Foxfarm Original Planting Mix in containers (indoors)?

Lurker here for some time now - You guys are amazing!! Long time grower of herb & may other plants - actively growing MJ from start to finish for many years - online at OG for years. When I started growing again, after a a few years hiatus (translation=divorce), OG was gone & my info searches rapidly lead me here. RIU is my new OG!!! Now, I just don't bother with the other sites - 999/1000, the answer is already here. Often, some non-searching noob has also ASKED the question at lest 888 times, lol! Kudos to you all, with special affection for the assistance of subcool, fdd & ludacris

Currently, my role in the process is mother plant lover, genetics repository & clone producer - I do love science! My babies leave the nursery at a very young age. They go to a new home & grow up in a hydroponic environment, all indoors. Hence, my questions concerning soil are related to seedlings and mother plants in particular (all soil grown).

I know MG is a bad word here, but have worked with MG mix for years - not extended release, but the organic mix. The price was right & even WM has it! Seedlings got Jiffy Mix & perlite. For my plants, I'd mix MG organic mix with some blood & bone meal, perlite, & a bit of Dt earth (gnat prob in the past, this & an occasional cedar oil spray controls them). Only problem for me with this mix is that they occasionally get a bit hungry for some Mg - some Epsom salts in plain water feeds their hunger (usually taken care of before any severe hunger pains are expressed)..

We have recently changed over to FF soil products, at the request of my new - uh - sponsor. Happy we are able to provide my ladies with what I *know* from readings & research is a most excellent line of products. One of my current projects is growing out some new genetics. These seedlings are about a month old now & are currently in Dixie cups in FF Light Warrior (LW), trimmed a few lower leaves (cotyledons & single blades) & topped for the 1st time a couple of days ago in prep for mother training (sexing is a whole nother post). I am transplanting into a larger pot in the next day or two, I waited a bit to transplant to allow a little recovery time from the topping & trimming b4 transplanting.

Keep in mind that these are eventual mother plants, not plants that will grow buds & die, so I think that subcool's Super Soil mix (I understand it only goes in the bottom & may play with this idea some - our focus is different) is going to be too hot for my methods, which focus on slowly growing & training mother plants long term. (off-topic, I suppose, see below for apology)

As I understand, from research here & on the FF website, the FF mix I should use next as a base for these seedlings is FF Ocean Forest (OF), *perhaps* with some LW &/or perlite mixed in to loosen it up a bit. However, I was provided with FF Original Planting Mix (OPM), which I understand is truly for outdoor use. I believe it is designed to be mixed with additional native soil for outdoor gardens & raised beds. The purchaser was told by the salesman to mix about 25% perlite / 75% OPM and it would be just fine -I think because there was no OF in stock at the time & neither the purchaser nor the seller is a dirt farmer, . Is the OPM cheaper (haven't looked)?

At any rate, at this point, I have the OPM to work with. Whats the functional difference between OF & OPM? Is OPM going to be hot (nutrient content to high) for container gardening as is? I am pretty sure I should give it some perlite to loosen it up. Should I "dilute" the OPM mix with my leftover LW? Is it even possible to work with OPM indoors in containers? Future purchases *will* be the OF mix, but I have to work with OPM this time..... or hit up the local big box for some MG! <grins>

Thanks for all the wonderful assistance I have received here & thanks in advance for any help &/or advice concerning my current questions. And please excuse the wordy post - I can't stop typing once the words start to flow!

That being said - I am going to go sample some of the fruits of my labor & go play in the garden.

Be back soon - thanks again!

I have since learned that the seller indicated that the OF would be too hot for my moms, more than what they need. Hence, the reason the purchaser decided to go with the OPM. With no NPK ratios reported by the company, I have no way of knowing the difference between them without relying on the experience of you guys.

FYI: Though it was reportedly not a factor in the decision to go with OPM rather than OF, the store did happen to be out of OF at the time.

Sales or reality? That is the ultimate question.....

dirtygirl said:

With no NPK ratios reported by the company, I have no way of knowing the difference between them without relying on the experience of you guys.

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This is why many growers will reccomend creating a mix yourself using potting soils containing little or no fertilizer. If you add all of the fertilizers yourself, you know exactly what's in your soil.

Makes sense. My MG mix has served me well in the past while on a shoestring budget. I like having the nutrients available to my moms right there in the soil where they need them, with an occasional liquid boost as needed.

I don't really have a choice in the soil base (FF OPM) at this point, as I did not fund the purchase. I have seen plenty of info on using FF OF and it seems to me that OPM is very similar, but without added perlite as in OF. Based on my reading, I think I will be ok using the OPM as long as I lighten the soil a bit to increase aeration. I plan to do this by adding some perlite (about 25%) and perhaps some light warrior. Would love to give my babies some of the extra goodies I am used to using, but as the FF line is new to me, I think I will hold off on any amendments, other than perlite, until I see how it performs.

Any thoughts or opinions appreciated.

@ Mother's Finest - In the future, I should be able to obtain most any ingredients I need/want. Any suggestions as to particular threads to check out (have read countless)? Also, " using potting soils containing little or no fertilizer." - recommendations?

dirtygirl said:

I have since learned that the seller indicated that the OF would be too hot for my moms, more than what they need. Hence, the reason the purchaser decided to go with the OPM. With no NPK ratios reported by the company, I have no way of knowing the difference between them without relying on the experience of you guys.

FYI: Though it was reportedly not a factor in the decision to go with OPM rather than OF, the store did happen to be out of OF at the time.

Sales or reality? That is the ultimate question.....

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I've used Foxfarm OF for years to grow mothers, slowly. It has almost enough food for a slow 6 weeks of veg with minor supplementation if you transplant routinely. OFFF is not too hot for anything other than seeds and rooting clones.

dirtygirl said:

Makes sense. My MG mix has served me well in the past while on a shoestring budget. I like having the nutrients available to my moms right there in the soil where they need them, with an occasional liquid boost as needed.

I don't really have a choice in the soil base (FF OPM) at this point, as I did not fund the purchase. I have seen plenty of info on using FF OF and it seems to me that OPM is very similar, but without added perlite as in OF. Based on my reading, I think I will be ok using the OPM as long as I lighten the soil a bit to increase aeration. I plan to do this by adding some perlite (about 25%) and perhaps some light warrior. Would love to give my babies some of the extra goodies I am used to using, but as the FF line is new to me, I think I will hold off on any amendments, other than perlite, until I see how it performs.

Any thoughts or opinions appreciated.

@ Mother's Finest - In the future, I should be able to obtain most any ingredients I need/want. Any suggestions as to particular threads to check out (have read countless)? Also, " using potting soils containing little or no fertilizer." - recommendations?

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I don't know about FF OPM, but lightening it up can't hurt unless you are already over 30-50% perlite depending on the other components of your mix. If it is designed for outdoor you will surely want to lighten it up. You can use coco, or perlite, or pumice (i use perlite grade #3, no dust). If you are on a budget I might try a compressed bale of s peat with bulk amendments instead of MG ( just cause this is the organic forum and that mix is not really organic).

Seriously, I've had wonderful results with moms in FFOF, up to 14 months old is all I've even done though. After a few weeks you will have to add food or have it mixed in as a slow release. I used some molasses, teas, humic and a little EWC, with just little food as needed. Sounds like you are making happy mother plants, under lower light situations. The only problem is soil compaction if you transplant into pots that are big too early.

I grow vegan organic in BioTerra Plus using the BioCanna line of nutes and a bunch of other vegan amendments. The BT Plus is a perlite-free indoor potting mix that is THE BEST ON THE MARKET IMO. The nutes are good too, very complex combination of fermented plant extracts, soft rock phos, and vinasse. My thread is here, but I am still fine tuning my system. Peace

That was my understanding with the OF. However, instead of OF(which *I* would have chosen from the FF line), I have the red bag, FF Original Planting Mix, to work with, at this time. I do transplant regularly into slightly larger pots each time. The babies I am discussing here are a bit more than 1 month old plants are going from Dixie Cups to 1/2 gal containers. I increase size with each transplanting -my oldest mums are in 3 gal containers. I am sure that the Original Planting Mix (OPM) is too heavy just from looking at it. In addition, I have read[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]:[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]

"Can I use Original Planting Mix straight out of the bag in containers?[/FONT] [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]You could, but Ocean Forest® Potting Soil is a better container mix. It creates more aeration at the root zone and is designed to be used full-strength in containers.[/FONT]
on the FF site

So, I have concluded that I definitely agree with the salesman to add perlite to OPM. I am a gardener of many other plants as well and would know that this soil would need better drainage in a container, and some say I must have a perlite fetish. My main concern at this point is the nutrient content of the OPM. Considering it is a product meant to be blended with other soils, is OPM hotter than OF or is it mainly the aeration issue?

Do I fret too much about changing anything major in my garden and get bogged down in details? Sometimes!
Do I ramble when I type? Often!
Do I smoke too much? NEVER!

dirtygirl said:

So, I have concluded that I definitely agree with the salesman to add perlite to OPM. I am a gardener of many other plants as well and would know that this soil would need better drainage in a container, and some say I must have a perlite fetish. My main concern at this point is the nutrient content of the OPM. Considering it is a product meant to be blended with other soils, is OPM hotter than OF or is it mainly the aeration issue?

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Yes, she loves air more than any non-epiphytic plant I've ever grown.

dirtygirl said:

Do I fret too much about changing anything major in my garden and get bogged down in details? Sometimes!
Do I ramble when I type? Often!
Do I smoke too much? NEVER!

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Agreed x 3

I think I am gonna mix in some Light Warrior along with the perlite. That will help ease my concerns regarding the nutrient content of the OPM. If its too light or my ladies get hungry too quickly, I will adjust the mix at their next transplanting.

Side Note: I transplant my mums several times as they grow up. While I don't allow them to get root bound, I don't give them over large containers to work with either. This seems to help keep them from getting out of hand as quickly between rounds of cloning. Also, allows regular applications of a bit of fresh soil mix, so that they continue slow and steady growth. By transplanting regularly into only slightly larger containers, I had 2 well loved mothers, who produced wonderful babies for 7 years, before circumstances lead to their murder - a sad day indeed! They were very healthy & productive at the time of their unnatural death - even at that age!

dirtygirl said:

I think I am gonna mix in some Light Warrior along with the perlite. That will help ease my concerns regarding the nutrient content of the OPM. If its too light or my ladies get hungry too quickly, I will adjust the mix at their next transplanting.

Side Note: I transplant my mums several times as they grow up. While I don't allow them to get root bound, I don't give them over large containers to work with either. This seems to help keep them from getting out of hand as quickly between rounds of cloning. Also, allows regular applications of a bit of fresh soil mix, so that they continue slow and steady growth. By transplanting regularly into only slightly larger containers, I had 2 well loved mothers, who produced wonderful babies for 7 years, before circumstances lead to their murder - a sad day indeed! They were very healthy & productive at the time of their unnatural death - even at that age!

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7 years, damn dirtygirl, thats my lucky number. compliments to the chef I never made it past two years before circumstances forced new mommys. Moving every year with moms was a real test in creativity.