Reviewed by Specialty Soils Updated August 21, 2026
Custom formulation makes sense when a real production requirement is not adequately met by an existing standard product.
Start with standard products
Custom formulation is appropriate when a real production or specification requirement is not adequately met by an active standard product. It is not automatically a higher-quality choice, and it should not be the default simply because “custom” sounds premium.
Technical intake
A useful request describes crop and crop stage, container or system, production duration, irrigation, fertility, environment, current medium, observed problem, desired physical behavior, commercial format, volume, and any genuine specification or documentation requirement.
From requirement to approved formula
- Review active products first. A standard product may already fit and is usually the simplest path.
- Define performance requirements. Separate measurable needs from preferences.
- Develop a candidate formulation if justified.
- Trial against a meaningful control.
- Review results and revise deliberately.
- Approve a formula and version.
- Use the approved identifier for reorder.
What belongs in the trial
Document irrigation, fertility, container, environment, roots, shoots, dry-down, handling, settling, production duration, and economics. A candidate should be evaluated in the real management system, with an optimization stage when its behavior differs from the control.
Versioning protects repeatability
An approved custom medium should have a controlled formula identity and revision history so reorders reference the intended version. Changes should be reviewed rather than silently replacing the approved recipe.
What remains private
Customer recipes, exact percentages, customer-specific pricing, private production information, and proprietary formula details are not published unless explicitly approved. Public pages can explain process and performance goals without exposing the recipe.
When custom is not the answer
If the issue is actually irrigation, fertility, container geometry, drainage, or an untested assumption, changing the formula may not solve it. Use the trial protocol and professional custom-media inquiry to determine whether formulation work is justified.
Continue through the professional decision path
Connect the production question to the appropriate media family, technical support and commercial review.