What is the best cannabis growing medium?

Like any cannabis plant, our new Automaton variety needs a nourishing medium. Whatever base you choose for your plant, always make sure it has plenty of space and constant access to water, air and nutrition. We have prepared three types of media for demonstration. Each has some pros and cons and it’s up to you what you choose.

Types of cannabis growing medium.

There are many ways to grow cannabis, but these three are the most popular:

Regular soil or compost
Non-soil mixes (coconut and perlite)
Hydroponics

Soil or Compost

Conventional soil and compost are very popular, despite the advanced growing options, because they are natural, easy to use and available almost everywhere. Good soil naturally contains some nutrients, so you should be fine to start with.

If you choose to grow in soil, try to use sterile, loose, peat-free compost. This type is often referred to as an organic soil mix. We recommend adding about 20-30% perlite to this mix for good aeration and growth promotion.

Cannabis plants grow a little slower in soil than in coconut or hydro, but some growers say that buds from the classic soil mix tend to be thicker and smell better. Regular soil with nutrition used in this way has good results, but using enriched and well-composted soil full of microorganisms will result in a better flavor profile.

The soil with the micro-organism will then offer everything the plant needs, as there is a living ecosystem that breaks down the nutrients and they go directly to the plant. The result is beautiful and fragrant buds, without the need for large amounts of nutrition.

Non-soil mixes (coco coir and perlite)

A non-soil mix usually consists of coconut fibre and perlite. You can then use peat-moss and vermiculite as additives.

In this case, you treat the marijuana seeds and the plants in the same way as if you were using normal soil. The difference is that you only give the necessary nutrients mixed in water. The nutrition goes directly to the roots and you can enjoy faster growth and a bigger harvest.

The big advantage over a conventional soil mix is the very good drainage system and the fact that you won’t have a pest problem.

When it comes to the use of non-soil mixes, the combination of coconut and perlite is the clear leader. Unless you are using them as a base, you will always find these two ingredients on the list of ingredients for making a regular soil mix. Even from grower reviews (if you follow them) you will find that they are very happy with the coconut and perlite option.

In fact, we also recommend this variant as a cannabis growing medium

Hydroponics

When someone talks about hydroponic growing, they are referring to a form of growing with cannabis plant roots that are soaked in water. The most popular form of hydroponics is Deep Water Culture, a.k.a. DWC and its improved variant top-fed Deep Water Culture (Bubbleponics).

The DWC method is one of several types of cultivation that also supports larger plants.

Hydroponic growing may seem challenging and some may be intimidated by it, but we have seen many cases where a complete beginner has excelled on their first hydroponic grow. The most important thing is to follow the instructions for hydroponic growing and always have a root nutrition supplement on hand. If you follow this, you shouldn’t fail and who knows, maybe this will become your new favorite style of marijuana growing.

Conclusion – So what is the best cannabis growing medium?

Soil and Compost – You will always have fragrant buds with great flavor. If you don’t want to make your own soil mix, you can purchase some. It is necessary to add nutrition to the water as the plant ages.

Non-soil mix – This is any mix where there is no regular soil, but a combination of coconut and perlite is best. You will have the most success with this combination.

Hydroponics – Maybe a bit of a tricky option, but you will get the desired result the fastest. Especially if you choose a good type of lighting (LED, HPS and LEC).

There is no clear-cut way to determine which option serves best as a cannabis growing medium, because you will find what you need on each one. But if you should have a direct recommendation from us, choose a combination of coconut and perlite.

And when it comes to choosing seeds, our seed range will certainly help you with that, you just have to choose. Or you can try our new autoflowering strain called Automaton. You will love it.