Talking about soil.

[AussieToker]

Hey, it's been a while since I posted a topic but I want to share what i've learnt about soil and how to improve soil. 

Soil:
What comes to mind when you think of soil, do you think of the earths crust or simply dirt? or do you think of what it's made of and what it can be used for?...Well the soil is full of life and organisms but it's not all entirely organic matter. Treat your soil like a living object like a chain of life underground and you'll be rewarded with amazing healthy lush plants. Understanding the soil, the soil types, nutrients, etc..is half of the trick to growing healthy plants the other half relies on knowing the plants you're growing and it's requirements, experience and more. A good soil will have water retention, drainage, air, correct ph & the right amount of nutrients. Cannabis is tropical and loves a moist & humid/hot environment, growing other tropical plants will give you more experience and you can apply the same methods to your plants. There is many different soil types varying from clay, sandy, loam, silt, clay loam, sandy loam, sandy clay, rocks, humus etc..Choose the right one for your plant, it should  drain well and hold moisture. The P.h of a soil can be adjusted by adding garden lime to increase the alkalinity or the use of organic matter & agricultural sulphur to make it more acidic. You can purchase moisture meters to measure if the soil needs watering, I recently purchased a digital one but I still prefer to water the plants when I think they need it. Some things you can use for soil are:

Drainage:

• Perlite
• Vermiculite
• Fine Pumice or Scoria Rock For Cactus
• Fine Dorset Pea Gravel or Aquarium/Pond Gravel
• Coarse Grain Sand 
• Pea Straw
• Compost or Mushroom Compost
• Composted Manures (preferably grass eaters like cow)
• Fine 2-5mm Gravel or River Pebbles
• Clay Pellets
• Plant on slopes (slopes act as drainage and raise the plant higher off ground providing more sunlight)
• Akadama (used on bonsai's)

 

​Water Retention:

• Water Crystals
• Coco coir / coco brick
• Peat Moss
• Compost / Composted Organic Matter
• Manures
• Packing Sand (Sand, mixed with clay)
• Water Wise Soaker Hose, Drip System or sprinklers
• Humus
• Worm Castings
• Mulching the surface of the soil (use anything- rocks, bark, clay pellets, etc)
• Potting Mix
• Burying a tarp or pot under ground to hold moisture

Nutrients:

• Compost/Mushroom Compost
• Manures 
• 100% Organic Potting Mix
• 100% Organic slow release fertilizer pellets
• Epsom Salt
• Blood & Bone
• Dead Fish or fish meal
• Seaweed / kelp
• Green Manures
• Legumes
• Trace Elements (optional, don't need it)
• Worm Castings
• Coffee grounds

Clay or Compact Soil:
Good tips with if you have clay soil is to add gypsum to break up the clay and if you have compact soil regular tilling or planting no-till plants will loosen the top layer of soil and allow for better water penetration. 

​Feeding & Improving the Life of the Soil:
All of the above will improve the soil life, but here are some things you can do to feed the organisms & improve the environment of the soil. 

• Molasses 
• Compost Tea
• Humic acid and fulvic acid (Humic acid assists with the production of humus which is essential for all soil)
• Adding Beneficial bacteria or beneficial fungi
• Cover Crops
• Adding Worms & composted green waste to feed them.
• Compost & Manure
• Organic sources of carbon
• Naked farmer soil activator
• Mycorrhizae to assist with the development of roots (make sure it's a compatible species with your plant)
• An enzyme or vitamin solution to assist break down with decaying roots such as hygrozyme & superthrive. 
• Seaweed or kelp
• Fish emulsion
• Pro biotic for plants such as gogo juice

Tips:
Learn to grow other plants such as vegetables/fruits/herbs, tropical plants, aquatic plants, succulents/cactus, natives, cottage/flowers, bonsai's & even shade loving plants. They offer their own requirements which have little tricks that can be done to optimize the growing environment. Once you learn these tricks you can incorporate them into growing your cannabis.  

Keep it simple, the less the better remember quality is better than quantity so it's not about mixing a bunch of ingredients together it's an art form. If you keep in mind "water retention, drainage, ph & nutrients" then it'll make life easier choose 1 of each. If it's all organic you don't need to worry about ph it will have a self buffering mechanism if your soil life is thriving. 

Don't over or under water, this is hard to do so keep an eye on your soil for a few hours for a few days watch how quickly it drys out and how long it holds moisture. If you're growing in pots, feel the weight of the pot when dry and when wet so you know how much they weight, then you can pick the pot up as a method of determining whether the soil needs watering. If that's still too hard purchase a digital or non digital soil moisture meter. Soil & waterproof P.h meters can also be purchased to find the p.h.

If you think about feeding the soil rather than feeding the plants your plants will benefit as good soil & roots equals a strong healthy plant. 

Don't use pesticides or antifungals/fungicides, if you do make sure they're organic. Beneficial insects such as predator insects will solve pest problems, if it's infested the use of organic neem oil or organic pesticides is recommended. In serious cases you can use a non organic pesticide, keep in mind this will kill beneficial organisms in your soil too. Remove diseased or sick plants, if they can be treated look up deficiency symptoms or plant disorder charts to help solve the problem and find a solution.

I'll leave you with a few charts & pictures, hope it helps.

Edited January 11, 2015 by AussieToker

[AussieToker]

I didn't make these, just found them online thought they might help.

[Qwobbler]

Hi,

 

I have a major soil problem and cant get anything to grow more than 20cm high.

 

Ive bought soil with the black tick approval (no nutes) for my seedlings and mixed with Peat moss and perlite.

 

I germinate the seeds then put them in the soil, they sprout and then stall after a week or 2.

 

 

What the best potting mix i can buy to at least get the babys going?

 

they are being brought up under a fluro 24/7 until ready to go outside.

[Frank Reynolds]

Buy a premium brand of potting mix that that follows the Australian standards, the premium quality ones are all pine bark based, and have enough nutrients in them

[RickShawRyder]

Hi,

 

I have a major soil problem and cant get anything to grow more than 20cm high.

 

Ive bought soil with the black tick approval (no nutes) for my seedlings and mixed with Peat moss and perlite.

 

I germinate the seeds then put them in the soil, they sprout and then stall after a week or 2.

 

 

What the best potting mix i can buy to at least get the babys going?

 

they are being brought up under a fluro 24/7 until ready to go outside.

I've had the exact same problem with cheap soil in the past. Now I always buy premium then do my first transplant at about the 4th node into something like a pre-mixed vegetable mix with blood & bone etc. Watch the blood & bone if you have animals though. Sometimes they love digging that shit up. Any premium mix from Bunnings / Mitre 10 should do you.