So I was reading through various topics today and saw a post about a newer grow guide article. Link was posted by @Logan.ILGM . Now I know the article was no doubt written by someone else and not Logan so this is by no means calling out anyone, but the article contained a paragraph I have concerns with.
This is the linked article…
This is the paragraph I am concerned about…Bold print added by me to highlight my area of concern.
Is living soil better than coco?
“Again, to each their own, I would still choose living soil over cannabis grown in coco. Coco is a good medium but tends to be pretty salty and contaminated with pathogens and heavy metals. Coco provides the benefits of faster plant growth and larger yields and is more forgiving than most hydroponic cultivation methods. However, I would still choose living soil as a better medium.”
My research finds Coco can trap Heavy metals if introduced but does not inherently contain high levels when fresh. Anything that has heavy metals introduced to it will then have a larger amounts in it, including soil.
Pathogens are found everywhere, even in soils.
Pathogen definition is: any small organism, such as a virus or a bacterium that can cause disease
Saying Coco is “Contaminated” with these is is quite a accusation that I find no support for. We have a forum that works hard to provide good information and I don’t think this is a fair statement to put in an article that new growers will read.
So if anyone can provide a link to some actual evidence to these claims I would love to see it. If my grows are high in heavy metals I need to know. My wife who eats an ounce a month of extracted cannabis is concerned about the quality of the weed we grow.
I feel this is a reasonable request for information. Not by any means wanting to start an argument of any sort.
