soil mix

[lostatsea]

Can you grow auto plants successfully in a store soil mix like shultz (not miracle grow) if you add some perlite and lime? Will the time release fert hurt the plants? Would adding worm castings help or hurt? I usually would use foxfarm ferts but autos dont need much if any additional help so maybe the soil mix might be too strong?
I was thinking about the party cup method where you fill a 5 gal bucket with soil mix, cut the bottom off the cup and make a hole in bucket soil mix. put some plain soil mix in hole and sink cup partially and fill it with the plain soil mix.
This way no transplanting.Just start seed in paper towel and put in cup it will stay growing through cup down into bucket. The plant wont get burnt (hopefully) as it grows and by the time it hits the bucket soil mix it should be ok.
You water through cup at first until roots are down then do it normally. This was not my idea, I read it somewhere else, and it had more steps.
Any suggestions would be great!

 

[scarhole2]

Sound's like a good plan to me.

But Miracle-Gro soil isn't to to hot. Used it for yrs.

 

[aridbud]

Store mixes are ok (shultze/MG....Monsanto), however lend themselves to a lot of debris (forest material- sticks, bark shreads) which can interfere with pH. Sifting the mix will help, removing forest chunks adding perlite/a bit of clean sand good filler.

Look at other topics for soil mix, either DIY or what you buy.

 

[flameninja]

They will grow in almost any soil,but how healthy they will be is another story. Only way to tell is to give it a shot and see if it works for you.