SOIL FOR CANNABIS: WHAT IS THE BEST SOIL AND SUBSTRATE FOR GROWING MARIJUANA - COMPLETE GUIDE

Soil and Substrates to grow Cannabis: One of the biggest questions of growers, especially first-time farmers, is how to prepare the land to plant their seed or clone.A good soil is directly linked to the quality of the buds / flowers that your marijuana plant will produce, after all it is from it that it takes the nutrients to grow and then flower read this post here.

As cultivators, we realize that the information available on the internet is confusing and most of them extremely exaggerated, bring an unnecessary degree of complexity in the guidelines regarding the preparation of the substrate

We from the Map of Marijuana team, have prepared a small guide: Preparing the land for Marijuana cultivation, to help you once and for all to start your grow.

Inert soil? Organic matter? Substrate? Is it soil or earth? Perlite or vermiculite. Understand once and for all what it means and how relevant each of the terms is to growing your marijuana at home.Basic Soil Concepts and Cannabis Plant Nutrition. The soil performs two main functions in the cultivation process. First, it exerts force on the plants, rooting them and protecting them from the wind. Second, and most importantly, it serves as a means of transporting water and nutrients to the roots.

To better understand the soil you must first know the basic nutrients that plants need to survive and grow.

In addition to water, Cannabis (and all other plants) needs three basic nutrients or macronutrients: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). They are the most demanded by a plant.If you buy fertilizers, you will know that there are many products with different concentrations of these nutrients, designed to be used at different stages in the life cycle of a Cannabis plant . Here is a summary of how these nutrients help the growth of marijuana plants.

Nitrogen is one of the main components of chlorophyll and is a fundamental element of important amino acids. Phosphorus is essential for the production of ATP and phospholipids, which are used to strengthen cell membranes.Potassium helps photosynthesis, regulates CO₂ absorption through leaf stomata and strengthens cell walls.

Other macronutrients are calcium and magnesium. But it is the NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium) that make up the majority of fertilizer nutrients easily found in any store. But there are many other nutrients, known as micronutrients because they are required in smaller quantities. They also help to keep your plants healthy and produce the best buds / flowers possible.

Some of these micronutrients are iron, sulfur, zinc, boron, manganese and copper and others.

However, plants do not require the same amount of nutrients at all stages. For Cannabis, see in the image below that it needs more nitrogen in the vegetative phase (without flower buds) and more phosphorus in the reproductive phase (phase where there are buds).

Not all soils are suitable for growing Cannabis. The best soils suitable for marijuana should share several characteristics.

Marijuana prefers a light and compact soil. This texture promotes the development of the root system and ensures that more oxygen reaches the roots, contributing to the health and good development of plants.Therefore, prefer medium or slightly more sandy soils, which contain coconut fiber and / or vermiculite, which give characteristics of aerated soils that Cannabis needs.

That beaten, black earth that remains as a solid and compact block is not ideal because the root of the marijuana plant is thin and the compacted soil impairs its absorption.Cannabis soil must be well drained. When you water your plants, water must not accumulate in the soil. If the soil is not drained properly, the roots can rot, make plants sick, die or produce bad crops.

This factor is directly linked to the texture of the soil. More aerated soils have greater drainage capacity.

Water retention (the ability of the soil to retain water) is as important as good drainage. Good soil for growing cannabis must have an ideal balance between water retention and drainage.This is another characteristic linked to the texture of the soil, indicating that the soil must be aerated but it cannot be pure sand either.

Average soil will have the best of both worlds: adequate drainage and water retention.PH is a chemical scale that indicates acidity or alkalinity. This is an important factor, as marijuana plants only grow well within a limited pH range.To grow cannabis, the soil must have a pH of about 6.0. With a pH between 5.8 and 6.3, you can also get good results. But if the pH value is outside this range, the harvest will be reduced; and if it goes too far, the plants will die.

Brazilian soils are naturally acidic. If you are going to cultivate in a soil found in nature, do the soil analysis and see what is the pH to correct with limestone.Vegetable lands already have a good pH for growing plants, including Cannabis and in our opinion, easier than correcting nature's soil, is to prepare yours properly from the beginning.After all, the cost is not so high, it is expensive to plant to create expectations and the harvest to be mediocre or to plant has no strength for flora.

Cannabis soil must contain nutrients for plant growth. Fortunately, almost all soil mixes you can buy in stores already contain fertilizers. But remember that plants usually use all of these nutrients in 3-4 weeks and by the time the plants start to bloom , the nutrients in commercial soil mixes are likely to be depleted. This would be the time to start adding fertilizers. If you grow without applying additional fertilizers, your soil should contain organic matter, such as compost, earthworm humus, guano, etc. Microorganisms in the soil will convert these substances into nutrients available to your plants.