Choosing the Best Soil Mix for Cannabis

Choosing the right soil for growing cannabis is one of the most important factors for success. Learn about the ideal soil conditions and how you can create that environment.
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If you want to plant flowers or patio vegetables, you can head right to your local store and pick up the right plant and a bag of soil mix. When it comes to growing cannabis, it’s not nearly as simple. You have many decisions you need to make before getting started. What strain will you choose? Will it grow indoors or out? What type of soil will you use? These important decisions will greatly impact the success of your plant. Once you’ve chosen the right strain and location of where you’ll grow, it’s time to focus on the soil medium. With so many variables, how do you determine the ideal soil conditions that will help improve cannabis growth?

Soil Considerations When Growing Cannabis

Soil conditions greatly impact the health and growth of your cannabis. Key factors when making your ideal soil mix include:

  • Drainage: Cannabis plants require excellent drainage and do not do well in over-saturated soil. If they are overwatered, they can become sick, produce smaller yields, or even die.
  • Nutrients: Like other plants, cannabis has certain macronutrient and secondary nutrient requirements to help during different stages of life.
  • pH value: Cannabis is known for its pH sensitivity. An ideal soil for weed has a pH of 5.8-6.3.
  • Texture: Cannabis thrives in soil that has a light and loose texture because it ensures oxygen can reach the root zone.
  • Water retention: While the roots shouldn’t be soaked, your cannabis plants do need adequate moisture. It’s essential to create a soil mix that can hold water without flooding the roots.

Harvest Hero Enhances Soil for Superior Cannabis Growth

Harvest Hero’s Enhanced Perlite Mix for Early Growth

While Harvest Hero developed the Enhanced Perlite Mix to be used with all plants, we aimed to support cannabis growers, in particular. This mix features a unique blend of perlite, diatomaceous earth, and essential macronutrients that are proven to increase flower bud dry weight and increase CBD yields. Each part of the mix plays a critical role in the successful growth of your plants:

  • Perlite: Perlite is an industrial mineral formed by molten (magmatic) rock, also known as volcanic glass. It provides space for both air and water within a soilless mix to ensure oxygen reaches the root zone and the soil stays moist. In fact, it retains water in three ways: in between individual grains, in channels leading to the cores of the grains, and on the highly irregular surfaces of each particle. Plus, it prevents compaction, doesn’t decompose over time, is sterile, and has a neutral pH.
  • Diatomaceous Earth: Diatomaceous Earth (DE) is the naturally occurring fossilized remains of diatoms. It consists almost entirely of silicon dioxide, one of the world’s most abundant elements. Soluble Silicon is translocated to the plant’s cell wall, improving structural integrity to help combat abiotic plant stressors like  drought and waterlogging. It also has a neutral pH.
  • Essential and Secondary Nutrients: Harvest Hero’s Enhanced Perlite Mix is mindfully crafted with essential nutrients for the first four to six weeks of growth. It is a source of potassium and phosphorus (with nitrogen provided by your soil choice of sphagnum, peat moss, or coco coir). Potassium supports overall plant growth, activating dozens of important enzymes for protein synthesis, sugar transport, N and C metabolism, and photosynthesis. Phosphorus is essential for the general health of plants and is especially vital for root health, which is the basis of your seedling’s success. Plus, it is a key component of ATP (the energy unit of plants). Silicon is a recognized secondary nutrient that impacts plant vigor.

With the many benefits of perlite, diatomaceous earth, essential macronutrients, and a neutral pH, Harvest Hero Enhanced Perlite Mix shows great success in cannabis growth. Compared to a traditional control group of a perlite and peat moss, Harvest Hero Enhanced Perlite Mix resulted in improving soil conditions for an increase in:

  • CBD yields
  • Flower bud dry weight
  • Nitrogen accumulation
  • Phosphorous accumulation
  • Plant diameter
  • Plant height
  • Potassium accumulation

Try Harvest Hero Enhanced Perlite Mix on your next grow and get FREE SHIPPING on all bag sizes from 8 quart to 3 cubic foot bags.

Harvest Hero’s Perlite+ Silica

Harvest Hero is debuting an exciting new product for growers later this Winter: Perlite+ Silica! Similar to our Enhanced Perlite Mix, this blend spotlights diatomaceous earth (the silica content) and perlite. Without the addition of nutrients, you have more control over the ones you add to your soil mix. The benefits of this blend include:

  • Increases your crops’ uptake in water and essential nutrients.
  • Increases plant mass and plant growth. The silica fortifies the plant tissue to improve plant conditions.
  • Maintains high levels of oxygen in the soil.
  • Minimizes pH fluctuations by keeping oxygen levels consistent.
  • Natural soil substrate: an organic amendment that will increase growth.
  • The silica source provided by diatomaceous earth enhances resiliency towards abiotic environmental stress factors like during temperature and water extremes.

No Matter What You Grow, Grow Great with Harvest Hero

Whether you are growing cucumbers or cannabis, our proprietary mixes improve your soil quality, helping your plants get the nutrition they need to ensure robust, vigorous growth. Our mixes are great for recreational growers and professional horticulturists. Shop for Harvest Hero Enhanced Perlite Mix today, and sign up for emails to get news on new products coming soon!

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