Soil is a crucial component of plant growth. The type of soil you use for your plants will have an impact on the health and quality of your yield.
One of the most common mistakes people make is using regular potting soil for their autoflowers.
This might work well for other plants, but it doesn’t provide the right environment for autoflowering cannabis plants to thrive in.
I’ve used plain potting soil in the past, but if you want to grow the very best in autoflowers, a super soil made for the job is by far the best way.
The Ultimate Autoflower Soil
Autoflowering strains are pickier than their photoperiod cousins and require a very aerated substrate for optimum root oxygenation and to prevent the soil from becoming compacted.
It is the first month (during the vegetative phase) when oxygenation is crucial.
This is because the more oxygenated the substrate is, the faster the plant’s metabolic rate will be, and therefore the plant will grow more quickly during that short period of time.
In terms of nutrition, autoflowering strains don’t require much: if they are over-fed, they will get stunted resulting in small, unproductive plants. As we have said, they also don’t like to be overwatered so we suggest water ‘little and often’.
The Living Soils AUTO soil is unique in that it has been specifically developed for autoflowering strains.
Because of their short life cycle, it has also been charged with all the necessary organic amendments for the vegetative and flower stage.
All the grower has to do is place the pre-mixed supersoil in a pot (preferably a fabric one to further improve oxygenation) and plant a seed in it.
Like all the Living Soils products, it is completely peat free, and all packaging is 100% compostable.
How to use the Living Soil product
Growing an AUTO has never been simpler: Living Soil’s pre-mixed autoflower soil has been balanced out and mixed multiple times, so just place in a pot and water. The substrate contains enough feed to last 2-4 weeks of vegetative growth and 8 weeks of flower.
If needing to boost the P&K for flower from week 4 onwards, top dress with Bloom AUTO at a rate of up to 1 tbsp/ gallon of media every week.
In terms of watering, Living Soil suggest watering little and often to reduce the risk of the plant roots becoming waterlogged.
Benefits of using specialised soil for autoflowers
• A premium potting mix can be pre-charged with our premium auto amendments.
• Extra high porosity and moisture retention for an optimal root environment.
• Biologically active to ensure high nutrient availability.
• Premixed soils are ready to go from the get-go.
Some Key ingredients of Living Soils
Premium quality UK wormcasts, peat free compost, lava rock, coco coir, EM1 infused bokashi bran, Azomite®, Neem meal, malted Barley powder, Mycorrhizal fungi, Organic Bat guano, Organic Scottish Seaweed, mined Sulphate of potash, Dolomite Lime.
You can reuse your soil again and again
Once a grow is finished, our soil can be reused – simply cut the old plant at the soil level and re-amend with a full dose of Grow AUTO, Wormcasts, Neem and Rockdust – and some peat free ericaceous compost as needed.
Then water until 5% runoff and ensure there are no dry patches, cover and leave for 2 weeks somewhere warm and you are good to go.
See this page for more information on cannabis seeds and this page for more info on autoflowers.
