Cannabis Growing Mediums – A Deeper Look

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.