Indoor Organic Soil Questions

[Pirate138]

Ok about to start my indoor organic soil grow but i had a few vital questions. first off what is the best indoor organic soil mix? fox farm ocean forest seems to be on alot of peoples lists but im unsure. my main concern is bugs, i def dont want bugs hatching out of my indoor grow and spreading to my house. i know all about neem oil and am planning on spraying it every 2 weeks. any help would be great thanx.

 

[Pimpslapped]

I've heard some report or other of bugs from basically every prepackaged soil out there. It's just the nature of the beast... but most of the time they're the exceptions and not the rule.

For suggestions on organic soils, check out the stickies up top... Moonshine mix has a good rep... also the OFC and beginner organics threads have good info. Even just on the first page there's a lot of suggestions.

 

[Guest]

Unless you are going to do mail order, you better hurry up and buy soil mix. The Garden shops around here are getting rid of stuff like that till next season. I live in a cold climate so maybe it's different where you are.

I used a local potting mix last grow. $6.00/1.5 ft3 bag.( It was listed as 70% compost, 25% sphagnum peat, 5% perlite. I added more perlite, worm castings, dolomite lime, and my organic nutes. I basically followed the Sticky Note of BurnOne's in the begginer organic section.

You don't need to use expensive FoxFarm stuff. Just don't use potting mix that has nutes added. Read the label. Don't worry if it says something like Available N .005% P .001% K .003% That is nothing for all practical purposes.

 

[JackTheGrower]

Some gardeners keep a soil around for years. They practice feeding it with materials that keep microbes thriving and in turn keep nutrient levels high.

It is a subject that I would research if I were starting out but as been said there are some soil mixes that have earned a good reputation.

Have a look at composting. I make my own soil that starts out as a composted mix.

 

[akornpatch]

Nothing's going to hatch out of your bagged soil. It's been "composted to a high temp and any critters eggs are not viable most likely. You may get an infestation from elsewhere INTO your soil tho.

If you're feeling sketchy about the soil...try a soiless mix such as...

5 parts Canadian Sphagnum 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