Dirt Is It Worth It?

[Bri]

Ok so, as i progess with my new 120 tank im taking it really slow and trying to get it right from the very start. So i want one heavily planted section. No fancy plants just the easiest to grow.Now i dont want to buy lots of expensive fertiliser and im not the best at doing the dosing and math part.

So i have read alot about putting a soil substrate under your sand/gravel. This makes sense and i think it is worth doing to keep my plants in top form without me having to do too much

My question is and i pray some people on here have had experience. Can i put sand over my dirt or do i need to cover that part in some stones?
What can go wrong with dirt and any other information people have on using this for plants??
Many thanks.
Newbie with big ideas

 

[Ps3Steveo]

Pro's
-keeps plants healthy
-can be capped with a nice thick layer of sand
-cheap
-porous so any extra ferts produced can be stored in it
-can add ferts to it before capping


Con's
-can float up to the surface and be very messy if you rip any plants out that disturb the two layers

Oh if you can get it then use John Innes no.3