Organic vs Mineral Nutrients, Living Soil and No-Till: How Each Feeds the Plant, and How to Run Living Soil in Thai Heat

AZ_Growshop_Asia · July 25, 2026, 6:44am

Every fertiliser, bottled or home-made, ends up at the root as the same few dissolved nutrients. Fertilisers differ in how the nutrients get there, how fast they work, and what they do to the life in your soil. This article compares four ways of feeding: mineral nutrients, bottled organic nutrients, living soil and no-till growing. It also gives a basic living-soil recipe in metric units. Finally, it explains how to cure the mix and keep its microbes alive at 30–35 °C.

Contents

Mineral and organic fertilisers: same nutrients, different route
The soil food web: who does the feeding
Living soil: what it is and a basic recipe
Curing the mix before planting in tropical heat
Keeping soil life alive at 30–35 °C
No-till growing: not turning the soil between crops
Compost tea and Korean Natural Farming
Beneficial microbes: what the studies found
Comparing the four methods
Getting started with living soil, step by step

1. Mineral and organic fertilisers: same nutrients, different route

Mineral (synthetic) fertilisers

The nutrients are already dissolved as ions. Ions are charged particles that the root can take up directly, so the plant can absorb them immediately.
You control the feed precisely. You set the NPK ratio (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium). You also set the EC (electrical conductivity, a measure of how much fertiliser salt is in the water) and the pH.
Typical use: bottled mineral nutrient lines for hydroponic systems and coco coir.

Organic fertilisers

The nutrients are locked inside organic matter. Soil microbes must break that matter down before the plant can use it.
They work more slowly, but they build better soil over time.
Examples: bottled organic lines, manure, oil cake (the pressed seed left after oil is extracted) and guano (bat or seabird droppings).

The plant cannot tell where a nutrient came from. Either way, it takes up the same forms: ammonium (NH4+), nitrate (NO3−), phosphate (H2PO4−) and potassium (K+). The real difference is the route. The nutrient either comes straight from the bottle or reaches the root through the work of soil life.

What to do: Read the label of the fertiliser you use now. Note whether it lists mineral salts or organic ingredients. This tells you whether your feeding goes through the soil life or bypasses it.

2. The soil food web: who does the feeding

The soil food web is the network of living things in the soil that turns organic matter into plant food.

Bacteria and fungi break down organic matter. They store nutrients in their own bodies, so the nutrients are not washed out by watering.
Protozoa (single-celled organisms) and nematodes (microscopic worms) eat bacteria. They release the surplus nitrogen and phosphorus in forms the plant can take up.
Earthworms dig channels that let air into the soil. They also leave behind nutrient-rich castings.
Mycorrhizal fungi live on the roots and act as an extension of them. They can raise phosphorus uptake.

Strong mineral feeding (high EC) can kill this system or shrink it sharply. High salt levels are especially harmful to mycorrhizal fungi.

What to do: Once a pot is on living soil, stop adding mineral salt nutrients to it. Otherwise you pay for microbes and then kill them. Measure the EC of the water that drains out once a month. A rising number warns you of salt build-up before the plant shows it.

3. Living soil: what it is and a basic recipe

What living soil is

Living soil is a mix rich in organic matter with an active population of microbes. The soil feeds the plant, not you. Your job is to water and to add fresh amendments on the surface from time to time. This surface feeding is called “top dressing”.

The basic recipe (Coots Mix)

The recipe below is an updated version of a mix widely shared among organic growers as “Coots Mix”. It is named after the grower known online as Clackamas Coot. His original version leaves out high-phosphorus amendments such as rock phosphate and bone meal, because they can hold back mycorrhizal fungi.

Base mix, by volume:

1/3 sphagnum peat moss, or coco coir
1/3 aeration material: pumice, perlite or rice hulls. These keep air in the mix so roots and microbes can breathe.
1/3 compost plus vermicompost (worm castings)

Dry amendments for about 30 L of base mix. A “cup” is a US kitchen measure of volume, about 240 mL. Measure by volume, not weight.

Amendment	Amount	What it supplies
Neem cake (pressed neem seed)	1 cup (about 240 mL)	Slow-release nitrogen
Kelp meal (dried seaweed)	1 cup (about 240 mL)	Potassium, micronutrients and natural plant growth substances
Crustacean meal (ground crab or shrimp shell)	1 cup (about 240 mL)	Nitrogen, calcium and chitin. Chitin feeds Trichoderma, a beneficial soil fungus
Rock phosphate or bone meal	1/2 cup (about 120 mL)	Slow-release phosphorus
Gypsum	1/2 cup (about 120 mL)	Calcium and sulphur, without changing pH
Basalt rock dust	1/4 cup (about 60 mL)	Micronutrients and silicon
Mycorrhizal fungi (Glomus intraradices)	Sprinkle into the planting hole	Root colonisation

Glomus intraradices is an older scientific name; the species is now called Rhizophagus intraradices. It is not the same species as Rhizophagus irregularis (section 8). However, the widely used strain DAOM 197198, long sold and studied as “Glomus intraradices”, was shown in 2009 to belong to R. irregularis. So a label that says Glomus intraradices may in fact contain R. irregularis. Check the species and strain on the label, not just the name.

Cure the finished mix for 2–4 weeks before planting. This lets microbes break down the amendments and the mix settle into balance (section 4).

Translator’s note: Some of these ingredients are imported into Thailand, and some have local substitutes.

Peat moss is imported. Coco coir is made locally and widely sold. Rinse local coco before use and check the EC of the rinse water, because some batches carry salt.
Rice hulls are a local by-product and work well for aeration. Perlite is sold in garden shops. True pumice is harder to find. Some Thai home and garden stores sell imported volcanic rock (หินภูเขาไฟ). Check whether it is light pumice or heavier lava rock.
Thai-made vermicompost is easy to find, or you can make your own.
Kelp meal, crustacean meal, basalt rock dust and neem cake may be hard to find locally. Ask suppliers before you plan a batch around them.
In Thailand, fertilisers fall under the Fertilizer Act B.E. 2518 (1975), amended by the Fertilizer Act (No. 2) B.E. 2550 (2007). Before buying a bagged amendment, check its registration and label. That way you know what is actually in the bag.
Compost or soil bought from another farm can bring in fungus gnats, root pests and disease. Try a new source in a few pots before you mix it into a whole batch.

What to do: Make one 30 L test batch before you mix for a whole room. You learn how your local ingredients behave without risking a full crop.

4. Curing the mix before planting in tropical heat

The method is simple. Leave the mix for 2–4 weeks, keep it moist, and turn it once a week.

Translator’s note: Neem cake and crustacean meal are raw food for microbes, not yet plant food. While microbes break them down, the mix can warm up and give off ammonia. Roots planted at this stage can burn. Curing lets this phase pass before the plant goes in.

In warm weather, microbes generally work faster. Even so, do not shorten the cure by the calendar alone. Judge it by the condition of the mix:

Ready: there is no sharp ammonia smell. When you push your hand in, the mix is no warmer than the air. It smells like forest soil.
Too wet: it smells sour or like rotten eggs. Air cannot get in. Spread the mix out, turn it and let it dry a little.
Right moisture: like a wrung-out sponge. When you squeeze a handful, a few drops come out, not a stream.

In the rainy season, cure under a roof or cover the pile with a tarp so rain cannot soak it. Keep it in the shade all year. A black bag in direct sun can overheat and dry out. To be sure, sow a few fast-growing vegetable seeds in a small pot of the mix. If they sprout and stay green, the mix is safe for your plants.

What to do: Write the start date on the bag. Check smell and moisture every time you turn it. Plant only after at least 2 weeks, and only once the ammonia smell is gone.

5. Keeping soil life alive at 30–35 °C

Translator’s note: Soil microbes and mycorrhizal fungi need moisture, air and food. Heat dries the soil faster, and soil that dries out loses much of its life. These steps reduce the damage:

Use large pots or raised beds. More soil means slower swings in temperature and moisture.
Keep sun off the pot sides. Light-coloured or fabric pots heat up less than black plastic. Do not stand pots on bare concrete that radiates heat.
Mulch the surface (step 6 in section 10).
Water in the early morning. Never let living soil dry out completely.
Measure. Push a probe thermometer 10 cm into one pot and read it at 14:00 every day for a week. This shows whether your pots overheat before you blame the microbes.
Keep EC low. Do not add mineral salt nutrients (section 2).
Store microbial products as the label says. A product left in a hot car or on a hot shelf may be dead before you use it.

What to do: Run step 5 this week. Use the readings to decide whether you need shade, bigger pots or mulch first.

6. No-till growing: not turning the soil between crops

The principle

With no-till growing, you do not turn or replace the soil between crops. You cut the old stem at the base and leave the roots to rot in place. Between cycles, you top dress and grow a cover crop. A cover crop is a short crop grown to protect and feed the soil, not to harvest.

Reported benefits

It keeps the fungal network intact. Fungal threads run through undisturbed soil. Tilling tears them apart.
One field study measured the effect on the crop. F. T. Chacon and colleagues (2025, Journal of Medicinally Active Plants) grew two high-CBG hemp cultivars in Pennsylvania, USA. One field was no-till with cover crops; the other was conventionally tilled. Levels of four cannabinoids differed significantly between the fields: CBD, CBDA (cannabidiolic acid, the raw form of CBD in the living plant), CBG (cannabigerol) and THC. The direction was not the same for every cultivar. CBD was about 2 times higher under no-till in one cultivar but 1.5 times higher under tillage in the other, and THC was up to 6 times higher under tillage. Terpene profiles differed between the two cultivars only in the tilled field. The study does not show that no-till raises quality across the board, or which part of the method caused the differences.
The soil improves over time. Each crop is reported to do better than the one before.
It costs less. You do not buy new soil, and you need less fertiliser.

Translator’s note: No-till carries one real risk: disease stays in the bed. If a crop had root rot or a soil pest, fix the cause before you replant that bed. In the rainy season, use beds that drain well so water cannot stand in them.

Cover crops for cannabis

Clover: fixes nitrogen (bacteria on its roots capture nitrogen from the air) and keeps the soil moist.
Daikon radish: its deep roots break up compacted soil.
Buckwheat: attracts beneficial insects and releases phosphorus.
Before the new cycle, cut the cover crop and leave it on the surface as mulch.

Translator’s note: These three crops were chosen for temperate climates. Test them on a small bed before you rely on them in lowland heat. Thai farmers commonly use local legumes such as sunn hemp (ปอเทือง, Crotalaria juncea) as green manure. We found no trials of it between cannabis cycles, so try it on one bed first.

What to do: Try no-till on one bed for one cycle, next to a bed run your usual way. Compare yield and the lab results of the two beds. This shows whether the method pays in your conditions.

7. Compost tea and Korean Natural Farming

Aerated compost tea

Compost tea is a water extract of compost. You bubble air through it for 24–36 hours so that aerobic microbes (those that need oxygen) multiply quickly. Growers call this AACT, short for “actively aerated compost tea”.

Recipe:

1 cup (about 240 mL) vermicompost
1 tablespoon (about 15 mL) molasses, as food for the microbes
5 US gallons (about 19 L) dechlorinated water

Method:

Aerate hard for 24–36 hours with an aquarium air pump.
Use the tea as soon as the air stops. Without air, the microbes die quickly and the brew turns anaerobic (oxygen-free).
Pour it on the roots, or spray it on the leaves in the early morning.

Translator’s note: A power cut stops the pump and the tea starts to go anaerobic. If the pump was off for hours and the brew smells sour, do not give it to plants. Pour it on the compost heap instead. A small battery-powered pump or a UPS (uninterruptible power supply, a battery box that keeps power on during cuts) prevents this. Warm water holds less oxygen, so brew in the shade and use a strong pump. In the flowering stage, do not spray onto the buds, especially in the rainy season, because wet buds invite grey mould (botrytis). Bangkok’s Metropolitan Waterworks Authority disinfects tap water with chlorine. Leaving water open for 24 hours removes chlorine but not chloramine. Outside Bangkok, ask your local waterworks which one it uses.

Korean Natural Farming

Korean Natural Farming (KNF) is a low-cost method from South Korea. Farmers make their own plant inputs by fermenting local materials.

Fermented plant juice (FPJ): young leaves and brown sugar, 1:1, fermented for 7 days.
Fish amino acid (FAA): fish and brown sugar, 1:1, fermented for 3–6 months.
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB): ferment rice-washing water, then mix it with milk.

KNF suits Southeast Asia because the ingredients are cheap and easy to find.

Translator’s note: The recipes above give no application dilution. Never use these ferments undiluted on plants. KNF guides dilute them heavily in water, and their rates differ, so follow the rate in the guide you use. Guides also differ on whether the 1:1 ratios are by weight or by volume. FAA smells strongly and attracts flies. Ferment it in a closed container away from living areas.

What to do: Make one small batch of FPJ and test it on a few plants. Record leaf colour and growth for two weeks before you use it more widely.

8. Beneficial microbes: what the studies found

Peer-reviewed research on microbes and cannabis reports these results:

Mucilaginibacter (a genus of soil bacteria): a 2023 study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry inoculated plants during the vegetative stage. Total THC and CBD rose by about 11%.
Biofertilisers plus humic acid: biofertilisers are products containing live beneficial microbes. Humic acid is a component of well-decomposed organic matter. A field study in Virginia, USA (Da Cunha Leme Filho and colleagues, Journal of Cannabis Research, 2024) grew a high-CBD cannabis cultivar outdoors. In the 2020 season, biofertilisers and humic acid, alone or combined, raised aboveground biomass by 122%, plant height by 105% and photosynthetic efficiency by 43% compared with untreated plants. The effect was larger that season because planting was delayed. The authors could not show that combining the two worked better than using either alone.
Mycorrhizal fungi (Rhizophagus irregularis): can increase phosphorus uptake.

Genetics remain the main factor behind cannabinoid content. Microbes shift results within the range the genetics allow. They will not turn a low-THC strain into a high-THC one.

Translator’s note: What you can gain is a modest improvement, not a new strain. The Mucilaginibacter result comes from a research strain in one study, not from a commercial product. Mycorrhizal inoculants are easier to find. Read the label before you buy.

What to do: Run a side-by-side trial. Grow the same strain in the same soil, with half the pots inoculated and half not. Record dry weight and lab results. This tells you whether the product is worth its price in your conditions.

9. Comparing the four methods

Table 1: Mineral vs bottled organic vs living soil vs no-till

Criterion	Mineral	Organic (bottled)	Living soil	No-till
Control over NPK	Precise	Moderate	Low (the soil decides)	Low
Speed of response	Fast (hours)	Slow (days)	Very slow (weeks)	Very slow
Flower quality	Good	Good	Excellent (terpenes)	Excellent
Startup cost	Low	Moderate	High	High
Long-term cost	High (you keep buying)	Moderate	Low (soil is reused)	Very low
Environmental sustainability	Low	Moderate	High	Very high
Difficulty	Easy	Easy	Moderate	Hard (needs experience)
Best suited to	Hydro / coco	Any medium	Large pots / raised beds	Raised beds / outdoors

One market report lists soil-based growing as the largest share of global cannabis cultivation revenue in 2025. Some promotional sources claim craft living-soil flower sells for up to twice the mainstream price, but we found no independent price data to support this.

Translator’s note: In Thailand, cannabis flower is a controlled herb. It can be sold only with a PT 33 prescription, for a maximum of 30 days. Advertising and online sale of flower are prohibited. A “grown in living soil” claim therefore cannot be advertised for flower in Thailand. Do not assume a price premium.

What to do: Choose your method on cost and quality. Use the table to add up startup cost against long-term cost for your own space.

10. Getting started with living soil, step by step

Mix the soil using the recipe in section 3. This gives the microbes food, air and a home in one batch.
Cure it for 2–4 weeks. Keep it moist and turn it once a week. This lets microbes break down the raw amendments so they do not burn the roots (section 4).
Sprinkle mycorrhizal fungi at planting, touching the roots. The fungus can only colonise roots it touches.
Water only with dechlorinated water, and add compost tea every 2 weeks. Chlorine harms soil life. The tea tops up the microbe population.
Top dress every 3–4 weeks with vermicompost, kelp meal and neem cake. This replaces the food the soil life has used up.
Mulch the surface with straw or dry leaves. Mulch keeps moisture in and feeds the microbes. In Thai heat, it also keeps the surface cooler. Local rice straw works well.
After harvest, cut the stem at the base, top dress again and sow a cover crop. The bed is then ready for the next cycle without new soil.

What to do: Keep a simple log of each step’s date, the mix temperature and smell, and plant health. After one cycle, the log shows which step needs fixing.

Legal note

This article is for education only. It does not encourage recreational use. It is not an offer to sell anything, and it is not aimed at readers in countries where cannabis is prohibited. Growing cannabis must follow the laws in force where you live.

In Thailand, cannabis flower is a controlled herb under the Notification of the Ministry of Public Health Re: Controlled Herbs (Cannabis), B.E. 2568. The Notification was issued under the Thai Traditional Medicine Protection Act B.E. 2542 and has been in force since 26 June 2025. Two newer regulations also apply (see the April 2026 regulations):

The Ministerial Regulation on Controlled Herbs (No. 2) B.E. 2569 has been in force since 30 April 2026. It tightens licence criteria for cannabis flower.
The Ministerial Regulation on Cannabis or Hemp Extracts B.E. 2569 has been in force since 26 April 2026.

Under Section 78 of the 1999 Act, research, export, sale or processing of a controlled herb without a licence (Section 46) carries up to 1 year in prison and/or a fine of up to 20,000 baht. The draft Cannabis Control Act is not law yet. The Cabinet approved the draft on 22 September 2026 and sent it to the House.

Questions and your own results

Ask your questions directly under this topic. If you run a living-soil cycle in Thai conditions, document it in Grow Diaries. Include your mix, curing time and soil temperatures, so other growers can compare.

References

Chacon F. T., Raup-Konsavage S. A., et al. (2025). “Impact of Soil Quality on Cannabinoid and Terpenoid Content of Cannabis sativa L.” Journal of Medicinally Active Plants 14(2–3): 19–30. Making sure you're not a bot!
Lyu D., Backer R., Berrué F., Martinez-Farina C., Hui J. P. M., Smith D. L. (2023). “Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) with Microbial Growth Broth Improve Biomass and Secondary Metabolite Accumulation of Cannabis sativa L.” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 71(19): 7268–7277. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.2c06961
Da Cunha Leme Filho J. F., Chim B. K., Bermand C., Diatta A. A., Thomason W. E. (2024). “Effect of organic biostimulants on cannabis productivity and soil microbial activity under outdoor conditions.” Journal of Cannabis Research 6: 16. Client Challenge
Cannigma, a cannabis information website (2026). “How to Prepare Organic Living Soil for Cannabis.” cannigma.com.
Cannigma (2025). “Living Soil Cannabis: Why Top Cultivators Are Ditching Synthetic Nutrients.”
Ahmadi F., Kallinger D., Starzinger A., Lackner M. (2024). “Hemp Cultivation: Chemical Fertilizers or Organic Technologies.” Nitrogen 5(3): 624–654 (article 42). MDPI. https://www.mdpi.com/2504-3129/5/3/42