I was thinking of trying dr earth

Are you referring to the top dress stuff? the liquid stuff? outside? i'm sure it works well. You don't need a complete diet outside.. just need to supplement what's in the earth. The top-dress stuff probably won't be enough for a plant in a pot long-term. The ratios of the various top-dress options that i see won't work well as a one-size-fits-all long-term. I didn't look at their liquid options. Too many variables to answer this question in a specific way... As long as you can play with the ratios "enough" to maintain the health of the plants in front of you, it'll probably work as well as anything else. 4-4-4 won't do it. 4-8-4 won't do it on its own unless it's a soil that provides the other necessities.

Hey 👋 It's always good to have alternatives, even when choosing soil! The important thing is that the NPK ratios are right and the roots are properly aerated. For aeration, you can add up to 1/3 clay granules/perlite. You need to be careful with the NPK values. If you're starting in herb soil or something similar, you can go straight into a substrate with a 3-1-1 ratio. This will switch to 1-3-3 later on. The pH should also be around 6.0. As long as these criteria are met, nothing should stand in the way of a good grow, and I'm excited to see the results! Good luck 🍀🤞🏽👊