Not for cannabis but growing vegetables that have similar requirements. Ok I built a large raised planter 2’x8’x2’ and filled it with a mix of cheap bagged topsoil, peat moss and compost. My problem is nothing is growing well and everything is yellowing. My lettuce plants are only a 1/2" tall after 3 weeks and yellowing, bell peppers have stopped at an inch tall, squash and cucumber plants stalled out and yellowing. Now I did go get one of those soil pH testers with the metal prongsv that you stabb in the dirt and it says my pH is damn near 8. What else do I need to add to this to make a decent soil? I grow buds dwc so this whole dirt thing is new. Trying to teach my youngest how to be self sufficient and give her something to do and she’s losing interest as well as me
Looks like you would be better with a ph of 6 to 6.5 for those veggies. You may want to add some aeration as well to break that up a bit. The first time I tried to grow Marijuana 8nused cheap top soil and had lots of Problems with fungus. Also I have heard it can be contaminated sometimes as well.
Sorry, add some Sulphur to bring your ph down.
I used a raise bed made from pallets for my veggies. We have a local compost place that sells a garden mix for cheap. I used that and made what is called a lasagna garden. I’m pretty sure Google will describe that. Watch for squash bugs on your squash and cucumbers. Catch them early, they are a pain.
I mixed in 1/3 volume of perlite. How do I lower soil pH? I know it’s way too high right now but I’m clueless when it comes to soil so that’s why I’m asking here. Some of you guys have awesome results with dirt. If I don’t know something I’m gonna ask the experts lol
Sorry, I added an edit, forgot to say sulfur. The mix I use does use municipal compost which isn’t the best, but I do the best that I can afford. Once I can buy a home, I will have a large compost pile, until then I will have to live with my small worm bin.
Also, when dealing with soil always mulch, it feeds the beneficial organisms in your soil. I bag when I mow the good spots in my lawn. Some would tell you leaves may be better, and I chop those up with the mower and use them when available. Not sure if this really makes a difference or not. I have read that leaf mold can be great for your plants.
Squash bugs? Do they leave little trails in the leaves? Had a problem with that on my squash and cukes also the tomato’s. Hit them with Monterey spray and seems to have worked. No real new growth in 2 weeks to tell though.
Even with the grow problems, I’m not too trusting of those soil testers.
To verify, do you have a PH pen handy? Could you create a slurry using distilled/RO water and a soil sample, then measure that?
Here’s a reference on a similar problem that may be helpful:
The quick fixes appear to be sulfur with longer term fixes being organic matter.
Also, for the compost, is there any possibility for high salinity (e.g. from food waste / road wash)?
There is bound to be some good answers from the outdoor folk, I mostly do something similar to what you’re doing but should probably be a bit more analytical.
Trails = slugs. You can cut a tin can in half and put it around the base of your plant and that can help. Also, you can mulch with pine needles. Squash bugs are Grey as adults and suck the life out of your plants.
Good point on the ph testing.
Thanks for the article I’m gonna read that now. The compost was black cow brand from the local big box store. Same with the peat and soil. The soil looked to be the same as the raised bed bagged stuff looks like it’s got plenty of organic stuff in it like small chunks of bark and chipped wood that my other plants in containers love. The pH in the containers is around 6-6.5. I do have a pH pen for my hydro but no ro water or distilled available. Could I take my tap water measure that and put some soul in it and let it sit over night and measure the change? Already got that brewing lol
These are tiny trails in the leaves like maybe 1/16in in width
Manure based? I’ve had problem with composted manure in the past.
That’ll probably work. It’ll likely be more ‘trustable’ than the soil probe as long as the tap water isn’t crazy. Only reason for the distilled suggestion is that you’ll avoid any of the buffers the municipality puts into the system.
Slimy trail that looks like dried snot would be a slug. If it is in the leaf, could be a leaf borer.
Yes it is manure based. Going to be building another and don’t want these problems lol so if I find the fix for this when I fill the other I’ll add the fix to this one from the start
I can get garden mix for like 30 bucks for a whole pickup bed full. Try to find something like that. I can grow directly in it.
Here for a visual of the problems
The bed itself
3 week old broccoli that just stopped
The squash
The lettuce also 3 weeks or so
Cukes
I’ve never had this much problem growing anything.
I also added some great white myco to the mix and been feeding them a mild gh 3 part since that’s what I have on hand with an product called mycochum to feed the microbes at a pH of about 5 but not helping bring the soil pH down any
That’s the problem every place that sells things like that is closed do to Corona induced ignorance
Wasn’t thinking about buffers dammit my tap pH is 7.4 to start
I’d say dump the manure from the plan unless you’ve had past success with it.
There has been some manure that is either too hot (not composted fully) along with reports about some brands containing herbicides (persistent) and other pests.
I’ve used manure for years as an amendment then started to have crappy 
problems with similar slow growth. I’m stopping the manure myself and will go another direction but am just guessing.
But, I’d wait until more of the outdoor/soil experts have a chance to chime in.
It should be fine. Just get the ballpark range for now and with enough soil you’ll exceed the buffering capacity of the tap water.
Don’t get me started on the ignorance part, I could hijack this thread in a quick minute. That does look like a borer to me.
I have rabbits that I raise for the manure and meat. It all depends on where your manure comes from, but in this case I would agree. If you can find someone locally that raises rabbits, try using that. It doesn’t need composted.
Thank you both I’ll be reading that article after a roll one @Northern_Loki . I’ve never used it but old man that lived down the road from me used to add it as a top dressing to good gardens and my God they were beautiful. The mix is 20 cu.ft. top soil, 3 cuft peat moss, 3 cuft composted manure and ,2 cu ft perlite