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Grow Media
Guide Volume 3 by Jason Mispagel , contributing writer
Artwork by , Bill Cromwell
Jason Mispagel is the co-owner and operator of Year-Round Garden , a grower ’ s supply center serving both home and commercial customers since 2016 . His extensive growing experience in hydroponics and soil dates to the early days of legalization in Colorado , where he served as one of the state ’ s early caregivers . Year-Round Garden . 1225 W 103rd St , Kansas City , MO . 816.216.6917 – FB : yrroundgarden ● IG : @ yrroundgarden
Over the past two months , we ’ ve explored the neutral grow media typically used in hydroponics as well as the key components necessary to create a nutrientrich soil . But while building a homemade super soil blend sounds good in theory , most of us don ’ t realistically possess the required time or patience . Even when we do , the convenience of purchasing ready-to-use soil right out of the bag is appealing both as a foundation for future amendments or to last the lifecycle of a plant .
Think of it like making a sandwich . You can visit the local grocery store , buy each ingredient individually and then assemble them at home into a feast of your own design , OR you can stop by the nearest sandwich joint and grab a Spicy Italian # 4 . Those sandwich shops are just like soil brands . You may prefer one shop to another for any number of reasons . Maybe it ’ s where they source their ingredients or a special sauce . Maybe you like one shop for their BLT and another for their Cuban . The same concept applies to soil , but instead of Jimmy John ’ s , Jersey Mike ’ s , Subway , etc ., you have Fox Farm , Royal Gold , Roots Organics , Mother Earth , and more . Instead of the specialty subs at each restaurant , you have specialty soil blends , each with a predesigned set of ingredients and characteristics . Instead of lettuce , tomatoes , and onions , you have forest compost , worm castings , and kelp meal .
Now that I ’ ve completely exhausted the sandwich metaphor , let ’ s explore some of
the most popular soil mixes for cultivating cannabis and their primary ingredients . This is by no means an exhaustive list of every soil blend on the market , but it highlights the most readily available and most frequently purchased . It is important to note that ingredients and their proportions may differ from batch to batch and from bag to bag in some cases , depending on the level of attention paid during the mixing process . For detailed information on each of the ingredients outlined below , check out our “ Grow Media Guide , Volume 1 ” ( hydroponic media ) and “ Grow Media Guide , Volume 2 ” ( soil amendments ) in previous months ’ editions of The EVOLUTION Magazine .
Fox Farm
Ocean Forest : composted forest humus , sphagnum peat moss , fish and crab meal , fish bone meal , bat guano , kelp meal , earthworm castings , perlite , and dolomite lime .
Happy Frog : composted forest humus , sphagnum peat moss , crab and fish meal , bat guano , earthworm castings , humic acid , mycorrhizal fungi , and beneficial bacteria .
Salamander : composted forest humus , peat moss , coconut coir , composted rice hulls , pumice , earthworm castings , perlite , bat guano , and humic acid .
Strawberry Fields : composted forest humus , sphagnum peat moss , coconut coir , earthworm castings , perlite , bat guano , kelp meal , and oyster shell
32 April 2023