This is our review of the best soil for cannabis in 2022.
Finding the right soil for cannabis planting is never easy. You never know what to get with such a sensitive plant.There are hundreds of soil products on the market. As a result, finding the right one can be difficult if you don’t know what to look for.
I researched the best soil for cannabis and found that FoxFarm Ocean Forest Soil Mix is the best overall option.
But depending on your preferences and grinding needs, you may want something different. If my #1 option is not for you, there are nine other soils on my list. Read on to find out which is the best soil for cannabis for you!
The FoxFarm Ocean Forest is a garden potting soil mix that is ideal to use for cannabis plants.
Each bag contains everything your cannabis plant needs for high growth and germination. It consists of a blend of earthworm castings, sea-going fish and crab meals, moss, bat guano, forest humus, and more. All of these mimic the properties of the highest quality naturally occurring soils.
The soil mix also has sandy loam and hints of clay and silt. With this particular composition, the soil mix allows proper water drainage. Make sure it reaches all sections of the soil to ensure adequate germination.
This is good soil because it has been pH adjusted such that its pH lies between 6.3 and 6.8. What this means is that the soil enables maximum uptake of fertilizer. This also encourages strong branching, leading to healthy and rapid growth.
The only problem you may run into is when you use this for autoflower cannabis strains. It’s not recommended for that kind of cannabis. But for all others, it’s a good choice.
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Fox Farm Happy Frog Organic Potting Soil is the ideal choice for bringing nutrition to your plants. It comes in a ready-to-use form straight out of the bag and it provides all the nutrients that your marijuana plant needs to thrive.
This is a bag of 51.4 dry quarts or 2 cubic feet of soil. The potting soil is meant for container planting, whether growing a Ficus or a geranium. It contains mycorrhizae which enhances water absorbance and reduces the need for fertilizer. Additionally, this soil contains humic acid. As a result, it increases nutrient uptake and accelerates cannabis seed germination. In other words, your cannabis plants will thrive in this soil.
And that’s not where it ends. The soil is ideal for both outdoor and indoor cannabis plants. The only catch is that the plant must be a container plant.
The best part is that this cannabis organic potting soil comes with a pair of Pearsons Protective Gloves included. Use these gloves to protect yourself when handling any harsh chemicals.
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The Coast of Maine Stonington Blend is an organic mix of soil and fertilizers. It is a complex soil made especially for promoting plant growth in pots and containers.
This soil has a diverse composition. It’s made from fish bone meal, endomycorrhizal fungus, worm castings, and perlite. It also contains dehydrated hen manure and Coco fiber that has been reinforced with lobster compost.
You may think that that’s just a random blend of the best fertilizers. However, it’s actually quite balanced. This blend provides the perfect balance between soil texture, drainage, and water retention. All of these factors stack up to promote the healthy growth of cannabis plants in containers.
What’s more, this blend is OMRI Listed. This means that it follows certain standards for organic fertilizers set by the OMRI.
One major issue with this soil, which you will notice right off the bat, is that it’s only for potted plants.
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If you’re on the hunt for the best natural soil for growing autoflower seeds, then this is for you. The Super Soil Autoflower Concentrate is a 5-pound bag of soil that promotes autoflower growth.
Just one 5-pound bag of the soil contains everything your cannabis plant will need from seed to harvest. This is living soil. This means that it contains fungi and microbes that encourage growth. And they symbiotically provide nutrition to the plant.
One thing to keep in mind is that this is a concentration. It should be mixed in a certain ratio with regular potting soil and shouldn’t be used on its own.
What sets this concentrate apart from the rest is that it’s an all-in-one blend. This is not only a top feed but also a soil amendment, compost tea, living soil, super soil, and potting soil.
Be warned, however, this is only for autoflower cannabis and other autoflower vegetables. It would still work for regular seeds, but not so well.
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The Purple Cow IndiCanja is an all-in-one ready-to-use organic soil. This soil is used by many professional farmers and horticulturists as well as hobbyist gardeners.
This is not living soil. It is a mix of compost from various plants containing all the essential nutrients for your plant.
But the manufacturers didn’t just mix in any random combination of compost and organic matter. Instead, the formula was scientifically designed to provide the maximum benefit. This formulation is water-only, meaning you just need to water it after you dump it in the pot.
Moreover, this compost-based solution has been grown and cultivated “cleanly”. This means that it won’t affect human health.
However, you may run into a fungus gnat problem with this soil due to its unique composition. Plus, it’s targeted toward cannabis plants that need to retain a lot of water. Hence, you must be careful not to overwater it.
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FoxFarms Strawberry Fields Potting is a special potting soil. This has been designed to promote blooming and fruiting in plants. This potting soil is ideal for all types of flowering plants, including container gardens, house plants, and trees and shrubs.
This potting soil mix is available in many sizes, including a 1.5 cubic-foot bag. You can also get the 27 and 55 cubic-foot totes for larger gardens.
The FoxFarms Strawberry Fields potting soil is mainly coco coir-based. This is what allows it to retain less water and provide for better water drainage. It doesn’t contain a lot of peat, which means that it must be watered frequently.
It’s highly recommended for mature plants that need to flower, meaning it’ll be by your side when your cannabis is ready for harvesting. The soil pH is about 6-7, which is ideal for growing weed.
However, this soil is strictly for flowering plants. It’s not good for small plants as it simply won’t be as effective.
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The Roots Organics is a potting soil ideal for fast-growing plants that require a lot of care and nurturing. It’s the best choice for cannabis due to its high level of water retention.
To begin with, this mix is made from perlite and coco fiber, two of the best components for plant growth. Additionally, it features pumice, peat moss, and composted forest material. These ingredients lead to better water retention and reduce the need to water the plant.
Roots Organics also doubles as living soil. It contains living mycorrhizal fungi that enhance your plant’s ability to take up water through the roots.
What sets this organic potting soil aside from the others is that it comes ready to use right in the bag. Simply cut the top of the bag and plant your seeds. You can also dump the contents into a container garden.
You might, however, notice some fungus gnats, which are common with the composition this soil has.
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The Brut Super Soil is an organic soil concentrate designed for plants that require extra nutrients. It contains all the nutrients that your cannabis plant may be lacking.
For starters, it’s loaded with bacteria and enzymes that provide all the necessary nutrients your plant needs. On the organic side, it includes Brut worm castings, mycorrhizal fungi, composted cow manure, and kelp. These ingredients help enhance the nutrient uptake ability of your plant.
On the inorganic side, you get elements like magnesium, potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus. These are required for healthy plant growth.
Keep in mind that this is only a soil concentrate. It is to be mixed with regular potting soil. What’s more, the Brut Super Soil contains peat moss which helps it retain more water. For cannabis plants, this is crucial as they require a lot of water.
What’s more, this soil concentrate is completely non-toxic and odor-free. So it won’t create an unpleasant and unhealthy environment in your garden.
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Big Rootz is an all-purpose potting soil ideal for growing cannabis and other plants. It has been carefully formulated so that it offers maximum plant growth and helps in nutrient uptake.
This formulation is backed by research and increases plant vigor to lend it strength and sturdiness. This is a blend of peat and triple-washed coir. The peat-based formula indicates that it retains more water and doesn’t need to be watered very often. This is more than ideal for cannabis, a plant that needs a lot of water.
In addition to that, the Big Rootz All-Purpose Potting Soil contains worm castings and compost. Both of these provide essential nutrients such as Nitrogen to the roots of the plant.
This potting soil has been pH-adjusted to provide maximum results and increase the water uptake. However, you may run into a fungus gnat infestation.
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If you want potting soil that is recommended for all types of plants, then Mother Earth Terracraft is the way to go.
This soil consists of Sphagnum peat moss as well as processed forest fertilizer. These ingredients help the soil to retain more water than regular potting soil. In the long run, this means you waste less water and also less time watering your cannabis.
In addition to that, the Mother Earth Terracraft Potting Soil has moderate aeration which further helps it retain water. The blend is made from 8 ingredients, some of which include seabird and bat guano, and earthworm castings.
The Mother Earth Terracraft potting soil has a balanced pH with a traditional buffer. So adding new soils won’t change the pH much. This helps it retain more nutrients and helps the plant take up more water.
However, it’s not meant for autoflower cannabis.
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Stand-alone soils do not require to be mixed with other ingredients such as fertilizers or amendments. But supplement base soil can be adjusted with fertilizers and amendments accordingly.
Organic soils are best for cannabis as they are safe for the environment and many times include living organisms. Inorganic soils are cheaper and may be useful in some cases. Inorganic soils are usually better if you want to keep track of what and how much nutrients your plant is getting. They state explicitly what minerals they use and in what proportions.
Living soil contains microorganisms like bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi. So, living soil is ideal as it forms a symbiotic relationship with your plant. The bacteria and fungi allow your plant’s roots to take up more nutrients and water. However, they can give rise to fungus gnats and other insects.
Lastly, consider how many plants you have and buy the right size of potting soil accordingly.
The most commonly used amendments for growing cannabis are:
In addition to that, cannabis plants require a lot of Potassium, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus.
Most cannabis plants require a lot of water. Hence, you should look for soils that have a lot of water retention. These don’t need to be watered often.
The pH should stay between 6 and 7. You should look for soil that acts as a pH buffer, meaning it resists changes in its pH to some extent.
Four basic types of soil can be used for marijuana growth. These include loam, silt, clay, and sand. And each of these has its pros and cons when it comes to gardening marijuana.
Sand is more root growth permeable, but it doesn’t hold fertilizer or water that well. Whereas clay is just the opposite to that. It can become pretty hard when dry and hot, and roots find it tough to penetrate it.
During this time, clay doesn’t drain very well and becomes hard to cultivate. However, it is rich in natural nutrients and minerals.
On the other hand, Silt has plenty of minerals and can also retain moisture pretty well. But it becomes too compacted and tough in various conditions.
It also tends to form a crust that makes it difficult for nutrients and water to get to the roots of marijuana plants.
Loam is the best option of all four types for growing marijuana and many other types of crops. It is a mix of silt, clay, and sand, and it brings the best qualities of all types of soils while reducing their negative traits.
The pest composition is to go for 20 percent clay, 40 percent silt, and 40 percent sand. Most people think that the pH of 6.0 is ideally suitable for cannabis plants.
However, the acceptable range is between 5.8 to 6.3. as pH levels remain close to neutral, loam is the best option to consider when growing cannabis plants.
There are different test kits available for measuring acidity in your soil. You can also take a sample of your solid to your local extension agent.
If it doesn’t feature proper acidity levels, you can use various soil amendments to increase or decrease the pH levels. Your local extension agent, garden store, or nursery can help you make the correct AdSense according to your requirements.
Loam is the best option for containers, and you can use it for outdoor growing. However, it is also the most expensive soil available on the market.
Nevertheless, if you are interested in growing the best possible plants, quality loam can reward you long-term.
You can even make your loam mixture and add some organic matter. Then, if you have your separate compost bin, you can use it to improve your soil. It might take a lot of your time, but it can also produce magnificent results.
The best potting soil for cannabis plants is loam, as it is for various other plants. It is a mix of silt (40 percent), clay (20 percent), and sand (40 percent). Its pH level remains between 5.8 to 6.3, and it can retain moisture and nutrients pretty well. This soil is also the most expensive type.
You can plant cannabis in any soil, but there will be different implications, and each soil type has its pros and cons. Therefore, the best option to go for is loam soil, as it is a mix of all other soil types while amplifying their advantages and diminishing their drawbacks.
Autoflowering strains are similar to those photoperiod variations as they also prefer morse acidic soil slightly. You should go for the soil with pH levels between 6.2 to 6.5. But make sure that the soil is suitable based on its acidity.
You can make your organic super soil by using 8 large bags of coco fiber and mycorrhizae-rich cannabis soil. Add 25 to 50 pounds of earthworm castings to it. Now, take:
Add all these together and you have your very own organic super soil!
The first thing you gotta do is fill up ¾ of your container with potting soil. After that, gently place the plant and carefully add more soil to cover up the roots.
The rule of thumb here is to not fill it too compact. These roots tend to thrive from the nutrients within the cannabis soil and from the air pockets within the soil. the tiny roots will prevent the roots from rotting.
Therefore, it is important to refrain from pressing down too much on the soil mix. If you are using soil that already has its pH level adjusted, you can simply add water. Let the plant satisfy its thirst before you add more water to prevent overwatering symptoms.
All the soils on the review list are top quality, and Fox Farm Ocean Forest Soil Mix is the overall best soil for cannabis. Not only because it has sandy loam and hints of clay and silt, but also it has good water drainage and pH value.
Whichever option you choose, make sure it suits your plants’ needs and your budget.
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