DIY FF Ocean Forest?

Has anyone ever tried to make homemade "FoxFarm Ocean Forest" soil by just mixing a Primo potting mix with "FF Marine Cuisine". It seems like all the ingredients are "In There".


For everyone back on the "Right Coast" that pays an arm and a leg for FoxFarm soils - it seems this would save mucho pesos! Anyone tried it?

The reason I ask is because I've been working on "Dialing in" my own soil recipe (with a healthy dose of organic nutes) and both FoxFarm's "Marine Cuisine" and "American Pride" dry fertilizers look pretty good for this purpose. Maybe even a mixture of the two!

Come on people! Don't tell me, I'm the only one that ever thought of this.

Any thoughts or opinions?

Your not man alot of people make there own soils.. You have the right idea its all about figuring out that works for you.. FF Soil defiently will put a dent in your wallet making your own super soil will save you $$$ and get 100% organic nuggets..Im still trying to figure out fine

just buy it or go hydro.

damonk420 said:

Your not man alot of people make there own soils.. You have the right idea its all about figuring out that works for you.. FF Soil defiently will put a dent in your wallet making your own super soil will save you $$$ and get 100% organic nuggets..Im still trying to figure out fine

Click to expand...

I used to use all the "Big Name" products, I've got nothing against them - they work just fine! But the more research I did and the more I learned, it became clear that I could make my own for a small fraction of the cost! I've been mixing my own soil for a while now - and I'm rethinking and relearning everything about nutrients, especially organics. I am particularly interested in "Home Brew Organics" made with simple, basic, cheap ingredients.

The whole thought behind my original question is just that you hear "FF Ocean Forest" all the time. As if it were God's gift to growers, maybe it is - Hell, I used to use it myself! But I don't recall ever hearing "FF Marine Cuisine" mentioned by name. They seem to be the same thing (minus the potting soil.)! That's what brought up the idea (especially for people that live "Back East", who pay twice as much for "Ocean Forest" as we do here in Calif.) of just getting "Primo", local (cheap) potting soil and adding a couple Tblspns. of "Marine Cuisine" - Voila "Instant Ocean Forest" (at a reasonable price!).

People who are stuck on brand name soils are thinking they are feeding their plants. In contrast, Master Gardeners care for the ecosystem that the plants thrives in.

A long time ago South Americans living in the Amazon Basin used a combination of charred animal waste and wood to make "terra preta," which means black earth, in Portuguese. This 'recently' discovered soil is so nutrients rich, students in at the University of Georgia, along with companies in Australia have been given grants to make what they're calling "Biochar" -- essentially a back engineered modern equivalent. The ingredients are so basic, that researchers hope this will be adopted in third world countries were food shortages are high.

These South American natives didn't have "Ocean Forest" potting soil. They had dirt, small mammals, paltry, and ash. The bagged stuff is fine to get started, but afterwords, take the time to learn to compost, read about what insects and birds you want to attract, and get good quality seeds.