Outside Soil?

[REDz]

Instead of carring pounds and pounds of soil to my grow space in the outdoors, How do I prepare the soil already there at the plot?

 

[mistisrising]

Depends on what it looks like. If it's high in clay, you'll need to break it up with something. Peat mulch, perlite, or vermiculite will work. But, these are good for any soil, they help keep it from packing in too tight on the root ball, and they hold moisture. Next, you'll need to look at how it looks. Is it dark, and earthy smelling? Is it grey and powdery, is it red, hard and heavy? I usually make a mix of vermiculite, peat mulch, and regular potting soil. But, If you were trying to keep the bulk down. Just opt for the vermiculite, or perlite, plus bone meal, and dried blood. That will give it something to eat for a couple of months, anyway. Unless the soil is awesome, you'll still have to juice 'em somewhere along the way.

 

[TheStickyIcky]

Well, if its red clay save yourself some trouble and pick another spot. Otherwise you don't have to completely replace the soil there, just add to it. I usually just carry in a 20lb bag of potting soil and mix it all in with the soil.

Watch out using blood and bone meal outdoors, these could attracts varmints that may dig your plants up.

 

[mistisrising]

Watch out using blood and bone meal outdoors, these could attracts varmints that may dig your plants up.

True, I always forget since I cage mine.

 

[Hick]

nobody mentioned lime... a tablespoon per gallon of soil mix will help buffer the ph of imperfect soil

 

[SirSmoke-a-Lot]

Trust nature, If other plants are growing around without things added, you should be fine, but go ahead and add some things like perlite and all that way you will be 100 percent sure. Might want to add some manure or goano.