In an agenda based biased support for non CO2 methods, Homer Simpson(not his real name) suggested some things that fused a few methods together to Achieve a goal.

This method is easy and simple and uses a commercial product that is widely available and homogeneous. ADA aqua soil.

Here's a hybrid approach I've mentioned to some folks that works better than anything. Use Excel for the non CO2 approach and do the water changes for the first few weeks, then slowly back off.
The plants will be well established and their roots grown in.
You can do all the water changes you want.
Then when you ween off the Excel, go cold turkey with the water changes.
Very simple.

Now many claim you should do one method and not mix them etc, however, with the dry start and with such methods like this one, you can do them and take the advantage of each to get the goal you are after:thumbsup:

Now you can take this method above, and then do the dry start as well, then add Excel, then back off later depending on what species you want in the tank.

So in summary:

Try using ADA As for a non CO2 tank, the problems with it are high NH4/tannins etc.

To get around this:
We can do the dry start to better root plants and to help cycle the tank and the NH4. Once the tank's foregroud plants etc are establsihed, we flood the tank.
We alos add Excel for the first few weeks and do large water changes to remove the leaching from the ADA AS.

Now after 2-3 month's time has past, the plants are well grown in, no algae(excel + dry start), dense, and well cycled. The ADA soil is now fairly mature and ready to go non CO2/non Excel and no more water changes.
Give the plants at least 2- 4 weeks time to adapt, things might not goes as well as you might think at first, but should recover. You can make the transition easier vai slowly tapering off of the dosing of Excel.

If you want the faster growth, you can always go back to Excel+ water changes-or no water changes).

Note, the lower rates of growth using Excel vs CO2 will allow the ADA As to last much longer, perhaps 3-10X longer depending on the plant species.
You can dose, but at a much reduced rate(see the non CO2 article for more there).

I think this method will allow very nice non CO2 low maintenance scapes that are nice looking and not that hard to set up if you use a fusion of 1-2 methods.

Give this one a try.

Regards,
Tom Barr