Introduction
Growing cannabis outdoors offers many benefits. Firstly, it can be very affordable. You do not need to provide a structure like a greenhouse or high tunnel. In addition, artificial light is not necessary if you place it in the right spot in your yard, because your plants can benefit from the sun’s abundant and free energy. In addition, you do not necessarily have to provide costly soil for your plants outside. But for the best results, you want good marijuana soil that will help your plants grow healthy and happy. DripWorks is here to offer you a few simple tips for finding and creating the best soil for growing marijuana outdoors. Soil Types Four basic soil types exist: sand, clay, silt, and loam. Each has its pros and cons for gardening. Sand is easily permeable for root growth, for instance, but it does not hold on to water or fertilizer well. Clay is just the opposite. When it’s hot and dry, clay can become hard as a rock, making it difficult for roots to penetrate. Clay drains poorly and is hard to cultivate. On the plus side, it is rich in minerals and natural nutrients. Silt soils have lots of minerals and retain moisture well. Like clay, however, this type of soil can become compacted and hard in certain conditions. It can also form a crust, making it difficult for moisture and nutrients to reach plants’ roots.
Loam for Growing Marijuana; Other Crops Of these types, loam is by far the best soil mix for growing marijuana plants and many other types of crops. Loam is a mixture of clay, sand, and silt, bringing forth the best qualities of these disparate types of soil while minimizing their worst attributes. The optimal ratio for loam is 20% clay, 40% silt and 40% sand. Most folks think a pH of 6.0 is best for cannabis, with a range of 5.8 to 6.3 being acceptable. With a pH close to neutral, loam is typically in that zone or close to it. Test kits are available to measure your soil’s acidity, or you can take a sample to your friendly local extension agent. If your dirt does not have the proper acidity, soil amendments are available to lower or raise the pH level in your soil. Your local nursery, garden store or extension agent can make some suggestions.
Loam is ideal for containers as well as for outdoor growing. Unfortunately, it is usually the most expensive soil to buy. But if you are interested in growing the best plants possible, it can pay big dividends in the long run. You can also build up your own loam soil by adding organic matter to it. If you have a compost bin, you can use the compost to improve your soil. This will be a time-consuming and ongoing process but with grit and persistence will pay off in the long run. Water, Light and Nutrients You will want to provide the proper amount of light and water to your plants, of course.
A drip irrigation system can cut your water bills while improving the health of your plants. Kits are available that give you everything you need to get started. If you prefer, you can start from scratch and obtain separate components to put them all together. Just like humans, plants need the right nutrients. The most important ones for your cannabis plants are nitrogen (N), potassium (K) and phosphate (P). These make up the ratios you will typically see on fertilizer labels.
The right balance is essential for healthy growth. Many pre-mixed marijuana fertilizers are available, making your job easier. But if you prefer, you can also formulate your own. Soil is the root of all plant life. Plenty of high-quality cannabis soil preparations are now available for growers with all different cultivation styles What is Good Soil For Growing Cannabis? When it comes to growing cannabis in soil, unless you’re using a brand that is known for making soil that is specifically cannabis-friendly.
The Best Soil for Growing Marijuana Outdoors
Growing cannabis outdoors offers many benefits. Firstly, it can be very affordable. You do not need to provide a structure like a greenhouse or high tunnel. In addition, artificial light is not necessary if you place it in the right spot in your yard, because your plants can benefit from the sun’s abundant and free energy.
In addition, you do not necessarily have to provide costly soil for your plants outside. But for the best results, you want good marijuana soil that will help your plants grow healthy and happy. DripWorks is here to offer you a few simple tips for finding and creating the best soil for growing marijuana outdoors.
Soil Types
Four basic soil types exist: sand, clay, silt, and loam. Each has its pros and cons for gardening. Sand is easily permeable for root growth, for instance, but it does not hold on to water or fertilizer well.
Clay is just the opposite. When it’s hot and dry, clay can become hard as a rock, making it difficult for roots to penetrate. Clay drains poorly and is hard to cultivate. On the plus side, it is rich in minerals and natural nutrients.
Silt soils have lots of minerals and retain moisture well. Like clay, however, this type of soil can become compacted and hard in certain conditions. It can also form a crust, making it difficult for moisture and nutrients to reach plants’ roots.
Loam for Growing Marijuana & Other Crops
Of these types, loam is by far the best soil mix for growing marijuana plants and many other types of crops. Loam is a mixture of clay, sand, and silt, bringing forth the best qualities of these disparate types of soil while minimizing their worst attributes.
The optimal ratio for loam is 20% clay, 40% silt and 40% sand. Most folks think a pH of 6.0 is best for cannabis, with a range of 5.8 to 6.3 being acceptable. With a pH close to neutral, loam is typically in that zone or close to it.
Test kits are available to measure your soil’s acidity, or you can take a sample to your friendly local extension agent. If your dirt does not have the proper acidity, soil amendments are available to lower or raise the pH level in your soil. Your local nursery, garden store or extension agent can make some suggestions.
Loam is ideal for containers as well as for outdoor growing. Unfortunately, it is usually the most expensive soil to buy. But if you are interested in growing the best plants possible, it can pay big dividends in the long run.
You can also build up your own loam soil by adding organic matter to it. If you have a compost bin, you can use the compost to improve your soil. This will be a time-consuming and ongoing process but with grit and persistence will pay off in the long run.
Water, Light and Nutrients
You will want to provide the proper amount of light and water to your plants, of course. A drip irrigation system can cut your water bills while improving the health of your plants. Kits are available that give you everything you need to get started. If you prefer, you can start from scratch and obtain separate components to put them all together.
Just like humans, plants need the right nutrients. The most important ones for your cannabis plants are nitrogen (N), potassium (K) and phosphate (P). These make up the ratios you will typically see on fertilizer labels.
The right balance is essential for healthy growth. Many pre-mixed marijuana fertilizers are available, making your job easier. But if you prefer, you can also formulate your own.
What soil type is best for Growing Cannabis?
A quick tour of online weed forums will reveal many heated debates over the “best” soil for cannabis. While every master breeder has their preferred potting mix, there’s no such thing as the “best soil for growing weed.”
There are, however, some traits that all of the best soil mixes for cannabis share. Home-growers should consider key features such as:
What’s the ideal Cannabis Soil texture?
In terms of soil texture, cannabis prefers the “golden mean.” What we mean is that marijuana likes soil that has a fair balance of aeration and cohesion. Indeed, most cannabis forums describe the optimal soil texture as “loamy.”
Technically, “loam” combines three soil varieties: clay, sand, and silt. While you could use sand or silt on their own, they tend to be too extreme for optimal cannabis growth.
Sand is great for drainage, but poor at water retention. Silt is just the opposite. So, by merging these soils with water-retaining clay, loam offers an ideal balance for maturing marijuana plants.
It is common for cannabis growers to combine mediums such as coco coir or peat with additions such as perlite, lime, and organic matter (e.g. compost) to recreate the beneficial properties of loamy soil. 3 4
What about Nutrient Levels?
Cannabis plants require significant nutrients (minerals) to support their rapid growth during their one-season life cycle, and this is why they thrive in highly fertile soils. Generally the main minerals affecting cannabis plant growth are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), but other many macro and micronutrients are also important to plant health. 5 6
Thankfully, cannabis can handle a wide range of nutrient levels without serious negative effects on plant growth and a major benefit of using soil is that it has greater buffer capacity over hydroponics. This means it’s less likely you’ll over- or under-feed your weed versus hydroponics.
Cannabis plants require different nutrient compositions at each stage of plant growth, i.e., propagation, vegetative and flowering. In other words, baby plants don’t need the same nutrition as teenagers do, and that too is different from what mature plants need to thrive.
Cultivators should evaluate how many fertilizers are in their soil mix and should also avoid time-released nutrients, as these can seriously disrupt a growing operation.
Generally, the more nutrients there are, the better drainage you need for your plants. While you want your plants to absorb nutrients, you also want to make sure they’re not getting overburdened with a build up of nutrients. Some growers “flush” out excess nutrient minerals during the final two weeks of flowering.
How much soil do you need for Cannabis plants?
While examining what’s in your soil is crucial, you also must consider how much soil you need. Nobody likes to have a big bag of unused soil sitting around in their space.
On average, home-growers use a three-gallon pot for each cannabis plant. In this case, most cannabis cultivators recommend about 1.5 cubic feet of soil for three cannabis plants in these containers.
Keep this average ratio in mind when evaluating how much soil to stock up on.
What’s the best soil for Autoflowers?
Thanks to their ruderalis genetics, autoflowering seeds are tougher than most photoperiod strains. In fact, many cultivators claim it’s not good to pamper auto seeds with well-fertilized soil. That’s because autoflowering varieties are usually short in stature and have a shorter life cycle.
If you opt to use nutrient-dense soil formulas, it could easily cause “nutrient burn.”
Autoflowering fans should stick with simple potting soil for the best results. Some cultivators also express great success using a mix of peat moss, coco coir, and a bit of perlite for their autos.
Remember autoflowers don’t grow as large as regular cannabis strains. Be sure to factor in your auto’s average height before purchasing a bag of soil.
So, what’s the best soil for marijuana? You choose!
As you start “digging” through all the soil brands online, you’ll find so many options to choose from. From nutrient-dense “super soils” to inert coco coir formulas, there’s no “set soil” for cannabis cultivation. Indeed, finding the ideal soil for your cannabis grow operation will depend on your preferred growing style and the type of plant you’re growing.
Anyone new to cannabis cultivation should probably opt for a simple potting mix. While these may not give the “best results,” they tend to be the most forgiving. As you figure out your preferred growing style, you may want to experiment with flaming “hot” super soils or virtually inert coco coir mixes.
Just remember to constantly track the basics like pH, aeration, and water retention when experimenting with cannabis soils. No matter how advanced your soil claims to be, it will not work if these metrics aren’t in order.