It's quite difficult to pinpoint when Living Organic Soil (LOS) term actually came about, but it's only in the last decade that we've seen its growth. However, this is still too small of a trend to be picked up by Google Trends, which only shows stable interest in „organic soil”, that regularly peaks around March/April.
LOS aka. TLO (True Living Organics), which is exactly the same thing, is really the only genuine organic method of growing cannabis. In a nutshell it's environment-friendly method of gardening (both indoor and outdoor), which builds upon a hybrid (both spiritual and scientific) conviction, that soil is a living organism or interdependent life-support system.
This system consists of elements such as: water, air, minerals, organic matter, and macro- and micro-organisms, which all function together and interact closely. It's called soil food web, and was first defined by dr. Elaine Ingham in her pioneering book Soil Food Web (1995), which she published after studying the subject for many years.
It's really her, that should be credited with showing that soil is not a mere shuffle of different mineral compounds, but a living network or a working body if you will with a level of complexity, that we barely start understanding. Dr. Ingham's work is also the main foundation of permaculture, which definitely influenced LOS, and has been providing cannabis growers with inspiration.
How To Start Off With LOS
LOS relies first and foremost on life in soil, but also on balance between carbon and nitrogen as well as optimal ratio of nutrients, and last but not least on applying right stuff at the right time.
This obviously needs practise, patience and learning, but for starters you should focus on cooking some soil trying to understand what happpens inside in the meantime. For now let's just say, that growing in LOS is a combination of art and science fuelled by getting to the bottom of things.
So first we need some soil and not just any soil, but organic soil, which means: non-chemically treated, non-sterilised and non-enriched with synthetic nutrients... pure as the driven snow or as close to it as we can get.
But where do we find it? Well, if you're lucky like me and live in a countryside surrounded by nature, then you just go to the garden and take as much as you want. However, this is impossible for many growers out there as they don't live in Italy, where soil is rich in minerals, organic matter and very fertile.
Desert soils like in California are unfortunately too poor to sustain proper growth and have very low CEC on top of that, which is why orange and peach groves have to be put on drip, cause all the water flushes away very quickly. It's actually really weird for a European to see this picture, but if you understand the soil, then it becomes kinda obvious.
So if you don't have any other choice, it comes down to buying one from the store, which means you're not really buying soil, but peat-based medium, which technically is soilless, and you need to be aware of that. Choose carefully though by checking if the product you're getting has been certified as organic, and if it contains any additives.
I'm not gonna point to any brand, cause I simply don't know what's available where you live, and I definitely don't want to pitch for something I never used. Common reason is probably the most important here, and using some basic research.
If stuff you've found looks good, then get it, and if some crucial info's missing on the label (always mind the label), then call the producer, and shake the bastard over the phone until he wiggles like a worm and tells you every missing detail... you can also get there and hold the slimeball at gunpoint (just kidding here).
So you finally put your filthy paws on 3000 lbs of nice organic stuff, and probably ponder where you go from here. Well, next step is getting some biologically active agent, that will put some life in this dead pile, cause without life there's no LOS! Life is the most important ingredient!
To do it you make/buy compost or earthworm castings (EWC) as low in potassium as it's possible (I'll explain why another time), which you add to your soil in 1:10 ratio. To make it even simpler, ready mix should have around 10% of compost/EWC (which is nothing else than organic matter).
Now it's time to add Ca/Mg, which cannabis needs A LOT to grow strong and be resilient to pests, mould, viruses and whatnot. Both minerals are related, so you cannot just add one, cause you're gonna get deficiency or excess of one or another.
I personally use lithothamnium, but it's easily available only in EU, while in US or Canada you have to look for oyster powder, ground eggshells (you can do it at home), dolomite lime, calcite or even wood ash (anything containing calcium carbonate in spades).
This should be added in 2:10 ratio to achieve base saturation between 50-70% (don't worry about being slightly off), while supplementing with Mg (think Epsom salts) to get 7:1 Ca:Mg ratio! This will guarantee a perfect balance of both, and will need to be only slightly corrected for some finicky cultivars.
The only thing left now is to get an aeration agent to provide proper roots oxygenation as they don't like anaerobic conditions, which is an invitation for pathogens to multiply. If you wan to keep it strictly organic, you get rice hulls, coco coir or peanut shells, but perlite will work too.
Finally, after getting all this work done you can rest and smoke a fat one, but how do you know, that you've got everything right? Well, there's only one way to know for 100%, and it's sending you soil to the lab after it's been mixed and cooked for at least 6 weeks, which is needed to create the structure and give a way for bacteria and fungi to start doing their job.
BTW, did I mention fungi? You should get some spores of mycorrhizal fungi right after you got all the other ingredients right. These mysterious microorganisms will provide your plants withe their broad benefits like better phosphorus absorption and protection against parasites. There's literally nothing like mycorrhiza in soil, which is a huge deal if you want to keep it organic!
How To Keep Your Soil Alive
So you cooked your soil and maybe even got a sample back from the lab, which confirmed that everything is just dandy! You plant your seeds or clones then and they grow surprisingly healthy, no usual problems, no fuss. They're all shiny, vibrant and happy.
Welcome to LOS world, where your beneficial bacteria and fungi do all the work while you sit back and play the mandoline or wrestle with bears... and you actually may just do that, but your soil will have to be kept alive by getting occasional boost if you grow indoor or in pots in general, which is different than growing directly in the ground, where way less work is necessary.
Well, to make sure that bacteria are thriving, you give them a splash of compost tea, which should include nitrogen and some trace minerals, that will be partly eaten and partly transformed and dished over to the plant. Fungi on the other hand prefer material heavier in carbon, which can be also cooked or bubbled in form of a tea.
Whatever you decide to do, forget about bottles with fertilisers now, feeding schedules, and learn instead how to listen to your plants, recognise if they're happy, and you will be rewarded with flowers out of this world! Top tier quality all the way! But don't take my word for it, check for yourself and let me know how it went.
Photo credits: First plant from the top is Dedoverde Haze grown by brightlight. Second from the top is Devil's Carnival grown by duggan. Third one from the top is Early Bubba Hash grown by Morglie. All courtesy of 420Magazine
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