Providing cannabis plants a good soil abundant in beneficial microbial life is the secret behind maximum performance organic growing. True Living Organics (TLO) is a method to foster beneficial fungi, bacteria and microbes in the soil.

Good soil is worth its weight in gold.



Nutrient Cycling in Nature

Organic matter that falls to the ground will decompose, enriching the soil structure and fostering microbial life.

This natural decomposition process is how plants thrive without human intervention. Their remains create food and habitat for the microscopic fungi, bacteria and larger organisms, such as earthworms, that will make better soil conditions now and for future generations.

When a tree drops its leaves, it can make a mulch to the same effect. This in turn optimizes the soil—even helping the tree grow stronger—so that its roots provide a home to for the microbes to feed on. Most plants in the world already depend on this age old process of working with microorganisms to obtain the nutrients required for growth from the soil.

Fungi and bacteria work together to break down organic material. For garden soil and potting mixes, speeding up the decomposition rate means that plants can utilize nutrients from organic material quicker.

Bone meal, blood meal, chicken manure, and nutrient-rich compost are all examples of organic matter that’s not readily available for plant absorption. Rather, they are slow-release fertilizers. Some of the nutrients are released and absorbed quickly, while others must be “mined” into smaller particles in order to be used by a plant.

Best way to speed up this process?

Just maximize the beneficial fungi and bacteria.

Decomposing organic matter is full of everything that fungi and bacteria need to establish themselves. Increasing the levels of organic matter in your soil is an effective way to help plants absorb more nutrients from the soil.

Try this experiment in a local forest:

During fair weather, find a thick pile of fallen leaf litter underneath a tree.

Dig into the leaf pile until the topsoil level is reached. You may see white saprophytic fungi on leaves as you get deeper.

Pull back the topsoil and take a look at the plant’s roots. If you see a white fuzzy fungi growing directly on roots then you’ve found mycorrhizal fungi, a naturally occurring beneficial fungi that forms on plant roots.

While most of what is covering leaf litter, mulch and compost is actually Saprophytic fungi, the fungi that grows on plant roots is what’s called Mycorrhizal Fungi and it helps plants absorb nutrients.

Beneficial Fungi

Mycorrhizal fungi has a symbiotic relationship with plants. What mycorrhizal fungi does is live as a host on your cannabis roots.

Why does it need a host? Because the roots contain much-needed carbohydrates for the fungi as well as a home.

So what do plants get in return? This beneficial fungi helps to feed the plant nutrients from the organic matter broken down in the soil. This plant-fungi association is in order to create a larger habitat for the fungi to live on—it’s win-win situation for both the plants and fungi (in most circumstances).

While saprophytic fungi are the main decomposers of the fungal kingdom, mycorrhizal fungi has been shown to be responsible, either directly or by association, for the creation of strong enzymes that break down dead material sources in the soil.

Benefits of mycorrhizal fungi plant associations include

healthier plants

quicker growth

enhanced resistance to pests and diseases

increased drought resistance

reduced transplant shock

higher yields

For inoculation of mycorrhizal fungi, and a DIY way to make it at home read:

Creating an optimal soil environment for mycorrhizal fungi to flourish is the backbone of the True Living Organics method which is based off of this book written by the Rev.

True Living Organic practices are not strictly for outdoor growing. Fungus and bacteria will still be doing its job indoors too 🙂



Organic Soil Mix Considerations

TLO Recipe – Instructions for building a TLO soil mix

Here is the TLO organic soil mix recipe we have used for years with great results—http://greenthumbgirlsblog.blogspot.com/2013/09/recipe-rev-21-soil-i-made.html

You can find all the materials for sale at local garden shops, online at Amazon and other retailers.

Note that mycorrhizal fungi is extremely delicate, it can be wiped out easily. Be careful not to use any salt-based fertilizers such synthetic, chemical fertilizers. Adding salt to fungus will simply dehydrate it, similar to putting table salt on a slug.

Well aerated soil is a key to success in the True Living Organic growing method. Make sure your soil has a wealth of aeration. TLO mixes generally consist 1/4 perlite. Using perlite in the soil is basically like having a bunch of artificial air pockets throughout your mix. Microbial life needs to breathe, and will flourish in highly aerated environments, taking advantage of all those air pockets.

Coco coir is also well aerated and retains 10 times its dry weight in water. Be sure to rinse the coco coir out thoroughly: soak the bricks in a tub and drain the water out 2 or 3 times to get any salts out. Coco coir being a coconut product, more often than not, contains salt.

Compost teas are extremely effective when done right, creating a type of microbial life explosion in the soil. Be sure to to aerate compost teas, otherwise you could be doing harm to the beneficial microbes instead of helping them. Read a compost tea how-to article here—http://www.finegardening.com/brewing-compost-tea

FoxFarm’s Happy Frog fertilizer comes loaded with beneficial microbes such as mycorrizal fungi as well as bat guano, kelp meal, alfalfa meal, fish meal and humic acid. A safe bet for True Living Organics soils, this cocktail of organic fertilizers is ideal for your plant and soil health. Happy Frog fertilizer is slow-release and can be applied by mixing directly into your soil, sprinkling onto the topsoil or making spikes (probe a hole into the root zone soil and fill it with the fertilizer). Happy Frog is a genuine wonder product for organic growers.

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For information about building an optimal soil-mix maximizing mycorrhizal fungi, check out SKUNK magazine & the Rev.

The Rev’s book True Living Organics: The Ultimate Guide to Growing All-Natural Marijuana Indoors is essential reading for the organic grower, and certainly not just indoor growers. The Rev explains the delicate symphony of soil microlife in an easy to read format suitable for growers of all skill levels. You will learn how to create healthy microbe-friendly soils and hear the dangers of what to look out. Worm farms, organic tea mixes and soil amendments are all covered in depth. The book also contains detailed instructions on creating your own TLO soil mix—complete with a wide variety of nutrient sources. Part of this system focuses on pumping up the aeration of your soil in order to create a better habitat for mycorrhizal fungi. Fungi needs air to grow, and will flourish in properly aerated soil.

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For those interested in the science of True Living Organics, you should pick up Teaming with Microbes: The Organic Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web. Written in an entertaining style, this book explains the fundamentals of microorganisms in your soil, and how they can benefit your plants. It also explains why chemical fertilizers are detrimental to soil health, injuring the microbial life of the soil food web. You will learn about the science behind why feeding your soil will in-turn feed your plant and how pumping up your micro-life will increase your plants performance and nutrient availability.

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