Tips On What To Add To Promix? ProMix Amendment Recipe

[WesleySnipes]

Sure. I’m interested in what you would do or what you’ve got to say.

Elevated just hit the nail on the head. Most people on this thread are trying to use promix with organic amendments which isnt the brst route to feed in soiless. Promix and coco are better fitted for synthetics giving the grower will have complete controls of immediate inputs.

Sure. I’m interested in what you would do or what you’ve got to say.

 

[WesleySnipes]

You should never water promix and not know the pH and EC/PPM of the solution. Some on this thread are imply it's not important when its very important to make nutrients available. Promix is soiless and acts very different from an organic soil. Organic soil will regulate its own pH where promix on its own will not. You need to treat promix as a growing media rathet than a soil. When I started I called it soil-ponics, because it looks like soil but you treat it more like hydro with synthetic inputs.

Sure. I’m interested in what you would do or what you’ve got to say.

 

[Jimster]

I have been using Promix exclusively for 30 years or so and have never had any problems with it at all. Until this year, I haven't had to use any types of meters or specialized nutrients or potions until this year after finding this forum. I mix 75/25 Promix and composted manure, a cup of wood ashes, a dose of extended release fertilizer, and not much more. I have had excellent results keeping it simple. The promix is just a matrix to support the roots for the most part. There isn't much in the way of nutrients in it. The manure I use adds calcium, magnesium, and all of the micro nutrients you need. The wood ashes provide nutrition as well as a Ph buffer, which helps to keep the Ph into the correct range. The general fertilizer provides the basic nutrients the plant needs (N-P-K). When I got my new Ph meter, the TDS meter, and stuff halfway thru the run, everything was as it should be. My point is that you don't necessarily need to have all of the latest and greatest stuff to have a great crop. Most successful crop farmers (the ones that grow corn, wheat, etc) don't fret too much about small variables in their growing mediums...have you ever seen a farmer measuring runoff or making a tea for his corn? Its sometimes easy to overthink things.

 

[WesleySnipes]

I have been using Promix exclusively for 30 years or so and have never had any problems with it at all. Until this year, I haven't had to use any types of meters or specialized nutrients or potions until this year after finding this forum. I mix 75/25 Promix and composted manure, a cup of wood ashes, a dose of extended release fertilizer, and not much more. I have had excellent results keeping it simple. The promix is just a matrix to support the roots for the most part. There isn't much in the way of nutrients in it. The manure I use adds calcium, magnesium, and all of the micro nutrients you need. The wood ashes provide nutrition as well as a Ph buffer, which helps to keep the Ph into the correct range. The general fertilizer provides the basic nutrients the plant needs (N-P-K). When I got my new Ph meter, the TDS meter, and stuff halfway thru the run, everything was as it should be. My point is that you don't necessarily need to have all of the latest and greatest stuff to have a great crop. Most successful crop farmers (the ones that grow corn, wheat, etc) don't fret too much about small variables in their growing mediums...have you ever seen a farmer measuring runoff or making a tea for his corn? Its sometimes easy to overthink things.

When you amend promix with Organic amendments and then try to feed it synthetic bottled nutrients you can def run into problems which is what I was getting at. Organic amendments are meant to be broken down by the food web and absorbed over time. Synthetic nutrients are immediately available and are absorbed at a different pH than organic amendments. So when nrw growers try to mix the two Realms of growing they run into problems.

 

[MIMedGrower]

You should never water promix and not know the pH and EC/PPM of the solution. Some on this thread are imply it's not important when its very important to make nutrients available. Promix is soiless and acts very different from an organic soil. Organic soil will regulate its own pH where promix on its own will not. You need to treat promix as a growing media rathet than a soil. When I started I called it soil-ponics, because it looks like soil but you treat it more like hydro with synthetic inputs.

Sorry i disagree.

promix bales have 2 kinds of lime added. Calcitic and dolomite. With any reasonable tap water the ph of the medium will self buffer.

Premier horticulture even recomends checking to see if it is over limed and will raise ph too high.

They have excellent info on their website learning center.

I use moderate alkalinity well water with 150 ppm mineral content and 8.0 ph and never need to adjust the ph of water only or a nute mixture.

 

[WesleySnipes]

Sorry i disagree.

promix bales have 2 kinds of lime added. Calcitic and dolomite. With any reasonable tap water the ph of the medium will self buffer.

Premier horticulture even recomends checking to see if it is over limed and will raise ph too high.

They have excellent info on their website learning center.

I use moderate alkalinity well water with 150 ppm mineral content and 8.0 ph and never need to adjust the ph of water only or a nute mixture.

Lime does not have indefinite buffering capabilities. Watering promix with a pH of 8.0 will quickly use up its buffering ability. By controlling your pH input at the target pH range you allow yourself more probablity to stay in range for the grow duration. Also peat naturally breaks down over time to become more acidic, so in your case with the higher pH input of 8 it could work in your benefit by raising the pH to the plants desired range naturally.

 

[Elevated]

My point was from a production standpoint. Certain methods with soilless have proven with method of controled feeding etc most bn productive per sq ft worldwide in agriculture. Also providing consistent produce. Promix and Coco are similar but I believe straight coir these organic inputs could be lower production methods, to say the least

 

[MIMedGrower]

Lime does not have indefinite buffering capabilities. Watering promix with a pH of 8.0 will quickly use up its buffering ability. By controlling your pH input at the target pH range you allow yourself more probablity to stay in range for the grow duration. Also peat naturally breaks down over time to become more acidic, so in your case with the higher pH input of 8 it could work in your benefit by raising the pH to the plants desired range naturally.

No. Its the allalinity not the ph of the water that matters. And lime raises ph not lowers it so it is not being used up as you claim.

And my water has enough calcium to keep things even but not raise the ph of the buffered soil.


If i add ph down (acid) over time it acidifies the medium.

My best improvements came when i learned ph’ing is not needed in limed soil.

Read about alkalinity in water and gardening.

 

[WesleySnipes]

No. Its the allalinity not the ph of the water that matters. And lime raises ph not lowers it so it is not being used up as you claim.

And my water has enough calcium to keep things even but not raise the ph of the buffered soil.


If i add ph down (acid) over time it acidifies the medium.

My best improvements came when i learned ph’ing is not needed in limed soil.

Read about alkalinity in water and gardening.

You do know alkalinity is a word used to describe the basic part of the pH scale i.e. the pH scale above 7. So by saying its alkalinity not the pH that matters makes no sense.

 

[WesleySnipes]

No. Its the allalinity not the ph of the water that matters. And lime raises ph not lowers it so it is not being used up as you claim.

And my water has enough calcium to keep things even but not raise the ph of the buffered soil.


If i add ph down (acid) over time it acidifies the medium.

My best improvements came when i learned ph’ing is not needed in limed soil.

Read about alkalinity in water and gardening.

I said peat moss breaks down over time, as a result of this breakdown the medias pH drops, meaning it becomes more acidic. It has been well documented that cannabis prefers slightly acidic soil (or soiless) conditions.

 

[MIMedGrower]

You do know alkalinity is a word used to describe the basic part of the pH scale i.e. the pH scale above 7. So by saying its alkalinity not the pH that matters makes no sense.

Im sorry but that is incorrect.

Alkalinity is the calcium content or hardness and ph is potential hydrogen.

They are different measures.

My well water is relatively soft yet shows high ph.

But because it is not very high in mineral content it takes on the ph of the medium easily. Or the inputs. Yet with 150 ppm mineral content it doesnt add too much calcium over time.

Ro water with 0 ppm is the extreme of this. Thats why the ph changes so much when nutrients are added. It has no buffer (alkalinity) so it is not stable.

 

[WesleySnipes]

Im sorry but that is incorrect.

Alkalinity is the calcium content or hardness and ph is potential hydrogen.

They are different measures.

My well water is relatively soft yet shows high ph.

But because it is not very high in mineral content it takes on the ph of the medium easily. Or the inputs. Yet with 150 ppm mineral content it doesnt add too much calcium over time.

Ro water with 0 ppm is the extreme of this. Thats why the ph changes so much when nutrients are added. It has no buffer (alkalinity) so it is not stable.

My apologies mate, I had never heard it used in that term, only as a reference to a pH being above 7.0 alkaline(basic). But your explanation to your water pH and lack of hardness makes a lot of sense as to the medium bufferring the high pH.

 

[MIMedGrower]

I said peat moss breaks down over time, as a result of this breakdown the medias pH drops, meaning it becomes more acidic. It has been well documented that cannabis prefers slightly acidic soil (or soiless) conditions.

With proper transplants up i have never had any problems with peat breaking down and becoming acidic even with a 12 week flowering plant.

That would have the plant in its final 3 gallon pot for about 14 weeks. I never adjust ph of water or nute mix and feed most every watering to near the end.

These are my results in my system for almost 5 years growing perpetually.

Worked great in,

pro mix hp, potters gold, ocean forest w/ added large perlite, happy frog with perlite and now mother earth groundswell.


And with Botanicare Kind, pure Blend Pro and easy pistils (ch9 seeds powdered nutes). Thats salt based hybrid with seaweed, hydro organic and salt based only fertilizers.


It is important to know how your water, nutes and medium interact.


Best information about pro mix is on the premier horticulture website.

Learning center tab.

 

[MIMedGrower]

My apologies mate, I had never heard it used in that term, only as a reference to a pH being above 7.0 alkaline(basic). But your explanation to your water pH and lack of hardness makes a lot of sense as to the medium bufferring the high pH.

No problem. :-). There is a lot of misunderstanding on the forums about ph.


My favorite breeder got me to stop using ph down when i showed him my yellow plants.

I learned why they greened right up after. Lol.

 

[3 balls]

Sorry i disagree.

promix bales have 2 kinds of lime added. Calcitic and dolomite. With any reasonable tap water the ph of the medium will self buffer.

Premier horticulture even recomends checking to see if it is over limed and will raise ph too high.

They have excellent info on their website learning center.

I use moderate alkalinity well water with 150 ppm mineral content and 8.0 ph and never need to adjust the ph of water only or a nute mixture.

Checking to see what is in your bale was the reason I switched to coco. I would test exactly as recommended in their own literature and it was very inconsistent. It may well buffer out in the long run but it concerned me that their QC was lacking.

 

[MIMedGrower]

Checking to see what is in your bale was the reason I switched to coco. I would test exactly as recommended in their own literature and it was very inconsistent. It may well buffer out in the long run but it concerned me that their QC was lacking.

It takes about a week after watered in for the lime to buffer. They suggest using tap water rather than ro for at least the first week until the lime is activated.

Premier is a huge company that serves many large commercial operations. I trust they would mix properly.

The caution on the website is in case it is over limed from a stuck clump in the machinery. Not a normal occurance but they dont want to be responsible for a whole greenhouse of plants. Its a disclaimer really.


Honestly i have not seen a problem with any of the soil mixes i have used. Anything wrong i experienced turned out to be environmental or user error.

 

[3 balls]

It takes about a week after watered in for the lime to buffer. They suggest using tap water rather than ro for at least the first week until the lime is activated.

Premier is a huge company that serves many large commercial operations. I trust they would mix properly.

The caution on the website is in case it is over limed from a stuck clump in the machinery. Not a normal occurance but they dont want to be responsible for a whole greenhouse of plants. Its a disclaimer really.


Honestly i have not seen a problem with any of the soil mixes i have used. Anything wrong i experienced turned out to be environmental or user error.

I got really into soil/medium and run off testing for a while. I don't recommend it if you value your sanity. I ended up buying a few different bags from different batches of a couple brands of soil, coco and promix. I did the different test methods out there with different bluelab meters. Surprisingly, most were dead nuts on what the manufacturer claims they should be, Promix was a mess though. Like I said their additives may very well buffer out in the long run but for me the main point of going soilless is a consistent blank canvas to start with.

 

[MIMedGrower]

I got really into soil/medium and run off testing for a while. I don't recommend it if you value your sanity. I ended up buying a few different bags from different batches of a couple brands of soil, coco and promix. I did the different test methods out there with different bluelab meters. Surprisingly, most were dead nuts on what the manufacturer claims they should be, Promix was a mess though. Like I said their additives may very well buffer out in the long run but for me the main point of going soilless is a consistent blank canvas to start with.

Thats just not my experience. It always tested in range for me. Only reason i switched was so i could water only all the way through veg.

Did you test these soils straight out of the bag?

 

[Jimster]

When you amend promix with Organic amendments and then try to feed it synthetic bottled nutrients you can def run into problems which is what I was getting at.

I agree. I see more posts about newer growers mixing the 2 methods and everything going to hell in a handbasket.. It can be done but it def takes a light touch on the bottled stuff. As I mentioned, I'm more of a minimalist but have great results without using the bottled stuff, as the soil additives take care of what the bottled stuff provides over the grow period. When potions are added, they are there and avail immediately, which can easily burn sensitive roots or throw the Ph out of whack. I guess that's why I stick to the less-is-more school of thought, since it IS easy to screw up until you are familiar with your method...even then it's easy! :p
I didn't mean to confuse the promix subject since it can be used in a few different ways. When I feed my plants, it is usually every 10 days...way too little for straight promix. By using the additives that I use, I can stretch the nutrients out more, since the manure provides both nutrients, but also holds water, which has dissolved nutrients in it. I use a drip tray to make sure most of the nutes are taken up after feeding. There are a million ways to successfully grow and most seem to be doing well with a little experience under their belt. The newer growers are the ones who need the help, since a lot of this is learned by doing. Book smarts are great but hey are sometimes difficult to translate into good buds.

 

[Dirtbag]

Funny my experience has been sort of the opposite. My grows got better when I started amending my promix with organic 4-4-4 and worm castings, and still using bottled nutrients. Mind you I dont overdo it with either.

I have seen inconsistencies with promix lately as well as a shit ton of fungus gnats, which Is why i switched to proterra which has been much more consistent for me. But it's essentially the same product. Just seemingly better quality control.