Jeff was holding a large mound of earth in his hands between us. As the pile slowly sifted through his hands back to the earth he admonished me.
"It's not dirt. Dirt is what you wipe from your boots. This is soil, and I've put my life into it."
Jeff was a long time farmer standing on land his family had been working for 3 generations now. The rows of flowers he stands by are renowned across the region and shipped wide and far to be used in extravagant weddings hundreds of miles away.
It was said defensively, but not angrily. He was proud of the soil, soil that was rich with nutrients and life, carefully maintained and cared for over decades.
"You can't get more out than you put in" was a comment he made later as we continued our conversation over dinner. We had actually moved on to speak about some of the awards he recently won. But even as I tried to focus the praise on his own talents, he accredited the beautiful flowers directly to the great soil they grew from. Jokingly I asked where he hid the rejects, surely not every plant was an award winner. "I don't know any of them ever cared about the awards" he responded in equal jest. But not all flowers bloom the same. And those that aren't set aside for premium sales and don't get picked up at market still have an end purpose. Any trimmings, flowers and "waste" that was not sold at market are returned to the earth each fall via the massive mountain of compost he collects all year.
Jeff grew flowers, real flowers, the kind that sell at online shops and fill banquet halls. I also grow flowers, and they've certainly been enjoyed at weddings, but not for their looks. But growing Cannabis I can appreciate the importance of good soil. Real soil.
Just like the soil on Jeff's farm, many cannabis growers use LIVE soil to grow incredible bounties. If you've never heard of "living soil," it might sound odd, but "real" soil is loaded with minerals and life. The life of microscopic fungus and insects breakdown key the material into the consumable micronutrients and minerals our plants can actually take in. The key benefit to living soil is that when in harmony, the cycle of life is providing everything needed for plants to flourish without any inorganic material. This is very different from hydroponic or salt based feeding that gives the raw minerals to plants. While hydroponic growing might have more "control" growers sacrifice the rich diversity found in true organic living soil.
Organic growers swear by the quality, taste, odors and colors to be deeper, stronger, more vibrant, etc. Regardless of your preference, various studies have confirmed the benefits of companion plants and diversity in garden beds, largely attributed to the microorganism they support , which in turn creates more readily consumable nutrients.
The Caveat is when things go wrong in soil they need care an attention to fix, and takes time. So if you don't have three generations to cultivate the perfect soil yourself, you can skip a few decades and checkout the team at BuildASoil.com who can deliver premium soil building kits, or ready made soil across the country.