Growing marijuana requires growers to pay attention to a lot of fronts. They need to get the right kind of tents, provide the right lighting, use the right pots, trim the plants from time to time, make sure that the humidity and ventilation are just right, provide water at the right time and provide the right mix of nutrients that helps the plants bloom well. However, one thing that growers often tend to not focus too much on is the potting soil that they use. Over the course of this article, we shall be taking a closer and detailed look at some of the best organic potting soils in 2021.
Before we deep-dive into our list, however, it is also essential for growers (and especially first-time growers) to understand why soil is important for the plants, as well as what actually constitutes ‘soil’. It is also important to know about the different parameters on which soil is judged on – something that we shall be discussing in detail in this article. Knowing that will help you decide whether the soil you are buying is the right fit for you.
Everything That You Need to Know About Choosing Soil for Growing Weed
Soil is essentially a collection of dirt that helps act as a ‘medium’ for plants to grow in. Soil is basically the entry point for water and nutrients to enter the plant, which helps them grow. Sometimes, for the purpose of growing weed, when we refer to ‘soil’, it can also be dirt mixed with a secondary medium such as coco coir or peat moss. All of these elements bring in certain benefits of their own. However, the primary thing that you need to keep in mind is that good soil needs to have two basic properties – it needs to be absorbent in the right amount and it also needs to be one which can drain out the excesses.
Soil, which we primarily see as ‘dirt’ is essentially composed of three things: clay, sand and organic elements. Clay is the retentive part while sand helps drain better – excess of either of the two can result in a soil that either retains too much water or drains too much water away. The perfect mixture of clay and sand is referred to as a ‘loamy’ soil, which is basically fine clumps of soil which does not get too compact neither does it become too loose that all the water flows outwards.
The organic component is equally important. Good soil usually houses a number of organic components including but not limited to bat guano, earthworm castings, bird droppings, alfalfa meals, cottonseed meals, bone and feather meals, cowdung, etc. These act as natural fertilizers and sources of various macronutrients that your plant needs in order to thrive better. An overwhelming majority of growers prefer using organic components in their soil rather than using synthetic components. While the basic NPK nutrients have to be provided, having a soil rich in these organic elements is the best for the overall growth and development of your marijuana plants.
You need to keep all these things in mind before you purchase the best soil that suits your needs. For making this choice even simpler, here’s a list of some of the best potting soils that you can buy off Amazon in 2021:
Best Organic Potting Soil For Weed in 2021:
As we have discussed above, organic elements are very important for all growers. All of these potting soils in our list are rich in organic elements, details of which are underneath:
1. FoxFarm Ocean Forest Potting Soil, 1.5 cu ft
FoxFarm Ocean Forest Potting Soil, 1.5 cu ft
Features:
- Ready to use loamy soil ideal for growing weed
- pH balanced between 6.3-6.8
- Rich in bat guano, earthworm castings
Fox Farm is one of the most credible and trusted brands out there in the markets for growers who are looking forward to buying potting soil. The company makes a number of different kinds of potting mixes, and this one is rich in organic elements. This package provides you with 1.5 cu ft of soil and is extremely rich in earthworm castings and bat guanos. It is a loamy mix of soil which contains peat moss as well as a number of fish and kelp meals in it.
One of the best things about this soil is that you can just start using it straight out of the bag and plant your plants in it! You won’t even need to provide Nitrogen in the early run as providing Fox Farm’s big bloom plant liquid would suffice! Using this soil is great for the roots of your plants as well as for the overall branching thanks to all the organic components that it carries. This is also a pH adjusted soil, positioned between levels 6.3-6.8 which makes it an ideal candidate for growing weed. This is one of the most clean and organic soil mixes out there and is not a sterilized product, giving an all-natural experience for the growers.
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2. Miracle-Gro Potting Mix, 2-Cubic Feet
Miracle-Gro Potting Mix, 2-Cubic Feet
Features:
- Helps plants grow twice the normal size
- Feeds plants up to six months
- Easy to use
A potting mix best suited for growers who wish to grow weed indoors, Miracle-gro has two variants for the buyers – packages of 1 cubic feet and 2 cubic feet. If you use the latter, you can feed your plants with all the required organic substances for up to six months! While this can be used indoors as well as outdoors, it is meant to be used in containers. The manufacturer claims that using this organic potting soil will help your plants bloom better and grow twice as big as they would otherwise do! It is an organic mix which comes with a combination of sphagnum peat moss, perlite, fertilizer, and a wetting agent inside it, ideal for your plants.
It is quite easy to use, you need to fill about a third of your container with this potting mix, put your plant in it, and then fill up the container all the way leaving just one inch from the top. The next thing you need to do is to water the plant with an adequate amount of water and allow it to drain off – your potting mix is ready to use! Miracle Gro’s organic potting mix is also great for growers who want to give their flowers a better color, as the company claims that it is great for that during the blooming phase. All said and done, a great product for growers who want bigger and better growth.
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3. Black Gold 1302040 8-Quart All Organic Potting Soil 2 Pack
Black Gold 1302040 8-Quart All Organic Potting Soil 2 Pack
Features:
- Two 8-quart bags of soil
- Suits all sorts of soil-based growths
- Helps keep bugs and insects away
A multi-purpose soil that growers can use for practically anything they want. This is useful in a traditional potting method, as well as for hanging baskets and patio containers too! No matter what kind of a soil-based growth you want, this is just the right choice for you. When you buy this product, you get two 8quart packages of the Black Gold soil. It contains a number of organic elements as well as wood chips in it. The soil is great for growing all sorts of plants be it marijuana or be it tomatoes or basic flowers.
Another interesting thing about this Black Gold organic soil is that it is a loamy mix which suits those growers the best who are looking for a clumpy bit of soil which can hold the right amount of water without getting waterlogged! This product costs under $20 and is quite economical. Another good thing about this potting mix is that when you use it, you will notice that there are no insects or bugs which come up to your plants under usual circumstances, which is an added benefit of using it.
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4. Espoma AP4 4-Quart Organic Potting Mix
Espoma AP4 4-Quart Organic Potting Mix
Features:
- Suits indoors as well as outdoors growers
- Excellent moisture retention
- Comes with sphagnum peat moss, dolomitic limestone, humus & perlite
For any grower looking forward to grow their marijuana plants in a pot, the Espoma organic potting mix is quite a delight! Be it an indoors growth or an outdoor growth, this potting mix shows great results for most growers. One of the best parts about this soil is that it comes with a great moisture retention capacity, though not in a way that might drown your plants. It provides the right kind of care and nourishment to your plants’ roots, and also helps reduce the stress on your plants. It comes with a Myco-Tone water saving formula, which further improves its water retention capacity. While this is a four-quart single-pack, you can buy it in packs of two, three or four depending upon your requirement.
This organic potting mix from Espoma is rich in sphagnum peat moss, humus & perlite, which make it an ideal kind of a soil for growing weed. Dolomitic limestone present in this mix also makes sure that the pH of your soil remains balanced. The packaging has also been carefully made with small holes on it which make sure that your soil can ‘breathe’ and does not get moldy, which is otherwise a risk with organic mixes. Using this soil helps your plants grow faster as well as bigger and this is indeed one of the best organic potting soil in 2021 that you could buy off Amazon right away!
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5. SPONEASE SEC10QT Compressed Coir Block for Potting Soil
SPONEASE SEC10QT Compressed Coir Block for Potting Soil
Features:
- Space saver – generates 10 quarts of soil
- Coco coir is spongy and retains quite a bit of moisture
- Ensures there’s no root rot by draining away all the excess water
Okay, you are right when you ask what is this even doing on our list of potting soils. Well we snuck it in here so that it gets better visibility. This is something that many growers actually need but don’t actively seek out for so we decided to add it here for your own benefit! This is a compressed coir block for potting soil that professional growers really appreciate. All you need to do is to take the block out of the packaging and cut it open. After that, you need to add some lukewarm water to the bag, one quart at a time – thrice. You will need to move it up and fluff it up using your hands for the best result!
The resulting soil actually turns out to be quite spongy and helps your plants get the maximum possible benefit. This is a lightweight and compact product which generates about 10 quarts of soil for your plants! This is largely coco coir, which helps the plants retain quite a bit of moisture while draining away any bit of water that you do not need, helping prevent root rot as well as overwatering. No matter what kind of a plant you are growing – be it a cutting, a seed starter or a clone, this is just the perfect soil for all your needs!
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6. All Natural Orchid Potting Mix 4qts. by Perfect Plants
All Natural Orchid Potting Mix 4qts. by Perfect Plants
Features:
- Unique look, great for orchid growers
- Ensures enough moisture is provided but without oversaturation
- Makes sure the pH remains balanced
The product comes from a company known as “Perfect Plants” – and that is what it helps you with! Growing the perfect plants for your needs. This is a 4 quarts bag, which contains a perfect organic potting soil mix of Charcoal, Sponge Rock, Pine Bark and Coconut Chips among other things. All of these combined help provide your plants with quite a boost. While the soil holds quite a bit of water and is compact, it also allows the roots to breathe and gives them the perfect space to move around and grow too.
The manufacturers have also ensured that the potting mix here can drain out the water in case of oversaturation so that your plants are not damaged. Pine Bark present in the mix helps absorb nutrients and provide them to the plants, the charcoal separates the salt and provides only the nutrition to the plants, the coconut chips help ensure the roots grow bigger and stronger. Lastly, the sponge rock present in this mix makes sure that the pH remains balanced here. This is quite easy to use and is also likely to give a very unique look to your pots and your plants. This is a particularly great kind of soil if you are planning on growing indoor orchids of any kind.
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7. Hoffman 10404 Organic Cactus and Succulent Soil Mix, 4 Quarts, Brown/A
Hoffman 10404 Organic Cactus and Succulent Soil Mix, 4 Quarts, Brown/A
Features:
- pH balanced soil
- Great for growing cacti and succulents
- Ensures water does not remain logged and drains out
Succulents are among the most popular kinds of plants that growers tend to grow. This is because they are the easiest to maintain and can grow indoors without an elaborate setup or without spending too much time on caring for their growth. These plants are low maintenance and provide quite a value to your overall aesthetics. The Hoffman 10404 organic potting soil is meant specifically for these plants as well as cacti. It features a large number of organic elements such as Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss, Reed Sedge Peat, Perlite, Sand, and Limestone which are great for the overall development of your plants.
Some growers have commented that they have faced some bugs in the soil, so you might want to check for them before you start potting it. Since cacti are plants that thrive in desert conditions, this soil mix features quite a bit of sandy soil which allows for all the excess water to drain out very easily. This is also pH balanced and ensures your succulents and cacti grow really well. It comes in 4quart-packs of 1, 2, 3 or 4. Growers growing regular cacti as well as jungle cacti can benefit from this soil. Not something that weed growers should be looking at, though.
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8. Big Rootz All Purpose Potting Soil pH Adjusted and Enriched to Maximize Root Growth
Big Rootz All Purpose Potting Soil pH Adjusted and Enriched to Maximize Root Growth
Features:
- Special care has been taken to balance the pH
- 1.5 cubic feet (15kg) of soil in the package
- Quite a bit of research and development behind the soil
After a couple of products that weren’t ideal for growing weed, we are back to one which is! This one comes from Big Rootz, which is a well known name in the gardening industry. The company’s potting soil mix is just perfect for all kinds of growers – and is also location agnostic. You might be growing your plants indoors, outdoors or in a greenhouse, this is the right product for you! One bag of this soil provides you with about 1.5 cubic feet of soil, weighing in at 15kg. Many growers prefer buying multiple lots of this soil to grow a larger number of plants.
The research and development that goes behind the development of this soil is quite extensive. The company claims that it is ‘made by growers and made for growers’. The organic elements that this soil carries contain triple-washed coir, worm casting, and compost. This soil is also rich in mycorrhizae which ensure that the roots grow stronger. The developers of this soil from Big Rootz have also taken special care about the pH balancing thing and this is quite a delight for weed growers! Growers who use it have been appreciating its long term superiority and hail it as one of the best organic potting soil in 2021!
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9. Michigan Peat 5720 Garden Magic Potting Soil, 20-Pound
Michigan Peat 5720 Garden Magic Potting Soil, 20-Pound
Features:
- Dark blended soil, contains reed sedge peat
- Perfect moisture retention and drainage
- Enough breathing space for the roots
For growers looking forward to buying a multi-purpose organic potting mix, this is a great option! Growers can make use of it in growing indoor as well as outdoor plants, and can grow quite a large variety of plants in it. This is a 20-pound bag which costs under $10 and is one of the most affordable and pocket-friendly mixes out there. This is a dark blended soil, and it carries reed sedge peat as its leading material among a number of other organic elements. Some growers have pointed out the presence of gnats in this mix, but that seems a rare and one-off incident – yet one that you might want to keep an eye out for, just to be safe.
People have also appreciated the fact that this soil carries just the right level of moisture that your plants require to grow stronger and healthier – nothing less and nothing more. Growers who have been in the industry for a long while know just how important finding the right water balance is, and this is exactly what you get when you use this soil. There’s quite a bit of rocks in it too, which provide breathing space for the soil and for the roots to move around. Overall, people have reported that this soil helps you grow your plants to their best potential and is one of the best options for growers who want to buy organic potting soil.
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10. Fertilome Ultimate Potting Mix 8 Quart Bag
Fertilome Ultimate Potting Mix 8 Quart Bag
Features:
- 8-quart bag
- Rich in peat moss, perlite, and limestone content
- Good for beginners
And here we are, at the last name on our list – but certainly one that punches way above its weight. Don’t be confused under the impression that this is the least important of them all because of the order it appears here! This product comes from “Fertilome” and is a ready to use potting mix, making it a great choice for beginners. It carries quite an extensive mix of organic elements, including but not limited to Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss, Coarse Perlite , Dolomitic Limestone, Calcitic Limestone, Starter Nutrient Charge and a Wetting Agent along with it. This is an 8 quart bag which costs $21.99.
This is a great product for growers who are looking forward to filling a 10” pot, and perhaps even a little larger! The moisture retention here is great, and there have been no reports of the soil getting waterlogged, or the presence of any bugs in it as well! Beginners and entry level growers who are looking for a quick fix to just start off with growing their plants should totally consider this soil as one of the best options they can get in 2021! The delivery is via Amazon and it is quick as well as discreet – given the pandemic situation you can order it from the comfort of your home without actually risking yourself to go out and buy it. The soil that you get here is perfect for indoor as well as outdoor growth of plants.
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How to Choose the Best Soil For Growing Weed?
Choosing the right kind of a soil for your plants is quite simple when you do it from a store. All you need to do is to dig your hands in the soil and feel the clumps. Generally, getting a soil which is clumpy yet firm, but not hard, is what you should be aiming at. Such a soil helps you on two fronts – first off, it makes sure that it retains quite a bit of water in its clumps, but secondly, given that it is not one compact slab, there’s enough space for any excess water to reach the bottom and eventually drain out. Overwatering or underwatering your plant could be disastrous for the health of your plants. There needs to be quite a balance between the sand and clay content in the soil as well.
Besides this, the organic components that go into the soil also matter a lot. Growers prefer buying soil that is rich in as many organic components as possible. However, sometimes you might be looking only for a particular type of organic product which you could add to your existing soil to improve it. So all of these aspects need to be considered before you purchase your soil.
Frequently Asked Questions About Organic Potting Soil
Growers tend to ask us a number of different questions when it comes to choosing the right kind of organic potting soil for their plants. Here’s a list of such questions collated together at one place for your ease:
1. What kind of soil is the best for growing weed?
Loamy soil, which is neither too sandy nor too clayey is the best kind of soil for growing marijuana plants. Such a soil is perfect for retaining water and nutrients in it – while also ensuring that neither your plant gets waterlogged nor does it face a shortage of water caused due to excessive drainage. You should be looking for the perfect combination between sand and clay, as well as at the organic components that are present in your soil.
2. What organic elements need to be present in the soil?
Talking about organic elements, your soil needs to be rich in them – there need to be as many organic elements present as possible. However, most growers use this soil to mix it with their soil to compensate for whatever they are lacking in. These organic elements include things such as bird droppings, bone and feather meals, earthworm castings, and a number of different such organic elements that have assimilated into the soil over the years.
3. Do organic potting soils also need additional nutrients?
Yes, in almost all cases you will need to provide the NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium) nutrients to the soil. These are the three basic elements that your plant needs the most of during different phases of its growth. While the organic components provide an additional boost to your plants, they are just there for that ‘boost’. The three main nutrients that are essential for the growth are the NPK nutrients mentioned above.
4. Where can I buy soil for growing weed?
The best organic potting soil that you can find for your marijuana plants in 2021 can be purchased either from Amazon, or by visiting an actual store. Amazon is one of the best places to get that given the nature of the ongoing pandemic, the impact of which is likely to linger around for quite some time. It provides a safe platform without you having to go out to buy the soil, and the return policies are favorable for growers who are disappointed with what they get.
5. Do outdoor growers also need to provide additional nutrients to their plants?
Yes, even outdoor growers need to provide additional nutrients to their plants as the NPK nutrients are critical in any condition. It doesn’t matter where you are growing your weed, providing these nutrients is essential for the overall well being of your plants.
Conclusion
We hope that by this point in the article you have gotten a fair idea about what kind of a soil you need when it comes to growing marijuana. The soil not only needs to look and feel a certain way but it also has to perform in a certain way and carry just the right amount of organic products in it. We have provided a list of the best organic potting soil here, featuring 10 great products that you could order online to start growing your weed right away! These have been reviewed with great care and we have tried to cover every aspect in detail so that you know exactly what you are buying! In case there are any other questions or doubts, feel free to reach out to us over mail or in the comments section and we shall get back to you as soon as we can! Till then…
….Happy Growing! 🙂
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