# using topsoil for outdoor grow?



## ruufuus (Apr 18, 2012)

hey guys, as some of you know i will be growing a white widow and a super lemon haze plant outdoors this may.  I was going to dig a good sized hole for each plant and use a coco/perlite mix for em, but got to thinking about filling one hole with a top soil/perlite mix and the other with coco/perlite.  What do you all think?  i know i will have to water with different ph's and such which wont be a problem, but will top soil sustain healthy growth?  and when should i give em nutes in the top soil?  Your insight will be much appreciated


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## 4u2sm0ke (Apr 18, 2012)

why topsoil and not bag mix?....if ya went with top soil be sure get a good 5-way..I like to fill my holes with the same soil they in  as to help the transfer...and heres a funny...and may get some heat from...I dont PH outdoor...I use the garden hose....as for nutes...get ya some lilly miller organics  and make teas...and whats with the 2 diffrent mediums?..you plan a side by side grow to see the diffrance?

take care and be safe


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## ruufuus (Apr 18, 2012)

4u2sm0ke said:
			
		

> why topsoil and not bag mix?....if ya went with top soil be sure get a good 5-way..I like to fill my holes with the same soil they in  as to help the transfer...and heres a funny...and may get some heat from...I dont PH outdoor...I use the garden hose....as for nutes...get ya some lilly miller organics  and make teas...and whats with the 2 diffrent mediums?..you plan a side by side grow to see the diffrance?
> 
> take care and be safe



i have hydro nutrients which i have been told will work just fine with soil.
and as for the different mediums, i want to cut cost a bit, and also compare as coco can get expensive when trying to fill a 6+gallon hole, i love coco for my indoors and im quite sure it would do great outside, but if i can master soil outdoors than i am more than game to save the money on coco! =]


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## pcduck (Apr 18, 2012)

:confused2: I may amend my soil with coco and some other items but I would not fill a 6 gallon hole outdoors with just coco.:confused2: 

The amendments needed depends if one is growing organic or chemical plants.

edit added: I am pretty much with 4U on pH'ing outdoors, but I grow organic and do not bother.


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## ruufuus (Apr 18, 2012)

pcduck said:
			
		

> :confused2: I may amend my soil with coco and some other items but I would not fill a 6 gallon hole outdoors with just coco.:confused2:
> 
> The amendments needed depends if one is growing organic or chemical plants.
> 
> edit added: I am pretty much with 4U on pH'ing outdoors, but I grow organic and do not bother.



so maybe i should do like 70/20/10 top soil/perlite/coco mix?  and i will not be doing this run organically, i will be using GH flora series to provide nutrients when needed, as well as super thrive for most waterings.


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## Maarick (Apr 18, 2012)

i grew in topsoil outdoor
they did alright, 7'+ using fox farms
but when i dug them up
the roots didnt get as far as i would have liked
id say if ur gonna us straight topsoil be careful with watering, 
but what i would suggest is amending the top soil with additives
i might go a little less than 70 %
and dont for get the guano, kelp meal worm castings etc
and that will strain your pockets less in the long run for nutes


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## Mamba3164 (Apr 20, 2012)

dont do it man. top soil is useless. good soil is not all that much expensive. its one of the few things you shouldnt mess with. your plants will be a product of their enviroment. make it a shitty one and the results will match.


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## ruufuus (Apr 22, 2012)

Maarick said:
			
		

> i grew in topsoil outdoor
> they did alright, 7'+ using fox farms
> but when i dug them up
> the roots didnt get as far as i would have liked
> ...



hmm, i might do something close to a 60/20/20 top soil/coco/perlite and i dont plan to ammend, i will give nutrients when i think they need it


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## ruufuus (Apr 22, 2012)

me and a pal just ordered 10 reg blue himalaya diesel autos, so now i need to figure out what mix to use for these and how to get em started well.  kinda wanna start in rockwool under a cfl, but i dont want to lose any growth time, but im afraid deer might eat em if i plant directly outside,  any suggestions?


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## ruufuus (Apr 22, 2012)

i thought about just starting em outside and making a small cage with chicken wire, but im afraid the eye in the sky might be able to detect them this way.  it wont be a full on guerilla grow tho, a friend of mine has a few acres of woods around his house, and i found a good little clearing pretty close to the house to use, so i wonder if that wont deter big brother from scoping em?

my main concerns with starting them outside is that the local deer will make a tasty snack of my crop, which is why i am contemplating making a small cage to start em in....

(i would have put these questions in a new thread, but i have so many active threads as it is, and i would hate to irritate someone =p your help is much appreciated!)


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## Maarick (Apr 23, 2012)

yeah good choice ruufuus.
id say start the seed outside,
nature will take its course
and naturally adjust to sunlight and environment in your area
dont listen to people on this website who dont have experience in what you are asking
alot of people on this website think they know everything.
topsoil will do just fine
heres my babies from last year.
tell me wht u think =P
marijuanapassion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57423


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## ruufuus (Apr 23, 2012)

Maarick said:
			
		

> yeah good choice ruufuus.
> id say start the seed outside,
> nature will take its course
> and naturally adjust to sunlight and environment in your area
> ...


that looks like a mighty fine run there sir, did you use top soil as a medium for this?


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## pcduck (Apr 23, 2012)

I would amend my topsoil with a least something that provides for aeration and does not allow the soil to become to compact. Perlite works great for this. 

I only worry about wild animals when they a small. Once they get big the animals leave them alone. I use _Irish Spring Soap_ to deter those pesky rabbits and deer.


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## ruufuus (Apr 23, 2012)

pcduck said:
			
		

> I would amend my topsoil with a least something that provides for aeration and does not allow the soil to become to compact. Perlite works great for this.
> 
> I only worry about wild animals when they a small. Once they get big the animals leave them alone. I use _Irish Spring Soap_ to deter those pesky rabbits and deer.



i planned to use an aerator to the mix, i do not however pland to ammend it, the top soil i have is black and smells quite fertile, and when i feel the need i will be using gh flora on them to help em along.  what cost effective alternatives to perlite are there?  Also, how well does your soap trick work?  and have you tried the raw egg method, i read up on it and was going to give it a go.


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## pcduck (Apr 23, 2012)

I think perlite is the most cost effective and easiest way to add aeration and not allow the top soil to become compact.

Never heard of the raw egg method. Don't think I would try it here as I have to many animals that like eggs.(raccoons,opossums and skunks) I have never lost a plant to animals using the Irish Spring Soap method(knock on wood). I cut shavings of the soap and spread them about.


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## ruufuus (Apr 23, 2012)

pcduck said:
			
		

> I think perlite is the most cost effective and easiest way to add aeration and not allow the top soil to become compact.
> 
> Never heard of the raw egg method. Don't think I would try it here as I have to many animals that like eggs.(raccoons,opossums and skunks) I have never lost a plant to animals using the Irish Spring Soap method(knock on wood). I cut shavings of the soap and spread them about.


did you have problems with deer before?  how populated with deer is your area?  and how long have you been using the soap?


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## pcduck (Apr 24, 2012)

We have a substantial deer population here and all the problems associated with it. I have been using the soap for many years.


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## The Hemp Goddess (Apr 24, 2012)

I don't think that I would put out autos this time of year.  If you are going to do autos outside, I think that you should wait until we get a little closer to the solstice to get the most light you can.  How many hours of daylight do you have now?  Autos generally do not do very well outside, so you are going to want to give them as much light as you can.

Perlite is really quite inexpensive.  You can get 2 cu ft for under $20 at the big box stores.


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## SquidyPacheco (Apr 24, 2012)

ruufuus said:
			
		

> i planned to use an aerator to the mix, i do not however pland to ammend it, the top soil i have is black and smells quite fertile, and when i feel the need i will be using gh flora on them to help em along.  what cost effective alternatives to perlite are there?  Also, how well does your soap trick work?  and have you tried the raw egg method, i read up on it and was going to give it a go.


 

Cinder is another good replacement for perlite.. the small lava rock(cinder) is so porse that works well for areation.. Here cinder can be scooped up from local cinder pits  free.. Cinder  breaksdown over the grow and is basicly nutrient packed soil ,  this may be a Hawaii thing..not sure where else people use cinder(lava rock) for areation.. but it works well for us..

Mac nut husks and Rice hulls also help with areation..

Id also think about baking your topsoil to kill off any bad bacterias and nematodes... when using Mango top soil i usually just make a pile of dirt in the yard then make a fire on the dirt with plum wood.. which creates potash that gets mixed into the top soil... I dont burn the wood until its total ash just till its charcoal which also areates the soil.. mix in well with dirt  add lime... Ive done a few broke *** grows this way.. 

Random thought on perlite... i sure wish someone would release a green perlite ... the choppers here fly around and look for the white perlite in the holes. a prepped hole with white perlite is so easy to spot from a chopper... so i always thought green or brown perlite would be a great idea and probably a huge seller in the MJ consurism craze..

I have also used charcoal for areation too straight up Kingsford brand.. no MatchLight.. works well and is cheap too and not white...


Plenti Aloha
SquidyP :ciao:


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## Maarick (Apr 25, 2012)

ruufuus said:
			
		

> that looks like a mighty fine run there sir, did you use top soil as a medium for this?



yeah unfortunately it was all topsoil
we kinda ordered the wrong dirt...
but they still came out good


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## ruufuus (Apr 29, 2012)

SquidyPacheco said:
			
		

> Cinder is another good replacement for perlite.. the small lava rock(cinder) is so porse that works well for areation.. Here cinder can be scooped up from local cinder pits  free.. Cinder  breaksdown over the grow and is basicly nutrient packed soil ,  this may be a Hawaii thing..not sure where else people use cinder(lava rock) for areation.. but it works well for us..
> 
> Mac nut husks and Rice hulls also help with areation..
> 
> ...


thanks for the info!  in regards to the eye in the sky spotting perlite, i planned to put leaves and grass/twigs over top of it to blend it in with the surroundings. Ps literally just had a chopper fly by as i read your post =p


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