Fox Farms Ocean Forest

I mentioned in a thread that FFOF was not organic due to them using synthetic urea. This could be misinformation, and I want to set the record straight.

I got this info from a Fox Farm rep that was at an event that I attended a while back here in Michigan. I asked him why their soils are not OMRI listed and that was the response that I got. Synthetic urea. An e-mail was sent to Fox Farms (from another member) and this was the response given....

"Greetings xxxx,

Thanks for contacting FoxFarm regarding Ocean Forest potting soil, I’d be happy to help!


Ocean Forest does not contain urea.


Ocean Forest contains composted forest humus, sphagnum peat moss, pacific northwest fish emulsion, crab meal, shrimp meal, earthworm castings, sandy loam, perlite, fossilized bat guano, granite dust, Norwegian kelp meal, and oyster shell.


Due to the lack of cohesion between state certification, OMRI, and the USDA, we have chosen not to pay for organic certification at this time.


Please rest assured that we take pride in providing the highest quality ingredients derived from organic and natural sources to ensure optimal results that you and your plants will appreciate.


Organic is defined as “of, relating to, or derived from living matter” i.e. carbon based. The term organic is under great scrutiny due to misuse. For example our Ocean Forest potting soil contains granite dust which is silica based, and although it is completely natural, it is not technically organic. This is why we label our products as Smart Naturals, as we do utilize some mineral salt based fertilizers. I hope this helps. Please do not hesitate to get back to us for any further clarification.


Thanks again xxxx for considering FoxFarm, please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns.


Happy gardening!


Max Martin

Technical Support

Fox Farm Soil and Fertilizer

(707) 443-4369

[email protected]"


I guess this info should be taken at face value, but I still find it kind of odd that a company as large as Fox Farm has decided against paying for certification. Either way, just wanted to post this up so as not to spread any bad info.

iv only had good results with ffof. did get gnats but those a breeze to kill....

Smart naturals is the best definition of what they are doing,and if they was to go with paying for a certificate,then they would have to change the ingredients they use..

It's just to many people,using the word organic in the wrong way(usda,omri,ect)

u fuck around with lab aem1 and fpe's @stowandgrow

greenghost420 said:

u fuck around with lab aem1 and fpe's @stowandgrow

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I've made FPE's before, but never made/used EM-1. Pretty simple process from what I understand.

u use lab for fpe? sorry not trying to jack the thread.....

greenghost420 said:

u use lab for fpe? sorry not trying to jack the thread.....

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Nope. I collected all the dandelions I could find in and around my yard. Put them in a 50 gallon trash can, and filled the can up with enough water to cover the dandelions. I placed the lid on the trash can and poked a few holes in it. I stirred the mixture every day or two, until it stopped bubbling. I believe it was 10 days total. I then strained the plant material out, and diluted the FPE 20:1 and applied as a soil drench.

st0wandgrow said:

Nope. I collected all the dandelions I could find in and around my yard. Put them in a 50 gallon trash can, and filled the can up with enough water to cover the dandelions. I placed the lid on the trash can and poked a few holes in it. I stirred the mixture every day or two, until it stopped bubbling. I believe it was 10 days total. I then strained the plant material out, and diluted the FPE 20:1 and applied as a soil drench.

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nice, i got dandelions everywhere. good shit thanks...

Ocean Forrest has always worked for me. Cut with perlite is best.

The ingredients are on the back of the bag.
Nothing wrong with FF OF. It works well for many plants. Just add your own mix into it to make it how you like. It's a good starting point that just needs a little personal tuning to suit your needs.

Any bag of soil you buy is shipped on pallets and tends to be compressed. Always break it up and reconstitute the materials. Never go straight from the bag without some type of prep.