What soil mixes are folks using for growing bigass plants

[kolah]

Here on this forum and other places I have read and researched soil mixes for growing outdoors in soil and everyone and their sister seems to have the BEST recipe. In the past I have been using HF and OF but I am becoming skeptical about their product and moreso do not like paying 20 bucks a bag for it. One bag usually fills approx three or four 5 gallon buckets so IMO it really doesn't go all that far.

I'd like to find out what soil recipes works good. But more importantly I'd like to get a ballpark figure and see what would be the average cost for the soil mix you recommend. I have read and seen many recipes but they never seem to say what the costs are. All help is welcome. Since the "law" here in CO is 3 and 3 I want to try to grow some fucking 12 foot monster plants. CO law says nothing about the size of your plants therefore I want to grow as big as possible. (and also stay "organic" )

I def want to use bat guano, worm castings and a big dose of red wiggler worms (live).

I am unsure of what base mix to use (Pro-mix, Harvest Moon, Sunshine, Black Gold, etc, etc)

I want to avoid using oyster shells, blood meal and bone meal (risk of toxicity IMO)

I'd also like to stay with organic liquid fertilizers But I am still open to using organically made teas.

I guess I am looking for the magic bullet....a great soil at a low or moderate cost. (in comparison to commercial sold soil)

 

[backpackballer]

local bulk with chicken and steer manure, gorilla hair, lava rock, high n bat guano, live worm castings, grokashi, powered oyster shell, powdered trace mineral
i buy the bulk for 75$ a yard and spend about 1000$ to amend a 40 yard load

 

[kolah]

Thanks BPB. What is gorilla hair? grokashi? I also want to avoid using oyster shells. I'll' probably go with egg shells from spent eggs from my neighbors chicken farm.

 

[backpackballer]

gorilla hair is shredded redwood bark and grokashi is a local made Mychorrize(sic). hopefully this stuff helps

 

[backpackballer]

how big are your containers? we have great luck with 200g smart pots and using 4x4x4 trenches both of which could easily be enough room for some monsters

 

[kolah]

i want to go 3x3x3 in 5 gallon buckets with the bottoms cut out.

 

[buddogmutt]

keep it simple....50-50 mix and grow!!!

 

[caregiverken]

I like the Patio plus too BudDog. It has Bat gauno and worm castings...Its organic..easy for sure..handy to have in bags and CHEAP.

i want to go 3x3x3 in 5 gallon buckets with the bottoms cut out.

I like the Bottom cut out idea. Gonna try that...But I have to have wire bottoms because we have lots of gophers and other critters that Dig

 

[buddogmutt]

yup.....all kinds of goodies...

 

[backpackballer]

look bigger than the 5g buckets buddy, i have moved in the last 2 years from 45-65g poly pots with 4, 6" holes in each bottom to the big ones(100-200g smart pots). if ur in nor cal i have aprox 50 of the poly pots that i would love to pass on for little or no cost or trade.

 

[jaredman]

if you wanna grow 12 foot plants you will want to go with at least 400 gal smartpots. I amend 400 gal of soil in a hole but the plants roots can still grow out into the ground. Cheap recipe is 50 percent composted manure 20 percent coco fiber, 25 percent pumice and 5 percent worm castings. Also without the blood and bone you will be hard pressed to yeild heavily. fish bone is great but the blood is hard to replace. also glacial rock, powdered phos. greensand, crab meal, gypsum, neemseed meal, kelp meal, humic acid, then just make your own teas. fertilizer is really where you waste money imo. liquid fish and kelp and stuff like that are awesome with lots of compost and worm castings

 

[sox]

bigger the roots (pot/hole), bigger the plant.
5 gallon buckets wont do much, 45 and 65s are good for small backyard grows.
But your going to want to go with the big pots if you want a true monster.

 

[sox]

I like the Patio plus too BudDog. It has Bat gauno and worm castings...Its organic..easy for sure..handy to have in bags and CHEAP.



I like the Bottom cut out idea. Gonna try that...But I have to have wire bottoms because we have lots of gophers and other critters that Dig

if your cutting out the bottoms, try filling the bottom of the hole with lava or river rocks, its cheap and 99% of the time keeps animals from getting to ur roots. Gophers are pretty good at getting through wire....

 

[caregiverken]

if your cutting out the bottoms, try filling the bottom of the hole with lava or river rocks, its cheap and 99% of the time keeps animals from getting to ur roots. Gophers are pretty good at getting through wire....

sounds good..yeah them damn gophers piss me off.

 

[outwest]

bigger the roots (pot/hole), bigger the plant.
5 gallon buckets wont do much, 45 and 65s are good for small backyard grows.
But your going to want to go with the big pots if you want a true monster.

So true. . .I'm indoors, but just went from 3 gallon smart pots to 7 gallon, and I can definitely see how the plant responds. In a 3 gallon pot the roots hit the bottom 10 days after transplant.

outwest

 

[sarahsarah]

mycorrhizae are something you should definitely consider if trying to grow organically. they have huge potential benefit.

 

[outwest]

mycorrhizae are something you should definitely consider if trying to grow organically. they have huge potential benefit.

I second this!

outwest

 

[kolah]

Thanks all. Just to clarify...I plan to transplant my seedlings into 5 gallon buckets (with the bottoms still intact). I'll wait for them to sex out and then immediately transplant the females into the 3x3x3 beds of some blended/amended soil (yet to be determined). I only cut the bottoms of the buckets out just before putting them in the 3x3 boxes. I do this because trying to get the plant out of the 5 gallon bucket is a real challenge and often shocks the shit out of it. By cutting out the bottom of the bucket it's a smoother transition IMO....but yeah the 5 gallon bucket will hinder my veg growth. In the past I have grown some 6 footers in 5 gallon buckets all the way through from veg, flower and harvest. Thanks again folks.
Cheers, beers and weed, yes indeed.

 

[outwest]

Hey Kolah - I'm running Subcool's mix, but I'm indoors. I understand Moonshine Man (now Rare Dankness) has a good recipe. Google Moonshine Man Soil Mix or something like that. Good luck!

outwest

 

[kolah]

Will do, Outwest! thanks!