where do you go for your gardening supplies

[Atriax]

I'm planning my next grow and I'm trying to optimize my cost-effectiveness. while I didnt keep track of costs (or really any of the grow process, will make journal next time). Ignoring initial startup costs, I'm pretty sure my single biggest money sink was my choice of soil. I used foxfarms stuff and I feel like I can get the same results by mixing my own or just exploring other options.

Where do you shop?
How specialized is their stuff?
Do they have online delivery?
Rewards programs?
what can be re-used?

[Bluey]

Making your own soil or soil admixtures is quite rewarding and costs very little, but you need quite a few months to make the most basic biochar (soil admixture or top spreader) and 6 months if composting well. You also need the outdoor space.

Making your own compost or nute teas (nute mix) is also very easy but I haven't done that so can't help with that, but it's worth researching online.

Quite a few here have some great recipes they have refined over many grows to suit cannabis.

[dirtymike]

Re using your substrate or medium can be done but it must go through a flushing process and regain the natural nutrients it lost to the plant growing in a pot. Outside its just tilled up and nutrients added and start again in TIME.(crop rotation). Soil has to rest a bit before it is used again.(Optimal). After a few grows your compost pile will be mostly coco and compost. FF is a good soil but it is costly. This is where a compost pile comes to the rescue. I reuse soil when i use it but i always use the oldest soil i have in the compost pile. I like to use coco because i can control the ph, nutrient and water easier and coco doesn't get compacted. By far the soil has been the most costly product i have purchased so far,- 4 grows.

[kingfish]

dirtymike, I'm on my 5th grow with the same soil. All I do is pull out most of the root mass and that is it. About 2 weeks before I plan to plant another plant I treat the soil with dyotomic powder to kill any larva that might have gotten in the soil. Then I grow it just like the plant before. I use to spend $60.00 for 4 bags of soil. not anymore. I won't reuse the soil if I had problems in the previous grow.

[Atriax]

Re using your substrate or medium can be done but it must go through a flushing process and regain the natural nutrients it lost to the plant growing in a pot. Outside its just tilled up and nutrients added and start again in TIME.(crop rotation). Soil has to rest a bit before it is used again.(Optimal). After a few grows your compost pile will be mostly coco and compost. FF is a good soil but it is costly. This is where a compost pile comes to the rescue. I reuse soil when i use it but i always use the oldest soil i have in the compost pile. I like to use coco because i can control the ph, nutrient and water easier and coco doesn't get compacted. By far the soil has been the most costly product i have purchased so far,- 4 grows.

The problem I have with the composting pile idea is that I would have nowhere to keep a composting pile. I live in a townhouse in the city. It's got a backporch but unless I can keep it all in a bucket or something I don't see where I can keep it all

[crucialbunny]

I live in a Townhome as well and I use rubber trashcans with lids for my compost. Be sure to drill some holes in the bottom for drainage and some in the sides for aeration.

[golfnrl]

I grow in a 50/50 mix of coco and perlite using CX Horticulture nutrients. I like the idea of growing in composted soil that I make myself, but have decided that I really don't want to mess around with it. So I've learned to grow weed with coco coir. I buy from a local cannabis grow shop that has a point system. Being somewhat climate conscious, I've tried to reclaim the used coco but have decided that's to much trouble for very little in return, and the perlite gets everywhere .