, plenty of strong light, and good drainage, and you will have success. Good Luck!!

Popped and grown in composted horse manure.

Very difficult to water properly as the manure holds a lot of water. As an additive to potting soil along with perlite would work well but on it's own I'm not finding great results.