Soil is the best media for growing weed indoors, but it needs to be of good quality. One that provides nutrient, water retention, root aeration, and drainage.
Many commercially available mixes will do a good job for your indoor growing. High-quality mixes come with all the nutrients your plants need.
Finding the ideal choice; however, may not be as simple as you would have imagined. There are some specific soil ingredients and characteristics that you have to target.
After a comprehensive analysis of what the market is made of, we found the following five soils that are perfect for weed growing.
Top 5 Best Soils for Growing Weed
#1 Roots Organics ROD75 Growing Media
The Roots Organics ROD75 Growing Media is a coco based soil, including a combination of coir, perlite, and pumice.
The soil is amended with top-quality organic ingredients, such as bat guano, glacial rock dust, mycorrhizae, green sand, feather meal, fishbone meal, and earthworm castings.
There is a roughly ten to twenty-one-day food charge already in the soil for heavy feeding plants. There’s also plenty of nitrogen for that big veg boost.
There is a good amount of potassium and phosphorous to provide more specific support for your cannabis plants during flowering and fruiting.
The coco based and a large amount of perlite present, allow for quick drainage and even drying. So, the soil will never flood water.
It is one of the easiest potting soils to use. Just place the grow media into your pots with sufficient drainage holes. You can also add clay pellets to improve drainage.
This uniquely formulated potting mix comes packed in a ten-gallon grow bag. The package is ready to use; so, you can grow directly in the bag.
What We Like:
- Amended with the highest quality organic ingredients
- Contains plenty of nitrogen for a big vegetative growth
- Potassium and phosphorous boost flowering and fruiting
- Coco and perlite improve drainage and drying
- Super easy to use potting mix
- Comes in a well-made grow bag that’s ready to use
What We Didn’t Like:
- Possible to receive a contaminated bag
#2 Kind Soil Hot Soil Product
The Kind Soil is a high performing water-only system. Your marijuana plants will hardly need any additional nutrients when using this soil.
This growing media is completely organic. The ingredients are readily available, providing the proper nutrients that your cannabis plants need.
Some of the main ingredients contained in this soil system are coco coir, Canadian peat moss, blood meal, worm castings, perlite, kelp meal, cottonseed meal, and alfalfa to mention a few.
For optimum results, you are advised to use carbon filtered water. This specific water type has a natural pH level of 6.5 to 7.0.
If you are unable to find water with an ideal pH range, we advise you to adjust the water’s pH adding potassium bicarbonate or citric acid crystal to increase or lower the pH respectively.
Unlike conventional potting soils, Kind Soil doesn’t need too much water. You just have to water it once every five to seven days.
The recommended grow pot for this soil is Root Trapper II or any other high-quality grow pots. The suggested pots allow for the soil to breathe properly.
What We Like:
- Contains completely organic ingredients
- Presence of coco coir and perlite improves the soil’s drainage
- Requires less amount of water for proper functioning
- Worm castings in the soil help protect your cannabis from disease
- Contains phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and potassium for optimal growth
- No extra boosters, additives or nutrients needed
What We Didn’t Like:
- Must use water with a natural pH
- Not suitable to use with most fabric grow pots
#3 Fox Farm Ocean Forest Potting Soil
The Fox Farm Ocean Forest is a great all-purpose soil that is very active and enriched with all-natural and organic nutrients.
This growing media contains a blend of premium bat guano, crab meal, earworm castings, and Pacific Northwest sea-going fish.
The earthworm castings in the soil have an exceptional effect on your marijuana plants. They are an enriched soil conditioner.
The soil has a good amount of bat guano that is rich in carbon, nitrogen, vital minerals and of course beneficial microbes. This ingredient helps to enrich soil fertility and texture.
Fox Farm Ocean Forest is considered a living grow media and has enough active nutrients to take care of your cannabis plants for the first thirty days by just simply adding pH water.
You can also add compost or other soil amendments to help revive the nutrients in the soil. You can improve fertilizer uptake by adjusting the pH at 6.3 to 6.8.
Fox Farm Ocean Forest is ready for planting. You can plant your marijuana directly into the soil for excellent results. You don’t need extra ingredients when using this grow media.
What We Like:
- Active and enriched with natural, organic ingredients
- Easy to improve fertilizer uptake by adjusting pH at 6.3 to 6.8
- Earthworm castings form an enriched soil conditioner
- Bat guano enriches soil fertility and texture
- Easy to revive nutrients by adding soil amendments
- Ready for planting soil
- Suitable for containerized cannabis planting
What We Didn’t Like:
- Possible to receive a damaged bag
#4 Super Soil Organic Concentrate
The Super Soil Organic Concentrate is a high-quality living soil that has all the ingredients your cannabis plants need for optimal growth.
This super soil contains super ingredients, including earthworm castings, bat guano, Epsom salt, azomite, dolomite lime, kelp meal, alfalfa meal, and fishbone meal to mention a few.
The earthworm castings in the mix contain a highly active biological mixture of animal manure, remnants of plant matter, enzymes and bacteria.
The bat guano in the mix ensures your marijuana plants get the necessary microbes, minerals, and nitrogen to boost veg growth.
Featuring high-quality natural minerals, this super soil optimizes drainage, porosity, and aeration. The soil absorbs enough water it needs without flooding your plants.
The concentrate works together with beneficial fungi and microorganisms to help create a healthy and strong root system.
The microorganisms in this soil mix create a symbiotic bond with your cannabis roots to offer the roots sufficient nutrients for optimal plant growth.
What We Like:
- Contains all nutrients your marijuana plants need
- Beneficial microorganisms help create a healthy roots system
- Earthworm castings condition the soil for optimal performance
- Bat guano provides sufficient nutrients for veg growth
- Suitable for containerized cannabis planting
What We Didn’t Like:
- May release a foul smell when opening the bag
#5 Fox Farm Happy Frog Potting Soil
The Fox Farm Happy Frog is a nutrient-rich potting soil that is suitable for containerized cannabis indoor growing.
This potting soil contains the finest ingredients, including aged forest products, bat guano, and earthworm castings.
Fox Farm knows that your plants deserve the best and that is why they amended this soil mix with microbes to help encourage fertilizer uptake and root efficiency.
The microbes in the bat guano help to enrich the Fox Farm Happy Frog Soil texture and fertility. The microbes also help to clear any toxins in the soil.
The earthworm castings in the soil are packed with minerals that are essential for your cannabis plant growth, such as potassium, phosphorous and nitrates.
What We Like:
- A suitable choice for containerized planting
- Amended with microbes to encourage nutrient uptake and root efficiency
- Bat guano helps improve soil texture and fertility
- Boosts vigorous veg growth and strong plant structure
- Enhances fruiting and flowering
What We Didn’t Like:
- Possible to receive defective bags that contain fungus
Soil for Growing Weed: Buying Guide
A good quality soil will give you the right balance between holding moisture and drainage. It will also give your cannabis plants sufficient nutrients.
Here are a few pointers that you have to consider to find the perfect soil mix for growing weed.
Healthy, living soil for growing weed is mainly determined by its ingredients. There are so many ingredients used by soil manufacturers, but there are a few that are crucial.
Earthworm Castings
Worm castings provide many benefits to your containerized cannabis plants. They are the digested waste excreted or cast from a worm’s body.
They contain plant growth hormones referred to as auxins, humic acid, beneficial microbes, and chitin.
These four components of earthworm castings provide your plants with quicker germination, better access to soil nutrients, and better defense against pests and diseases.
Worm castings are packed with minerals that are important for cannabis plant growth. Some of the important nutrients include calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and nitrates.
Bat Guano
Bat guano is one of the cannabis plants superfoods. This ingredient is super rich in potassium, phosphorous and nitrogen.
Nitrogen boosts vigorous veg growth and structural development during the vegetative cycle. Potassium ensures your cannabis plants form sturdy branches and trunks.
Phosphorous supports sturdy root growth and healthy flowering. Phosphorous helps your marijuana plants convert nutrients into essential building blocks.
Bat guano also contains microbes, which enrich soil texture and fertility. The microbes also help to clear toxins in the soil and control nematodes and fungi.
Peat Moss, Perlite, Vermiculite, Pumice & Coir
One of the main components of most commercial soils is peat moss, which is lightweight but capable of absorbing water and providing the bulk your cannabis plants need to grow.
A mix of straight peat moss may not drain water properly. That is why you should look for soils with perlite, vermiculite, pumice or coir to help with proper drainage and retention.
Perlite is a white-colored, heated volcanic rock that has good drainage, while vermiculite is a golden-colored mineral that helps to retain nutrients and water.
Some soils may contain coir, which is shredded coconut husk fiber. According to experts, coir absorbs and drains water faster compared to peat moss.
Compost
This is another material that you should consider having in your soil. It adds bulk as well as fertility to a potting soil mix.
Compost is best used in large containers when growing indoors. It is supposed to be mixed with vermiculite, perlite and peat moss for proper water drainage.
Other important ingredients that should be present in a good quality soil for growing weed are:
- Humic acid
- Soybean meal
- Glacial rock
- Greensand
- Feather meal
- Fishbone meal
- Blood meal
- Alfalfa
- Kelp meal
- Epsom salt
- Dolomite lime
- Aged forest products
Conclusion
To date, the best cannabis yields are soil grown. This is so probably because the soil is not a sterile growing medium.
The best soil for cannabis growing should have a pH that ranges from around 6.3 to 6.8. On either side of this range, nutrients may become less available even when they are present in the soil.
Soils are alive and thriving and do an amazing job of interacting with marijuana roots. Most high-quality soils may not require any amendment.
However, you should know that some soils are not organic and may contain inorganic/chemical ingredients. So, read the labels carefully.
Even the most reputable manufacturers may skimp on their ingredients. Overall, the finest soil for growing weed should have good nutrient uptake, water retention, aeration, and drainage.