STEP 1: BUY YOUR BASE SOIL
Picking the right base soil for your cannabis plants is super important. Remember, cannabis likes well-aerated, permeable, and slightly acidic soil (pH of 6–6.8 is ideal). If possible, you’ll want to opt for an organic soil containing natural ingredients like worm castings, compost, coco coir, sand, and more. While these soils are generally more expensive, they’ll make a notable difference to the health of your plants and the quality and size of your harvest.
Some other ingredients to look for inorganic soils include:
• Peat moss• Guano• Manure• Rock dust• Sand• Coco fibre• Natural fertilizers (like K-Mag)• Pine castings• Perlite• Vermiculite
If you can’t find a good-quality organic soil with at least some of these ingredients, don’t fret. Simply go to your local nursery or gardening centre and buy a neutral potting soil. Again, opt for something slightly acidic if possible.
STEP 2: ENRICH YOUR SOIL
Start by placing your soil in a big container; break it up with a graip to ensure it’s well-aerated. Once it’s nice and loose, you’ll want to get to work enriching your soil with more natural ingredients to create a rich growing medium for your cannabis plants.
Some things to add to your soil include:
* 1. Worm castings
* 2. Coffee grounds and/or tea leaves
* 3. Eggshells
* 4. Vegetable and fruit peels
* 5. Compost
* 6. Coco coir
* 7. Perlite
* 8. Vermiculite
* 9. Sand
* 10. Bone meal
* 11. Blood meal
* 12. Rock phosphate
* 13. Epsom salts
* 14. Lime
* 15. Dolomite
* 16. Organic fertilizer pellets
Simply add these ingredients to your soil and use your graip to combine everything properly.
The “correct” amount of each ingredient you use in your super soil will depend on the quality of your starter soil and how much time you have before planting. If possible, prepare your soil at least six months before you plant. That way, you’ll be able to use more of the ingredients listed above as they’ll have time to break down properly.
Once they do, they’ll create rich topsoil for your plants, similar to what they’d have in nature. This super soil will be rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, as well as all the other micronutrients we mentioned earlier.
This process, however, takes time. Compost, for example, can take anywhere from a few months to years to be ready, and you’ll need to take that into account when planning your growth. Vegetable or fruit scraps alone can take a few months to break down.
If you want to plant straight away, you can still use some of the ingredients listed above. You’ll just need to be more careful as you’ll be at risk of creating a really nutrient-rich (or “hot”) soil that can actually burn your plants. As a general rule of thumb to get you started, try using the following ratios of soil and other ingredients:
– 4 parts starter soil-
1 part worm castings-
1 part coco coir-
1 part perlite/vermiculite (for extra drainage)
– 2.5–5% guano
– 2.5% bone and/or blood meal
When adding micronutrients like Epson salts, azomite, lime, and dolomite to your soil, always read the package instructions. These nutrients are really strong and can cause nutrient burn when not used properly.
https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/blog-create-your-own-soil-mix-for-cannabis-n75
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