I'm experimenting with Kellogg Cactus & Palm potting mix right now. It's sandy, less foresty than Patio Plus. I like the texture better. Waiting to see if cannabis likes it better. (I planted two seeds 24 hours ago.). I think it needs more perlite too. But, going to try it plain first.
Regarding the Kellogg Palm & Cactus potting mix: the two seeds (bagseed) broke ground last night and this morning. (I planted directly in the cactus potting mix. They broke ground in 3 to 3.5 days. That's pretty good. The seeds have been in the refrigerator at least 3 years. I didn't do my fine peat/perlite seed bed either.[1] This cactus mix seems fine enough for seedlings. It has some wood pieces. But, they're finer than the Patio Plus mix.). This cactus mix doesn't contain have an NPK label. But, the ingredients say it has poultry manure. Must not be much.
Attached are photos showing the consistency of the cactus mix. It has a fair amount of perlite alreay. But, it looks heavier/denser than I like. I feel like it should have 1 scoop perlite to 2 or 3 scoops cactus mix. However, the appearance is misleading. it's very sandy. It's not heavy like wet peat/compost clumped together. So, I decided to use it straight out of the bag to see how it works. It would be nice if it works without adding perlite. The new, curious grower could use it without a lot of drama acquiring more things, mixing, etc.
Right now I have them under a globeless GE "basic" 8.5w 5000k lightbulb (sold at Lowes). 130ppfd. I'm going to give them a few days to see if they look ok (i.e., whether there's something obviously wrong with using this soil). If things look good, I'll document it like my soil. I'm going to be feeding MiracleGro "Tomato," and using household LED lightbulbs. So, this could be a decent "getting started" way to grow. Buy everything at the hardware store.
Anyway, I just wanted to mention this to you since you chose to use Kellogg Patio Plus. I thin that's too dense & nutrient rich (hot) for cannabis. (I know you're going to let it dry and see how it goes, if the plant can recover.). I've got a feeling this cactus mix is the right stuff to use. Personally, I would lighten it up with more perlite. But, compared to peat/forest based soils, this sure looks closer to what I like. I wish it had more soil'ish stuff like worm castings, compost, guano. (Just a little, like I get using Patio Plus.). I'm thinking instead of mixing my soil the way I do (with Pro-Mix HP), maybe mix it with this cactus mix instead. (56% cactus mix, 22% Patio Plus, 22% perlite). That would still be simple to acquire for most people (compared to Pro-Mix). But, I wanted to give it a shot by itself. All I know is Pro-Mix HP by itself, and the light soil I make from it. I should expose myself to something different before trying to perfect it.
[1] My
light-airy peat-based soil is chunky. Too much for a seedling I think. My soil uses 20% Kellogg Patio Plus has large'ish wood chips, which adds to the chunky peat from the Pro-Mix HP. So, for germinating I use the guts of a Jiffy pellet, and crush some perlite to a sandy consistency, and mix those two together. Then I make a small scoop in my chunky soil, and fill it with this fine seedling medium. I plant the side directly into it.
