One of the first decisions a home grower will need to make is whether they should grow their cannabis hydroponically, or in good old fashioned soil. My advice is simple: Unless you are certain you want to try hydro, you should be growing in real, living soil.
Although we are unaffiliated with KIS Organics, whose product is shown above, we have used this ‘water-only’ soil for our cannabis with very good results. BuildASoil makes a fine water-only product and we have used Sohum in trials with cannabis and have achieved fine results using only tap water (no other inputs).
Don’t be confused by soil-like mixtures. Products like Coco-Perl and similar are simply platforms for adding bottled nutrients throughout the growing cycle. A good and proper ‘living soil’ will require very little, if any inputs during the growing process. Hence the term ‘water-only.’
When using a high quality living soil you only need to make sure you get your water content correct. You don’t need to worry about pha measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution More, nutrient density (PPMparts per million More), water temperature, flushingthe act of rinsing nutrients from a medium as well as leechi... More, etc. Instead, you will work to create and evenly moist (but not soggy) soil that is a paradise for microbes, bacteria, fungi, and cannabis alike.
By providing such a perfectly watered, nutrient rich environment, you put the plants in charge. When plants want calcium, its there for the taking. When plants want Nitrogen or Potassium, there it is. You see, in hydroponics you must know what your plants need, when they need it, and how much they need. Make one of a thousand possible mistakes and your plants will suffer.
Finally, although a quality water-only soil isn’t cheap, it’s far cheaper than the nutrients alone used in a single hydro growing cycle. Further, it’s an investment in sustainability because you can reuse that soil over and over for years with minimal inputs. We’ll chat more about that part soon.
In the meantime, consider simplifying. Consider Organic Living Soil.
Happy Farming!
~~The Lit Farmer