Is soil easier?

Boreal Curing

Boreal Curing

Well-Known Member
My days of babysitting a finicky cat are over. I don't enter my buds in competitions, and I want to do the least amount of work possible, but still pull of something nice. Sure, it's not "dialed in", but I don't really care that I'm not maxing out my plant. Trying that hard just gives me grief.

So I make soil that has everything it needs except water.
Here's a DIY video.
 
Alter Jean

Alter Jean

Well-Known Member
Boreal Curing said:
My days of babysitting a finicky cat are over. I don't enter my buds in competitions, and I want to do the least amount of work possible, but still pull of something nice. Sure, it's not "dialed in", but I don't really care that I'm not maxing out my plant. Trying that hard just gives me grief.

So I make soil that has everything it needs except water.
Here's a DIY video.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the video link. Also the Salt Water hack the other day... Went and did it. Will let you know how it goes.

Boreal is the truth :blsmoke:

I can't answer the thread because they are all very similar to a prepared grower.
 
xtsho

xtsho

Well-Known Member
ebcrew said:
I tried the organic soil route, fox farm and making my own it was a disaster. Coco is much easier for me.
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I've been making my own soil and fertilizers e.g. FPJ, SST, etc... my last couple of runs and I've been getting my ass kicked. Plants look great and do fine for awhile until the dreaded midflower. But It's getting better and I'll have it perfected in another few grows I hope.

Wizzlebiz said:
Im a soil grower.

This year I turned away from bottled nutes and went with dr earth dry ammendments.

Easiest thing i can think of.

Mix a cup per 10 gallons of soil into the top 1 inch of soil and water with the hose.

Dont have to worry about adding nutes for a month after doing that. Water once every 3 days or so.

My issue with coco is having to water daily. I just dont have the time nor patience for it.
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Watering daily sucks. Once I went to blumats with coco I didn't have anything to do. No more worrying about runoff or daily hand watering. Just keep nutrient solution in the reservoir. I'd go 3 days without even opening up the tent. It's pretty simple. As long as you feed properly and keep the coco damp you don't need to do anything else.
 
Boreal Curing

Boreal Curing

Well-Known Member
xtsho said:
I've been making my own soil and fertilizers e.g. FPJ, SST, etc... my last couple of runs and I've been getting my ass kicked. Plants look great and do fine for awhile until the dreaded midflower. But It's getting better and I'll have it perfected in another few grows I hope.
Click to expand...
When you make your soil, make a small batch of a hot top dressing for bloom time. That'll fix running out of soil food at a time when you need it most.
 
R

rmax

Well-Known Member
W81 said:
Is this a little easier to control, grow in? More consistent? I appreciate any opinions.
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Soil can be temperamental, Plants are slow to react in soil.

As example if you over-fert you won't know until a day or two has passed since the over-fert.. Then when you deploy corrective measures to counteract the over-fert you won't know if that's working until a few days have passed. Meanwhile if you are watering to run-off then a week of soaked root zones has passed. Plants now losing their minds to stress.

I think with hydro if you do something wrong the plants will notify you much faster.
 
Alter Jean

Alter Jean

Well-Known Member
rmax said:
Soil can be temperamental, Plants are slow to react in soil.

As example if you over-fert you won't know until a day or two has passed since the over-fert.. Then when you deploy corrective measures to counteract the over-fert you won't know if that's working until a few days have passed. Meanwhile if you are watering to run-off then a week of soaked root zones has passed. Plants now losing their minds to stress.

I think with hydro if you do something wrong the plants will notify you much faster.
Click to expand...
+1
 
myke

myke

Well-Known Member
Easiest way hands down is if in a cool bsmt ,two totes with a hose in between, small water and air pump.Can go away for 4 days without top ups.
Second to rdwc is SIPs,IVe learned that perfect watering is a pretty good deal.
 
Star Dog

Star Dog

Well-Known Member
I think if you stick to a few guidelines with coco your hard pushed to get it wrong, I'm not dirt fan tbh my 1st memorable results were hydro.
 
Alter Jean

Alter Jean

Well-Known Member
myke said:
Easiest way hands down is if in a cool bsmt ,two totes with a hose in between, small water and air pump.Can go away for 4 days without top ups.
Second to rdwc is SIPs,IVe learned that perfect watering is a pretty good deal.
Click to expand...
I recently did an experiment with a SIP. They are badass. I am doing all SIPS since then.

Modified SIP I suppose. Brief look: Since Sunflower taproot are supposed to reach 4 feet downward I was curious if a COCO sip (prevent bondage) I would be able to maintain, get the bloom and manage salts. It worked but I'm going to try a better version next year. Now I am trying to make smaller beds of sips but individual containers. Shoot me a PM if you want to see I don't want to clog the thread.... You got me fired up with the SIPS

They are nearly a passive hydro system. LMAO that's funny. I didn't even think about sips but I be running them.
 
xtsho

xtsho

Well-Known Member
Boreal Curing said:
When you make your soil, make a small batch of a hot top dressing for bloom time. That'll fix running out of soil food at a time when you need it most.
Click to expand...
My issue is I jumped into the pool only being able to do the dog paddle. I'm trying to reuse soil and make my own fertilizer. My goal is to grow using KNF and JADAM methods. But I'm not as versed in the various properties of using different plants, seeds, etc... for making fertilizers containing the proper nutrients. My goal is to reuse my soil and make fertilizer out of stuff in my yard with the occasional purchase of rice hulls for aeration and a couple other things needed to make everything myself like brown sugar for fpj and IMO. Vinegar for WCA, WCP, etc...

I'll figure it out soon and will 100% cut the ties from commercial products.
 
B

Brellan217

Member
W81 said:
So I have been thinking about switching to soil. Is this a little easier to control, grow in? More consistent? I appreciate any opinions.
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I am not as experienced as others, but I’m not having trouble growing in soil. I’m using Happy Frog and a super soil. No need for nutrients at all, just water. It’s been super easy so far. I amazingly haven’t killed my plants and I only have 6 or 7 weeks to my first harvest. I’ve been so bad at growing anything my entire life that I didn’t think I’d even get this far. So I would say Soil is pretty easy, especially with this super soil mixture.
 
Lockedin

Lockedin

Well-Known Member
Alter Jean said:
Not so sure I would take this guys advice LMAO

Amendments are nutrients.
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Of course amendments are nutrients - never said they aren't. Just a different delivery method.

Was referring specifically to growing with FFOF - a highly amended soil - only. -- That accounted for two of the six plants I grew.
I learned what the soil does all by itself, before I began thinking I needed to dump a few bottles worth of advertising and bro-science on my plants.

My current grow runs nutrients based on my knowledge that FFOF is already chock-full-o-nutes and doesn't need much help - something I would not know if I had not grown with FFOF and water only.

I have that first grow linked in my sig - plenty of successes and mistakes that others can learn from
My current grow is also in my sig

Where's yours? ;)
 
Alter Jean

Alter Jean

Well-Known Member
Brellan217 said:
I am not as experienced as others, but I’m not having trouble growing in soil. I’m using Happy Frog and a super soil. No need for nutrients at all, just water. It’s been super easy so far. I amazingly haven’t killed my plants and I only have 6 or 7 weeks to my first harvest. I’ve been so bad at growing anything my entire life that I didn’t think I’d even get this far. So I would say Soil is pretty easy, especially with this super soil mixture.
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Out of all of the FF products I have to say Happy Frog is one I will not knock at.
I will grab a bag and cut it with coco every once in a while for a quick one. It's a really a good soil.
 
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Soul Dwella

Soul Dwella

Well-Known Member
GrassBurner said:
Sips and Dr Earth dry ammendments. I mix in ammendments with the soil in a tote before putting it in the sip. Then when I flip, I top dress and scratch in the dry ammendments again. Other than that, it's just filling up the reservoirs with water every couple of days. There is a solid few hours of work in between cycles cleaning the sip and reammending the soil, but its cruise control after that :blsmoke:
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do you top water after top dressing?
 
Wizzlebiz

Wizzlebiz

Well-Known Member
xtsho said:
I've been making my own soil and fertilizers e.g. FPJ, SST, etc... my last couple of runs and I've been getting my ass kicked. Plants look great and do fine for awhile until the dreaded midflower. But It's getting better and I'll have it perfected in another few grows I hope.



Watering daily sucks. Once I went to blumats with coco I didn't have anything to do. No more worrying about runoff or daily hand watering. Just keep nutrient solution in the reservoir. I'd go 3 days without even opening up the tent. It's pretty simple. As long as you feed properly and keep the coco damp you don't need to do anything else.
Click to expand...
Question for ya on that. Can I use the bluematts with my outdoor plants? Or I should say would you advise it?

If so I would consider trying some coco
 
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