about to make the switch

also with soil you will need to keep a broom or vacuum handy....:thumbsup:


Really with soil, its not a major extra work unless you got a bunch of plants, then your back will feel it.


Oh and go with 5 gallon buckets for flower if you got room, give some say 6-7week strains a extra week and POW! They will fatten up nice.

 

:thumbsup: plenty of room on this lonely old bandwagon.


Methinks it may have more to do with ease of garden. If you're growing small numbers of many different strains at the same time (which is what I'd expect of a professional's private garden), hydro is a pain in the ass. If you want to do six of this strain and a half dozen of another, plus three or four others you're trying out, tables and hydro feeding schedules are a hindrance. Especially for tester strains with unknown flower times.


+ on the extra week flowering. It'll make a difference. Innoculate your soil with mycc, even if it says it's already in the bag, and that slow growth rate will fade away. Xtreme Mykos is the best and possibly cheapest.


Indoors, unless you're growing trees, 2-3 gallon pots are plenty if you transplant after a 4-6 week veg schedule.

 

oops. Forgot to mention I merged your threads GIT. Hope you don't mind.

 

Go dirt!!!

 

every time I mess with dirt i have issues. to many bugs in that stuff imho


if it works for you do it to it. I may run some organic one day, honestly though i don't think there's a difference.


As far as you organic guys, does store bought dirt count as organic in your eyes? Do they sterilize it and if so does it count still as organic?

 

My most recent bug issue came in with a bag of dirt. IMO, if you're going to go with dirt, Roots 707 is the way to go.

 

OMRI certified is a good start. :bong2:


Bugs is bugs. Seen them on this site in every type of garden, hydro and dirt alike. About once a year or so I'll battle either gnats or spider mites for a few weeks and I been doing soil for years. Deal with-em and move on. You lower your risk by using only high quality soil that has been stored properly.

 

^^^^^


Def use good or fresh dirt, dont use some dirt that has been in your garage or shed just to use it. When I had extra dirt that I bought, if I was not going to use it soon, I would just fill some holes in the yard or something. Old dirt is bad dirt in most cases. Bugs, mold, all sorts of bad stuff will get in there.


Oh and on the 5 gallon buckets, yes 3 gallon is good for reg plants, but when you go to flower a good sized mother plant, the 5 gallon is best In my experience. Those mothers will root out big time, when you chop those you will see.

 

I only use pro-mix mixed with bone meal, blood meal, Epsom salt , dolomite lime and a slurry of Alaska fish fertilizer. I also add a bag of mykos to the mix.


I have been mixing in about 1/3 recycled dir from previous harvests, I usually mix the recycled stuff with peat moss and let it sit a month in a bin before using it


Only bug issue I have are occasional gnats and gnat sticks - sticky traps - have worked best for me


As for pots I don't like 5 gallon buckets - they don't drain well - I use three gallon soft pots for flower and one gallon soft pots for veg

 

I guess my thing is when you go to store you can buy Fox Farms or 'Joes Backyard Soil'....but both are sitting next to one another. Whatever FF did for quality control was ruined by store placing Joes right next to it.


Last time I did soil I get gnats, gnats everywhere. Literally seemed like over night explosion (prob about a week though). Go gnats cleaned it all up, but the better half said never again is soil allowed indoors

 

I gotta have dirt under the finger nails......


Seriously though, the gnats are easily dealt with.