I’ve mostly only grown indoors in the past but I actually have a back yard now and live in a medical state so I figure I might as well take advantage of it. I grew some plants in 5 and 7 gallon pots last year and am planning to do the same thing this year but with at least one of the plants being in the ground.
I live in Oklahoma and my soil is like a red clay with a Ph of about 7.2. Any advice on soil amendments/nutrients? I don’t have a tiller, is that a problem for just one plant?
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No tiller needed for 1 plant if you can run a shovel. I like to dig a hole 4-5 feet across and turn the soil a couple feet deep. Get you a couple bags of the best compost you can find and mix it in. That will help condition the soil and add lots of nutrition. That will get you started
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Last year I switched from containers to in-ground & saw much bigger & healthier plants. 
Was able to go 2 weeks in July without watering instead of 2 days with pots. 
(Sacramento 
).
A bale of alfalfa/straw for some mulch is all I’d add. If a big plant is problematic, delay planting as long as possible(what I’m trying this year).
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Yeah I have a 6 foot fence so I’m gonna try and keep it below that however I can. Last year I moved clones outside on July 4th and kept em right at 6’. But the container did add another foot…
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Good Ole red dirt. In the past I’ve done exactly what was said, but the hole I dug, I just filled with good soil I had mixed. I did add some of the watering crystals as mine was guerilla style. You won’t have that issue. Good luck man, I want to see some pics. It’s my first year back growing. It’s been awhile, but I started in the same kinda dirt you are taking about. Read up on training to keep those plants shorter.
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Last year I topped a couple times and used a tomato cage with twine to tie the branches down to the lower rungs, it worked and looked kinda cool growing outwards like a willow tree or something, but the buds turned out too fluffy cuz everything kept trying to grow upwards. It was a weird strain too though. so Yeah I’ll keep reading up on that and I’ll post pics for sure. (Probably asking for help lol)
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Outdoor scrog do it on my plants I keep them under 2.5-3’ in height feel free to check out my 2018-2019 grow chronicles… spread them branches out and tie down.
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Okay thanks! I’ll check it out, I hadn’t heard of that. I think I even have extra netting somewhere from when I tried a scrog indoors
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didthesame thing but i addededthem to my garden bed definately can’t wait for the results
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I would say that if you have a good soil to start with (looks like) you just need to add some aereation to the mix with perlite or coco up to 30%. It will improve oxigen retention and roots will love it.
A nice EWC topping too…
Also dig the hole the wider possible…wider mean bigger plants
And dose the hell out of it with a good balanced ACT (microbeorganics.org) once ina while to keep life thriving…
A little tip i used in the past with succes is to add a light sprinkle of Feather Meal at the very bottom of the hole just in case you are running some slow flowering sativas to ensure a constant N and Ca release thru the end of flowering!
In US you have acces to any animal meal or rock dust existing on the planet so you can go crazy with your fantasy…hahah…just be careful with guanos…i would avoid em mixing in the soil cause their generally too hot and fast release…better as a controlled topping or a “tea”…
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@Tinytuttle
I did check out that thread about the outdoor sog. Information overload! I’m gonna learn alot from you my friend. I love your operation organic, DIY, and inexpensive. Awesome! Anyone interested in organic gardening should give it a read, but take it small doses, trust me. 
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Last year I did a tiered scrog to keep one my beasts shorter. Put a screen say 2-3 ft up and train it along that during the summer. Then when flowering stretch hits (or maybe just before) put a second screen at say 4-5 ft and train along that. It worked pretty nicely for me.
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Hey thanks for the tips. I just got done digging out that hole wider like you said. And yeah I definitely need something for aeration, that soil is so thick and heavy, it’s like clay. I bookmarked your comment to look into all that stuff you mentioned, luckily I have a little while before I need to transplant.
Oh yeah, what is ACT? It looks like that site you linked to is down, do you know anywhere else I should go?
Niiice! Clay is one of the best soil ever!!! Lots of CEC but needs to be def loosen up
Areated Compost Tea http://microbeorganics.com/
Its a way to multiplicate the beneficial present in a handful of compost…you multiply em in water with oxigen and sugars and a tiny bit of food…
and baaaaaam your soil will explode of life
Ah! Dont forget to muclh the hole! Very important for microlife and water saving…i reccomend composted woodchips if you can get em…they look neat and provide good habitat for beneficial fungi!!! Any other composted mulch will be fine too…but i love woodchips
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