Good stuff @ lowes for organic simple soiless mixes?

[nycdfan042]

can someone tell me what this stuff is for Earth's Finest®
Compost Peat Humus?? it says aeration & moisture retention?? sounds redundant? product here : http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=92435-19988-92435&lpage=none
Compost is in the name? but why?? is this a decent product at al?? does it have any use???

Ive been using fafard growing mix # 2)http://www.fafard.com/pDet1.aspx?prodID=BGM2) wich includes : Peat Moss
,Perlite,&Vermiculite...i added dolomitelime 1 table spoon per gallon and 1 tbs each of blood n bone meal per gallon to the mix.

Im assuming this is the same thing as the fafard mix without the vermiculite(is vermiculite good bad??) heres the product :http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=26986-1803-26986&lpage=none Greensmix® 3.8 Cu. Ft. Greensmix Sphagnum Peat Moss(its cheaper than the fafard and you get more thinking about trying it with some of that^^ Earth's Finest ....What else do you guys suggest?

Im trying to depend less on Nute mixtures and more on just str8 Teas and excellent soiless mixtrures with organic foood in it. Can any one tell me what else would be excellent stuff i could add to my mix that i could find at lowes or pot depot??

 

[nycdfan042]

Im using the miracle grow organic choice blood and bone meal...its really the easiest choice...but if i wanted better blood and bone meal wich ones do you suggest? and either way...how many table spoons per gallon with blood meal & then with bone meal?

On to Worm castings, wich company makes the best, can i get em at lowes? Can i use them with soiless mixitures?? if so how much per gallon?

Ive notived a bit more of the flying creatures with this peat stuff..ive used the sticky yellow pads that they seem to love to get stuck on....its the best and most organic way and its very effective...i cover my veg/grow area at nite with a tarp, and i wake up to find dosens of the winged(fungus gnat?)critters all stuck tot he stickie stuff, love this product!!5$ twenty five sheets!!! workslike a charm! but the eggs still there tho, so i use SM-90 for the pesky pesky fuckers...FAR from organic right?? is SM90 bad???

what else can i do to make my soiless mix work without much nutrients?? i want to do teas eventually but i wanna work on my mix

Thanks NYCD FAN 042

 

[nycdfan042]

i havent added any soil to these mixes and ive found that they do need water more often...wich means you can feeed them nutrients more often...wich inturn means larger buds and plants. If you i get to know my strains(like i did when i had the NYCD), im sure i could get used to feeding them the top ammount of foods and getting huge buds....is using AN big bug liquid ORGANIC???

 

[BurnOne]

Mix you own...
5 parts Canadian Spaghnam Peat or Coir or Pro-Moss
3 parts perlite
2 parts wormcastings or mushroom compost or home made compost
Powdered dolomite lime @ 2 tablespoons per gallon or 1 cup per cubic foot of the soiless mix.
...Check the link in my sig line below for cheap earthworm castings. Free shipping to the eastern USA.
Burn1

 

[KingRalph]

hey, couple things to add... sm-90 is organic (coriander oil, vegetable oil), and a great anti-pest and anti-fungal, but remember it will kill any beneficial bacteria as well.

and do not use dolomitic lime for the peat soilless mix! only use HYDRATED lime, the white powdery stuff. this is the fast acting stuff with a different chemical makeup than dolomitic which is meant to be time-released. hydrated lime makes for perfect soilless growth from peat. mix with the nutrient mix into the peat and douse with steaming hot water. approx. 1/2 to 1 teaspoon per gallon of peat is recommended.

yes peat needs frequent waterings... with worm castings it shouldn't so much though, and i add vermiculite, at least 10%, to give it a bit more even water retention.

a "bake" (sitting, processing the nutrients for weeks) is not really necessary, but recommended if using med-to-slow release organics (bone meal, etc). i don't like bone meal, blood is nice (but it's blood)... guanos are just better. mexican guano delivers the N. also, greensand is wonderful K. i don't like supplementing P anymore (bone meal, etc) so as to have more control over flower nutrient dosages. btw PBP for hydro works wonders with soilless.

people get promix and have to mix in extra perlite n things anyway, so why not make your own mix and save, it becomes invaluable to bew able to turn large, easily available, cheap sphagnum peat moss bales into the perfect soilless medium.

though coco is on the horizon... hmmm... peace n green thumbs all

 

[3BM]

Hydrated lime is not organic, and will poison the soil environment for microbes. Use powdered dolomitic lime if anything, it supplies needed nutrients and will act quickly.

The first product you listed "compost peat humus" is black peat or acid peat. This is peat moss, just like whats in your fafard mix, that has gone further through the decay process. Microbes have broken this material down to a finished/stable form. Expect a pH in the 5's. This product is useful in acidifying your mix, but if you are adding lime you arent interested in acidification. Rather than adding this to your fafard, get a compost/manure blend and add that instead. Black peat is not very nutritive, and is more of a texturing additive. Composted manure will both improve texture and add nutes.

The Greensmix peat is cheaper than the fafard because its pure peat. The perlite and vermiculite are important to aerate the medium, but the fafard product still needs more. You can use the Greensmix, just add plenty of perlite. Vermiculite is a sand like expanded rock product, similiar to perlite but smaller in particle size. Varying particle size is important, but you can get by on just perlite to make things easier. Get a very large bag of perlite and lighten the mix enough to allow you to plunge your hand deep into the moistened medium.

Try expanding your shopping to include upscale garden retail centers. These may carry organic product lines that would be helpful to you. Espoma is a great line of pre-mixed organic fertilizers. You will need a source of K and trace minerals to make your soil blend complete. Kelp meal and greensand are both great. I would also recommend adding a long term source of N, as the bloodmeal is mostly soluble. Alfalfa meal, guano, and manure all work well. Hope that helps, best of luck.

 

[Guest]

I have used the composted peat and 3BM is right; it's just further decayed than you typically find. I like it for my local soil since local is extremely clay/alkaline. Useful for guerrilla amending or just in my flowerbeds.

J.

 

[nycdfan042]

this other user Vonform*ithink thats how he spelt it* told me about this stuff callled majestic earth sold at LOWES near him and its made by the same company as fafard, they sue the same peat and it also has perlite..i hope he shows up on this thread to talk....hes got mad info!

 

[vonforne]

I came by. the information these gentlemen gave is very good. Burn1, 3BM and Pyrex are top shelf on the organic side of life.

Now the "Majestic Earth" I use is by Farfard. It is a plain peat mix. It has a little perlite and a natural wetting agent with dolomite lime added. I do add additional perlite to this mix to give the roots plenty of room to breath. Ph is fairly stable when I get it. I add my admendments which are guanos,castings, compost and yes I use an organic peat also. Kind of like Humus in a way. I like to provide a healthy variety of soil micro-orgamisms to my mix.

I use a mix similar to the one Burn1 described earlier. I feed with different Alfalfa, guano and compost teas to boost each phase of the growing cycle.

Thats what is cool about organics is that you have such a variety of admendments to use.

Hope that answered some of your Questions.

V

 

[BurnOne]

Hydrated lime is not organic, and will poison the soil environment for microbes. Use powdered dolomitic lime if anything, it supplies needed nutrients and will act quickly.

Yep ^^^
Powdered dolomite will supply calcium and magnesium as well as adjust the pH of acidic peat.

KingRalph-
You may want to try using dolomite and hydrated lime side by side in a future grow and see how they compare.
Burn1

 

[nycdfan042]

and do not use dolomitic lime for the peat soilless mix! only use HYDRATED lime, the white powdery stuff. this is the fast acting stuff with a different chemical makeup than dolomitic which is meant to be time-released. hydrated lime makes for perfect soilless growth from peat. mix with the nutrient mix into the peat and douse with steaming hot water. approx. 1/2 to 1 teaspoon per gallon of peat is recommended.

wait everyone else says use dolomite lime(including me),and so far my plants doing good...im using the mix with dolomite lime and it works AWE SOME!! the plants are very receptive compared to soil..you can really see the growth..and the repeated waterings really help load up that Nitrogen!

 

[nycdfan042]

Hydrated lime is not organic, and will poison the soil environment for microbes. Use powdered dolomitic lime if anything, it supplies needed nutrients and will act quickly.

The first product you listed "compost peat humus" is black peat or acid peat. This is peat moss, just like whats in your fafard mix, that has gone further through the decay process. Microbes have broken this material down to a finished/stable form. Expect a pH in the 5's. This product is useful in acidifying your mix, but if you are adding lime you arent interested in acidification. Rather than adding this to your fafard, get a compost/manure blend and add that instead. Black peat is not very nutritive, and is more of a texturing additive. Composted manure will both improve texture and add nutes.

The Greensmix peat is cheaper than the fafard because its pure peat. The perlite and vermiculite are important to aerate the medium, but the fafard product still needs more. You can use the Greensmix, just add plenty of perlite. Vermiculite is a sand like expanded rock product, similiar to perlite but smaller in particle size. Varying particle size is important, but you can get by on just perlite to make things easier. Get a very large bag of perlite and lighten the mix enough to allow you to plunge your hand deep into the moistened medium.

Try expanding your shopping to include upscale garden retail centers. These may carry organic product lines that would be helpful to you. Espoma is a great line of pre-mixed organic fertilizers. You will need a source of K and trace minerals to make your soil blend complete. Kelp meal and greensand are both great. I would also recommend adding a long term source of N, as the bloodmeal is mostly soluble. Alfalfa meal, guano, and manure all work well. Hope that helps, best of luck.

^^^^ so far my plants love dolomite lime...ive used fafard mix with dolomite lime and it works great...so i dunno KG i think you might have a totaly different method