When it comes to soil growing, having the best possible medium is quite possibly the most important variable for a healthy garden.
Since I started growing over 10 years ago I have tested countless different organic soils and soil-less mixes for my indoor and outdoor grows. Many soils and mixes were too hot and full of nutrients that would end up burning my plants while others where lacking the quality ingredients needed to grow happy and healthy at each stage of cultivation. Below is a list I put together of my three favorite mixes that I personally swear by and have used numerous times. Happy Growing.
1.) Roots Organic “Original” Soil ($18 USD 1.5 Cubic Feet) : Developed by Aurora Innovations out of Eugene Oregon, Roots Organics Original is a ready to use mix created with a balanced air to water ratio of porosity and water retention to allow for frequent feeding of fast growing, heavy feeding plants. With a low amount of nutrients Roots Organics is perfect for early starts and seedlings but go easy as it has enough food to get you to the early vegetative stage without any extra feeding. Roots is made with Coco Fiber, Peat Moss, Composted Forest Material, Pumice, Worm Castings, Bat Guano, Soybean Meal, Alfalfa Meal, Fish Bone Meal, Kelp Meal, and Greensand.
2.) Tupur by Royal Gold ($18 USD 2.0 Cubic Feet) : Made in Humboldt County, Tupur, pronounced (two-per), was designed with the idea feeding your plant as much and often as possible. It is a blank slate to create your own high performance feeding regimen. Now Tupur is not a soil mix but a coco fiber based soil-less medium. Tupur requires high levels of calcium and magnesium to unlock its true potential. With an astounding balance of oxygen and water holding capacities, Tupur can be watered up to 6 times a day. This makes it an ideal choice for automated watering systems, especially drip (drain to waste or recirculating), Ebb and Flow. Even deep water culture, and aquaponics thrive in this versatile blend, yet it still excels in hand watered container gardens, with organic or synthetic feeding programs. This versatility has been key in Tupur quickly becoming a household name for cultivation experts and enthusiasts across the Country. Made with just coco fiber, aged forest materials, perlite and crushed basalt, Tupur is guaranteed not to burn young clones and seedlings.
3.) Sunshine Mix #4 ($30 USD 3.0 Cubic Ft. Compressed) : When it comes to price and quality, Sunshine Mix #4 is my go to. Available in a compressed 3.0 Cubic Foot bale that expands to up to 6.0 Cubic at a price of $30 dollars you just can’t beat this stuff. Sunshine Mix #4 is an ideal choice for both indoor and outdoor gardening. Made with Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss for increased moisture retention, optimum air exchange plus coarse perlite for amplified root zone aeration. The lime, gypsum and proprietary wetting agent combine to make Sunshine Mix #4 the professional quality mix which meets the needs of serious minded growers who don’t have the time to water twice a day. Sunshine Mix also includes mycorrhizae which is a fungus that is extremely helpful in the production of a healthy root system. Sunshine Mix #4 is also perfect for clones and seedlings as it will not burn.
