Easy As Hydrophobic out of the bag

[VinDeezle]

Tbh Ive tried a bunch of $40-60 bags (25L) of living soil and despite all the claims of water only on most of the bags, always end up needing added teas, aminos, enzymes and most of the time top dress amendments to get through a run without significant yellowing around week 8-10. Especially in the smaller pots I'm using most of the time (8-20L).

I've been running a $15 bagged mix and 8-9 weeks in on tap water in a 15L pot. Getting better results than any of the Boutique living soils Ive tried when it comes to simplicity and longevity with straight water.


Living soils can and should be quite cheap and simple. Peat, compost and castings cut with rock dust and 4-4-4 organic meals (4 cups palagonite, 1 cup gypsum and 1 cup of nurture all 4-4-4 in 50L medium) got me just as far as most of these expensive living soils at a fraction of the cost.

Call me a cheap cunt any day lol. Last lot of plants were in 5L pots and got to harvest on tap water. Just Coco, castings and perlite with a tsp of 8-12-16.

But then again I only grow 70cm plants so they aren't pulling much out the mix compared to what most serious growers put out..

 

[Green Genius]

Is that the list for the 3kg rock dust?
2.5% per what?

Yeah thats what come in the Stone Age. 2.5% of total soil volume is whats needed for reamending. ie 100L of soil you need 2.5L of Stone Age.

 

[itchybro]

many opinions

really the main part of a good soil mix imo is the compost / castings used , prefer a well made compost over castings because the compost will be turned into castings over time , save the castings for top dressing &/or making compost extracts
going with the original coots mix is pretty much all you need & all i needed imo

1/3 of each , compost , peat & aeration = scoria but you could use a few things as aeration , i used scoria
per cubic foot of the 3 parts above
1/2 cup neem meal
" kelp meal
" crab shell or crustacean meal
" malted barley powder
" gypsum
1 cup oyster shell flour
5 cups rock dust ( basalt rock dust )
7 cups biochar ( activated with fish hydrolysate )

def need to be in larger pots , minimum 15 gallon but bigger the better , also keep in mind if you look after this larger volume of soil you will continue to use it with top dressing / re-amending through & after grows are complete

the biggest issue with these type of living soil mixes isn't the fact they will or won't last the distance it's in most cases inconsistent watering , yellowing leaves through flower especially in larger pots ( allot more common in smaller pots ) can almost always be put down to watering consistency = too much or not enough

if your unsure on watering practices i would recommend using a blumat system & take the "when to water" out of the equation , leave the plants in control of water requirements & leave the grower in charge of making sure the water supply is uninterrupted & top dresses are applied before flower begins , indoor & outdoor might require different top dresses but watering wise a blumat system will cover both

 

[Green Genius]

many opinions

really the main part of a good soil mix imo is the compost / castings used , prefer a well made compost over castings because the compost will be turned into castings over time , save the castings for top dressing &/or making compost extracts
going with the original coots mix is pretty much all you need & all i needed imo

1/3 of each , compost , peat & aeration = scoria but you could use a few things as aeration , i used scoria
per cubic foot of the 3 parts above
1/2 cup neem meal
" kelp meal
" crab shell or crustacean meal
" malted barley powder
" gypsum
1 cup oyster shell flour
5 cups rock dust ( basalt rock dust )
7 cups biochar ( activated with fish hydrolysate )

def need to be in larger pots , minimum 15 gallon but bigger the better , also keep in mind if you look after this larger volume of soil you will continue to use it with top dressing / re-amending through & after grows are complete

the biggest issue with these type of living soil mixes isn't the fact they will or won't last the distance it's in most cases inconsistent watering , yellowing leaves through flower especially in larger pots ( allot more common in smaller pots ) can almost always be put down to watering consistency = too much or not enough

if your unsure on watering practices i would recommend using a blumat system & take the "when to water" out of the equation , leave the plants in control of water requirements & leave the grower in charge of making sure the water supply is uninterrupted & top dresses are applied before flower begins , indoor & outdoor might require different top dresses but watering wise a blumat system will cover both

Come see us for the Blusoak (runs off Blumat) goodness.

 

[MM2K6]

View attachment 60025

All I can say is what I was taught at TSE from a respected member. Peat with boiling water to expand and kill any shit in the peat, Bunnings peat no added fertilizers (important don't want to fuck up nutrient) need a clean medium..after that mix in bunning perlite, pot it up and the flush with water till it runs clear (no colors coming out flush really well)

I have found this the best and cheapest way. my plant look great. My nutrient cost $87 5lt same for grow and bud so just on nute. Super thrived small amount and bud builder.

I have tried all mediums and this works best for me, cheap good medium not expensive, cheaper than dirt..

Some things are over rated and hyped too much, but is it really better?

 

[Green Genius]

Some things are over rated and hyped too much, but is it really better?

Better is the most subjective term there is. After a few short years in the retail space I have learnt what's "best" is almost entirely dependant on the individual.

Money / Time / Space all incredibly important variables

 

[itchybro]

All I can say is what I was taught at TSE from a respected member. Peat with boiling water to expand and kill any shit in the peat, Bunnings peat no added fertilizers (important don't want to fuck up nutrient) need a clean medium..after that mix in bunning perlite, pot it up and the flush with water till it runs clear (no colors coming out flush really well)

I have found this the best and cheapest way. my plant look great. My nutrient cost $87 5lt same for grow and bud so just on nute. Super thrived small amount and bud builder.

I have tried all mediums and this works best for me, cheap good medium not expensive, cheaper than dirt..

Some things are over rated and hyped too much, but is it really better?

sounds like you might be talking about Coco Peat while living soils use mostly Peat Moss , 2 different things

you might have tried all mediums but that doesn't mean you did justice to all mediums , usually people change methods because the previous method was under whelming to them = was that the fault of the method or tools used with in a method or the errors the grower made using a method , some people take many grows to feel they know what they are doing with in the style they've chosen , at the same time some people try a style once & move on

Agree with GG " Best " is very subjective but main thing is if your happy with your method choice then enjoy the fruits of your labour bro

 

[MM2K6]

sounds like you might be talking about Coco Peat while living soils use mostly Peat Moss , 2 different things

you might have tried all mediums but that doesn't mean you did justice to all mediums , usually people change methods because the previous method was under whelming to them = was that the fault of the method or tools used with in a method or the errors the grower made using a method , some people take many grows to feel they know what they are doing with in the style they've chosen , at the same time some people try a style once & move on

Agree with GG " Best " is very subjective but main thing is if your happy with your method choice then enjoy the fruits of your labour bro

I'm just tight and with mediums, bang for buck works best for me, that living soils are to expensive for me, that's all. I totally understand what your saying and your right

 

[Old fox]

All I can say is what I was taught at TSE from a respected member. Peat with boiling water to expand and kill any shit in the peat, Bunnings peat no added fertilizers (important don't want to fuck up nutrient) need a clean medium..after that mix in bunning perlite, pot it up and the flush with water till it runs clear (no colors coming out flush really well)

I have found this the best and cheapest way. my plant look great. My nutrient cost $87 5lt same for grow and bud so just on nute. Super thrived small amount and bud builder.

I have tried all mediums and this works best for me, cheap good medium not expensive, cheaper than dirt..

Some things are over rated and hyped too much, but is it really better?

Perlite is expensive at Bunnings as they only stock small bag quantities.

Concrete supplies often sell cheap 100litre bags of perlite, otherwise most hydro shops do 100 litre bags for around $50. I prefer the coarse perlite, as it doesn't " fly away" unlike the fine perlite.

 

[MM2K6]

I get this one no hydro shop here!

Brunnings 25L Perlite

Find Brunnings 25L Perlite at Bunnings. Visit your local store for the widest range of products.

www.bunnings.com.au

 

[MM2K6]

Perlite is expensive at Bunnings as they only stock small bag quantities.

Concrete supplies often sell cheap 100litre bags of perlite, otherwise most hydro shops do 100 litre bags for around $50. I prefer the coarse perlite, as it doesn't " fly away" unlike the fine perlite.

Ah I'll ask my old work place from 13 years ago in town I did there I.T for 10 year over 4 states, I know the boss! fuck yeah thanks for the tip bro! they make concrete walls and foundations

 

[Hudo]

Coco suits my growing style lately because I'm away alot, DWC is my favourite but soil has been my new fav to start seeds off, when I get time I might cook up another coots

 

[Green Genius]

was that the fault of the method or tools used with in a method or the errors the grower made using a method , some people take many grows to feel they know what they are doing with in the style they've chosen , at the same time some people try a style once & move on

this. I've got customers who hate on DWC but I have to stress the most amazing grows I have ever seen are DWC ones. You just have to be 100% dialled in 100% of the time.

My main advice nowadays is look around for someone who is doing it the way you want to / are able to and copy them until you get the hang of it. Much easier if you have some walking you through it even if they dont know it.

 

[Goonie Goat]

Ah I'll ask my old work place from 13 years ago in town I did there I.T for 10 year over 4 states, I know the boss! fuck yeah thanks for the tip bro! they make concrete walls and foundations

You can get 100L bags of perlite from ebay around $50-$60 with delivery.
As old fox said, get the coarse grade stuff.

Enfield produce sells 70L bricks of coco for $15, you can get about 4 bricks with and $15 for delivery with aramex which works out to be cheaper than bunnings

 

[MM2K6]

You can get 100L bags of perlite from ebay around $50-$60 with delivery.
As old fox said, get the coarse grade stuff.

Enfield produce sells 70L bricks of coco for $15, you can get about 4 bricks with and $15 for delivery with aramex which works out to be cheaper than bunnings

Great advice thanks mate

 

[Hudo]

Would this be any good to put in a soil mix, it's spent mushroom Mycelium in coco with Trichoderma ?

 

[MM2K6]

Would this be any good to put in a soil mix, it's spent mushroom Mycelium in coco with Trichoderma ?View attachment 60190

Holly crap! I've gotta watch this. Interesting

 

[Goonie Goat]

Would this be any good to put in a soil mix, it's spent mushroom Mycelium in coco with Trichoderma ?View attachment 60190

Trichoderma is great for plants apparently. I would just worry about it spreading to your mushroom grows

 

[Green Genius]

Would this be any good to put in a soil mix, it's spent mushroom Mycelium in coco with Trichoderma ?View attachment 60190

Yes, its amazing. Like anything in balance. Trichoderma is pathogenic to multiple fungi strains incl Pm and Botrytis. Need to add a mycorrhizae to the amended soil. Those two work like ying and yang in the soil food web.

 

[itchybro]

Would this be any good to put in a soil mix, it's spent mushroom Mycelium in coco with Trichoderma ?View attachment 60190

yeah i'd use it in a soil mix or even run it through a worm bin , maybe both
how much is there ?