There are a number of options when it comes to growing cannabis in organic soil or using hydroponics. To save time and money, many people opt for growing in soil, whether they are growing outdoors or indoors.
Keep reading for the details you need to know if you’re thinking about growing in organic soil.
Finding the right soil
If you’re just starting out, it is recommended that you opt for a specialized organic soil that you purchase either online or from a store that sells high-quality agriculture supplies.
While some people use composted soil, and add other things to it, such as fertilizer and chalk, you would need to know everything that’s in the soil ahead of time before creating a special mixture for growing.
In other words, getting something that already has all the fertilizer and nutrients you need may save you time and money in the long run, although it will be more expensive to purchase at first.
At the same time, it will take the guesswork out of the fertilizers, nutrients, and pH level aspects of the soil, since you can find varieties that will have all these things at optimum levels. This allows you to start growing that much sooner.
Veterans may be able to use mixtures that they came up with themselves, but it’s still the most beneficial plan to buy special products, so you can limit any problems with your soil that you may have forgotten about, or simply have no control over to begin with.
Why organic is important
When you’re searching for food in the grocery store, you probably are more interested in organic than regular food, even though they may cost more money. This is because you know that these foods are the most natural you can buy without growing or making them for yourself.
You want the same thing when it comes to anything you grow at home, such as marijuana. You don’t want to grow it with soil that has extra pesticides or poisons in it. This can alter the way the plant grows, or in essence, make the buds have chemicals in them that no one needs.
For just a few extra dollars, you won’t have to worry about these problems and you can be sure that you’re growing the best product you can.
There are good and bad things about growing in organic soil. Here’s a look at some of the most important aspects.
Growing Cannabis in Organic Soil
Pros
Efficient method
Thinking about crops again, you know that most of the food you eat is grown in soil. This is because it is really the best way to grow things. It allows plants to take root to get all the nutrients they need, and they are able to support themselves because they can spread out under the soil. This makes them stronger and sturdier, so they have a better chance of surviving and being able to yield results.
Great for indoors or outdoors
You can use organic soil whether you’re growing indoors or outdoors. It seems like a no brainer if you are growing plants outside, but it’s also a great choice for growing indoors too, especially if you are growing many plants at once. On the flip side, even if you are growing just a few, soil is quite beneficial.
Easy for beginners and other skill levels
Since the organic soil products you can purchase have special nutrients and other things in them, they make it easier to get started. This takes some of the difficulty out of setting up your first project, and can still be used if you are quite experienced in growing cannabis.
Not only are these products easy to use, they are also really great for the plants. They’re natural and can make the product taste better and grow better, which is something that every grower wants.
Takes a lot of the guesswork out
Since you won’t have to worry about giving it extra plant food, or constantly checking the pH, you can concentrate on the real important jobs through the process, like keeping the plants properly watered and making sure they are pruned enough.
There will be fewer question marks when it comes to the overall process since you can rest assured that many things are already taken care of. You also have a better chance of growing plants that are healthy and develop properly.
Cons
A greater chance of pests and bugs
Soil does have a better chance of attracting bugs than growing hydroponically. This is one reason why some people don’t like to use it. However, there are many ways to keep pests at bay or attack them once they become attracted to your plants.
One way is through the use of diatomaceous earth, which can be placed right in the soil. It is essentially ground-up glass that won’t allow bugs to be able to move freely around your plants. Instead it will slice them up into small pieces and kill them. It is considered to be a safe bug killer and has many other jobs as well.
This type of product can also be found at agriculture stores and will keep pretty much everything away from your plants, even if you have them planted somewhere outside.
It’s expensive
Organic anything is expensive, usually because it takes more effort to make it organic. It has to be protected and must be separated from regular soil so that there is no cross contamination. However, it results in a product that is safe to use and won’t have any surprise or unwanted ingredients, so it’s worth the extra money.
Can get messy
Any time there is dirt somewhere, it can get messy. This shouldn’t be a problem if you’re growing outside, but inside is a different story. To limit messes, you can have plastic under the area that you’re growing in, or sweep it up if it becomes a problem.
Watering
When you grow plants in organic soil, you will also have focus on properly watering them. You may be tempted to water each plant until the soil is wet, but this is actually too much water.
A good suggestion is to make sure the soil is wet, but doesn’t have floating water on top. In other words, you will need to moisten only the soil. To tell when this happens, you can just touch it with your hands to check, which is fine to do.
It should be watered each time you notice that the dirt seems to be too dry, since water needs to be sent up through the entire plant.
A couple tips
If you have never planted before, you should start planting just a few plants at a time, so you can get used to the process. This will allow you to learn, but not waste a lot of cannabis in case problems come up or you mess up a part of the process.
Then as you keep learning, you can add more plants and other things into the mix, until you are able to grow exactly the way that you want to.
Besides just diatomaceous powders that you can use, there are small round spheres called clay pebbles that also work. These allow you to have to use less soil and allow for the roots to grow more uniformly, since they won’t have to work so hard to get resources.
These balls actually make sure that the soil’s water level is stable longer, and they can be reused. You can ask about them when you purchase your soil or look for them online to learn more about them.
Some people don’t use them because of their cost, but since they work well and can be used indefinitely, they are well worth the money.
Conclusion
When it comes to growing in general, organic soil is a good choice if you want a product that is safe to use and won’t have lots of extra pesticides or chemicals.
You don’t want these in something like tomatoes or carrots, so it makes sense that you’d want to keep them out of your weed plants as well. You can find special soils to purchase that can handle a lot of the work for you, so you won’t have to mix composted soil yourself.
At the same time, if you have access to organic soil at home, there are mixtures you can use which are cheaper. You can look online for recipes and see what other growers use. Keep in mind that you should start small and work your way up to a greater number of plants, since growing in soil is perfect for beginners and pros.
When you learn the finer points and techniques, you’ll be well on your way to growing perfect plants every time, using the finest soil you can find.
