Growjay said:

Hello all !!! I'm new to this forrum but have been searching for answers with no luck. I had a helper who claimed he knew what he was doing helping me ammend my soil. He added a whole box of crab meal 5lbs and a whole box of crushed oster shell 5lbs. Well I questioned him and he said trust him .......... well I'm about 2 weeks into veg and the girls seem to be growing very slow compared to using synthetics. Anyways ph is at 7.2 my dechlorinated tap water reads 5.8 so I have been watering with great white, later encorporate the molasses. . Just watering with 5.8 de Chlor water will bring my ph levels right ? My question is will my oh levels normalize and go down or is my soil ruined by too much ca. What can I do to fix this . ?

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oldskol4evr said:

first off did you let the soil cook?
the crab meal is chiton,good stuff along with that is oyster shell flour calcium good stuff,both combined is some bad days for bugs,it cut them to pieces
next you have soil you didnt say what it was,all you added is really good stuff on amends,your buddy has the right idea by the way
next your 2 weeks in veg why are you feeding the plant anything at all,if hungry water only there food is in the soil ,the slow growth is the plant trying to find bottom of plant,the great white should have been added as a inoculant to the seed when you planted,i might be wrong but isnt it mychoriza? why use it?,if anything at all stands out to me is the nitrogen you have stormed your pot with,just my opinion.
your buddy has fixed the soil with major game players to combat insects and plenty of calcium for tender days of finishing the plant,neem crab oyster all cutters for larvae and such ,the neem cake is providing nitrogen too,so dont bust a bubble yet ,as he said trust him
so that is out the way,i say dont do anything but water the plant for first month,keep humidity high,temp around 80 and let them girls veg.
last off and most important of all,DID YOU COOK THE SOIL FOR AT LEAST A MONTH?
hahahahhah you will be alright partner just have patience and it work its way out,i strongly believe your friend has your best interest to heart

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Beachwalker said:

The pH of tap water is usually above 7 so I'm curious how you're getting 5.8? Have you checked your meter recently or whatever you're using to test?

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Winter323 said:

Most experienced organic dudes look down on using perlite, as it kinda screws over the top of the soil where you want to have your cover crops, beneficial insects, mulch layer and the like. Really those are both slow release calcium so shouldnt be too much of a problem, but that is not to say that your soil mix wont have other problems. But just keep an eye on things and trying to go aggressive on low ppm foliars, focussing on kelp (rhizotonic) + worm castings, cal/mag and full spectrum nutes. If you keep at it with a good mulch layer, bugs, worms and the like your soil should be getting better each cycle. For future mixes look at going heavy on the rock dust, check out the mountainorganics website and instagram for help.

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TimK said:

I know that this is a very old thread- but use Rice Hulls as an alternative to Perlite!!!

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Oldchucky said:

In my opinion perlite is the second most underused amendment! Been using the same soil for four years and it’s got a ton of Perlite in it! My roots breathe like nobody’s business!

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Oldchucky said:

In my opinion perlite is the second most underused amendment! Been using the same soil for four years and it’s got a ton of Perlite in it! My roots breathe like nobody’s business!

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TimK said:

Mine too- but have you tried or even heard of Rice Hulls?
Look it up- in my other forum app (420), people were talking about it and I investigated/bought some.
Cheap as, natural alternative to Perlite that gives nutrients as it breaks down & best of all it keeps fungus gnats at bay when used as a thin mulch!
Then there's also Wollastonite, a cheap alternative to lime...
Trust me, you can't go wrong with a bag like this for under $10-

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Oldchucky said:

Oh yeah! I’ve seen it and heard of it! Looks like a good amendment! But it would be too expensive for me! And I would have to replace it every year due to breakdown! How many bags of that would I need for 9 35 gallon pots? I can get 4 ft.³ of per light for less than 25! just messing with you a little! Yeah, I’ve heard it’s great stuff! Just not for all applications!

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orggrwr said:

I got this bag on Amazon a while back. It's a 45lb bag and I believe i paid around 50 to 60 bucks for it. It's enough to last me at least a year and I use a lot of rice hulls.

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TimK said:

Cheers mate- glad it didn't fall on dead ears, means a lot
Qoute- "Rice hulls improve cannabis soil by enhancing aeration, drainage, and water retention, providing slow-release silica and nitrogen, and acting as a mulch to reduce fungus gnats and maintain soil moisture. They can serve as a sustainable alternative to perlite and vermiculite, contributing organic matter and promoting microbial life in the soil".

Perfect for those whom don't get Silica from soil & I especially like the moisture retention/beneficial microbes...

*Oi!!
9 x 35 Gallon pots!?
What the hell are you up to!
Love to see the setup- here's another tip that might really make you think I'm nutters! Ex gfriend old man's mates and he had a particular strain that they'd share/grow exclusively & his booster was a small handful of ANFO over ten or so plants..
I don't know whether it was that, the strain or both- but these plants (outside) had the hugest heads!
That real pale green, thick textured leaves with bright orange pistils...

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Oldchucky said:

Here you go, Tim.View attachment 2539764View attachment 2539765

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Oldchucky said:

Here you go, Tim.View attachment 2539764View attachment 2539765

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