composting soil question

[Guest]

is sunshine mix any good? i know home depot had a few bags of that stuff.

 

[Guest]

hmm... i was just browsing the rona website and they dont have the pro-mix hp, but they do have a pro mix that i think is peat based and has mycorhiza... is this any good? is this the stuff im looking for?

heres a picture:

Complete growing medium made of composted peat and bark. Excellent for many outdoor uses such as vegetables, plants, flower beds and potting applications. Contains biological growth enhancer that increases the yield of flower fruit and vegetable plants by extending the root system to capture available nutrients in the soil. 35 L.

 

[Guest]

i need to know if this is the right stuff asap... im going to the store soon.

 

[Suby]

That will do just fine C, the Sunshine mix is also VERY good.

Suby

 

[Guest]

ok, so i went to rona and they didnt have any of the pro mix they had advertised on their website, but i was able to find a big bale of pro mix hp with mycorhiza for 25$. i got a bale.

suby, im wondering if i can use this stuff right out of the bag without any amendments for seedlings?

per gallon, what are the amendments i can add once the plan is ready to be transplanted?

once i start the seeds, should i start mixing up a batch of the soil and let it compost until the plants are ready to be transplanted into it?

 

[Suby]

That's the best soil you can buy IMHO.
Use it straight for seedlings, they will do very well in it plain.

Here's a gallon recipe60% ProMix HP + Mike
30% perlite
10% worm castings for micros and BB

To each gallon of this mix I add:

2 TBS/gal dolomite lime
1 TBS/gal blood meal
1 TBS/gal bone mean for P
1 TBS/gal kelp meal


Seedling will take about 2 weeks to root a container say the size of a beercup so yeah start composting it right away.

S

 

[Guest]

whats a good way to measure out the 60% pro mix and 30% perlite and 10% EWC?

i was thinking of using my 10oz beer cup as my "part" and adding 6 10oz cups of the promix, 3 10oz's of perlite and 1 10oz of EWC but im not sure if that would equal one gallon...

 

[Suby]

well your best bet is to use 6 beer cups of peat, 3 of perlite and 1 of earth worm castings, that should give you enough for a clone or a seedling to start with.

I prefer to use a large Pepsi bottle wich is roughly 1/2 gallon and measure 6,3 and 1.
If you mix more than you need just wet what you need to start it composting and leave the rest dry until you need it.

 

[Guest]

ok, i have got my soil sitting in a big container 'composting' just getting ready for my seedlings to be transplanted into it in a couple weeks.

what should i wet it down with? is plain water fine or should i add a little molasses to my water that i use to wet it down with?

 

[Suby]

molasses at 1tbs per gallon of water is fine, wet it so you can squeeze just few drops when you make a fist.

 

[Guest]

is it okay that i dont have any draining holes in the bottom of this 50gal rubbermaid?

i heard something about if no draining holes it can create mold, but i dont have the lid on and i am mixing it around every day...

 

[Suby]

the only thing that should have drain holes is your pot, compost bins don't require drainage as long as there is no water acumulated in the bottom.
I like to keep my compost container loosely covered, just keep it away from direct sunlight.

No my friend you are cooking with gas!

Suby

 

[Guest]

suby, im wondering how damp should the pure promix hp be before i plant my seeds in it? should it be as wet as you described above like being able to get a few drops of water out of a fistful?

 

[Suby]

Yeah thst sounds perfect, remember to mix some perlite in with the soil

30% perlite
70% soil

you can a sprinkle of worm castings in there too.

S

 

[Guest]

ok i think il do that.

 

[Guest]

i just mixed up 70% pro mix hp, 30% perlite and just a sprinkle of worm castings. plant is sitting under 150w of mixed spectrum CFL's. the fan is turned off until it sprouts. is this a good idea or should i turn it on to move the air around?

 

[Suby]

Don'y worry about circulation until you get a few set of leaves.
Make sure no to overdo the lights until you actually see leaves.
Don't let it stretch too much, do this my keeping it relatively close to the CFL's but not too close as to burn them.
Watch your cab temps, 75deg IMHO is optimal.

 

[Guest]

do you think 150w is too much?

 

[Suby]

you cout cut it down to about 75 W of fluros, remember fluros are weaker than HPS or MH which is great for seedlings.
Bring on the bigger light only when they have a good rootzone going.

 

[Guest]

ok, il go unplug a couple.