Great Lakes Water Only Soil DNC Great Lakes All Natural Water Only Potting Soil, 1 Cubic Foot Bag

Why I tried this “water-only” soil

I don’t often get to say this about a potting mix: I planted, watered, and mostly stopped thinking about nutrients. That’s been my experience with Great Lakes Water Only Soil, a living, all-natural blend made in Michigan that’s positioned as a start-to-finish medium for container grows. I ran it in indoor fabric pots for a full cycle with a mix of heavy-feeding annuals (including tomatoes and peppers) and a couple of longer-running ornamentals to see how far “just add water” really stretches.

What’s in the bag and how it behaves

This is a light, airy, brown mix with plenty of perlite for drainage. Out of the bag, the structure is forgiving—fluffs easily, doesn’t compact in the pot, and has that healthy “forest floor” smell you want in a living soil. A 2-cubic-foot bag (the size I used) will fill roughly three 5-gallon fabric pots, or two 7-gallon pots, with a bit left over for seed starts or top-offs.

Like many peat-heavy living soils, it can be slightly hydrophobic when very dry. If you dump a fast stream of water onto bone-dry media, it will channel and run out the sides. This isn’t a defect so much as a trait to manage:

• Pre-hydrate the mix before planting. I blend it in a tote and mist/hand-mix until evenly damp.
• Water slowly in multiple passes using a spray head or watering ring.
• Keep the surface mulched (leaf mold, straw, or even a thin layer of worm castings) to reduce evaporation.

Once saturated properly, it maintains moisture evenly and drains predictably. I never saw the “soggy middle, dry edges” problem that plagues denser mixes.

Setup and watering routine

I used 5- and 7-gallon fabric pots. After pre-wetting, I transplanted established seedlings directly into the Great Lakes soil without cutting it or layering with a “hotter” amended base. For the first month, I stuck to plain, dechlorinated water adjusted to a plant-friendly range. Watering cadence was every 2–3 days in 5-gallon pots and 3–4 days in 7-gallon pots under moderate indoor conditions.

A few simple practices made the “water-only” promise work:

• Gentle, slow watering, especially in the first two weeks
• Avoiding salt-heavy bottled nutrients (they’ll fight the microbial life)
• Occasional microbe food: a light compost tea or a splash of unsulfured molasses in water every couple of weeks helped keep the biology humming

None of that is mandatory, but it supports the “living” part of living soil.

Performance across the grow

Early vegetative growth was strong, with tight internodes and consistent color across leaves. The perlite content and overall structure keep oxygen at the root zone, so transplant shock was minimal—roots grabbed quickly, and I didn’t see clawing or tip burn that can show up in hotter mixes.

By weeks 3–4, the water-only promise still held for my medium-demand plants. For heavier feeders on longer cycles, I started to see the familiar cues of a living soil that’s being asked for more than it was charged for out of the bag: slight paling of older leaves and marginal hunger right around the push into rapid growth. That’s normal, and it’s also solvable without breaking the “no bottles” ethos:

• Top-dress with worm castings and a mild dry amendment in week 3–4
• Brew a simple compost tea to re-energize the soil food web
• Maintain mulch to minimize microbial stress and keep the top layer active

With that minor support, growth stayed consistent through the finish. If you’re running short-cycle autos or modest feeders, you can go truly water-only from start to harvest. Longer-running, high-demand varieties appreciate a top-up along the way.

Taste, aroma, and plant health

One of the quiet advantages of a well-balanced living soil is how it supports secondary metabolite production. My aromatic herbs were notably expressive, and the fruiting crops had better-than-average flavor density compared to runs I’ve done in sterile, salt-fed coco. Leaf health stayed clean—no persistent deficiencies, no lockout symptoms, and no tip burn. That aligns with what a “balanced but not hot” soil should deliver.

I also appreciate the pest neutrality. I didn’t have hitchhikers out of the bag, and the soil didn’t invite gnats the way some compost-forward mixes can when overwatered. Good airflow and reasonable watering practices still matter, but the medium itself didn’t make management harder.

The learning curve and potential pitfalls

• Hydrophobic when dry: If you let the pots go crispy, rewet slowly. A single aggressive soak can channel through and leave the core dry.
• “Water-only” has limits: Think of this as “water-only for modest feeders or the first few weeks.” Heavy feeders may need a top-dress mid-cycle.
• Timing matters: If you transplant into the same container you’ll finish in, consider stepping up once (e.g., 1 gallon to 5 gallons) to avoid overwatering a large volume of fresh soil with a small root mass.

None of these are deal-breakers, and they’re typical of living soils. The upside is simpler inputs and a wider margin for error on pH and EC than sterile media.

Build quality and consistency

Bags arrived well-sealed and the soil smelled fresh. The mix is uniform—no large bark chunks or inconsistent layering—and the perlite distribution is even. I did have one bag that looked like it had spent some time in a warehouse (cosmetically scuffed), but the contents were still viable. If your bag feels overly compacted, break it up by hand and pre-hydrate; the structure returns quickly.

Value for money

Shipping dirt is never cheap, and living soils often cost more than commodity potting mixes. The value here is in reduced inputs and less troubleshooting. If you’re used to buying a suite of bottled nutrients, pH up/down, and cal-mag, this soil can simplify your workflow and offset some of that spend—especially for beginners who want fewer variables.

For experienced growers, the value depends on your style. If you enjoy custom-building mixes or you already have a re-amend/reuse system with compost and minerals dialed in, you may view this as a convenient, ready-made option rather than a revelation. If you’re moving from salts to organics, it’s an approachable on-ramp.

Tips to get the best results

• Hydrate before planting. Aim for “wrung-out sponge” moisture throughout.
• Use fabric pots. They pair well with the mix’s aeration and help prevent overwatering.
• Mulch the surface. It stabilizes moisture and feeds the biology.
• Top-dress mid-cycle for heavy feeders. Worm castings plus a mild dry amendment around week 3–4.
• Water slower than you think. Multiple light passes beat one heavy soak.
• Avoid strong salt-based nutrients. If you supplement, stick to organic, microbe-friendly inputs.

Who it’s for

• Beginners who want a forgiving, low-maintenance path from seed to harvest
• Organic-leaning growers who prefer soil food web dynamics over measuring bottles
• Indoor container gardeners who value clean, consistent structure and drainage
• Heavy-feeding crop growers willing to top-dress mid-cycle

Who should look elsewhere

• Growers who want full control via salts/coco and fast, precision feeding
• Those in extremely arid environments who can’t commit to slower, multi-pass watering
• Anyone expecting a “no-inputs-ever” experience with high-demand, long-running plants

Recommendation

I recommend Great Lakes Water Only Soil for growers who want an honest, low-fuss living medium that can take plants a long way on water alone. It’s thoughtfully aerated, clean out of the bag, and genuinely “set and mostly forget” through early to mid-veg. Expect to provide a simple top-dress or tea for heavy feeders as you approach the back half of the cycle, and respect its need for slow, thorough hydration—especially after it dries down. If you can meet it there, it rewards you with healthy growth, fewer variables, and a refreshingly straightforward path to harvest.