Understanding Nutrients and Soil

Nourishing Your Cannabis Plants

Selecting the right seeds can help you start in the right direction; the nutrients and medium you provide are the lifeblood of the cannabis plant’s growth. Understanding how these two components work together to help you deliver the nutrients and soil composition to promote the cultivation of high-yielding, quality cannabis at home.

 

The two significant categories for cannabis growing methods are living soil/organic dry amendments and salt-based concentrated nutrients. How these nutrients can be applied will vary greatly; the critical difference is what you feed directly. Living soils and dry amendments are slow-release nutrients that require the growing medium to have a healthy bacterial environment to support their uptake in the sense you are feeding the soil. This method requires the grower to preplan any feedings due to the delay from application to availability to be absorbed. In comparison, salt-based nutrients feed the plant directly; the concentrated nutrients can cause significant problems if they are not mixed in the proper order or concentration.

 

Depending on the system you intend to use, your growing medium will need to reflect your feeding system. I suggest you start with a simple Potting Mix, such as the mycorrhizal Pro/Mix I use for organic and salt-based nutrient programs. This Pro/Mix medium provides good water retention without waterlogging roots, making it a forgiving first medium for new growers.

 

1. Different Types of Soil and Their Properties:

   1. Organic Soil:

      Organic soil comprises natural ingredients like compost, peat moss, and earthworm castings, which help provide a rich and diverse nutrient profile. Organic soils also help retain moisture and promote beneficial microbial activity, making them ideal for cultivating cannabis plants at home. The quality of the soil available to everyone will vary greatly depending on where you live. Researching your local soil’s composition and nutritional value will help you determine what needs to be added for successful cultivation.

   2. Potting Mixes:

      Potting mixes or gardeners’ blends are specially formulated for container gardens and can be found specialized for your plants. These mixes are typically a blend of peat moss, perlite, and vermiculite and provide excellent drainage and aeration, helping to ensure root health and nutrient uptake. As the introduction notes, I recommend the mycorrhizal Pro/Mix blend for Organic and salt-based systems. Gaia Green’s Living Soil (great for seedlings) and BlueSky Super Soil (Veg and Flowering plants ONLY) are also great additions to the garden for some ready-mixed mediums on transplant day for our organic growers.

   3. Hydroponic Systems:

      Hydroponic Systems use inert growing mediums and provide growers with a clean slate to build their nutrient systems. Coco coir, clay pellets, or rock wool can support physical root growth. These plants are fed via a nutrient solution or blend that allows the grower precise control over the nutrient and pH levels, with an extreme variation of this growing system style expanding to Aquaponics. This specific nutrient system utilizes the waste from fish kept in a tank to nourish the cannabis plants.

2. Essential Nutrients for Healthy Growth:

   • Nitrogen (N):

   • Function: Nitrogen is a fundamental component of chlorophyll, the pigment responsible for the green colour of leaves. It is crucial in photosynthesis, protein synthesis, and overall plant growth.
   • Vegetative Stage: During the vegetative stage, cannabis plants require higher nitrogen levels to support the development of lush foliage and vigorous vegetative growth.

   • Phosphorus (P):

     
   • Function: Phosphorus involves numerous biochemical processes, including energy transfer, DNA synthesis, and cell division. It is essential for flower and fruit development, root growth, and overall plant health.
   • Flowering Stage: Phosphorus-rich fertilizers are essential during the flowering stage to promote robust bud formation, enhance flower quality, and maximize yields.

   • Potassium (K): 

   • Function: Potassium regulates various physiological processes within the plant, including water uptake, nutrient transport, enzyme activation, and osmotic regulation. It is essential for maintaining turgor pressure, improving drought tolerance, and enhancing overall plant vigour.
   • Throughout Growth Stages: Potassium-rich fertilizers should be applied throughout all stages of growth to support overall plant health and vitality. During flowering, potassium helps plants utilize phosphorus more efficiently, improving bud development and quality.

3. Organic vs. Synthetic Nutrients:

   1. Organic Nutrients:

      Nutrients derived from natural sources such as compost, bone meal, and earthwork castings. These Organic Nutrients provide slow-release nutrition to help improve and build upon the solid structure and fertility over time. I utilize the Gaia Green line of organic dry amendments for all of my organic grows, with top feeds every two weeks to help maintain the strength of available nutrients.

   2. Synthetic/Salt-Based Nutrients:

      These chemically formulated nutrients provide a ready-to-be-used format for rapid plant uptake. While synthetic nutrients are more precise, they require more supervision and monitoring. These systems also allow for great variety and specialization for your growing goals. With the option to set up automatic feeding systems or drip feeders that keep your plants consistently at the perfect ratio of dry and moist or hand watering, it’s your playground to build and enjoy.

4. Maintaining Soil pH and Nutrient Balance:

   1. By monitoring your soil’s pH, you can make any adjustments to ensure your plant’s optimal nutrient uptake and overall health.
   2. Regular soil tests allow you to assess the nutrient levels in the soil and adjust for any deficiencies with amendments to maintain a balanced profile.

We control the pH of our soil/growing medium by regulating and controlling the pH of the water and nutrients we feed our plants. Each stage of the growing process has the desired pH range to optimize plants’ nutritional uptake. Vegetative plants benefit from a range of 5.5 to 6.0 pH, and flowers prefer 6.0 to 6.5 pH; however, 5.5 to 6.5 pH is considered optimal for cannabis.

 

Additionally, we must be aware of the concentration and strength of the nutrients we provide plants. Especially with salt-based systems, you can easily hyper-concentrate a single nutrient and kill off a tent. Taking the time to slowly introduce these systems and test the tolerance of your plant’s ability to uptake the nutrients will be crucial to your success. The salt-based nutrient systems can also build up a high concentration over time if the grower isn’t aware of it, and they provide flushing water that only feeds throughout the plant’s life cycle.

 

 

Understanding how nutrients and soil composition create the optimal growing environment for cannabis plants will help ensure bountiful and healthy harvests no matter the system.

 

 

 

 

Managing Watering and Humidity

Mastering Moisture Levels for Healthy Cannabis Plants

Humidity and a regular watering schedule are critical aspects of growing cannabis. Both directly impact the plant’s health, growth, and overall yielding capabilities. Optimizing your watering schedule and humidity for each growth stage helps maintain desired growing conditions and prevents common issues like overwatering, underwatering, and mould or pest infestations.

1. Establishing a Watering Schedule:

   1. Create and maintain a consistent watering schedule focused on the specific needs of your cannabis plants and environmental goals.
   2. Utilizing the “Inch Rule” to decide when to water your plants is an excellent rule of thumb. If you can stick your finger an inch into the top of the growing medium and it’s dried out, it is a good time to water your plants. This helps prevent waterlogged roots and promotes healthy root system growth and development.
   3. Additionally, you can purchase a moisture meter to optimize the levels and readings and determine the best times and amounts to water your plants.

2. Using Proper Drainage Techniques:

   1. Utilizing containers that allow for proper drainage will help prevent water from collecting at the bottom and creating an environment for root rot.
   2. Remove any excess water that collects in the bottom of the saucers or overflow trays after watering to help allow for the containers’ continued drainage.

3. Controlling Humidity Levels:

   1. Use a hygrometer(humidity gauge) to ensure that the environmental humidity falls within the desired ranges for the growth stage your cannabis plants are in.
   2. As the cannabis plant matures, the amount of humidity required lowers. Seedlings and young plants thrive in humidity levels of more than 60%. Later in vegetative growth, the plants prefer 40% to 60% humidity to maintain vigorous growth.
   3. Once the plants have reached the flowering stage, high-humidity environments promote the presence of bud rot and hinder the resin production of the plant. 40% to 50% humidity will be the range you look to maintain for cannabis plants in flower.

4. Preventing Mold and Mildew:

   1. Airflow and ventilation around your plants can significantly control humidity and prevent moisture buildup. Oscillating fans and high-quality ventilation systems promote air circulation.
   2. Pruning and defoliating the plants will help the airflow penetrate the entire canopy, help control the humidity level, and prevent mould or mildew growth.

5. Watering for Each Growth Stage:

   1. While in the seedling stage of growth, young plants need little water and should be allowed time to dry slightly between waterings to help promote root growth into the medium.
   2. In the vegetative stage, plants require more water to support the more significant root mass’s ability to uptake water and nutrients. You still want to allow the plants time to dry between waterings to maximize the root ball going into the flowering stage.
   3. At the onset of the flowering stage, your cannabis plant will be at its peak water intake. Afterward, you will slowly decrease the amounts and frequency of the watering as you near harvest day, helping to maximize resin production.

With time, you will master watering and humidity management techniques. This will allow you to create the optimal environment for your cannabis plant’s growth and ensure a bountiful and enjoyable harvest.

 

This concludes the second part of the ‘Introduction to Growing Series’.

Next, we will cover Training and Caring for your plants.