Cannabis indica naturally thrives in India and the Middle East, particularly in their mountain areas. This natural adaptation of indica marijuana plants makes them survive cold and temperate climates. Cannabis indica, however, do not thrive well in humid and rainy areas. Cannabis indica became popular with many recreational and medical users because most low-THC and high-CBD varieties of marijuana are mostly indica.
Due to the growing popularity of indica dominant plants especially with the booming CBD industry of medical marijuana, there is a huge supply that needs to be filled. Below is our list of the best soil for indica that is commercially available. These soils are both for indoor and outdoor growing use.
Three Types of Soil
Composted
Composted soil is natural soil that you have to add compost to boost its nutrient content. Many growers claim that natural soil that is nourished with compost still produce the best-tasting and best-smelling buds there is.
Soilless Potting Mix
Soilless potting mix could be done at home by mixing perlite, coco coir, vermiculite, and other substances that when mixed will give a texture that is similar to soil in water and nutrient retention. The advantage of soilless potting mixes is that they are less likely to attract bugs and pests. Soilless potting mixes are also commercially available.
Commercial Soil
Also known as store-bought soil are those that could be bought in bags and are ready to use. There are many advantages to using commercially available soil.
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Why Should You Buy Commercial Soil?
For most marijuana plants especially when growing outdoors, normal soil is good enough. But for commercial growers, time matters and you want the most harvest that you could get in one planting season. That is why growers rely on commercially available soil that is purposely formulated for marijuana plants. Commercially available soil has the most nutrients that are required by marijuana plants.
Using soil that is formulated to boost health and yield of your plants will also mean a boost in your profit in a planting season. They come ready to use contain the proper pH levels and even beneficial microbes for your plants. Convenience is also the best reason why most growers swear by their chosen commercially made soil. Most hardware or gardening stores also sell these. Commercial soils could be used indoors or outdoors.
Super Soil Organic Concentrate
Super soil claims that you only need to add water on the soil with adding fertilizers from seeds to harvest. This is because of the microorganisms that they have formulated the Super Soil with that provide the nutrients your indica plant needs over time. They call this living soil.
Super soil already contains bat guano, earthworm castings, blood meal, bone meal, and other amendments so you do not have to. This is done by Super soil to remove any guesswork in adding additives or fertilizers that sometimes become detrimental to plants instead of being beneficial.
Happy Frog Potting Soil
Happy frog potting soil usually comes in 2.5 cubic foot bags. Happy frogs boast, “This unique mix is alive with beneficial soil microbes and mycorrhizal fungi that dramatically expand root development enabling plants to feed more aggressively” according to their website.
Happy from potting soil is reported to contain 4 part nitrogen to 1 part phosphorus to 7 parts potassium. This mix is enough for the earlier stages of a plant’s life but most growers recommend adding phosphorous during the flowering stage. A 2 cubic foot bag will fill 2-3 five gallon buckets.
Coco Loco
Coco loco potting mix has excellent water retention and yet drains excess water very well. Water retention is an important soil characteristic as it means retention of nutrients as well. It also claims that the mix does not attract molds which are the culprits of root rots among potter marijuana plants.
Coco loco contains coco coir or coconut fiber extracted from the coconut husk. Coco coir isis less acidic than peat and has better water retention. It also contains solid amendments so growers don’t have to add them.
Big Rootz All Purpose Potting Soil
Big rootz is another commercially available soil that is formulated for maximum plant growth. This mix includes compost and is enriched with mycorrhizae, a type of fungus that has a symbiotic relationship with plants. Mycorrhizae help plant nutrient intake by nourishing the roots while the plant provides it with carbohydrates because mycorrhizae do not photosynthesize.
Black Gold
Black gold is a rich and loamy mix that has good aeration and ventilation especially for indoor pot crops. It also claims to be regionally formulated for the western regions of the United States which are perfect for indica marijuana plants. Indica marijuana plants naturally thrive in temperate climates even to moderately cold temperatures that come in the evening or mild winter.
You may need to have this consideration if you are planting your indica crops outdoors but if you will cultivate indoors, then your climate-controlled growing area should be set to mimic these natural temperature ranges where indica plants thrive in.
Pots
Soil health is not only based on the type of natural or commercial soil you use. Some other important factors are at your control for healthy plants and good harvests.
Pots come in different shapes and sizes so make sure that you have one that is appropriate for your indica soil and plants. Pots should have enough size so that it would accommodate root growth. Root aeration is important for plants because of roots breath too. Water drainage is also crucial for your plants’ overall health because too much drainage will render your plants dry while poor drainage will promote the growth of molds which will hurt your plants. There are different types of pots such as air pots, smart pots, regular pots, and others but standard plastic pots will do just fine especially if you add more drainage holes on the sides and bottom.
Indica plants may grow to different heights depending on the strain but here is a reference of the pot volume you need for the height of your plants:
12″: 2-3 gallon container
24″: 3-5 gallon container
36″: 6-8 gallon container
48″: 8-10 gallon container
60″: 12+ gallon container
So, these are the best soils for your indica plants and together with proper pots, climate control, lighting, and others, you could almost guaranty for yourself a good harvest that is more than what you could achieve in planting with normal soil for the same amount of time. Growing cannabis is never an easy business to undertake but knowing your trade will make things a lot easier.
