What Is Living Soil?
Cannabis enthusiast and student of the art of solventless extraction
Living soil is a growing medium that’s rich with organic matter, earth minerals, and other compounds that create a perfect ecosystem for microscopic life. Living soil is teeming with microbes which can be incredibly beneficial to growing cannabis. Living soil allows cannabis roots to absorb all the nutrients that the plant requires in order to not only thrive, but to produce the highest quality resin.
Living soil isn’t just any old “dirt”. It’s characterized by rich biodiversity and microbial activity. That said, dirt that covers the earth is naturally a living soil, until something contaminates or pollutes the area, essentially killing off the microscopic organisms growing there. The only thing a cannabis grower really needs to do in order to create living soil is to create the right medium which allows nature to do its thing.
Certain ingredients need to be kept out of living soil, otherwise it won’t be “alive”. In this way, knowing which ingredients to combine together to create living soil is just as important as knowing which additives to omit.
What’s The Opposite of Living Soil?
While any soil will still contain some forms of microscopic life, not all soil can be considered “living” soil for our purposes. Soil that lacks prolific microbial activity is the opposite of living soil. If the ecosystem within soil isn’t compatible with organisms like beneficial fungi, then it won’t facilitate the rich biodiversity that’s characteristic of living soil.
So what prevents soil from “living”?
Salt-based liquid nutrients are the most common ingredients that kill the vitality of soil. While these nutrients can be incredibly beneficial to cannabis growers looking to produce chunky buds with heavy yields, they’re also detrimental to microbial growth within the soil. Most fertilizers sold in bottles in liquid form are loaded with salts, which expedite the uptake of nutrients into the plants. However, these same salts also destroy the microbiome within the soil. It’s like trying to consume a healthy diet by downing a bowl full of vitamins instead of eating well-balanced meals.
What Are The Benefits of Living Soil?
The vitality of living soil provides the richest and most holistic environment for the cannabis plant. Although liquid fertilizers can deliver a quick shot of nutrients into the plants, in the long run this is not as beneficial to producing the highest quality resin possible. The fungi, bacteria, and protozoa that flourishes in living soil is better for plant growth than relying on liquid fertilizers to deliver a targeted boost of specific nutrients.
The magic of living soil is thanks to a symbiotic association between fungus and a plant. The term mycorrhiza refers to the role of the fungus in the plant's root system, also known as rhizosphere. Mycorrhizae are beneficial to plant nutrition, soil biology, and soil chemistry.
Living soil facilitates a process called nutrient cycling, whereby plants absorb nutrients through their roots, convert them into usable forms of energy, and then release them back into the soil as sugars and carbs. These sugars and carbs are in turn utilized by the microorganisms in the soil. Think of it like a food web within the soil. This cycling is the natural way that cannabis has evolved over millennia, and it’s what allows the truest expression of the plant’s therapeutic potential.
The balanced environment within living soil represents the most sustainable way to grow cannabis. The soil eats and feeds in harmony. This balance also creates neutral pH levels. Therefore, growers can avoid the manual pH adjustments that are necessary when feeding with salt-based feeding regimens. Reducing the amount of time and resources spent in adjusting pH levels is definitely a relief in the garden.
How To Make Living Soil
Making living soil is as simple as compiling organic ingredients found in nature, in regions where cannabis naturally grows. We’re not inventing anything new, we’re simply replicating what nature created for us. This is mimicking nature, the master teacher.
There are many recipes you can find to guide you in composing living soil. But just like cooking food, tweaking and variations are part of the game. It’s actually beneficial to play around with ratios and decide what works best for you.
Making compost tea is also a great way to inject some living superfood into your soil. The tea is “brewed” to activate a massive bloom of microbes that will in turn multiply and flourish inside the soil.
A store-bought all-organic soil provides a perfect starting point. To this you can add compost tea (which will be in liquid form) and/or powdered ingredients like bat guano, worm castings, blood meal, and more. These dry additives can be mixed into the soil, or scattered on the surface of the soil at various times throughout the grow cycle. This approach is referred to as top-dressing.
Conclusion
Living soil gives growers the best shot at producing the most premium resin possible. When solventless concentrates like bubble hash and rosin are the end goal, it’s all about the trichomes and the resin they contain. We’re not going for the heaviest flowers possible, but the highest quality of resin.
Unless organic soil has been adulterated, for example with salt-based nutrients, then it probably has an abundance of microbial activity. As a grower, we want to cultivate the soil as much as we want to cultivate the plants. The goal is to stay out of the way and let nature run its course.
For more information on growing cannabis in living soil, check out Cannabis Nutrient Selection and Its Relation To Resin Color, Quality, and Clarity and Cultivating Cannabis Specifically for Resin Production.
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is living soil?
Living soil is a growing medium that’s rich with organic matter, earth minerals, and other compounds that create a perfect ecosystem for microscopic life. Living soil is teeming with microbes which can be incredibly beneficial to growing cannabis.
What's a common killer of living soil?
Salt-based liquid nutrients are the most common ingredients that kill the vitality of soil.
How do I make living soil?
A store-bought all-organic soil provides a perfect starting point. To this you can add compost tea (which will be in liquid form) and/or powdered ingredients like bat guano, worm castings, blood meal, and more.
What are the benefits of living soil?
The vitality of living soil provides the richest and most holistic environment for the cannabis plant. Although liquid fertilizers can deliver a quick shot of nutrients into the plants, in the long run this is not as beneficial to producing the highest quality resin possible.
What is compost tea?
Compost tea is a brew of nutrient-dense organic matter that contains a massive bloom of microbes, which is also a source of superfood for your soil and cannabis plants.
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