wut is the REAL story behind PRE_FERTED SOIL??

[Cloud_Strife]

i'm not sure if i'm the only one that has this recurring problem. if anyone has actual experience or an explanation of wut is really going on, please chime in.

currently using Schultz brand premium potting soil with ferts that feed up to 9 months. this is mixed with perlite at 1:3 soil to perlite ratio. in veg all plants seem to do fine until 3 weeks into flowering. at that point, i start getting problems with nutrient uptake due to a MASSIVE ph drop in the medium. i feed and water with tap water, which comes in at 6.9 ph with about 140 ppms. i'm using GH 3 part without the Veg formula (lucas concept). however, since i am in soil, i'm adding no more than 1.5 mL of total solution per gallon of water: .5 mL Micro + 1 mL

i apply this every other watering, with the solution at 6.3 ph. the runoff comes out at a shocking 5.5 ph or UNDER.
i've run about 10 gallons of 6.9ph tap through the pot slowly to no avail. the ph DOES NOT change no matter wut.

i understand that this mixture has peat moss as a constituent and have considered it to be the cuplrit.

HOWEVER, i've taken a small sample of the soil, straight out of the bag, ran ph 6.9 water through, tested this.
ph is UNDER 5.8

WUT IS GOING ON??? I AM CONFUSED AND MY PLANTS ALWAYS GET SICK.

help.

 

[Guest]

You're guessing it's the peat? You can adjust a bland (no ferts) peat based soilless mix with Dolomitic Lime or Gypsum, then build it with meals, and organic ammendments and plants grow fine in it. My plants recieve only water until the end of Budset and then I slap them with a bloom enhancing tea or High P-K hydro fert. If you're going to use the GH I suggest you drop the pre ferted saltyass, time released, cheapo soil and go get you some ProMix or coco. Your plants would have probably gotten sick in just that soil. Do you add things like perlite to aid drainage ? Your soil could be soggy ... further exacerbating issues within the mix. Why do you continue to grow in this manner if the results are sick plants? I would switch my method if my plants were "always sick".

 

[Core]

is it realy soil? i don't think its soil....i think its peatbased and other organic material....thats what they call soiless....
if so.... you need a steady ph between 5.6-5.8-6.0 for soiless mediums....

 

[Guest]

I believe the shultz stuff Cloud is speaking of is a true pre ferted Mix. I think it has humus and compost in it as well as shredded bark type peat. Can you give us some clarity as to what's in that shultz bag of mixed medium and ferts Cloud?

 

[Core]

i'm a soiless guy myself...atleast at this moment....but i use mild ferted bags from Plagron Light..bout 0.8 EC....i used there All Mix once but seedlings could't take it....i think that all mix woz about 2.4 EC ....hence the mild one...i can use it safe in veg and flower...

 

[Guest]

Like WWM said stop using the preferted soil it's nothing but problems.

I used miracle gro for years and it was a PITA.

I now use Fox farm happy frog with the GH 3-part and have had great success with it.

use different soil and start using all of the GH 3-part mix and you will see that you can control the PH and nutes a lot better.

GCG

 

[stinkyattic]

Peat is a possible culprit- it will drop your pH when the buffer (lime) is used up, and the ferts that are mixed in beforehand can certainly interact with whatever else you may be feeding.

My personal choice for indoor medium is the el cheapo Agway store brand 'manure with humus' which is .5-.5-.5 and buffers naturally at pH 6.8-6.9. I cut it up to 30% with perlite. You can apparently only get it east of the Mississippi though.

 

[Cloud_Strife]

ok, to clarify things, this is exactly what i'm using:
http://www.schultz.com/ProductCategories/Soilsamendments/PottingSoilPlus/

i know it's not the best choice however around my area, it's hard to find even that level of quality... i know, it's sad.. so ATM it's either this or a couple bags of Miracle Grow "Organic" garden soil, which may even be a better option in comparison to the Schultz.. anyone have an opinion?

i do however, cut the soil with perlite, normally on a 1:1 ratio as it builds a thicker mass of roots overall.

i have also used Wallyworld's Expert Potting Mix but i had the same problems as the Schultz Premium.. the common factor being they were both preferted with the same slow release food.

i am getting from you guys that this is the culprit. maybe the ph cannot come up no matter how much you flush since the water only continues to release the resin coated food, and since it's 9 months worth, it's impossible to fully flush out of the medium?

 

[romdog11]

hey stinky so you recommend Agway store brand 'manure with humus'. i know you posted your thoughts on fox farm soil could you re state what you said about it because i cant remember if it was this or the cannabis .com forum.

 

[Guest]

I'd try a standard non-ferted soil.

I look at soil like this. It's a medium to support roots. After about a week or 2 all of the nutrients in the soil no matter what type of soil you use is pretty much gone ( Now we are talking about non-ferted soil) so I don't add nutes for the first week or 2 and then just start feeding with my normal schedule.

GCG