Soil

[Xan]

Is there any mix you can use from home depot or lowes? Also any one have a step by step on how to grow in coco.

 

[az2000]

I don't know about coco, but I have grown a plant using MiracleGro Tomato. It grew very well. The NPK ratio of that product is 1-1-1.2. Cannabis likes higher P through the grow. And it doesn't need the higher N in veg (nor higher P in flower) that the multi-bottle "lineups" create. You can increase N (in veg) and P (in flower) using ordinary off-the-shelf products found at the store. But, you have to be careful because it's easy to create an imbalanced NPK ratio, or too strong. I can explain more about how to do that if you want to.

If you're not following what someone else does in coco, I would use soil and that Tomato product. You can buy Black Gold Organic potting mix. Add 25-50% perlite. That would work well with the Tomato fertilizer. If you can find Fertilome Hi-Yield Agricultural Lime (dolomite), adding about 1tbps/gal into the soil/perlite mix would be a good idea. Wet (and let dry) a couple times to let the dolomite react a little.

 

[oldskol4evr]

Is there any mix you can use from home depot or lowes? Also any one have a step by step on how to grow in coco.

kellogs soil is pretty damn good stuff,im thinking from what ive seen you should get at least 3 or 4 weeks until you have to feed

 

[az2000]

kellogs soil is pretty damn good stuff,im thinking from what ive seen you should get at least 3 or 4 weeks until you have to feed

Which product? I use Kellog Patio Plus potting soil. It's too hot for cannabis. I mix it 20-25% with 50-60% Pro-Mix HP and 20-25% perlite. The pro-mix already has 35% perlite). I'm happy with that, and agree Kelloggs seems good. But, by itself I don't think it would be to much nutes built in (would burn seedlings).

Home Depot doesn't sell Pro-Mix. They have a ordinary peat product. I've been tempted to try that instead of Pro-Mix. I'm reluctant to encourage the OP to try that. It would involve mixing the peat 65% to 35% perlite. Adding probably 1.5 to 2 Tbsp/gal dolomite. (Pro-Mix comes with it. I add 1.5 to my resulting mix. The ordinary peat product doesn't come with any. If I experimented with it, I'd probably do 2tbsp for the entire mix.).

Black Gold Organic potting mix is supposed to be good. It can be found at Ace Hardware. I don't think I've seen it at Lowes/Home Depot. From what I've seen, I would cut it with perlite for better drainage, faster wet/dry cycles. That's the only consumer retail-store soil I can think of that's safe to use out of the bag. It has very little nutrients built into it. Everything else I've seen will burn.

 

[Xan]

Which product? I use Kellog Patio Plus potting soil. It's too hot for cannabis. I mix it 20-25% with 50-60% Pro-Mix HP and 20-25% perlite. The pro-mix already has 35% perlite). I'm happy with that, and agree Kelloggs seems good. But, by itself I don't think it would be to much nutes built in (would burn seedlings).

Home Depot doesn't sell Pro-Mix. They have a ordinary peat product. I've been tempted to try that instead of Pro-Mix. I'm reluctant to encourage the OP to try that. It would involve mixing the peat 65% to 35% perlite. Adding probably 1.5 to 2 Tbsp/gal dolomite. (Pro-Mix comes with it. I add 1.5 to my resulting mix. The ordinary peat product doesn't come with any. If I experimented with it, I'd probably do 2tbsp for the entire mix.).

Black Gold Organic potting mix is supposed to be good. It can be found at Ace Hardware. I don't think I've seen it at Lowes/Home Depot. From what I've seen, I would cut it with perlite for better drainage, faster wet/dry cycles. That's the only consumer retail-store soil I can think of that's safe to use out of the bag. It has very little nutrients built into it. Everything else I've seen will burn.

So hot means to much Nutrients , I just bought more ocean forest happy frog , is that too hot and if so what should I do?

 

[az2000]

So hot means to much Nutrients , I just bought more ocean forest happy frog , is that too hot and if so what should I do?

I'd return it if I were you. I've never used it. From what I've seen from others using it: I would mix the OF and HF together to reduce the nutrient stregnth of OF (I understand it's hot, but Happy Frog isn't). And then add 50% perlite (at least). I like my soil light/airy, fast-drying. I don't think a person can err too far in that direction. I like it when the soil dries in 2-3 days, and I feed it each watering (not depending on the soil to have nutrients). It works well for me. I see a lot of people having problems from slow-drying/dense soils, not knowing what's in the soil, if it will burn, if it's exhausted. If that could be dialed in, maybe it's a good way to grow. It seems easier to dial things in with a lighter, faster-drying soil, less reliance on its nutrient content, giving the plant what it needs each watering.

Last night there was a post about this topic, (<<LINK) which explained how one knowledgeable member (staff) improves Happy Frog's too-dense condition. That should be safe to do.

 

[Jimster]

Which product?
Home Depot doesn't sell Pro-Mix. They have a ordinary peat product. I've been tempted to try that instead of Pro-Mix. I'm reluctant to encourage the OP to try that. It would involve mixing the peat 65% to 35% perlite. Adding probably 1.5 to 2 Tbsp/gal dolomite. (Pro-Mix comes with it. I add 1.5 to my resulting mix. The ordinary peat product doesn't come with any. If I experimented with it, I'd probably do 2tbsp for the entire mix.).

Promix is available by mail order for surprisingly cheap if you do a little searching. I have tried other mediums but have always returned to Promix, since it handles water retention and is self buffering. I have also used something called metro mix, which was pretty similar to Promix, but that was decades ago and I don't know if it is still made. Good luck in your quest..I'm too old to try anything too new and I have good results with the Promix method that I have used over the years.

 

[Compost Man]

Is there any mix you can use from home depot or lowes? Also any one have a step by step on how to grow in coco.

No it's mostly straight up B.S. Loam topsoil is hard to find, certainly not commercially available. Here's Loam in a nut shell; Equal parts sand,clay and silt. I make my OWN topsoil. I use SILICA sand, Bentonite Clay( walmarts cat litter) and CPR (This is my recipe) . All are mixed well and soaked for 24hours then drained 24 hrs. An excellent mix for EVERYBODY TO USE ; SPHAGNUM PEAT, BENTONITE CLAY, AND SILICA SAND. When moistening the Sphagmum moss, use 1- TBS DAWN DISH SOAP/GALLON H2O (wetting agent) to this mix a well balanced organic liquid fertilizer. The clay & moss will be"super fortified". Use: 2-prts topsoil (yours) 1-prt. Silica sand and 1 -prt clay.

 

[az2000]

No it's mostly straight up B.S. Loam topsoil is hard to find, certainly not commercially available. Here's Loam in a nut shell; Equal parts sand,clay and silt. I make my OWN topsoil. I use SILICA sand, Bentonite Clay( walmarts cat litter) and CPR (This is my recipe) . All are mixed well and soaked for 24hours then drained 24 hrs. An excellent mix for EVERYBODY TO USE ; SPHAGNUM PEAT, BENTONITE CLAY, AND SILICA SAND. When moistening the Sphagmum moss, use 1- TBS DAWN DISH SOAP/GALLON H2O (wetting agent) to this mix a well balanced organic liquid fertilizer. The clay & moss will be"super fortified".

Use: 2-prts topsoil (yours) 1-prt. Silica sand and 1 -prt clay.

I didn't understand that last part, or how it interacts with the excellent mix (peat, clay, sand). Is that last part something else?

Also, what's CPR?

 

[Compost Man]

I didn't understand that last part, or how it interacts with the excellent mix (peat, clay, sand). Is that last part something else?

Also, what's CPR?

CPR is the compost I make COMPOST POTVINS RECIPE. There's NONE like it. I'm in the process of taking CPR TO the Texas Master Gardeners for certification. I grow Medical Grade Cannibis, every single time.

 

[Compost Man]

CPR is the compost I make COMPOST POTVINS RECIPE. There's NONE like it. I'm in the process of taking CPR TO the Texas Master Gardeners for certification. I grow Medical Grade Cannibis, every single time.

With CPR TO the Tx Master Gardeners, Texas A&M for Organic Certification - CPR Listed with ORMI.

 

[Xan]

My first grow I mixed ocean forest and happy frog with perlite , I was fine until I fed nutes on flower then I got burn. This grow I am gonna mixed 40% perlite with happy frog and no nutes . This will be my second grow also picked up an es300.

 

[Jimster]

My first grow I mixed ocean forest and happy frog with perlite , I was fine until I fed nutes on flower then I got burn. This grow I am gonna mixed 40% perlite with happy frog and no nutes . This will be my second grow also picked up an es300.

Why don't you use what worked for you before, just don't add the extra nutes. Both Happy Frog and Ocean Forest are full of nutrients already. Since you said that you were good up until you overloaded the nutrients by adding stuff... why not do the same and just skip the additional nutes?
I'm not one that uses a lot of pre fertilized growing mediums, but if it was working well, why change it? Personally, I would pick one medium over the other (Frog or Forest), add the perlite, and add additional nutes IF needed... the key being "IF" they are needed (they usually aren't, especially with fortified growing mediums). I think it might be a better idea to start with less stuff that can go wrong and improve your technique as your experience grows. Any choice, you always have the folks online here to help out!

 

[Xan]

Why don't you use what worked for you before, just don't add the extra nutes. Both Happy Frog and Ocean Forest are full of nutrients already. Since you said that you were good up until you overloaded the nutrients by adding stuff... why not do the same and just skip the additional nutes?
I'm not one that uses a lot of pre fertilized growing mediums, but if it was working well, why change it? Personally, I would pick one medium over the other (Frog or Forest), add the perlite, and add additional nutes IF needed... the key being "IF" they are needed (they usually aren't, especially with fortified growing mediums). I think it might be a better idea to start with less stuff that can go wrong and improve your technique as your experience grows. Any choice, you always have the folks online here to help out!

I have some ocean left so Ill throw that in there but will give nutes if needed.

 

[Jimster]

I have some ocean left so Ill throw that in there but will give nutes if needed.

Giving nutes when needed is great, but make sure that they are actually needed. It is SO easy for newer growers to over feed their plants... who doesn't want big and healthy plants? The problem is that they eat very little, which is unlike most things in life where more is better. Growing is more like filling up a bucket with a teaspoon, while walking 100 ft from the water source to the bucket. You can only fit so much in the spoon and hurrying only spills more of it on the way to the bucket. Plants grow slowly and trying to hurry them by overfeeding just causes them to slow down even more.
I use 1 tub of 20-20-20 fertilizer about every 5 grows, with the tub size being about 32Oz. I have seen some growers use that much in 1 growing session, so go easy on them. Once you get a better feeling for your plant's response to your growing medium and technique, you can do all kinds of wild stuff, with confidence. Just start simple and work your way up as your experience grows. It will happen quickly!

 

[Xan]

Giving nutes when needed is great, but make sure that they are actually needed. It is SO easy for newer growers to over feed their plants... who doesn't want big and healthy plants? The problem is that they eat very little, which is unlike most things in life where more is better. Growing is more like filling up a bucket with a teaspoon, while walking 100 ft from the water source to the bucket. You can only fit so much in the spoon and hurrying only spills more of it on the way to the bucket. Plants grow slowly and trying to hurry them by overfeeding just causes them to slow down even more.
I use 1 tub of 20-20-20 fertilizer about every 5 grows, with the tub size being about 32Oz. I have seen some growers use that much in 1 growing session, so go easy on them. Once you get a better feeling for your plant's response to your growing medium and technique, you can do all kinds of wild stuff, with confidence. Just start simple and work your way up as your experience grows. It will happen quickly!

Thank you sir you are a Gentlemen and a Scholar!