How to: Create Your Own Soil for Your Cannabis Seeds

Many people make the mistake of starting out with a bag of regular potting soil from the local garden center, only to be disappointed when their plants don't do very well. This is because this all-purpose mixture does not contain what cannabis needs to grow.

Whether growing indoors or out, cannabis requires a certain set and amount of nutrients to grow abundantly, healthfully, and robustly. Even outdoors, the soil is not necessarily suitable to growing the highest quality green, which is why it is important to understand the basics of the mixing a soil that provides all that the cannabis plants need.

How to create a good soil mix, whether indoor or outdoor|

Traditional garden soil may seem like a good choice, but it is generally too hard and not aerated enough for cannabis plants. The nutrients infused in the potting mix are also a general nutrient blend which will not provide exactly what your cannabis plants need.

It is recommended to start with a high quality, organic soil base. This itself is actually a mixture of a number of different substances that, together, provide a good start for soil for your plants. A good organic soil base will include some sort of manure or guano, peat moss, pearlite, rock dust, oyster shell, compost, lignite, and more. These materials can usually be easily sourced from a specialty garden center.


Cannabis requires a specific set of nutrients for it to grow as big and strong as possible. Once you have a good base, you can source and create your own perfect blend of nutrients that will provide your plants with everything they need to thrive. Most often, your base will be missing certain nutrients that need to be supplemented. Worm castings (worm poop), bat guano, blood meal, Epsom salt, and dolomite are all wonderful additions to your soil mix that will provide your plants all the nutrients they need to grow bountiful.

Worm castings are vitally important as they eliminate the need for a soil conditioner. It can sometimes be difficult to find worm castings, but it is worth the effort as they will really help your plants. You can even produce your own worm castings by creating what is called a vermicomposting bin. This allows you to convert food and waste scraps into valuable castings.

The soil that your cannabis plants are grown in is intended to provide the plants with everything they need to grow and thrive. Your run-of-the-mill garden soil just doesn't cut it for this type of gardening. This takes a little more specialized knowledge if you hope to get the best possible cannabis crop. Understanding the basics of what constitutes a proper soil mixture will help to ensure that your plants thrive and produce the best possible green you can grow.