Fantastic Soil for a Stress-Free Grow
Living in a legal-grow state, I decided to try my hand (actually, both) at some cannabis. I'd never really grown anything, previously, other than some houseplants and some mold in the fridge. Even then, it's not so much growing as it is maintaining, so I have to temper my ego a bit, in regards that. Strange thing is, I don't use cannabis, but I had this bizarre desire to see if I could grow it. Why? Wasn't it Bonnie Tyler that sang "...every now and then I get a little bit restless and I dream of something wild'? Ok, she also seems a bit needy in that song, so maybe that's not a great explanation as to why I decided to grow. But I digress - as I did my research on growing cannabis, I started to get a bit frustrated at what I was seeing. In most cases people were discussing having to meticulously measure nutrients, monitor the pH level of their water and soil on a daily basis, test run-offs, flush their grow pots to mitigate salt build up, test slurries, knock three times, daily, on African black-wood planks that had been cut under the harvest moon by albino pygmies, and on and on. Seriously, when you read about some people's experiences growing a strain of weed, that flourishes by itself in nature, they make it sound more complex than the Manhattan Project. Also, from what I read, it seemed like once problems started with their plants, additional issues would spring up from trying to correct the original problem, which created MORE stress and frustration. Nope, if I wanted this level of misery, I'd get married. Or become a Browns fan. So, having done my research and having navigated through the over-abundance of 'bro science' and 'hippie knowledge' that exists on the inter-webs, I decided to try and mimic mother nature as close as I could, which meant finding a quality organic living soil that would let the dirt and plant 'go do that voodoo, that they do, so well.' Which led me to Purple Cow Organics IndiCanja. And let me tell you, the plants loved it...well, I'm assuming, of course, since I don't actually speak to plants. But they grew very quickly, their color was bright and vibrant and they handled the low-stress training and topping that I performed, like a champ (which is more than I can say about some people that I know...you know who you are). The entire lifecycle of the plants was stress-free: I simply watered and that was it. And at no point did I experience a yellow leaf or issues with the plants. Even now, in the 10th week of flower, the plants are vibrant and the leaves are not dying or turning brown. Ok, so I did add a few additional pieces, but I'm not too sure how much it would have/have not impacted the grow, overall. I did add additional perlite and compost to my grow-pot soil and I did use a mycorrhizal fungal when I transplanted the seedlings into their final home (I originally started my seedlings in red solo cups). Also, my water? I boosted it with liquid seaweed and molasses. But really, that was it. The soil does what soil is supposed to do (ah, the secret, exciting life of soil) and the cannabis did its part and I wound up with bushy plants that are happy and healthy. I will also end up with a lot of yield - which means my friends and family are going to have a 'green Xmas' whether they like it or not. Maybe next time I will grow something that I can actually benefit from, like veggies...or maybe a girl friend. Hey, don't judge - it sort of worked in 'Weird Science'. Read more























