# potting mix input



## goatroper5755 (Mar 29, 2015)

hello all newbeeie here
after checking out different cannabus forums i have decided to make my owen potting mix heres what i come up with i have 1 day to 8+ year old horse manuer in my yard and mixing it with the list below

1) fafard 3-cu ft organic peat moss (from lowes)
2) sta-green organic vermiculite (from lowes) 
3) miracle grow perlite (from lowes)
4) horse manuer from probly 2-3 years old from my horse

i just dont know what the mix ratio should be for one 5gl bucket i plan on useing the wick system for watering in it 
the nutrients i was thinking somthing in the line of 20-20-20 plant food from seed to harvest (if i need to change that please let me know what ?-?-? would need change it to 
thank you all
:joint::tokie::joint::tokie::joint:


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## The Hemp Goddess (Mar 29, 2015)

I am not great with organic mixes, but I would forget the vermiculite.  It can cause soil to hold too much water and cannabis likes to go through wet and dry periods.  I would not start seeds in this.  I would get something totally inert for seed starting--something that says it is for starting seeds that has no nutrients in it.

I do not buy any Miracle Grow products whatsoever.  Monsanto is raping the earth and poisoning people and they do not care.  See if you can find some Espoma perlite--they make a lot of organic products that you may find useful.  Be careful with the manure.  I believe though that when others more schooled in organics come along that they will have ideas for additions--I do not believe that peat moss, perlite, and manure will constitute a good medium.

I would also not use a general purpose fertilizer like 20-20-20.  Plants need different amount of N-P-K depending on what stage of growth they are in.  For vegging, you want something with more N and less amounts of P and K.  During flowering you want something with very little N and high in P.  In other words, get food formulated for cannabis.....or you can make your own organic teas and feed instead of going with synthetic nutrients.  

I would not go


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## Rosebud (Mar 29, 2015)

Please don't use 20 20 20 Nutes that isn't meant for cannabis.  The horse manure should have been composted, i know you said it is old, and that is a bonus. I am a gardener before a pot grower and I understand what your aiming for...but if you want to go organic, there are soils like Fox farm ocean forest that is wonderful.

You can make a tea out of your manure and add some Epson Salts and bubble it and feed it to your plants that way... But straight up Horse **** can burn.  I have some in my composter now..

You will be really happy with FFOF (fox farm soils) 

We have great sections on soils and organic growing.  Please do some reading here and if you need more help ask.  Lets do this!


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## goatroper5755 (Mar 29, 2015)

the horse manure has been sitting in a pile about 5 ft tall and maybe 12-15 across wouldin it have composted that way by its self after about 2-3  years its real black too i all so have chickin **** thats mixed with staw thats been sitting on the floor of a chickin coop i made out of a 14x80 moble home for about 4-5 years now could i use that in with it i have access to rabit **** too


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## goatroper5755 (Mar 30, 2015)

as far as fertilizer would horse manuer tea and humman urin be good for  vegi stage


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## Hushpuppy (Mar 30, 2015)

I'm not a big organics person but I have had some experience with using composted manures. My experience was initially bad as I burned up many young plants due to the soil mix that I had put together being way too hot(too rich in nitrogen I suspect). I found that I had better results when I set my plants in basic organic soil that I purchased and mixed with smaller amounts of raw materials such as bone meal, dolomite lime, and a few others that I can't recall at the moment. But I also bought Espoma's line of Plant tone fertilizer(totally organic) which has most of the macro nutrients and many of the micro nutrients needed by most plants. 

But most importantly, It has loads of beneficial microbes that work directly with the plants to feed the plants with the raw materials. If you wish to grow with organic materials/soil then having an abundant and healthy microbe herd is key to your success. Adding synthetically derived nutrients that you get with commercial fertilizers will quickly kill off the microbes in the organic soils and cause all of the nutrients that are held in the raw materials to remain unavailable to the plants. I did use the composted manure that I had to feed my plants, but I mixed it in water along with a smaller amount of the Espoma Plant tone so that I could access the microbes, in order to make a nutrient/microbe tea.

If you are interested in using the manures that you have available, I would advise you to read up on it. PJammers is one of our premier organics people on this forum. I would look up the information that he has posted here. He may also chime in if he sees your post. If not, I'm sure he wouldn't mind you shooting him a private message so that he can guide you to some good reading or specific Q&A on the subject.


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