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Missouri Cannabis Education
What Is the Best Soil to Use For Growing Cannabis Plants ?
by Leah Maurer , contributing writer
Leah
Leah Maurer , a native Missourian , is now a canna-journalist and activist living in Portland , OR . She is a co-owner of
www . TheWeedBlog . com , a top national cannabis news and information publication , where she serves as the Editorial Lead . In 2014 , Leah founded Moms for YES on Measure 91 through grassroots efforts alone , it proved pivotal in the passage of the Measure , successfully legalizing recreational / adult-use cannabis in the OR . Leah is a social justice and cannabis activist at the core and hopes to see an end to the prohibition of cannabis globally .
I recently received this email from one of our readers . Hi Leah , I am going to try my first grow now that Amendment 3 has passed . I ’ ve been looking for information about the best soil but haven ’ t been able to find anything solid . Could you possibly recommend what soil is best for a small ( 1 or 2 plants ) home grower ? Thank you , Jim W .
Jim , now that Amendment 3 has passed to legalize adult-use cannabis in Missouri , consumers have the option to grow their own cannabis indoors whether they are medical marijuana cardholders or not . Many people are wondering about the best ways to grow cannabis in their homes .
The key difference when you move your grow indoors is the level of control . You no longer have to worry about environmental interference or weather disrupting the soil quality or the plant itself .
While grow tents or retrofitting your favorite closet or basement spaces and full-spectrum grow lights might be essential for your setup , there ’ s another key ingredient that can ’ t be overlooked — soil .
We don ’ t typically give much thought to the subject of soil , but it is a very important consideration when growing cannabis . If you ’ re choosing soil over other grow mediums , it ’ s imperative that your cannabis soil mix provides enough stability for your cannabis to plant its roots while also providing the levels of drainage , water retention , and nutrients that your cannabis needs to thrive .
Good cannabis soil comes down to a couple of factors :
Mix — The ideal texture for maximum growth support can be achieved with a 40:40:20 mixture of sandy soil , silty soil , and clay soil — resulting in loamy soil . This mix allows for the levels of water retention , drainage , aeration , and structure that your cannabis plants need .
Soil Amendments : You need to make sure you ’ re supplying your cannabis plants with the nutrients they need to thrive , which can be done with rich soil amendments like perlite and coco coir .
Just as there are variables that can lead to your grow ’ s overall success , there are a set of traits that lead you to get the best soil to grow cannabis too . When choosing and mixing soil , the texture is the most apparent attribute . Generally divided into three key categories — sandy , silty , or clay — it ’ s the texture that determines the overall structure of the soil .
Sandy Soils
Sandy soils are composed of large granules , making for a coarse structure . This coarseness provides good water drainage and aeration ,
24 January 2023