Growing cannabis plants in soil is a little bit different than growing other types of plants, especially when you plan on using those plants for their compounds. The soil you choose will have a significant impact on the plant, and everything you extract from it later on. That’s because of the unusually high absorption ability that cannabis has in soil. While this allows the plant to pull more nutrients and feed itself more efficiently than other plants can, it can also lead to contamination if the soil used isn’t carefully chosen and tested before planting.
Super Absorption Powers
When we say cannabis absorbs nutrients from soil really well, what we mean is virtually everything in the soil is going to end up in the plant. That includes the phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur that plants typically need to survive, as well as heavy metals, pesticides, and mycotoxins, which are naturally-occurring toxins created by fungi that can often end up in plant-based compounds and even your food. It doesn’t matter to the cannabis plant whether the toxins and contaminants are natural or synthetic; it’s going to absorb them anyway. That means if you’re not careful about where you get your CBD products, you might be putting some pretty dangerous chemicals into or onto your body.
Side Effects of Contamination
Heavy metals can cause severe side effects like muscular dystrophy, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other degenerative physical and neurological conditions. Less severe cases might present as abdominal pain, dehydration, vomiting, and diarrhea, cardiomyopathy or dysrhythmia, numbness, or weakness. The effects of pesticide poisoning include burning eyes, blisters and rash, loss of vision, vomiting and diarrhea, dizziness, and death. Pesticides have also been linked to cancer and can cause heavy metal poisoning with ingredients like arsenic. Mycotoxins are known for causing liver cancer, gangrene, and convulsions after exposure, as well as reduced immunity, changes to protein metabolism, and respiratory issues.
Phytoremediation
Phytoremediation is an excellent example of the absorption power cannabis plants have. “Phyto” means “related to plants” and “remediation” means “to remedy,” so “phytoremediation” basically means “to remedy with plants.” This process can be applied to both soil and groundwater. When certain plants are grown in contaminated soil or groundwater, they absorb a large amount of the contaminants present, leaving the substance cleaner and safer for human use. Plants that can be used for phytoremediation include mustard, alpine pennycress, pigweed, hemp, and other cannabis plants.
Healthy Plant Growth
Of course, there is an upside to cannabis’s absorption power. It allows the plant to extract an abundance of nutrients when they’re present, which it uses to grow strong and hardy. Cannabis plants thrive in a variety of soil types because they’re so efficient at taking what they need from the soil. They have long roots that tap into sub-level nutrients other plants might not have access to.
We understand the critical relationship between hemp and soil and the effect that relationship has on the products we make. We’ve done the work to find the purest and most beneficial soil for the plant, which in turn produces the highest-quality CBD available. We use soil we call “Beyond Organic.” How can something be “Beyond Organic”? By being untainted by any anthropomorphic action ever, and yes, untouched soil still exists in the world. Beyond Organic Soil is an ancient, fertile soil that’s free of chemical fertilizers and other contaminants. How do we know for sure? We test our soil down to parts-per-billion.
Most CBD products are typically tested for contaminants down to parts-per-million, which means Nesa’s testing process is 1,000 times more precise than typical testing methods. This produces a healthier plant and an unparalleled CBD product.
