robert 14617
Well-Known Member
i'll come back later and read the entire thread ,just want to get subbed nice topic...rob
A test in progress.... Miracle Grow soil vs. Fox Farms soil. Is MG really that bad?
- Thread starter jawbrodt
- Start date
bird mcbride
Well-Known Member
mg is a bit hot for pot. Still produced crystal though.
BluffinCali
Well-Known Member
Whenever I dont buy copenhagen I like husky original, but grizzly isnt too bad...to each his own, but nothing beats copenhagen...LOL
jawbrodt
Well-Known Member
^The FF mix I'm using, is actually hotter than the MG. It's not the organic though, it's the potting mix(feeds 3 months, instead of 6, as the organic claim's)
Just gave 'em a foliar feeding, and man, every day, the MG plants are pulling ahead, a little further. It's pretty amazing, because I thought the MG would be barely keeping up, or slightly behind. Wow, it's the FF that is behind.
I'm starting training them tonight, also, because I'm running outta time. I'm already a week behind, and I gotta get those babies into the bloom room, asap. Pics coming tomorrow.
Just gave 'em a foliar feeding, and man, every day, the MG plants are pulling ahead, a little further. It's pretty amazing, because I thought the MG would be barely keeping up, or slightly behind. Wow, it's the FF that is behind.
I'm starting training them tonight, also, because I'm running outta time. I'm already a week behind, and I gotta get those babies into the bloom room, asap. Pics coming tomorrow.
sweetswisher
Active Member
Hey i got a kind of random question I bought 20 lbs of worm castings and theyve just been stored for a couple weeks and I noticed sum black winged bugs in the castings and was wondering if anyone knew a good way to kill the bugs without harming the worm castings thanks
SquishMitten
Active Member
You know you grow when...
Serapis
Well-Known Member
Try this, place the castings in a black trash bag and tie it up tight. Leave it out in the sun for a few days. If that doesn't kill them off, consider making casting teas for foliar spray or to pour into soild for the roots. If you can't kill the bugs, do not add it directly to your soil.
RavenMochi
Well-Known Member
I can't wait to see the pics...this is a trip...TAKE THAT FF!! †LOL† This may end up being one of the most practical valuable studies ever done on rui^The FF mix I'm using, is actually hotter than the MG. It's not the organic though, it's the potting mix(feeds 3 months, instead of 6, as the organic claim's)
Just gave 'em a foliar feeding, and man, every day, the MG plants are pulling ahead, a little further. It's pretty amazing, because I thought the MG would be barely keeping up, or slightly behind. Wow, it's the FF that is behind.
I'm starting training them tonight, also, because I'm running outta time. I'm already a week behind, and I gotta get those babies into the bloom room, asap. Pics coming tomorrow.
As the MG haters gnash their teeth.
Snickelfrits
Active Member
[makes evil devious laugh at the expense of MG haters]
NewClosetGrower
Well-Known Member
lmao...i dont really know which one is "hotter" but i DO know that FFOF stunted the shit out of my plants, being that i started them from seed in it...they didnt grow for shit till about there 3rd week and this being my first grow i thought i was doing something wrong. but now thanks to RIU and i have hours and hours of research under my belt i can say that i will never start seeds or younger clones in ocean forest
NewClosetGrower
Well-Known Member
oh and im using the MG organic Potting mix..the brown bag i think
sweetswisher
Active Member
thanks serapis I'll give that a try I'm about to start a grow in mg moisture control I'll be growing sum aurora indica and some med seeds I got from cali but don't know the strain I'll add sum pics as things progress
Jack in the Bud
Active Member
You've got to look at the Guaranteed Analysis numbers on the bag. Which for the most part will be the N-P-K numbers for the mix (all though they might also show some other trace elements).
Fo instance......the regular, standard MG potting mix (not soil) that says "Feeds 6 months" on the front of the bag has a "guaranteed analysis" of
N- .21%
P- .07%
K- .14%
It also says it contains .10% Iron. But for the purpose of compairing one brand against another to determine how "hot" they are it is only these N-P-K numbers we're concerned with.
The only thing I have on hand right now that I can look at the label of is this standard "MG Potting Mix". So how about some of you other posters here that have some of these other brands that are getting mentioned, look at the label on what it is you have and post the numbers of it for us. I personally am really interested in what the numbers are on this Fox Farm potting mix that's involved in this test this thread was started about. I'd also like to know what the MG "Organic" Potting Mix numbers are. In fact I'd like to see every one give the numbers on what ever product it is they mention (or are currently using) no matter what it is.
This "Jiffy Organic Seed Starting Mix" that I've come to prefer for starting my seeds in and raising my plants in for the first 10-14 days has no "gauranteed analysis" numbers on the bag because it's had nothing extra added nutrient/fertilizer wise (and has so dam little of them naturally that they're not worth mentioning). It's a really "neutral" medium. The bag tells you that it's basically a 50/50 mix of sphagnum peat moss and vermiculite that's had some lime added for ph balance and a wetting agent.
The other good thing about it (that I really like) is that it is really fine and not as course as these mixes that are designed to grow the plant to completion in are. It gives the seedling a little gentler enviroment to sprout in and push up through to the surface.
I'm pretty sure that almost all these other products that are being mentioned here will grow good weed if understood and used correctly. For me the choice to use "MG Potting Mix" (with about 15 to 20% extra perlite/vermiculite added to it) to grow my plants out in is mainly based on it's low cost and ease of obtaining. And I can buy it at places that don't draw any attention to what I'm doing.
Jack
jawbrodt
Well-Known Member
^The Fox Farms Ocean Forest and Happy Frog, don't have the N-P-K ratios stamped on their bag. But, the leaves of the plants are considerably darker in color, which IMO, is a good indicator that the FF is a "hotter" soil. Plus, given all the premium additives they have labeled on their bag, I believe this to be true. No burnt leaf tips, but it looks to be close, riding that fine line.
I've been making a 5 hour round trip, to buy FF soils, because of their so-called "magical properties" and now I'm kicking myself in the ass, knowing the MG is readily available, just about anywhere. Grr....lol I also get a kick out of people thinking .21-.07-.14 can harm their plants. That's approx. 1/20th strength, of our cannabis-specific fert(which have relatively low NPK values), about 1/50th strength of something like Jacks Classic, and 1/100th strength of regular MG fert(the blue granule type). Um,....c'mon people, that's like 20 PPM, or something ridiculous like that. That also applies to MG perlite, which is also harmless. They print those numbers on the bag, for nothing more than provoking sales. Our watering/feeding bottles contain almost that much fert, if we don't rinse them before the next use. 
LOL, j/k, But you see my point? Lots of ferts recommend 50 PPM for seedlings, which is a richer mix than .21-.07-.14, for sure. It's harmless, at all stages of growth. The people at MG wouldn't market something that killed seedlings, or they would soon be out of business, unless they printed it in bold lettering, right on the bag. Think about the massive number of less-skilled gardners who start all their veggies in that stuff. If MG soil was killing, or even burning their babies, there would be tons of pissed-off growers, that would boycott MG, for certain. A scoop of fertile dirt from our yards, would probably be close to .21-.07-.14, of we sent it into a lab for analysis.lol Okay, let the arguements continue..... 
The lights come on in about 7 hours, and I'll take some more pics. Stay tuned......
LOL, I'm actually gnashing mine, a little.
I've been making a 5 hour round trip, to buy FF soils, because of their so-called "magical properties" and now I'm kicking myself in the ass, knowing the MG is readily available, just about anywhere. Grr....lol I also get a kick out of people thinking .21-.07-.14 can harm their plants. That's approx. 1/20th strength, of our cannabis-specific fert(which have relatively low NPK values), about 1/50th strength of something like Jacks Classic, and 1/100th strength of regular MG fert(the blue granule type). Um,....c'mon people, that's like 20 PPM, or something ridiculous like that. That also applies to MG perlite, which is also harmless. They print those numbers on the bag, for nothing more than provoking sales. Our watering/feeding bottles contain almost that much fert, if we don't rinse them before the next use. LOL, j/k, But you see my point? Lots of ferts recommend 50 PPM for seedlings, which is a richer mix than .21-.07-.14, for sure. It's harmless, at all stages of growth. The people at MG wouldn't market something that killed seedlings, or they would soon be out of business, unless they printed it in bold lettering, right on the bag. Think about the massive number of less-skilled gardners who start all their veggies in that stuff. If MG soil was killing, or even burning their babies, there would be tons of pissed-off growers, that would boycott MG, for certain. A scoop of fertile dirt from our yards, would probably be close to .21-.07-.14, of we sent it into a lab for analysis.lol Okay, let the arguements continue..... The lights come on in about 7 hours, and I'll take some more pics. Stay tuned......
Jack in the Bud
Active Member
jawbrodt,^The Fox Farms Ocean Forest and Happy Frog, don't have the N-P-K ratios stamped on their bag. But, the leaves of the plants are considerably darker in color, which IMO, is a good indicator that the FF is a "hotter" soil. Plus, given all the premium additives they have labeled on their bag, I believe this to be true. No burnt leaf tips, but it looks to be close, riding that fine line.
LOL, I'm actually gnashing mine, a little.
The lights come on in about 7 hours, and I'll take some more pics. Stay tuned......
The fact that FoxFarms won't put the NPK numbers on their Ocean Forest and Happy Frog products just pisses me off. I guarnatee you they know what they are because of the lab testing they've surely done. They're probably just hiding the fact that they're not all that different from the MG potting mix.
If you wouldn't mind could you tell me what the FFOF does say as far as indgredients are concerned.
The MG potting mix bag says..."Ingedients ...regionally formulated with forest products compost, sphagnum peat moss, perlite, a wetting agent and fertilizer (see below). And then it gives those NPK numbers we're talking about.
I agree with you about that "dark green" leaf color. It's a sign that the plant is getting "borderline" and in the very begining stages of being over ferted (especially with Nitrogen).
You know if the MG only had an initial starting out point of (.21-.07-.14) and didn't contain those time release pellets that keep replenishing those things as time goes by, a growing plant would deplete those things fairly quickly and require additional fertilizing sooner. I think where a lot of people get into trouble with over fertilizing when growing in MG is that they're not taking into account the time release nature of what's already in there.
Jack
sweetswisher
Active Member
whats that supposed to mean squishmitten?
johnkeyber
Member
This is my first plant its grown under CFL (five lights) whats wrong with it?
Jack in the Bud
Active Member
john,
It's burnt. It's had to much to soon (and it probably hasn't been watered correctly either).
Jack
jawbrodt
Well-Known Member
Agreed. Also, he should start a new thread, because alot more guys would see it. You'll get alot more help,that way.
