Looking to start growing cannabis but not sure what growing method or medium you should use. Let us help by breaking down the 3 major growing methods: soil, coco-coir and hydroponics.
Soil Growing Method
Many beginners chose to go with soil because
it is easier to use and is one of the more popular growing methods. Soil
offers a number of benefits:
- It already come rich in nutrients making maintaining your plants easier
- The pH is more stable than other grow mediums as well
- Plants take longer to grow but tend to have a stronger smell/taste
There are a few downsides to using
soil:
- As mentioned above plants generally take longer to grow
- If there are issues with the nutrients in the soil they many not show up right away and isn’t easy to fix
- Plant roots spread out should you need to have pots large enough to accommodate
- You may not like them smell of compost soil gives in your home
Coco-Coir Growing Method
Coco-Coir is
often considered a middle ground between soil and hydroponics. It comes from
the husks of coconuts. It doesn’t contain nutrients like soil does, so you need
to make sure you are maintaining the proper amount of nutrition. Coco-Coir
offers a couple of benefits:
- Plants tend to grow faster in this medium than they do in soil
- Because you deliver the nutrients through water they go directly to the roots, you will get a higher yield
There are a few downsides to using
coco-coir:
- Coco is also known to create calcium and magnesium deficiencies, so you need to make sure you monitor the levels
- If you don’t mix the coco properly you can spike the pH levels of your plants and end of harming them
- It dries out more quickly so you need to use more water
- There are no naturally occurring nutrients, so you will need to make sure you closely monitor levels
Hydroponics Growing Method
Hydroponics
is an all-water, soil-less way of growing cannabis. Hydroponics
offers a number of benefits:
- Usually results in faster growing times, and a higher yield, enabling you to have up to 6 harvests per year.
- It is a lot cleaner way of growing cannabis and it is easier to identify and prevent nutrient issues as they are absorbed faster
- Water is consumed in an efficient way
- Not as susceptible to pests and diseases that can happen in soil, so you don’t need to use pesticides
- Less messy when you set up
But like the other growing methods it
does have a few downsides:
- It is less forgiving than soil growing so it requires someone with more advanced growing skills
- Set up costs are much higher than soil because you need more equipment to get started
- Must closely monitor pH and nutrient levels
- Your plants are more susceptible to water-related diseases.
Starting to grow cannabis can be daunting
there is a lot to consider and different strains grow better with certain growing
methods. Our on-staff, expert cultivators are here to help give you guidance on
the best growing method for you. We also offer in-home consultation
services for those who need help on how to set up their grow room. Stop in
or give us a call at (734) 404-6022 and let us know how we can help you.