couple of noob soil questions

[Hotbox]

Hi all just a noob question,

Im planning on using searles seed raising mix to begin my plants, and then will be transplanting them into holes with yearles premium potting mix and some perlite. I am planning on using a bit less than half of the original soil in the holes. The original soil really isn't that great, quite dry and sandy.

My questions are:

How long is the seed raising mixture suitable to grow the seedlings in until transplanting them to the holes? i was thinking 2 - 4 weeks?

What's a good ratio to mix the perlite and soil? 1:4?

Any suggestions for potting soil besides yearles premium potting mix..? personally i think this sounds good.

Will this mix be sufficient with the original soil? or should I use less original soil, say like a quarter.

Cheers

[brick]

Hi all just a noob question,

Im planning on using searles seed raising mix to begin my plants, and then will be transplanting them into holes with yearles premium potting mix and some perlite. I am planning on using a bit less than half of the original soil in the holes. The original soil really isn't that great, quite dry and sandy.

My questions are:

How long is the seed raising mixture suitable to grow the seedlings in until transplanting them to the holes? i was thinking 2 - 4 weeks?

What's a good ratio to mix the perlite and soil? 1:4?

Any suggestions for potting soil besides yearles premium potting mix..? personally i think this sounds good.

Will this mix be sufficient with the original soil? or should I use less original soil, say like a quarter.

Cheers

 

Don't use back yard soil in pots unless you can sterilize it, that means cooking it in your oven to kill all the nasties. If you are going straight into the garden then may I suggest you buy a couple of bags of blood and bone and mix with your garden dirt. Sounds like your soil could be a good draining soil, so you may not have to use perlite.

[Hotbox]

thanks for the reply mate

i am doing a guerilla grow with holes, so i will not be using pots. I will line the holes with plastic garbage bags though.

The potting mix im planning on getting is Searles not Yearles haha and it contains this:

• Contains Searles Water Crystals.

• Contains Searles Robust® Controlled Release Fertiliser.

• Contains Searles Penetraide® Re-Wetting Granules.

• Contains Zeolite plus added Trace Elements and Minerals.

• Contains Peat Moss plus Real Organic Compost.

So are you saying it should be sweet if i include some blood and bone in there, maybe some perlite if needed, and mix half of it with the original soil.

Has anybody had experience with seed raising mixtures.. im a bit wary as it contains nutrients but i guess these will be nutrients for the seedling part of growth. is that nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium?

[brick]

thanks for the reply mate

i am doing a guerilla grow with holes, so i will not be using pots. I will line the holes with plastic garbage bags though.

The potting mix im planning on getting is Searles not Yearles haha and it contains this:

• Contains Searles Water Crystals.

• Contains Searles Robust® Controlled Release Fertiliser.

• Contains Searles Penetraide® Re-Wetting Granules.

• Contains Zeolite plus added Trace Elements and Minerals.

• Contains Peat Moss plus Real Organic Compost.

So are you saying it should be sweet if i include some blood and bone in there, maybe some perlite if needed, and mix half of it with the original soil.

Has anybody had experience with seed raising mixtures.. im a bit wary as it contains nutrients but i guess these will be nutrients for the seedling part of growth. is that nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium?

 

 

Yep and maybe some of that wetting agent that retains moisture if your soil in sandy and dry. If it is sandy, loamy soil then you should have no problems. Never used seed raising mix so I cant give advice on it, I usually start mine in those jiffy peat pots and then straight into my pots of potting mix. Then I just dig a big hole in my back yard throw in worm castings then transplant from the pots when they are nearly root bound and back fill with the soil I have dug out. . I use perlite in the pots and throw some in the bottom of the hole as my soil is more clay than sandy.

ps I would leave the garbage bags out of the holes, the more the roots can spread out the better off the plant will be.

[dsyfer]

When I was doing dirt, my plants always loved Dynamic Lifter potting mix, it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of some mixes eg: slow releases, water crystals etc. That is mainly why I liked it, Dynamic Lifter is basically chook shit, so it is a natural fert. I used to mix 60/40 potting mix and course perlite.

[Hotbox]

Yeah i see where you are coming from dsyfer, keeping it simple could be the better way.

i got another question

if i were to dig a 3x3x2 foot hole.. how many litres of soil would it approximately hold..? so i know about how many bags to purchase. i chose 3x3x2 because i read MJs roots like to grow out wider than deeper

[MongyMan]

1ft = . 300 roughly so, 900 x .900 x .600 = 0.486 so you would need 486ltrs on paper to fill the hole. So say 500ltrs

 

Peace MongyMan

[Hotbox]

Shit that's alot!

thanks dudes... think i might just do 2x2x2ft

Edited August 28, 2009 by Hotbox