I've been doing planted tanks for years and honestly I've learned it's just as easy to use the chunks and all (unless they are huge). I pour in the soil, moisten it well, compact it tightly with your hand to remove as many air pockets as possible, then cap with the substrate of your choice. I use Eco Complete. I do 1-1/2" of dirt to 1-1/2" of cap. Once your cap is on place a bowl/plate on the top of the cap and very very slowly let the tank fill. If you use Miracle Grow Organic Potting Mix you won't have too tannin leaching, unlike the Just Natural OP Soil I use. Once the tank is filled turn on your filter. With the MGOPM you can plant the next day. Just remove 50% of the water and plant, heavily if possible, and be sure to add some wisteria or water sprite and some fast growing stem plants to help use up the excess nutrients that the soil will release over the first few weeks. Also I suggest running lights only 6 hours daily for about the first 3 months to help with algae. The soil will start the cycle but if you have enough plants (roughly 80% of the substrate planted) the plants will use the ammonia and nitrates so cycling can often go fairly quickly.