Growing cannabis indoors requires different care than growing it outdoors. What do you think is the best medium to grow? Soil, coco coir, clay granules or rock wool? In this new Suzy's Cannabis World Blog we take a look at the different ways of growing.
Soil
Growing in soil as a medium is the most well-known and used way. With a good soil mix and the right nutrients, you can grow delicious organic cannabis. When growing indoors, do not take soil from outside. There is a good chance that you will bring insects or other critters into your courtyard garden. For this, choose a potting soil that has been specially formulated for cannabis plants. This soil immediately has the right PH value and may or may not have been pre-fertilized with nutrients that are specially tailored to the plant. This soil is also recommended for outdoor cultivation.Not only in pots, but it is also a good addition to the open ground. Then dig a hole in the ground and fill it up with the potting soil, for a good start and an improvement of your garden soil.
At some point you will have to start feeding, you can do this with soil in different ways. You can opt for a liquid diet or a solid diet. Such as powder that you dissolve in water or in the form of tablets that you put in the soil. You can also choose to mix compost or worm manure into the soil to increase organic soil life. By mixing the soil with perlite you make the medium more airy and it retains more moisture.
Want to grow weed for the first time? Then growing on soil is by far the simplest way. Especially with organic food. Because in a good organic soil life, the plant itself determines which and how many substances it absorbs to feed itself. The nutrient absorption is therefore a lot slower than with mineral or synthetic food, which some growers find a disadvantage. The chance of over-fertilization is very small, which in turn is a major advantage.
For growers who like to grow in soil, the strain Covid-18 Feminized is highly recommended. When properly grown organically, this strain has an exuberant terpene profile. The floral taste with sweet and sour undertones come into their own here. The White Russian Roulette is a cross between two old school earth strains, the AK-47 and White Widow. The predominantly Indica strain has a very high resin production that gives off a strong scent. Both types have a great analgesic effect and are therefore very suitable for medicinal applications.
Coco Coir
Coco coir—made from the fibrous husk of coconuts—is an inert, soilless medium that has gained popularity for its balance of structure, aeration, and water retention. It can hold nutrient-rich water and release it gradually to the roots while being up to 30% more airy than soil. Excess water drains freely, reducing the risk of root rot, though it dries out faster and may require more frequent watering. A key benefit is reusability: with proper rinsing, it can last multiple grow cycles.
Coco sits nicely between soil and full hydroponics. Quality coco coir for cannabis (avoid generic garden centre versions) starts nutrient-free, so you control feeding precisely via a schedule. This allows for faster vegetative growth and more abundant flowering when done accurately. Many nutrient lines offer coco-specific formulas, often mineral-based A&B solutions mixed into water. Aim for a pH of 5.5–6.5 for optimal uptake. If you do this with a little precision, you can make the plant grow faster and flower more profusely. Various food brands have products that are specially tailored to growing on coco fibers. This is often a mineral food that consists of 2 components. Coco A & B. Two liquids that you add to the water to feed the plant. Coco coir is available in several variations.
- Loose coco coir. It is available in 50 liter bags and is intended for cultivation in pots. You grow with this just like you would grow on soil, only you add nutrition yourself according to the needs of the plant.
- Blocks or Bricks. This is loose coconut from which the moisture has been removed and which has been compressed into a block. An advantage of this is that the weight and volume decrease, making it easier to transport. Place two blocks, about the size of a brick, in a container with 10 liters of water for half an hour and you will have enough coconut to fill an 18 liter pot.
- Coco slabs. Mostly in bags of approximately 12 liters intended for use with an irrigation system. The bags are designed so that when laid down, the drainage holes are on the bottom and the holes for the watering system are on the top. You then only need to make holes to place the cuttings or seedlings.
Many growers mix coco with 20–30% perlite for even better drainage and oxygenation. Start with buffered, pre-washed coco to avoid salt issues, and supplement calcium/magnesium early on. Pure Chocolope and Bubble Chum Gum are high-yielding cup winners that thrive in coco. Their longer flowering times allow profuse bud development, bringing out strong aromas and an energetic high under suitable conditions.
Hydroponic Growing
Hydroponic growing is simply growing with only water and nutrients. Hydro means water and ponos means labour. This cultivation method seems to be something new, but has its origins in the distant past. Examples include the Floating Gardens in China and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. The hydroponics that we know today dates from the early twentieth century. The scientist William F, Gericke had devised a way to apply hydroponics on an industrial basis and coined the term hydroponics. He is considered the founder of this method. This cultivation method has been used in professional horticulture since the 1960s and 1970s. Not much later, cannabis was also grown in this way.
Growing by means of hydroponics uses much less water than conventional methods and is therefore seen as the cultivation method of the future. A big advantage is that most hydro systems are automatic. So you only need to create food in the nutrient tank of the hydro system. The plants are kept upright in the system by means of clay granules or rock wool. And you no longer have to lug large heavy bags of soil, which is also a big advantage. Hydronutrients are mineral nutrients that are quickly absorbed by the plant.
Providing the right amount of food is of great importance. You will therefore have to constantly check your nutrient water and adjust it if necessary during the entire cultivation. This is necessary to get the correct PH and EC value, so that the plant optimally receives and can absorb its nutrition. This can be seen as a disadvantage. But once the tricks are mastered, there are monstrous yields possible with hydroponics.
Superior Diesel has its origin in ChemDawg. And the Yellow Lemon Haze is a cross of Lemon Skunk and Super Silver Haze. All legendary strains and big names in the world of cannabis. Superior Diesel and the Yellow Lemon Haze are therefore a must for every hydro grower. You will be amazed at the amazing results that can be achieved with hydroponics.
