dgafgrow

shopping i have no idea what nutrients or fertalizers to buy and im looking for a good soil mix. anyone know of any i could go and get from walmart,homedepo,lowes, or target? i need exact names though so im not walking around looking forsomething the store dosent even have. thanks for any help also im thinking of ordering the supplys of the net since it seems to have more of what i need whats a good website and what are good brands?

Hidyn

Stick to the basics.

Any decent potting soil will do. You can use good old dirt from outside, although commercial soil would be best. Then put in a solid batch of Perlite. There are a few brands of this stuff available. It'll look like a bag of white aquarium gravel, probably.

As for ferts, on the simplest level, you need nitrogen for the vegetative stage, and phosphorous for the blooming stage.

Look for liquid plant foods instead of the granular kind, as they will be the easiest to add, the fastest to work, and the easiest to flush.

Make sure to read the directions carefully, and start with low dosages.

Everyone seems to use different brands... from Hesi to Fox Farms to Miracle Grow.

Just make sure you ask the person in the horticulture section for a good soil, their top of the line if you can, grab a bag of perlite for every bag of soil or so, depending on the size of the bags, (I think 30% perlite is being recommended around here) and grab a liquid plant food containing high amounts of Nitrogen, one with High amounts of Phosphorous, and a 20-20-20 or so for good measure.

I tend to just feel my way through the fertilizer section... but then I tend to just feel my way through everything, and over time try and steer myself in the right direction, sort of go with the flow.

Also, if you seem worm castings, pick them up! Everyone will tell you that they work wonders.

Good luck to you!

ILLEGAL-SEED

not many choices at those places. i lnow some wal marts carry alaskan fish fertilizer, good for veg. if you can, buy seperate bags of perlite, to add to whatever soil you get. some lime for the soil would help, as most store soils are acidic. youd be better to go with the internet to get exactly what you need. the nutrient brands are like car brands, everyone has their favorite. mine is fox farm. grow big, big bloom, and tiger bloom, with some good soil will get you through your first grow.

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Snowball

Tell Us Your Soil Mix has lots of good ideas, including some with easy to find components. Definitely lots of perlite for since it likes good drainage, 30-50%.

As far as fertilizer, for a new grower I recommend Peters 20-20-20 during vegging. It has a good NPK ratio for that growth phase and includes good amounts of a wide range of micronutrients. But be careful not to start using it too soon or too concentrated. That is one of the primary mistakes new growers make.

ponics4me

It's tough to say what would really be best to get at one of those. Personally, I don't skimp on ferts so I shell out for hydro nutes whether I'm growing in water or dirt.

As far as using outdoor soil indoors (stuff you dig up from outdoors) you might want to think about baking it in the oven for a spell. Like 30-40 minutes at 400F will kill any critters that might be living in it. Upside, you don't bring a lot of insects into your house, downside you'll kill the beneficial soil microbes. Those can be easily and quickly replaced with something like Piranha and Tarantula, though.

Honestly, it's just easier to get a sterelized, fert-free soil mix from the store.

StoneyCory

High Tech Garden Supply has good supplys for growing

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