Fox Farm’s Ocean Forest Potting Soil – Lab Results vs. Home Tests – How to Fix & Balance

Fox Farm’s Ocean Forest Soil Lab Test

Fox Farm Ocean Forest potting soil is one of the most popular soils for houseplants, vegetables and fruits grown at home. However, popular and best is usually not synonymous. Instead of guessing or following a whole industry of recommendations, we decided to put the soil to the test using University of Delaware’s Soil Testing service:

The following tests were conducted on the soil:

GH-1. SME Media Analysis
pH, EC, Saturated Media Extract Analysis for P, K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Zn, Cu,
Fe, B, S, Na, Al, NO3 -N and NH4 -N.

Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfur and trace elements are some of the most important nutrients for all plants and by knowing what your soil has before you start adding more is crucial to providing a well balanced soil medium for your plants.

To balance this soil out, I would use something with a High High Low NPK and when you take a look at fox farms product line, youll notice that grow big is actually a perfect compliment to what the lab results have shown for this soil. I would gradually add it to the soil to make up for the low levels measured starting at 150 ppm and only increase it when you notice signs of deficiency.
Youll also need to add a little Calcium eventually: https://amzn.to/4bEDVig this will also add a tiny bit of Nitrogen to balance the NPK better.

For an organic solution, I would add https://amzn.to/4bzZKzC which has a NPK of 7-7-2 and I would apply it initially at 4 tablespoons for each 5 gallon pot. It even has the calcium you need, just make sure you mix this thoroughly.