Soil Mix Help

[Simple]

will be making a mix to suit an outdoor grow that will only be able to be visited every week or two so water is a huge factor.

 

my basic materials are as follows

 

compost

peat moss

vermiculite

sand

water storage crystals

RSW water storage bags

rooster booster fertilser

 

what do you think these ingredients and any suggestions on what ratio?

 

i have read a few bad things about vermiculite drying out the roots? i thought it would retain water and aerate the soil? what is the difference between perlite and vermiculite?

[spaceleaf]

hey bro i'd probably throw a couple of hand fulls of dolomite lime in the mix. this will help stabilize the ph a bit, but what you've got their is fine, mully's like airy soil and deep enough for their roots to get deep enough to try and survive the summer........good luck ......spaceleaf....

[danoz]

australia is plagued with subsoil constraints, namely: sodicity, acidity, compaction, high soil strength. These restrict your plants access to water and nutrient resources found in the top soil only >30cm depth.

 

Lots of people have tried to fix subsoil problems and only recently has some research found anything that resembles an answer. Your lucky at least cause your not affected by the same economical considerations of farmers.

 

If you really wanna make your plant drought tuff you gotta amend the subsoil (if it has a problem, u may be lucky). To do this you need to get organic matter into the subsoil dig it it at a depth of 40 - 90 cm. 20 t/ha of lucerne pellets has done absolute fucking wonders in trials increasing plant available water off the chart. 20 t/ha equates to 200 g/m2 so its perfectly manageable. in the trials dynamic lifter chook poo and other organic amendments were used, interestinly good old plain lucerne did the trick the best and was most economical too.

Given that high clay soil can hold about 350ml/kg without water logging if you prepared a large deep profile you could hold alot of water.

I think if u improved the subsoil one really slow deep watering a week would be more than sufficient. to water the subsoil will take you hours of adding little bits of water.

But remember till the plants are established they will require more frequent small waterings.

i would stick to a chemical fert like thrive to add the to the surface.

 

Another benefit of improve deep soil is that you get vertical root drying. this is where the surface roots are dry and the deep ones have water. This greatly improves water use efficiency of the plant because the dry surface roots stimulate the plant to switch to water saving mode while the deep roots provide water. can incease WUE - by 200%.

 

have fun, good luck digging 40-90cm better take a fucking crow bar oww another thing be careful not to create a "pot of loose soil so that your plant ends up being water logged.

 

oww and one more thing - water heaps not just around your plant, but the whole general area, or else the dry soil around your plant will just conduct your water away.

 

by the way you were talking about in the ground wernt ya ? not pots

Edited November 4, 2008 by danoz

[Frazz]

contary to popular beleif here, i beleive coarse vermiculite is a good choice as an additive in your situation, as it has far greater water holding properties than perlite ever will , i have been using coarse vermiculite in soil mixes and as a growing medium for many years and have never had an adverse reaction or result attributed to the use of vermiculite..

also if i was you i would only use coarse sand in the mix you are preparing ..

 

all the best with them

[shroomyshroom]

I am making the big move to put some of my ladies in the grond as well... kinda feels like im adopting em out to mother nature

 

anyways.. i will be using a coco/soil mix with perlite/water crystals

[Home_Grown]

australia is plagued with subsoil constraints, namely: sodicity, acidity, compaction, high soil strength. These restrict your plants access to water and nutrient resources found in the top soil only >30cm depth.

 

Lots of people have tried to fix subsoil problems and only recently has some research found anything that resembles an answer. Your lucky at least cause your not affected by the same economical considerations of farmers.

 

If you really wanna make your plant drought tuff you gotta amend the subsoil (if it has a problem, u may be lucky). To do this you need to get organic matter into the subsoil dig it it at a depth of 40 - 90 cm. 20 t/ha of lucerne pellets has done absolute fucking wonders in trials increasing plant available water off the chart. 20 t/ha equates to 200 g/m2 so its perfectly manageable. in the trials dynamic lifter chook poo and other organic amendments were used, interestinly good old plain lucerne did the trick the best and was most economical too.

Given that high clay soil can hold about 350ml/kg without water logging if you prepared a large deep profile you could hold alot of water.

I think if u improved the subsoil one really slow deep watering a week would be more than sufficient. to water the subsoil will take you hours of adding little bits of water.

But remember till the plants are established they will require more frequent small waterings.

i would stick to a chemical fert like thrive to add the to the surface.

 

Another benefit of improve deep soil is that you get vertical root drying. this is where the surface roots are dry and the deep ones have water. This greatly improves water use efficiency of the plant because the dry surface roots stimulate the plant to switch to water saving mode while the deep roots provide water. can incease WUE - by 200%.

 

have fun, good luck digging 40-90cm better take a fucking crow bar oww another thing be careful not to create a "pot of loose soil so that your plant ends up being water logged.

 

oww and one more thing - water heaps not just around your plant, but the whole general area, or else the dry soil around your plant will just conduct your water away.

 

by the way you were talking about in the ground wernt ya ? not pots

 

Where did you plagiarize that from?

 

You certainly give alot of advice for a non-grower.

[danoz]

way way way way slow down........... who said i was non-grower? even in those posts that made me so popular i admited i grow and smoke

 

as for plagiarize - nope and very flatterered you suggested this. all the soil jive i talk is from my years invested in soil science, and experience as a consultant. when i get enough to time to scratch myself i really wanna compile a thread something along the lines of "soil science for the bush weed grower"