Hi I'm trying to grow in pots outside in Sydney nsw please any suggestions

[cbdhemp808]

I was afraid you would say that. Most of the potting soil mixes are supposed to have the wood chips, pieces of bark and small sticks. They are an active ingredient in the compost portion of the mix. Some companies even list the wood as "Aged Forest Products" or "Age Wood" or "Composted Wood" or something similar.

These pieces of wood are a major way of helping the soil hold moisture, they continue to slowly decompose adding new nutrients to the mix, and they help with the soil tilth or how loose and fluffy it feels.

That's news to me. My understanding is you don't want to grow in wood that isn't fully decomposed. Anything that looks like a "wood chip" isn't fully decomposed, yeah?

"Fresh wood chips can temporarily deplete nitrogen in the soil as they decompose, so it's important to use only well-rotted wood chips."

 

[tryinggorw]

That's news to me. My understanding is you don't want to grow in wood that isn't fully decomposed. Anything that looks like a "wood chip" isn't fully decomposed, yeah?

"Fresh wood chips can temporarily deplete nitrogen in the soil as they decompose, so it's important to use only well-rotted wood chips."

This is my first time growing, but reading all the information, I thought just take it out in case. I added prelite and worm casting in the soil for now

 

[tryinggorw]

I was afraid you would say that. Most of the potting soil mixes are supposed to have the wood chips, pieces of bark and small sticks. They are an active ingredient in the compost portion of the mix. Some companies even list the wood as "Aged Forest Products" or "Age Wood" or "Composted Wood" or something similar.

These pieces of wood are a major way of helping the soil hold moisture, they continue to slowly decompose adding new nutrients to the mix, and they help with the soil tilth or how loose and fluffy it feels.

That's what came out when I went through the bag don't worry about the prelite that was me lol

 

[cbdhemp808]

Wow my friend, that's some really low-grade looking soil. I see there are a bunch of hydroponics stores (grow shops) in Sydney. I see a hydro store in Melbourne that has "Easy As Organics" organic super soil. Looks like a good product and they list ingredients and guaranteed analysis of nutrient content. Another products is "Bio Diesel Living Organic Soil".

 

[tryinggorw]

Wow my friend, that's some really low-grade looking soil. I see there are a bunch of hydroponics stores (grow shops) in Sydney. I see a hydro store in Melbourne that has "Easy As Organics" organic super soil. Looks like a good product and they list ingredients and guaranteed analysis of nutrient content. Another products is "Bio Diesel Living Organic Soil".

I know mate, this is what I got at the end after going through it

 

[tryinggorw]

Wow my friend, that's some really low-grade looking soil. I see there are a bunch of hydroponics stores (grow shops) in Sydney. I see a hydro store in Melbourne that has "Easy As Organics" organic super soil. Looks like a good product and they list ingredients and guaranteed analysis of nutrient content. Another products is "Bio Diesel Living Organic Soil".

 

[KBUENOS]

Is she not getting up? Otherwise she's fine she should be turning up to worship the Sun in a bit.

Soil looks really wet.. so avoid watering now let the roots go hunt for the moisture in the pot.

She's getting there, looks strong. Thank you for sharing your photos, I burned through 6 seeds before I finally went back to basics and started some in soil myself, thank you Jiffy

 

[KBUENOS]

My favorite soil is Roots Organics formula 707, you will want to use a high grade soil as most all the stuff that you see in the garden center of the superstore will have wetting agents and heavy metals, insects, mold and even nutrients that can stunt your plant when you begin feeding. Alternately I really love hydroponic growing. If you have the energy to test your reservoir a couple of times daily then that is the way to go my opinion, the only weed I ever had better was living soil cannabis, that stuff blew my hair back but Hydroponic is no slouch. I appreciate you sharing these photos, that lil lady you have there looks thicc and I like that happy growing my friend, and hello from Or USA

 

[SmokingWings]

That's news to me. My understanding is you don't want to grow in wood that isn't fully decomposed. Anything that looks like a "wood chip" isn't fully decomposed, yeah?

I am not sure what is news? The major Cannabis specific compost soils found at area grow and hydro shops are using a wood based compost. The names of the first ingredient listed on the back of many of these bags is often something along the lines of the ones I used in my earlier comment shown below. I believe that Fox Farm calls their main ingredient 'Aged Forest Products'.
"Most of the potting soil mixes are supposed to have the wood chips, pieces of bark and small sticks. They are an active ingredient in the compost portion of the mix. Some companies even list the wood as "Aged Forest Products" or "Age Wood" or "Composted Wood" or something similar."

Several years ago I noticed that any area in my backyard areas and garden beds that had been mulched with wood chips was a richer looking soil than other non-mulched areas. First step was to find out what these wood products included. That led to finding out where and what was involved in making this compost on a commercial scale.

Oh, and if I say wood chips it is a general term for wood pieces whether chips of all sizes, sticks, chunks or even saw dust.

I had heard the basic info that bacteria uses the nitrogen in the soil to decompose the wood chips many years ago in a class. I asked myself how these businesses were able to around the 'nitrogen' issue and still be able to create the volume of compost needed for a commercial operation. Google search after search led to more questions and more trips down the "rabbit hole".

Things learned so far include that the decomposing wood soon is able to absorb water and older wood which has been decomposing for a few months is great at keeping the soil moist. Wood based compost when it is finishing will have pretty much the same NPK ratios as any other compost. This wood compost will help change the soil pH and get it closer to neutral. Wood compost and the pieces of wood help to keep soil from compacting. It helps to break up clay based soils. The list goes on.

Oh, and the nitrogen issue. Not a real problem at all. Mix the wood chips with already finished compost or a good dirt from a garden. Those micro-organisms will get the nitrogen they need to get started from that. Think about this tidbit...most of us gardeners are already adding a fertilizer whether with the water or top-dressing or adding it when filling up the pot just before transplanting so what is another pinch added for the micro-organisms.

Speaking of micro-organisms they are not taking the nitrogen----they are just borrowing it for a short time and then giving it back.

 

[cbdhemp808]

I am not sure what is news?

The news is that non-decomposed wood in potting soil is a good thing...

Most of the potting soil mixes are supposed to have the wood chips, pieces of bark and small sticks.

I don't think that's a given. Yes, a lot of them do have "aged forest products". However I think there is great variation in the quality, with some of them having larger sticks and chips (low grade), and others having that stuff more ground up and composted (higher grade). I think some of these soils are using "aged" but not fully-composted wood material. The smaller the pieces, the more rapidly they decompose. Fully decomposed is optimum. Other ingredients, such as coco coir, can be used for aeration, carbon, and holding water. For example, one of the high-quality mixes, Roots Organics, uses "composted forest material" in their "Original" mix, while they don't use forest material in their "Lush" mix. Some mixes use peat moss rather than forest material... Coast of Maine's Stonington Blend contains no forest material. Neither does SOHUM living soil. One more example, and maybe the best potting soil available in the U.S., which is Build-A-Soil... all of their soil mixes use compost and peat moss, but not forest material as in chips and sticks—they use Malibu Compost, which contains fully composted wood chips. See photo below.

Fox Farm Ocean Forest. "50-60% Aged forest products, sphagnum peat moss, perlite, sandy loam and fertilizer..." I think we can safely say that the wood is fully composted.

Malibu Compost, Bu's Blend Biodynamic Compost. Contains fully composted wood chips.

For comparison, OP's soil out of the bag. (EDIT: what he screened out of the soil in the bag.)

 

[Sueet]

For comparison, OP's soil out of the bag.

That pic is not out of the bag, it is what he screened out of the bag.

 

[tryinggorw]

That pic is not out of the bag, it is what he screened out of the bag.

 

[SmokingWings]

Fully decomposed is optimum.

I disagree. If the plant is in the ground the root system can reach out for several feet past the drip line and several feet below the soil surface. However most of us are growing plants in containers with a limited amount of soil available.

Since it is the soil micro-organisms that process the minerals and organic materials in the soil then we should want as large a population of these organisms as possible. If we remove all, or even just most of their food source, which is the partially decomposed wood pieces, then their population will drop and that means less is being processed for the plants to use. That has to have an effect on the final harvest.

Also, not mentioned earlier is that the micro-organisms will colonize these small pieces of wood. As long as the wood retains some moisture they will continue to eat and reproduce even if the soil itself dries out a bit.

If someone is trying to grow in an organic or natural soil, or at least as best they can, then they should provide as much basic raw material as possible to maintain for a good sized population of micro-organisms.

 

[cbdhemp808]

I disagree. If the plant is in the ground the root system can reach out for several feet past the drip line and several feet below the soil surface. However most of us are growing plants in containers with a limited amount of soil available.

Since it is the soil micro-organisms that process the minerals and organic materials in the soil then we should want as large a population of these organisms as possible. If we remove all, or even just most of their food source, which is the partially decomposed wood pieces, then their population will drop and that means less is being processed for the plants to use. That has to have an effect on the final harvest.

Also, not mentioned earlier is that the micro-organisms will colonize these small pieces of wood. As long as the wood retains some moisture they will continue to eat and reproduce even if the soil itself dries out a bit.

If someone is trying to grow in an organic or natural soil, or at least as best they can, then they should provide as much basic raw material as possible to maintain for a good sized population of micro-organisms.

OK, well I agree to disagree with you on that. There's plenty of food in good potting soil without the need for chips and sticks that aren't decomposed. If what you are saying was true, then commercial companies like Build-A-Soil would put that material in their soil. They don't.

 

[tryinggorw]

Please help

OK, well I agree to disagree with you on that. There's plenty of food in good potting soil without the need for chips and sticks that aren't decomposed. If what you are saying was true, then commercial companies like Build-A-Soil would put that material in their soil. They don't.

 

[cbdhemp808]

Please help

How's it going? Those seedlings look nice and healthy.

 

[tryinggorw]

How's it going? Those seedlings look nice and healthy.

This one is in coir and soil mixed not looking good the only thing given is water and that too not much what happening to it? It's a auto

 

[tryinggorw]

This one is in coir and soil but not much coir just a bit up at the top, it's a auto as well. Just been giving water but it looks like it's dying

 

[cbdhemp808]

Are these the same two from yesterday's photos?

How many of these seedlings do you have?

 

[tryinggorw]

This all started this morning, they were okay last night