Is peat moss not a good choice?

[Sir Sicaro]

I recently re-potted my plant and I'm a newbie.It's growing outside. in the old soil i could see run off after watering the new pot has smaller holes but i think the peat moss is causing it not to allow run off any more. it's a 50/50 mix peatmoss and seedling MG.

Any Advice coments?

 

[KingstonRabbi]

You need to add perlite for extra drainage. Peat moss is too fine. The original soil had enough.

Why did you add the peat moss?

 

[wakeabakea]

You can use peat moss as long as you keep it moist and wet if it dries hard it's worthless

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[Major PITA]

I like 70%-75% peat and 25%-30% perlite. Cannabis prefers very light, well-drained soil.

 

[Sir Sicaro]

No reason other than I was re-potting it and thought it was a good idea. Then I did some research and it seems like most people prefer manure or regular dirt.

Will peatmoss w/o perlite drain? I am worried about over watering of course.
Should I want to se drainage before I stop watering?

Thanks!
.

 

[Sir Sicaro]

Yeah it doesnt seem to be draining but Im not sure if im not giving it enough water or too much. The leaves (Not the pic) look a litle droopy today despite good sun.

 

[Major PITA]

New-ish growers almost always over-water. With straight peat, it doesn't seem likely you are under-watering. If you have extra peat and another pot, fill the pot and see how it feels when dry. Compare to the watered plant. A plant that needs water will react positively almost immediately. If you give them water and the plant doesn't look better within the hour, you just made it worse.

Leaves look droopy = too much water
Stems/branches droop = too little water

Over-watered (curled, droopy leaves)

Under-watered (good looking leaves but droopy stems)

Immediately after giving her a drink. In another 5 minutes the leaves are vibrant and point up to the light.

 

[BedroomFarmer]

Thanks pita for the water pics! +reps

Have you looked into coco? It's kinda like peat but it's a renewable resource. If your into that sorta thing, leave the peat in the bogs.

 

[Major PITA]

Thanks pita for the water pics! +reps

Have you looked into coco? It's kinda like peat but it's a renewable resource. If your into that sorta thing, leave the peat in the bogs.

I know a lot of growers like coco but I do not. It has terrible CEC, it is relatively expensive, and varies quite a bit in quality and texture. The sawdust I use is a local, renewable resource and much less expensive. I mix it with another local resource: pumice. It replaces perlite in my mix, lightens the sawdust and improves drainage while mineralizing the soil. Both sawdust and pumice are $30-$35 per cubic yard =>200 gallons.

 

[BedroomFarmer]

Now I HAVE to look into growing with saw dust as the medium!

 

[Major PITA]

Now I HAVE to look into growing with saw dust as the medium!

The key to using sawdust is, it must be completely composted. When it is, it is very much like peat. If the sawdust is new-ish, it will suck 'N' from your plants as it decomposes. New sawdust is good for killing plants since they can't compete for the nitrogen. Like peat, you also need to add lime in order to neutralize and buffer the sawdust's PH.

The stuff I use is many years old. Hopefully you can find aged sawdust. Otherwise the downside is a longgg wait. Even though the sawdust I get is very well composted, I add blood meal then let it sit around to make sure it is fully broken down and "charged".

This is what about 400 gallons of the mix looks like once sawdust, pumice and amendment are all combined. I was able to grow 14' plants and the yield was more than 4 lbs. from each of them.

 

[Sir Sicaro]

Great help, Thanks Major PITA!