What is the best mix?

AdiiTaff said:

hey im lookin to find a good soil mix so i dont have to add any nutes during the plants life. im aware that il have to transplant a few times but that doesn't bother me, im just not good with feeding times. if anyone can help it will be much appreciated peace.

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Total Head said:

last year i got the same idea because i got sick of the whole grind of mixing nutes and keeping track of feeding and salt buildup and all the bullshit. super soil has too many ingredients and i don't have room for all that crap. i started with the products from the grow store and little by little i replaced things with items i could get at any old nursery or big box store, i added this, then that, and i now have a real nice mix going.

there are a variety of products that do similar things, so just because you can't get brand xyz doesn't mean you are cheating yourself. i'll lay out my basic mix to give you an idea.

high quality organic potting soil (i use gardner's gold, but there are several reputable brands at any nursery)
worm castings (this i get at the grow store, only because it's hard to find around here. most areas have it in ample supply)
5-5-5 granular organic fertilizer (i've been using happy frog from the grow store, but other brands will work as well. i plan on trying the plant-tone line when i run out. the npk is negotiable, but i prefer a balanced npk. if anything i'll probably bump it up to a 7-7-7 or 10-10-10)
some kind of dry micro-bug stuff (i use plant success granular, but again, there are other brands. the stuff i use also adds a bit to the npk balance)
azomite (ground up rock from some mine out west, contains all sorts of micro nutes and minerals. really boosted my mix.)
perlite (i would avoid the kind that has plant food in it)
dolomite lime (pulverized/powdered, fine mesh lime. don't bother with agricultural lime or other lime in chunks because it will never break down in time to be of use to you.)

and that's it. to be clear, this is for plants with an established root mass. i wouldn't start a seed or clone in this mix, but it takes a lot of the hassle out of keeping the plants healthy. toward mid-late flower i might hit it with a dose of fish fert and a handful of the 5-5-5 scratched into the surface when she starts to look hungry.

just start out small and each grow add or subtract an ingredient until you get the results you want. you'll have to play with ratios to suit your strains and style. worry less about the brands and more about what's actually in the products and just copy everyone else's mix the best you can. it's what i did at first and it worked out swell for me.

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AdiiTaff said:

Will miracle gro all purpose compost be ok to grow autoflowers in ? using No nutes what so ever. would it be ok for the plants entire life?

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goodro wilson said:

I've done Subcools super soil and after experimenting got the same results with this mix
Ff Ocean forest in bottom third(in 7 gallon)
Mixed with haPpy frog fruit and flower
Then 2parts happy frog soil 1 part ocean forest one part perlite

Ran side by side next to Subcools ss by the book same strain same everything and got slightly better results with my mix
Did a lot of reading and tried ss msm a perlite/spa gum mix and a few others
I like this one Bc it's straight outta the bag
Very little mixing and no cook time cost me less to make too

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