I always start with at least 6-8 large bags of high quality organic soil. The selection of your base soil is very important, so don’t cut corners here. I cannot possibly discuss all the different products but I will mention a few notable favorites. A good organic soil should cost between $8-10 per 30 lb. bag. To get a really good idea of what I consider to be a balanced soil, take a look at the ingredients of a product called Roots Organic:
Lignite*, coca fiber, perlite, pumice, compost, peat moss, bone meal, bat guano, kelp meal, Green sand, soy bean meal, leonardite, k-mag, glacial rock dust, alfalfa meal, oyster shell flour, earth worm castings and Mycorrhizae.
I have always had success in giving my plants a wide range of soil amendments; I figure it's like a buffet where they get all they need.
“Lignite, also known as leonardite, mined lignin, brown coal, and slack, is an important constituent to the oil well, drilling industry. Lignite, or leonardite as it will be referred as hereafter, is technically known as a low rank coal between peat and sub-bituminous. Leonardite was named for Dr. A.G. Leonard, North Dakota's first state geologist, who was a pioneer in the study of lignite deposits. Leonardite is applied to products having a high content of humic acid. Humic acid has been found to be very useful as a drilling
mud thinner.”
Another soil product we are now testing is called Harvest Moon:
Washed coco fibers, Alaskan peat moss, perlite, yucca, pumice, diatoms, worm castings, feather meal, fishmeal, kelp meal, limestone, gypsum, soybean meal, alfalfa meal, rock dust, yucca meal, and Mycorrhizae fungi.
The Roots Organic soil has typically produced a more floral smell in the finished buds, while the Harvest Moon generates larger yields.
If you have access to good local mixes like these, then I highly recommend starting with these types of products. We have also had decent results using larger commercial brands, but not without plenty of additives. The best result we have seen from well known soil that is available nationwide is with Fox Farms “Ocean Forest” soil combined in a 2-1 ratio with “Light Warrior,” also produced by Fox Farms. On its own, the Ocean Forest is known for burning plants and having the wrong ratio of nutrients, but when mixed with Light Warrior it makes a pretty good base soil.
FYI i just copied and pasted from the first page