Nutrients Help Me Create Custom Soil Mix for Biotabs

[IndoorTropics]

For my 1st grow I bought some local super soil. It was hot and won’t be using it again for 2nd run. My branded soil option are super limited, so appreciate those suggestions but just can’t get them.

So for my 2nd run, I prefer to avoid measuring PH and EC for simplicity so am looking for a simple substrate that will give me good results with ease. Then I can add the Biotabs into the soil or coco after about 2-3 weeks as per Mephisto instructions.

I have access to these materials:

Vermicompost
Perlite
Vermiculite
100% natural coco peat
Peat Moss
Coco coir
Hydroton clay pebbles
Spag Moss
Dolomite lime (so I won’t need silcium flash)
Mycorrhiza
Epson Salt
Dry Bat Guano
Klassman Base Substrate 3 coarse-fibrous


@Hippy_BiotabsF70 seems to recommend the following for Biotabs:

coco/perlite/worm castings (50/40/10)

Guanokalong soil/perlite/worm castings (50/40/10)

BUT I CANNOT GET GUANOKALONG SOIL AND PREFER AVOID COCO FOR REASONS BELOW. I DONT EVEN KNOW IF COCO MEANS COCO PEAT OR COCO COIR!

https://www.autoflower.org/threads/watering-with-biotabs-substrate-selection.66686/#post-1852799

Anyone experienced with Biotabs can help me out with a soil recipe based on the above or should I just follow @Hippy_BiotabsF70 like above? I just worry with coco that I will really need to start focus on the PH and EC etc, which id rather not do and is why I got into biotabs in the first place.

 

[Arthur]

Soil or coco, pH and ppm are necessary... unless your one of the few that were gifted with the green thump.
Mixing soil requires the use of at least a pH meter.

 

[Proph]

There is a lot going on in your question.. You may want to do some research on biotabs, their purpose, and how they work, before committing to them. It seems that making your own soil would be counter productive.. As most self made soils are made to include fertilizer.. The bio tab website recommends using a base/light mix with little to no nutrients in it..

The other issue is that you're wanting to not check ph and ppm/ec.. That more so applies when growing in living organic soil beds.. You will definitely need to check the ph of at least the base mix you make, if you plan on making your own soil/soiless base. The ph/ec of the water source may not be that important, if everything else in the base is stable, but the soil ph will be something you'll want to check, especially if the coco isn't buffered.

I personally would not recommend bio tabs, or soil making, for new growers, but that's just me.. No two plants are the same. Some are heavy feeders, some are light feeders.. Some nutrient sensitive, some aren't.. Just too many variables.. So when one starts having issues, good luck trying to figure out what the issue is and how to fix it. Slow release nutrients can be tricky.

All you should need is any regular base.. The Bio Tabs website recommends 50% coco and 50% perlite.. I would stick to that. Especially on my 2nd grow.

 

[IndoorTropics]

Thanks to you both!

"50% coco/50% perlite" - is this coco coir? Excuse my ignorance.

Understood about PH/EC. Will purchase a PH pen and EC/PPM meter today (in pic).

Will post test results later today. I guess i just want to test the EC/PH of my water source. Then get a tiny amount of runoff and test that and then compare the difference? @Proph

 

[IndoorTropics]

@Arthur @Proph

Ok Got my EC and PH meter and calibrated it in the 3 solutions with distilled water. Seemed to work correctly give or take.

Did some tests and here are results:

INPUT RO BOTTLED WATER
20 ppm
6.7 PH

I then watered the most effected plant slowly with same RO water till runoff and tried to catch most of the first drops. I then tested the EC and PH:

RUNO WATER
3000-3300 ppm
5.75 PH

According to calculation I saw:

"If your runoff pH is lower than your starting pH, us this equation:
Soil pH = Runoff pH - Difference"

so 5.75 - 1 = 4.75 PH of my soil? for real? sounds so bad! was told soil was 6.5 PH roughly and have only added organic nutes. pissed off lol. i did water my plants heavily yesterday to 15-30% runoff already if that makes a difference.

 

[IndoorTropics]

@Arthur @Proph

Just tested a 2nd pot to check if results are similar, and eh guess what? Both pots gave identical readings.

5.75 PH
3000-3300 ppm

Any advice? What should I do? 3000-35000ppm is off the charts high from what i have read. They are in 3gal pots, should i be brave and try to transplant them into some coco peat and perlite and then add fresh biotabs? Really stressed out about this and choosing that soil medium was a big F up! Cannabis soil my ass!


EDIT: Thinking about just buying this cheaper Hanna soil/coco prob or the Bluelabs one (more expensive) to get more accurate results or am i throwing money into the abyss? I literally just bought one of these things....

Hanna Soil Probe

Bluelabs Soil Probe

 

[Proph]

I think I may have missed some information somewhere. I thought you where planning your 2nd grow.. But from this recent post it sounds like you are checking the run off of a plant you have growing.. In a soil that's already made and already using bio tabs.. Is that right? That soil ph equation isn't accurate.. I use soil ph probes to check the soil ph. And liquid ph pens to check liquids. The soil ph needs to be known if you made the mix yourself using a combo of all the ingredients listed. If you are using 50% coco and 50% perlite, there shouldn't be much need to check the ph.. Coco is pretty stable. Same with standard bag soils, they are pretty much all buffered to be in the correct ph range. It's more important when making your own mix..

If the ppm run off is 3000, that's crazy high.. That's nute lock out range.. Normally, I'd say do a light flush until the ppms are in normal rage for the plants age/stage. But you can't really flush with bio tabs. Watering actually activates the release of nutes in slow release products.. This is also why bio tabs suggests using a base mix with no pre added nutes.. Bio Tabs slowly release nutes into the soil.. You don't know when, at what rate, or what nutrients.. If the soil already has food/nutrients in it, that type of run off ppm can happen.. Transplanting and using new bio tabs might backfire.. Again, we don't know exactly how bio tabs work. New bio tabs could be releasing nutes slower at the start, and then release more towards the end. Depending on the plants age, that could cause issues as well.

So to clear up my confusion.. Can you please post details about your "current" grow? What strain, what soil, how old are they, light used, watering schedule, ect.

 

[IndoorTropics]

As a 3rd test, just to be sure, this time i tested one of the same pots again and let it collect a bigger sized sample in a bowl, rather than shot glass (missed too many drops)

This time (and much faster) I collected runoff reading:

5.95 PH
1800-2000 ppm

 

[IndoorTropics]

I think I may have missed some information somewhere. I thought you where planning your 2nd grow.. But from this recent post it sounds like you are checking the run off of a plant you have growing.. In a soil that's already made and already using bio tabs.. Is that right? That soil ph equation isn't accurate.. I use soil ph probes to check the soil ph. And liquid ph pens to check liquids. The soil ph needs to be know if you made the mix yourself using a combo of all the ingredients listed. If you are using 50% coco and 50% perlite, there shouldn't be much need to check the ph.. Coco is pretty stable.

If the ppm run off is 3000, that's crazy high.. That's nute lock out range.. Normally, I'd say do a light flush until the ppms are in normal rage for the plants age/stage. But you can't really flush with bio tabs. Watering actually activates the release of nutes in slow release products.. This is also why bio tabs suggests using a base mix with no pre added nutes.. Bio Tabs slowly release nutes into the soil.. You don't know when, at what rate, or what nutrients.. If the soil already has food/nutrients in it, that type of run off ppm can happen.. Transplanting and using new bio tabs might backfire.. Again, we don't know exactly how bio tabs work. New bio tabs could be releasing nutes slower at the start, and then release more towards the end. Depending on the plants age, that could cause issues as well.

So to clear up my confusion.. Can you please post details about your "current" grow? What strain, what soil, how old are they, light used, watering schedule, ect.

yes, I think the "super soil" was way too hot to begin with. I doubt 1-2 Biotabs which aint even activated fully yet have caused this.
I apologize for the confusion and yes i was planning for 2nd grow, whilst trying to fix my 1st effort. I am maybe creating too many threads.

From what i have read Biotabs rarely burn plants and are not salt based, so the plant takes up what and when it needs to. So maybe a flush isnt a bad thing? There is only 1 biotab in 4 pots and 2 in the last 2 anyway.

Here is my thread where you can see pics etc.

https://www.autoflower.org/threads/...orthern-cheese-haze.75034/page-2#post-2218583

 

[IndoorTropics]

I think I may have missed some information somewhere. I thought you where planning your 2nd grow.. But from this recent post it sounds like you are checking the run off of a plant you have growing.. In a soil that's already made and already using bio tabs.. Is that right? That soil ph equation isn't accurate.. I use soil ph probes to check the soil ph. And liquid ph pens to check liquids. The soil ph needs to be known if you made the mix yourself using a combo of all the ingredients listed. If you are using 50% coco and 50% perlite, there shouldn't be much need to check the ph.. Coco is pretty stable. Same with standard bag soils, they are pretty much all buffered to be in the correct ph range. It's more important when making your own mix..

If the ppm run off is 3000, that's crazy high.. That's nute lock out range.. Normally, I'd say do a light flush until the ppms are in normal rage for the plants age/stage. But you can't really flush with bio tabs. Watering actually activates the release of nutes in slow release products.. This is also why bio tabs suggests using a base mix with no pre added nutes.. Bio Tabs slowly release nutes into the soil.. You don't know when, at what rate, or what nutrients.. If the soil already has food/nutrients in it, that type of run off ppm can happen.. Transplanting and using new bio tabs might backfire.. Again, we don't know exactly how bio tabs work. New bio tabs could be releasing nutes slower at the start, and then release more towards the end. Depending on the plants age, that could cause issues as well.

So to clear up my confusion.. Can you please post details about your "current" grow? What strain, what soil, how old are they, light used, watering schedule, ect.

btw "50% coco & 50% perlite". ok no problem i am already on it as a test to run alongside these soil ones. i picked up 10L of perlite today already.

but i am an idiot and coco = coco coir or coco peat?