Cannabis growers everywhere need to know that one of the most important components of growing marijuana plants is having good cannabis soil. If you don’t have good potting soil for your cannabis plants, a soil mix with plenty of nutrients and everything that those marijuana plants need to survive, then you are going to run into some three big issues.
The right soil will be full of beneficial microbes, fertilizers, nutrients, and so much more, which all come together to allow for healthy plant growth. There are various features or factors that you need to consider when choosing the right soil for growing cannabis, particularly when it comes to different soil types, especially for the development of a root system and for efficient root growth.
High quality soil promotes healthy plant growth, and that is exactly what you need. Today, we want to take a look at the best soil for cannabis according to each growing stage. Remember, the best soil for cannabis will differ slightly with each growing stage, and this is especially the case in terms of nutrients.
As far as cannabis plant growth is concerned, there are also other fertilizers and sources of nutrients that you can add into your soil, such as bat guano, worm castings, peat Moss, coconut husks, vermiculite, perlite, and much more. Today, we’re going to talk about all of these things, so that your plants thrive and so that you can grow cannabis with maximum efficiency.
Seedling Potting Soil
When your cannabis plant is still a seedling, it is very delicate. Young cannabis plants need soil that is well draining and very light. Drainage is extremely important for young seedlings, or else they will drown.
What you should also keep in mind for seedlings is that they don’t require very many nutrients, and this goes for all of the three major nutrients, nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus.
If you get a potting soil that has too many nutrients in it, you’ll likely end up burning the seedling. For the seedling stage, consider adding some coco coir or coconut husks, perlite, and peat moss for ideal benefits.
Perlite is very important to allow for proper drainage, so that the root system does not drown. If the root system is exposed to too much water, it will develop root rot, and will prevent proper nutrient uptake from occurring. Ultimately, if the root system cannot develop, the plant will die.
Remember that although the soil does not need to have many nutrients for this stage, the soil quality should still be very high.
Soil quality is important for the overall survival of your plant, so you might want to consider going with some organic soil.
Organic soil ensures that there are no toxic chemicals that will affect the growth of your cannabis plant. An organic potting mix will still provide your seedlings with the nutrients it needs to survive, without providing it too much.
On a side note, you may also germinate cannabis seeds directly in optimal soil, although it is recommended that you first use a more common germination method before planting your sprouts in soil.
Vegetating
Once your weed plant enters weed vegetative stage, it will require many more nutrients.
During this stage, the cannabis plant requires nutrients that will allow for ideal root growth and foliage growth period remember that the vegetative stage is when cannabis plants grow most of their foliage, which will then help provide them with energy to grow the buds during the flowering stage.
Therefore, you need to get yourself some very high quality potting soil that provides the plant with a balanced range of nutrients.
You should also consider adding some bat guano, perlite, vermiculite, and composted organic matter into the mix, as these all contain great nutrients for your cannabis plants.
Remember that during this stage, nitrogen is one of the most important nutrients that your cannabis plants require. The best soil during this stage is one that is very rich in nitrogen.
Bat guano fertilizer like this is always a good option to consider.
Something else that becomes especially important during the vegetative growth stage is that cannabis plants require slightly acidic soil, which also has to do with soil quality.
Slightly acidic soil means that the soil should have a pH level anywhere between 5.5 and 6.5. This is very important when growing cannabis, because it allows your plant to take up natural nutrients from the soil.
If the pH levels are not balanced, the roots of your cannabis plants will not be able to uptake essential nutrients properly, and that will greatly affect plant health.
Flowering
Next, we have the flowering stage, or as some cannabis growers might call it, the early flowering stage. When cannabis plants transition into the early flowering stage, their nutrient requirements will change slightly.
Whereas vegetating plants require more nitrogen than potassium or phosphorus, during the flowering stage, cannabis plants require more phosphorus and potassium than they do nitrogen.
Both phosphorus and potassium are very important for a variety of factors, such as nutrient uptake, the growth of buds, root system development, protection against disease, and so much more.
Adding some more bone meal, bat guano, and other sources of phosphorus into your potting soil is therefore recommended, especially to help prevent the stunted growth of flowers and buds period. The best soil during this stage is one that contains plenty of phosphorus and potassium.
This perlite and vermiculite combo is a great one to consider.
Late Flowering
When your plant enters the late flowering stage, the biggest focus of the growth process will be on enhancing resin production and ripening of the buds. Therefore, you need to provide your plants with great levels of potassium and phosphorus, but almost no nitrogen.
Reducing the nitrogen you give your plants is essential during this stage. Many people choose using various bloom booster fertilizers that are extremely rich in phosphorus, as phosphorus is one of the most important elements required for budget development. The best soil during this stage is one that contains plenty of phosphorus.
Flush and Harvest
About two weeks before harvest is when the flushing stage happens, and this is when you want to remove any excess nutrients from the soil period to do this, you need to use pH balanced water that is totally plain, without any kind of nutrients or fertilizers at all.
This will help flush any remaining fertilizers and nutrients out of the plant matter, therefore getting the cannabis ready for harvest. The best soil during this stage is one that does not contain any nutrients whatsoever.
Remember that in this sense, good drainage is important as well, good drainage will allow a lot of the excess nutrients to run off with the runoff water that comes out of the bottom of your pots or containers.
Soil vs Hydroponics for Cannabis Plants
Since we are talking about using soil to grow cannabis, I want to make a quick comparison between growing cannabis in soil and growing cannabis using a hydroponic method.
Based on this comparison, you can then decide whether or not you want to grow your weed hydroponically or using the best potting soil that you can find.
Soil
So, as far as soil cultivation is concerned, this is beneficial for cannabis plants because it provides them with a diverse range of natural nutrients and beneficial microorganisms that can contribute to the overall health of your weed plants., especially if you look around for the best potting soil for growing cannabis.
Soil is also generally considered very easy to use, especially for beginners, because nutrient management is not quite as important.
There are also many growers who say that growing cannabis in soil provides for a much better flavor and aroma than growing in hydroponics, not to mention that the cost is lower as well.
The cool thing about using soil for growing cannabis is that you can also mix your own soil, something we will take a closer look at below. What it comes down to is that there are plenty of different soil types that you can use for cannabis.
However, when using soil for growing cannabis, also consider that there is a higher risk of disease and pests, that controlling pH levels in soil can be difficult, and the cannabis plants growing in soil may also grow a bit slower than those growing in a hydroponic system.
You also need to account for drainage, because poor drainage is one of the biggest threats that will quickly kill your weed plants.
Hydroponics
In terms of hydroponic cultivation, many people prefer this method of growing cannabis because it generally results in much faster growing rates than cannabis plants grown in soil. It’s also much easier to control the pH level and nutrients, not to mention that there is a reduced risk of disease and pests. Weed grown hydroponically also often produces much higher yields.
However, there is also a big drawback to growing weed hydroponically, which either can be quite difficult, and there is a bit of a learning curve.
Furthermore, if you do not properly control your nutrients, you risk an imbalance occurring, and plant health can therefore suffer. You also need to buy a whole lot of equipment that requires maintenance, which can end up being fairly expensive.
Creating a Soil Mix for Home Use
If you want to create your own soil mix for home use for growing cannabis, you can also do that. Yes, it all starts off with good potting soil for cannabis, but there are other elements you can add to increase the amount of nutrients and benefits that your plants get.
What To Add Into the Soil
Here are some of the best things you can do to create the best soil for growing cannabis, to allow for the healthy growth of your weed plants.
Nutrient Mixes
If you don’t want to go through too much trouble, using an all-purpose fertilizer with a totally balanced and even NPK ratio is an option, although not totally ideal. Better is if you use fertilizers, such as organic fertilizers, which are specifically designed for either vegetative stage and the flowering stage. Remember that cannabis plants have different nutrient requirements during these stages.
Here’s some perfectly balanced all-purpose plant nutrients to consider using.
Organic Fertilizers to Improve Soil Fertility
You can always add your own organic fertilizers into the soil, and they include things like bat guano, earthworm castings, compost, and more. These are all substances that can help enhance soil health and therefore plant health.
Many people also report that adding these substances into the soil helps to improve the flavor, aroma, yield, and overall potency of the buds.
Sphagnum peat moss is another great option, as are beneficial mycorrhizal fungi and forest humus. Generally speaking, the more organic material you have in the soil for cannabis cultivation, the better the overall results will be.
Inert Materials – Clay Pebbles
Although most people would use clay pebbles when growing hydroponically, they can also serve a purpose when growing in soil. Even the best organic soil with perlite in it may still suffer from poor drainage, especially as it starts to compact.
Therefore, you can add some clay pebbles into the bottom of the container, as this will allow for much better drainage. Accounting for poor drainage is very important.
A Note on Sandy Soil
We want to make a quick note on sandy soil. A lot of people prefer using sandy soil because it tends to have excellent drainage. However, the issue with sandy soil is that the drainage may actually be too good. As you can tell, soil texture is quite important.
It may allow water and nutrients to drain away from your plant roots too fast, therefore not allowing your cannabis plants to take up as many nutrients as they otherwise could.
If you have sandy soil, then you need to mix in some other high quality potting soil or substances designed to hold on to water, such as vermiculite. This will help improve soil texture and improve poor drainage qualities, so that your plant gets the right amount of liquid and nutrients.
Conclusion
As you can see, the soil mix you use for cannabis cultivation is very important period soil for cannabis needs to be full of beneficial microbes, the right types of nutrients, and it must have the right texture as well.
Increasing soil organic matter is by far one of the most important things you can do here, and you can do this by adding more organic material such as coco coir, earthworm castings, and even beneficial bacteria right into the soil. Creating your own potting soils at home using a combination of existing soil and organic materials is probably your best bet.
