GH 3 part nutes +cal mag???

[The Silver Bullet Special]

Hey everyone! I have some plants in Ocean Forrest with no other amendments. I was wondering once the soil has been used up of it's nutes if it would be okay to use GH 3 part nutes + calmag for the rest of the time?

 

[Locked]

I used to use CalMag+ with my GH 3 part until I started adding sweet lime to my soil mix and didn't need it anymore. I find the sweet lime helps keep ph stable as well. Jmo

 

[gourmet]

I have no amendments in my Fox Farm Ocean Forest either. Last grow the ladies told me they needed Cal Mag where I had not had to use it with prior grows. I started the Cal Mag not long after transplanting. Depends on the needs of the strain I find.

 

[The Silver Bullet Special]

Okay thanks, and when I see people talking about giving 1/4th strength and 1/2 strength nutes is that 1/2 of what the recommended feeding chart says at that stage of growth?

 

[Locked]

Okay thanks, and when I see people talking about giving 1/4th strength and 1/2 strength nutes is that 1/2 of what the recommended feeding chart says at that stage of growth?

Yeah I believe so..it is at least for me. I don't follow a feeding schedule, rather I feed by eye. I generally mix everything by the chart on back of the bottles to their full strength and I just feed more often or less often with full strength. I don't really advocate feeding like this because it can be tricky. Only time I ever mix them at 1/2 strength is when I am feeding seedlings for the very first time. jmo

 

[Wetdog]

I used to use CalMag+ with my GH 3 part until I started adding sweet lime to my soil mix and didn't need it anymore. I find the sweet lime helps keep ph stable as well. Jmo

:yeahthat:

You only need to apply the lime once per grow and it will take care of both the cal/mag and pH.

Cheaper too. Dolomite is ~$4 for a 40lb bag at Lowes or HD.

Wet

 

[Locked]

:yeahthat:

You only need to apply the lime once per grow and it will take care of both the cal/mag and pH.

Cheaper too. Dolomite is ~$4 for a 40lb bag at Lowes or HD.

Wet

Thanks for chiming in Wetdog...you are one of the main reasons I started using sweet lime. I have not gone Organic yet but that was a sweet tip I picked up. Thanks.

 

[The Silver Bullet Special]

I'm glad you guys brought up the lime. I'm about ready to cook up a batch of NV's super soil... Is the dolomite lime the soil sweetner that is required? If so its kind of pathetic that in my area there is a fertilizer ban until the end of October. Mainly because the run-off will go into the ocean and make the red-tide algea blooms. So I was just going to order it off the internet. I don't need much. Also where could I pick up bio-tone?

hxxp://www.amazon.com/Flora-Hydroponics-Pulverized-Dolomitic-Sweetner/dp/B00597YFXW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346617924&sr=8-1&keywords=soil+sweetner

 

[Wetdog]

Well, the lime does its magic with chems or organic.

I've only been doing organic for the last 3-4 years, but used Jack's Classic for over 35 years. Same basic mix with the lime the whole time.

No surprise though, Jack's is actually formulated to be used with a limed soil and tap water.

Wet

 

[Wetdog]

I'm glad you guys brought up the lime. I'm about ready to cook up a batch of NV's super soil... Is the dolomite lime the soil sweetner that is required? If so its kind of pathetic that in my area there is a fertilizer ban until the end of October. Mainly because the run-off will go into the ocean and make the red-tide algea blooms. So I was just going to order it off the internet. I don't need much. Also where could I pick up bio-tone?

hxxp://www.amazon.com/Flora-Hydroponics-Pulverized-Dolomitic-Sweetner/dp/B00597YFXW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346617924&sr=8-1&keywords=soil+sweetner

Yes, dolomite is what you want.

Check around though, dolomite isn't a fertilizer, it's crushed limestone rock and no real N-P-K.

If you are in Fl, see if you can snag some 'screenings' from a concrete company. It should be oolitic limestone (old coral) and will work just fine.

Try and avoid paying to ship rocks.

Wet

 

[tastyness]

I too have started using dolomite lime.
Still not sure how much to put in though.
Can you burn plants with this if there is too much?

 

[The Silver Bullet Special]

I've been reading that people put 10% in there. So what's the difference between lime, vermiculite, and perlite? Thanks wet I'll go check out a concrete place.

 

[tastyness]

Perlite - inert- makes space to keep air moving through the roots in your medium comes in several grades fine, medium, coarse.
Vermiculite- inert- helps hold more moisture in the medium.
Dolomite Lime- there are multiple kinds- neutral- helps maintain pH neutrality and has magnesium /calcium - ESPECIALLY important in COCO.

At least that's my understanding- more experienced people will chime in with clearer answers I'm sure


I too see a lot of 1 cup per cubic foot- handful per pot etc.
I use a 750 ML cup as my unit measure- when making my mix it is 3 parts coco/ 3 parts perlite/ 3/4 part worm castings and scant 1/2 cup dolomite.

 

[Locked]

I've been reading that people put 10% in there. So what's the difference between lime, vermiculite, and perlite? Thanks wet I'll go check out a concrete place.

Perlite>>> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perlite


Vermiculite>>> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermiculite


Dolomitic lime>>> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolomitic_lime

I just eyeball a handful of lime in about a gallon of soil.

 

[Hushpuppy]

Pearlite is great for keeping the soil/medium from compacting when wet, which really helps the roots keep oxygen in the soil with them. I have found that aerating my water for my organic plants seems to help as well with keeping the soil oxygenated.