soil mix questions....

[str8jacket secure]

ok, i'm just gonna list everything i have that i thought would be good to mix in to my soil, i'm not really sure how much of everything i should use exactly, any help is greatly appreciated.
i currently have four youths that i started in plastic cups in a simple hyponex/perlite mix. after a while i transplanted into 8 inch square pots, this may be where i messed up. i mixed about 2 parts hyponex, 1 part perlite, 1 part sphagnum peat, about 2 cups worm castings and about 2 tablespoons bone meal. i was completely unsure of how much bone meal to use, pretty much guessed. none of the plants are doing too good, they all show signs of nuteburn/calcium def. plus alot of heat stress since the temps range from 75-105! plus i do believe my water is a problem... distilled water... i did add a little superthrive and every other watering added molasses for ca. i have ordered some cal-mag plus to fix the water problem. nonetheless, back to my soil, i plan to transplant one more time before flowering time. here's a list of what i have, let me know what you think as far as how many parts of each.

hyponex soil
sphagnum peat moss
bone meal
blood meal
perlite
worm castings
garden (dolomite) lime

str8jacket secure Reviewed by str8jacket secure on 05-17-2008. soil mix questions.... ok, i'm just gonna list everything i have that i thought would be good to mix in to my soil, i'm not really sure how much of everything i should use exactly, any help is greatly appreciated. i currently have four youths that i started in plastic cups in a simple hyponex/perlite mix. after a while i transplanted into 8 inch square pots, this may be where i messed up. i mixed about 2 parts hyponex, 1 part perlite, 1 part sphagnum peat, about 2 cups worm castings and about 2 tablespoons bone Rating: 5

[str8jacket secure]

wow, so many views and nobody has anything to say? no one can help me here? maybe i shouldn't post this in the basic growing forum...... well thanks anyway

[Mr. Clandestine]

I'm not sure how much peat moss your soil contains, but if it's a reasonable amount, you probably won't need to add much more. Also, know the pH of your soil before you add your lime. Depending on how acidic it becomes, you'll have a better idea of how much you need to add.

The blood meal, bone meal, and worm castings should be added conservatively. I once added way too much of all three of those products, and ended up with a foul smelling runoff odor, and a bunch of dead plants. Read what the box says for potted plants, and make sure you don't go overboard with it. You can always add more blood meal and castings as a top dressing later, but you can't take out excess once it's already in the soil. And it WILL kill your plants if you go overboard, so just be careful.

As for the perlite, it's almost always a good idea to have about a 75%/25% soil/perlite mix. Especially when you've added extra peat, which holds moisture really well. The more you add, the more frequently you'll need to water, but at least you'll have the peace of mind knowing that the soil isn't getting waterlogged and possibly suffocating your roots.

Sorry I can't give any specifics, but with organics it's usually a trial & error process. Once you find what works best for you, you'll probably end up sticking with that exact mix for a long time. I have.

Good luck! :jointsmile:

[frostymcfailure]

i would like to do 1 bag ocean forest with 2 bags black gold orchid mix and a coir brick crushed and added or whatever. Iv heard a lot of people talk trash about hyponex soil, good call adding per lite