Miksaar potting soil - opinions?

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express_fix

express_fix

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Hello, what do you think, Is this potting soil mix OK for vegging and for bloom (with some fert added afterwards)?

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Technical details:
pH (H2 O) 5.2-6.0
Salt content (g/l): 0.72-1.68
N (mg/l): 90-210
P2 O5 (mg/l): 110-260
K2 O (mg/l): 150-350

The pH level has been adjusted to a neutral level with limestone. Most nutrients are best attainable within the pH levels of 5,5-6,5, this is also the pH range loved by most ornamental plants and vegetables. Therefore this substrate should not be used for acid loving plants – ericas, callunas, camelias, blue hydrangea, rhododendrons.

It is quite cheap and i will try a test grow with it but i want to see your opinion before i start?
 
express_fix

express_fix

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Therefore this substrate should not be used for acid loving plants – ericas, callunas, camelias, blue hydrangea, rhododendrons.
is cannabis an acid loving plant?

Acidic soil = ph < 4.5
Alkaline soil = ph >7

in my book it is written that it can survive in ph from 5 up to 8.5, but it strives best at ph 6,3 - 7.0.
so is this mix too far away from what i need?
(5,5 - 6,5) or am i good to go?
 
SmokeyPipes

SmokeyPipes

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Looked it up and it's more like a starter mix,It's basically peat moss with dolomite lime and some unknown all purpose fertilizer added!! Not sure what kind of nutes you plan on using,probably better off with a bale of promix.
 
Misterdirt

Misterdirt

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You can certainly use it. I'd add a little dolomitic limestone, because Cannabis usually prefers a slightly higher pH (6.5).

A tremendous number of mixes are suitable, especially if you're babying plants with all sorts of nutes, the way weed growers tend to do. I've grown out plants using Miracle Grow Organic Choice, when I couldn't get anything else. (I don't recommend it -- no perlite and lots of wood chunks.)

You can also get a bale of peat moss, a few bags of perlite, dolomite, some compost, and maybe assorted ingredients like worm castings, guano, etc., and you'll save a lot of money. It will take some experimentation, though. Most organic potting soil is mostly peat moss or coco fiber.
 
express_fix

express_fix

92
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You can certainly use it. I'd add a little dolomitic limestone, because Cannabis usually prefers a slightly higher pH (6.5). Most organic potting soil is mostly peat moss or coco fiber.

Thank you for the encouragement !
If i add this dolomite limestone in order to achieve a higher PH, will it be necessary to wait for some chemical processes to take place, before the PH gets a little higher?
I think i have read that if you add ash or other stuff you must wait for the soil to "adapt" and not use it instantly after correcting the PH.
Will i correct the PH instantly or do i need to wait for a while if i decide to add this dolomitic limestone?
I intend to use fertilizers by Aqualogic intended for usage in Hydro-setups, but I will dilute heavily and use in soil.
 
Dorje

Dorje

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Don't use that crap, it's just a mix with the wrong pH for cannabis and who knows what ferts added.

Instead, go with an organic potting mix like Roots, Black Gold, or FFOF cut with some perlite and peat moss.

And your choice of nutes is questionable too... why use hydro nutes? Don't make any sense to me.... try Age Old, Earth Juice, Roots Organic or Fox Farm products. Using hydro nutes defeats the purpose of soil, so if you're set on going that direction use a soilless mix.

If you're in E Europe and can't find this stuff, just mix some topsoil, organic compost, peat moss, perlite, and maybe some wood chip compost/mulch.... just be careful that the compost is old and not too hot.... if ferts aren't available, look up compost tea recipies...
 
express_fix

express_fix

92
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I have a feeling that this soil is *not* crap and I will try it out.

I can buy soil from Plagron from my local grow shop - for example Light mix.
Last time i bought Plagron Royality mix and i was extremely disappointed it is WAAY to strong even after the initial flushing :(.
I was told to use only Plagron Light mix.
As for the ferts - they have been tested in soil setups and they work fine when diluted. and my friend has 5 liter bottles of them.
he will lend some to me, e.g. i do not have cash to spend on ferts right now.
The local store sells Hesy, BioBizz, Atami, Advanced hydrophonic of Holland and Plagron fert lines but i am on a tight budget.
 
Seamaiden

Seamaiden

Living dead girl
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is cannabis an acid loving plant?

Acidic soil = ph < 4.5
Alkaline soil = ph >7

in my book it is written that it can survive in ph from 5 up to 8.5, but it strives best at ph 6,3 - 7.0.
so is this mix too far away from what i need?
(5,5 - 6,5) or am i good to go?
Cannabis is an acid-loving plant that requires a bit more calcium and magnesium than others (because we're rather precious about her flowers, eh?). So, that soil does not qualify as organic because it's using chemical salt fertilizers, but *that* in and of itself is not a reason to not use it if that's what you need to use.

When considering any product to use for my girls I always try to use those products that were manufactured for acid-loving plants.

Since this soil does already have fertilizer in it, be careful and observe your plants closely before trying to feed them anything.

Scrolling down I see you have a whole bunch of other questions, so that indicates to me that you're still pretty new at all of this, so I'm going to give you some of the best advice that was ever given to me--don't worry about feeding your plants, worry about feeding your SOIL. Microbes. I'm going to guess that you're in the UK, but what you want to do is to get that soil inoculated with mycorrhizae, compost (just a bit!) or garden soil, anything that will have LIVE microbes in it. Those microbes will perform the work of making the nutrients (fertilizers, including the dolomitic lime, which I wouldn't add unless the plants show they need it because it's already in that soil mix) 'bio-available' to the plants. That is to say that they break down the nutrients into usable form for the plants. Easy-peasy.

I use a product line called Dr. Earth, made here in the States, for my inoculant. But I was just given a brief rundown by another canna-person on how to inoculate yourself by getting some rootballs from OD plants, letting them dry out a bit, which causes the microbes to 'sporulate' (make spores for reproduction) and then, you just add that soil that has the bits of roots in it to wherever you want to inoculate some microbes, feed a weak molasses (or other simple sugar) tea at a rate of about 1tsp (5mls) per gallon of water.
e.g. i do not have cash to spend on ferts right now.
The local store sells Hesy, BioBizz, Atami, Advanced hydrophonic of Holland and Plagron fert lines but i am on a tight budget.
Do a search on "urine + wood ash fertilizer". That's about as free as you can get, if you have a source of wood ashes. The pee needs to be good quality, yellow (not light or clear), hopefully not cloudy. If you just want to try using urine then I would go with about 1/2C/5gallons water, work up if the plants look hungry.
 
express_fix

express_fix

92
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thank you for the time spent to educate me

does this product work this way
can i just buy it or something similar from a general gardener's store?

i do not intend to feed my plants at all in the first 4 weeks unless they show deficiencies

I'm going to guess that you're in the UK, but what you want to do is to get that soil inoculated with mycorrhizae, compost (just a bit!) or garden soil, anything that will have LIVE microbes in it. T
hmm so i can choose to add a handful of *any* soil from my some body's outdoor (e.g. in his yard), as long as it has some live microbes/bacteria?
doesn't this technique carry the risk of contaminating my whole indoor grow op (only 1 or 2 plants)?
I would go with about 1/2C/5gallons water
does 1/2C equal to 1 cup? (200 ml = 0.422 pints?)
5 gallons = 18 liters

can i just collect rain water or something in order to get those spores/fungi?
 
Seamaiden

Seamaiden

Living dead girl
23,596
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thank you for the time spent to educate me

does this product work this way
can i just buy it or something similar from a general gardener's store?
You're quite welcome.

If they (vendor) can't even discuss mycorrhizae properly, I wouldn't buy from them, but I'm pedantic like that (expect the same from my attorneys, whoops!). But, yes, you're looking for mycorrhizal fungi, and those can be found in many other products that are not specifically marketed for cannabis. I have read and been told that cannabis can only really "utilize" symbiotic relations with certain species of mycorrhizal fungi, but I figure it's like the sun--we're working with a suite of factors that can be difficult at best to tease apart, so better to throw the whole kitchen at it, so to speak. So far so good for me doing it that way.
i do not intend to feed my plants at all in the first 4 weeks unless they show deficiencies
Good plan, but be ready.
hmm so i can choose to add a handful of *any* soil from my some body's outdoor (e.g. in his yard), as long as it has some live microbes/bacteria?
doesn't this technique carry the risk of contaminating my whole indoor grow op (only 1 or 2 plants)?
Well, that all depends on your perspective. I want that contamination from the garden, because my garden is generally healthy. It might help to think of it another way, think in terms of culturing microbes as the goal. Know that they have a difficult time of it if you use chemical salt fertilizers in too high concentrations, too.
does 1/2C equal to 1 cup? (200 ml = 0.422 pints?)
Sorry, no, that's one-half of one cup, and as far as conversion to metric, I'd need to do some Googling on that.
5 gallons = 18 liters
Don't know without doing a conversion, again, sorry.
can i just collect rain water or something in order to get those spores/fungi?
No, but you can and should to use for your plants anyway. I'm currently collecting snowmelt. Fucking COLD, but once warmed up it's as good as RO/DI. In fact, I haven't had to fire my RO/DI filter up since... October..? Yeah, mid-October.

Find a healthy garden where the gardener doesn't use a lot of pesticides, or find a product at a local garden center that's made to inoculate the soil with live microbes.
 
express_fix

express_fix

92
8
thank you so much forr all the tips.

I was mistaken i intended to say does 1/2c equal to 1/2 cup, not 1 whole cup, so yes, i understood correctly.
as for the conversation i already made them using an XLS table for conversion and googling for double check

i really like your answers, and i hope this information will be of use for any other newb gardeners in the future.


Also i will start a grow log soon! i already have 2 babies popped and vegging (this is their first day)
one is Sannies Chocolate Berry fem (Cocoa Kush x True Blueberry F1)
and the other one is Sannies Überkush fem and they look awesome.
thanks and stay tuned - i intend for this to be my first *real* indoor grow attempt, even though i am on a low budget again.
last time i failed miserably and i had only like 3 grams of dry bud, it was very nice thou. this time i want it to be more.
I will try LST as I don't want to mess around with SCrog Screens.

i now have
-lots of light
-good ventilation
-quality genetics
-good ferts (full line)
UPDATE: I now have 1 liter bottles of the full line of aqualogic nutes, given to me as a gift from a friend.

Grond A+B / Soil A + B
grondgroot.gif

Mineral A/B-substrate fertilizer specially for soil and cocos
Special developt fertilizer for plants on soil and cocos. Use Aqualogic A + B always in same amounts and use it in combination with Aqualogic Superbloei and Aqualogic Booster like the schedule shows



Superbloei / Super Bloom
superbloei.gif

LIQUID PHOSPHOR-POTASSIUM COMPLEX
Phosphor makes for the development of a healthy, extensive root system and an exuberant flowering. Potassium prompts the flowering, the so-called flowering potency. The combination of these two components in a bio-mineral form can be rightfully called a super bloomer. Therefore, this is an essential component for every cultivation . Use in combination with A+B Fertilizer and Booster.

Superbloei
DOSAGE:

2nd week of flowering : 25 ml./100 liter 3rd week of flowering : 75 ml./100 liter 4th week of flowering : 100 ml./100 liter 5th week of flowering until the harvest: to a maximum of 170 ml./100 liter. (see Aqualogic schedule)

Aqualogic Booster
booster.gif

Aqualogic Booster is a biological growing and flowering stimulator, which can be administered to ALL sorts of plants and significantly increases the quantity and quality of all tested crops: A higher yield of better quality. This sophisticated combination of components stimulates the bio-chemical functions on all levels. The organic extracts stimulate the metabolism, in particular the photosynthesis, and consequently the forming of carbohydrates. The hormone household of the crop is actively stimulated by the combination of amino acids. Aqualogic Booster contains the following ingredients: various vitamins, natural growing and flowering stimulators, amino acids, bacteria, trace elements, enzymes, kelp and humic acids.
Aqualogic Booster actively takes part in the growing and flowering process from the first day of planting : the crop strikes root more quickly which virtually rules out the dropping of leaves. The plant will grow more rapid and vital, while it simultaneously develops a very extensive root system. The potency of flowering is stimulated and eventually leads to a demonstrable increased yield (15-35% increased yield). Booster is mixable with all fertilizers and can be applied to all types of substrate.

Booster
DOSAGE:
Use 100 / 150 ml. per 100 liters of nutrient solution from the first day until the final week.

Aqualogic Enzymes

Enzymatic bio-catalyst
enzymen.gif

Aqualogic Enzymes is a natural bio-catalyst (process accelerator), medium–builder and –improver based on specific enzymes. Enzymes stimulate the water-retaining ability of every medium and decreases the soil-tension of water, which enables a quicker and better penetration of water into the medium. While Aqua Enzymes penetrates into the medium, it also brings more oxygen into it! Enzymes are specialized protein molecules and work as catalysts in several bio-chemical processes. A few of the most conspicuous characteristics of enzymes is the specific way they work in, and in particular their speed. The conversion of sugar into alcohol by means of chemicals usually takes several weeks or even months, while by means of enzymes this merely takes several seconds! Enzymes always work without any waste matters or side-products.

Aqualogic Enzymes brings about an increased bacteria activity, which convert the nutrients and minerals in the soil into material that is directly absorbable by the crop. Enzymes catalysises the waste matters and delivers them back to the crop in the form of absorbable nutrients. The result is a balanced crop and decreased sensitivity to all diseases! Moreover, the medium stays clean and free of all sorts of excess components. This is important for every cultivation, but especially for those in which soil and coconut are being re-used Add regular to the water.

Dit product kan zowel tijdens de spoelbeurten als constant worden meegegeven aan het voedingswater.

Dosering bij spoelen van medium

Dosering bij constante gift
100cc / 100 l .water

50cc / 100 l . water

Roots stimulator

wortelstimulator.gif

Wortelstimulator

Roots Stimulator
A great number of extensive research on root development and reinforcement done over a period of several years, show that the use of Aqualogic Wortelstimulator leads to a larger root activity and therefore also a higher yield of all of the tested crops. This stimulator has already been applied with great success for many years in European horticulture and in the world of growing. Wortelstimulator can be applied on the leaf as well as in the medium used for cultivating. It consists of : humic-acids (improves the absorption of oxygen, quickens the root and cell development, quickens the transport of ions) kelp (healing of wounds and of chlorosis, increases the chlorophyll development, more root-hair development) ascorbin-acid (vitamin C) thiamin (vitamin B1) myo-inositol (for the forming of cell walls) L-glycine (amino acid, for a better resistance and growth)
Aqualogic Root stimulator makes for a better and quicker root development, a better food absorption, a higher stress resistance, a more effective use of nutrients, and higher yield in all tested crops. In short: A HIGHER YIELD Wortelstimulator is mixable with all fertilizers and care products.
Important to add while potting the plants and in the first few days after that.

Dosage:
1:200 See the schedule of Aqualogic

Verkrijgbaar in 0.25l, 1l, 5l, 10 l.



hopefully this soil will turn out to be good, and i intent to use those microbes - this is something rather new to me, but as long as it works i like it!
Also looking at my nutes - do u think the "Enzymatic bio-catalyst" is something similar (microbes/spores)?

thanks!
 
Seamaiden

Seamaiden

Living dead girl
23,596
638
Wow, that's a fancy line up! Nice friend.

I don't think that the enzymatic bio-catalyst is the same thing as microbes/spores. Archaeologists use Biz detergent for certain cleaning tasks because of its 'enzymatic action' which gives a real proclivity to removing proteinaceous stains. I have not used Aqualogic, so can't speak to how good it is or isn't.
 
express_fix

express_fix

92
8
do those spores/microbes, you mentioned live in this kind of soil as well:
BLACK GOLD SOIL - CALIFORNIAN RED WORM (LUMBRICUS RUBELLUS)

Instead, go with an organic potting mix like Roots, Black Gold, or FFOF cut with some perlite and peat moss.
is this the same stuff the user @Dorje mentioned ?

I got in touch with a guy who manufactures it.
As far as I understand this is some kind of 'magic' natural soil, which was actually pooped out by those red worms. This guy I got connected with swears by it and he says it cannot burn your plants/roots due to the fact that it is completely organic.

so what's up? this stuff is EL CHEAPO i can buy as much as i wish ...but do i need to mix ti with this Soil i currently have?(i think 50/50 is the best according to a control chart i saw.) or do i use only the worms castings/crap stuff all by it self?
 
Seamaiden

Seamaiden

Living dead girl
23,596
638
Well, good soil is in not insignificant part worm poop, aka worm castings. Good amendment, wouldn't grow in it straight, a bit heavy for that and not well-mineralized.

I agree, use it at a 50-50 ratio at most.

What's amusing to me is you should see all the red wigglers that come out after a good spring rain and they're calling their poop 'Black Gold'. See, I'm in California but know black gold as something else.. ok, I'm rambling, sorry.
 
express_fix

express_fix

92
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EDIT:
I found some BONSAI store that sells some stuff that i suspect is the needed mychorizza or whatevs..
DHMEKTO0050-250x250.jpg

spores and mycel from Glomus etunicatum, Glomus intraradices & Glomus claroideum

+ Amanita muscaria, Boletus edulis, Hebeloma crustuliniforme, Laccaria laccata, Paxillus involutus, Pisolithus tinctorius, Thelephora terrestris, Xerocomus badius


what do you think?
how much do i add ?

thank you for your continuous efforts to shed some knowledge upon me!
i will PM you with a link in the future, when i hopefully complete my grow log, if you don't mind

best of luck
 
express_fix

express_fix

92
8
i can confirm that this soil is at least OK
check out a few veg pics here
 
express_fix

express_fix

92
8
more pics here
the conclusion - this soil is good enough (i think)
 
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