Switching to Soil

[coldcanna]

So this is my first grow and I started from seed with some Ak47 and also a few GDP sprinkled in. I've been using coco with GH nutes and things are going alright but its such a PITA having to keep up with the nutrients and PH and feeding them every single day, there's just such a small buffer with the coco that I've decided to transplant to soil before I flip to 12/12. I bought a couple bales of ProMix and some of those manure bags from CheapoDepot as well as some perlite. Was wondering how much manure I should add in comparison to soil, as well as perlite. And also, how do I adjust my feeding regiment to still use the GH nutes with the new soil medium? Compost teas will be the end result but I'd like to use up these expensive nutes I have sitting around before I go out and buy more stuff. Any and all input will be appreciated.

 

[canna woop!]

cold canna

will try to answer/point you in the direction

compost teas (or actively aerated compost tea AACT) are not much of a plant fertilizer, they are more of a microbial inoculant.

the idea of having compost in the soil is to go along with added minerals and meals, that is organic boxed fertilizer. or you can add your own random ingredients from scratch, such as harvested wild plants, egg shells, etc. the supply store in your area for these types of products may be known as fedco. They will also carry high quality compost which is so important, I wouldnt use the cheap HD compost. The compost is mixed with the amendments (and perlite, peat, coco, etc.) and breaks them down so they are available for plant use. The more minerals and meals you add, the longer it takes before you plant. The less you add, the more transplants you will need (or top-feeding by top-dressing the compost/meals to the surface of the soil.

eventually, when you have your soil mineralized and rolling, you will not need the GH whatsoever.

making AACT correctly can be more of a pain than its worth IMHO

 

[SittingBull]

My favorite soil is Happy Frog soil found at any hydro/grow store. Just add 15% perlite and done. No messing it up. I wouldn't use manure or any soil that is inside. Remember if you are buying bags of soil/manure from a source that keeps their bags outdoors then you are perhaps buying all the bugs and other pests that can get in their and colonize. The reason why I buy from hydro shops is they infrequently store their soil outdoors and have a smaller chance of contamination.

 

[lazy gardener]

watch the promix and manure at this stage my friend, I'd suggest just using the promix to finish with and then add your manure next go around. My concerns would be that you will burn and stunt your trans plant(promix is a complete mix), which would set you back. maybe flip to soil and just water every 3 days from this point just to keep you on track.when you flip expect some good growth during the stretch. best of luck cuz. hope you bud and nug up heavy

 

[coldcanna]

So little update for all those who might be wondering the same thing... I ended up doing 2 bags of manure for every bale of promix, kept the root ball intact and didn't try to shake out any of the old coco. Transplanted them into smart pots and gave them a good feed of GH nutes to really get the soil kicking in to high gear. Everything looks great after two weeks so for anybody considering transplanting from coco to soil I would say its pretty simple, just remember to slowly wean the feeding schedule from the everyday regiment of coco to the once or twice a week of soil. Hope this helps someone!

 

[coldcanna]

LG - To your point, I believe your are prob correct about burning them with manure but judging by the texture and smell of the "manure" bought at Home Depot I'm thinking its chalk full of filler ingredients. For all of us who grew up in the country you know that cow crap has a very strong and distinct smell, the HD stuff had hardly any odor and seemed too light. I think next time I'm gonna kick the local dairy farm a case of beer and have him put a skid steer bucket of the good stuff in the back of my truck

 

[lazy gardener]

cool glad to hear its working. how hot is that promix NPK%?