Choose how much you want the soil to do, then let it do it.

How we stock it at Green Zone

Roots Organics is one of the anchor brands of our soil room. Original, 707 and Lush sit on the soil floor, and the Uprising dry line sits in the organic dry bay next to the other amendments.

We stock Roots because the three bags answer the question we hear most in the soil room: how much do I want to feed? Lush is the heavily amended bag, built for growers who want to start on water. Original is the bag for growers who like to feed. 707 starts with less food in it, made for growers who want control in big containers. The Uprising and Terp Tea dry feeds let you keep any of them going with the same family, so the soil and the food speak the same language.

The lineup

Lush growing mix

An amended peat-based mix with peat, coir, perlite, pumice and worm castings. Roots designs it for a water-only or reduced-feed schedule.

Where it fits: Growers who want to start on plain water; mature plants in flower

Original Potting Soil

A ready-to-use, coco-based mix with peat, pumice and perlite, balanced for drainage so you can feed fast-growing, heavy-feeding plants often.

Where it fits: Growers who like to feed; containers indoors or out

Formula 707

A ready-to-use soil with more water-holding, fewer nutrients, and less perlite and pumice than Roots' other mixes, made for large containers.

Where it fits: Big containers; growers who want to run their own feed

Uprising Grow

A dry blend used as an amendment or top dress to push vegetative growth.

Where it fits: Veg

Uprising Bloom

A dry blend used as an amendment or top dress for flowering and fruiting.

Where it fits: Flower

Uprising Foundation

A dry blend that, on its own as an amendment or top dress, supplements calcium, magnesium and iron; Roots pairs it with Grow and Bloom.

Where it fits: Base layer, any stage

Terp Tea

Roots' dry nutrient line that can be brewed into a tea, fed directly, or mixed into potting soil. The grow and bloom parts carry beneficial bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi.

Where it fits: Brewed or point feeding through veg and flower

All three Uprising blends also contain humic acids, beneficial bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi, per Roots. Ask at the counter which Terp Tea parts are on the shelf this week.

How it fits your grow, in 3 steps

Step 1. Pick the bag by how much you want to feed.

If you want to start on water and keep bottles out of it early, Lush is the bag. If you like to feed and want a mix that drains quickly and dries evenly, take Original. If you run big containers and want to control the feed yourself, 707 holds water a little longer and starts with less food in it. Roots bags double as pots: cut the top off and plant in the bag.

Step 2. Water by weight and let the soil settle in.

Lift the pot and water when it's clearly lighter, with enough to see some runoff, then let it dry back. After transplant, Roots says to ease off feeding until you see new growth again. In amended soil, the soil buffers its own pH, so the number on your input water matters less than in a bottle-fed mix. Don't chase a pH number in Lush the way you would in coco.

Step 3. Keep it fed from the same family.

When new growth tells you the soil is running low, top dress with Uprising: Grow in veg, Bloom in flower, Foundation underneath either one. Follow the label for amounts. Terp Tea is the brewed or point-fed option when you want to feed in water instead of on top. Change one thing, then give new growth about 7 to 10 days to answer.

Who it's for, and who it's not for

A good fit if

• You want a bagged soil with the food already in it and a dry top dress to keep it going.

• You grow a handful of plants in containers and would rather water than mix bottles every time.

• You like being able to choose how amended your starting soil is: a lot (Lush), a little (707), or built for feeding (Original).

Not the right fit if

• You want a full living-soil recipe you mix yourself and reuse. Look at the BuildASoil system.

• You want precise control by EC and pH every watering. A bottled salt line in coco is the better tool; ask us.

• You want every input to come from a bottle. The Uprising and Terp Tea lines are dry.

Common mistakes we help people avoid

Feeding Lush like a blank mix. Lush is built for a water-only or reduced-feed start. Running full-strength bottles on top of a heavily amended bag is an easy way to burn tips.

Watering 707 like Original. 707 holds water longer. Lift the pot instead of watering on a schedule.

Stacking every Uprising blend at full rate. Roots cuts the amount when you combine Foundation with Grow or Bloom. Read the label before you stack them.

Chasing a pH number in amended soil. In a bag full of amendments, the soil does most of the buffering. A pH tool gives a clue, not a verdict.

Reading one yellow leaf as hunger. A few of the oldest, lowest leaves fading over several days is routine. Check new growth before you reach for more food.

Frequently asked questions

Which Roots bag should a first-time grower buy?

Tell us whether you'd rather feed or water. If water, Lush is built for that. If you plan to feed, Original. If you're running a big container and want control, 707. We'll walk you through it in the soil room.

Can I plant right in the bag?

Yes. Roots says its soil bags double as pots: cut the top off, drop the plant in, and go. Make sure it can drain.

Are Roots soils organic?

Roots says it builds its soils and dry nutrients from organic inputs. If you need a specific certification for a specific product, read that bag; we'll show you where it's printed.

Do I need Uprising if I bought Lush?

Not on day one. Lush is designed to carry plants for a while on water. Uprising comes in later as a top dress, when new growth tells you the soil is running low.

Can I use FoxFarm or another bottle line in Roots soil?

You can, but run one schedule and start low, because the soil already carries food. Roots suggests its own line with its soils.

Do you have the Roots liquids?

Ask at the counter. Call (508) 459-9609 to check a specific bottle or bag size before you drive.

Keep going

• Departments: Soil & growing media · Living soil & amendments · Additives & supplements · The soil room

• Grower answers: How can I tell when my plant wants more food? · How often should I water, and why is she drooping? · Yellow leaves: is it a deficiency, and is this too much? · When should I flip to flower?

• Living soil from a recipe: BuildASoil: the living soil system

• More deep dives: FoxFarm family · The microbe shelf: mycorrhizae, enzymes and humics

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