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Unfortunately there are many inconsistent, low quality lines of substrates on the market today. What if you didn’t buy the best quality growing media possible when you started?  Is there anything you can do to rescue a grow using lower quality media?

Not many people get to ask George Dickinson of Pure Products questions about how to salvage Low-Quality grow media, and he was both gracious – and vivacious – when asked about some tips.

1.  Adding beneficial organisms like Mycorrhizae and Trichoderma can help.

Living soil is teeming with life, featuring creatures like bacteria, fungi, protozoa, insects, and earthworms.  A single teaspoon can contain billions of beneficial organisms.  In contrast, rockwool is inert and has no natural life.  A thriving microbiome is an important part of plant health,  though microorganism usage is still being studied to understand all of the possible benefits and physical processes that these tiny organisms can impart.

Mycorrhizal fungi are a beneficial fungus that attaches to the roots of the plants.  Once attached, the fungus expands into the surrounding soil.  These tiny filaments act as a supplementary root system for the plant.

Trichoderma is another beneficial type of fungi that loves to colonize plant roots, and offers benefits such as better root development, protection from diseases, and improved plant health.

2. Increase oxygen.

Plants’ roots love oxygen – in fact they need it!  Oxygen availability is vital to creating healthy roots. You can improve yields and plant health in a lesser quality grow medium by increasing air porosity or utilizing dissolved oxygen in your water.

Dickinson explains, “Air porosity is important for root health and proper drybacks, choose your grow media wisely. For example our Pure Power HP (high porosity) coco line has >30% AFP (air filled porosity). Oxygen is a root’s best friend. Plants need oxygen in the soil for proper health and development. Plants do not like soggy/wet conditions in the soil. This causes all sorts of root diseases. It is important to know the air porosity of any grow medium you plan on using.”

The best and fastest way to increase oxygen levels is to install a high quality dissolved oxygen generator into your irrigation system. Increasing ambient O2 levels in your feed water from 4-5 ppm to 25 ppm promotes rapid root growth, in addition to acting as a defense against the bad bacteria that causes root rot.  Using dissolved oxygen also increases the growth of root hairs, which are responsible for water intake. The energy required for nutrient uptake comes from root respiration which uses oxygen.  Roots in an oxygen-rich environment can absorb nutrients more effectively. The payback on a dissolved oxygen system is almost immediate.

3. Keep your pH perfect.

This can be daunting, especially if you’re already dealing with a low-quality media, but understanding the pH and being extra vigilant will be an important mitigation step.   Dickinson explains, “Plants can “lock out” the uptake of certain essential nutrients if the pH is out of the sweet spot. A pH of 5.5-6.5 is the target.”

Keeping pH is already a tricky notion, and it’s going to be trickier if you’re not using the best media available.  But if plants aren’t kept within that window, they won’t be able to absorb the nutrients they need, even if they are present.  Make sure to stay on top of that ever-important pH number even more so if you’re using a low-quality grow media. Hydroponic-style

The best way to get the most out of a low-quality grow media, of course, is to never buy low quality media in the first place.  Instead, invest in a high-quality and consistent quality grow media right from the start.  Pure Products offers only exceptional coco coir made in an ISO-certified and RHP certified facility.  Coco coir was selected for a variety of reasons, including sustainability, but it was also the properties of using coco coir to grow cannabis that makes it the perfect choice.

“High CEC soils like coco coir are able to retain more cations and have a greater capacity to exchange them than low CEC soils. Growers should look for a high CEC grow media for optimum growth and yields. The cation exchange capacity (CEC) describes a soil`s ability to hold and exchange cations. It is a relative reflection of a soil’s potential fertility.”

Instead of working against your growing media, work with it. Buy high-quality and consistent from the start. But if you find yourself in the position of having to improve the yield you are getting from a low-quality grow media, add beneficial organisms like mycorrhizae and trichoderma, increase oxygen, and keep your soil pH as perfect as possible.