Organic fertilizers provide cannabis plants with the nutrients they need to grow strong. They are also an excellent way to keep the environment and your crop healthy.
Using organic fertilizers in cannabis cultivation offers a range of benefits to growers, from increasing growth to improving flavor. If you’re thinking about switching to this type of cultivation, here are some reasons why you should start now.
1. Increases Growth
Growing cannabis organically is a great way to ensure you are getting the highest quality flower possible. Using manure, compost, plant teas, and sprays can help keep your soil healthy and produce better tasting flower. This also helps reduce the chances of pests and diseases affecting your crops.
A healthy microbiome in the soil also allows plants to utilise organic nutrients more efficiently and increase their yields. This is important to growers who want to produce top-quality bud with the highest THC and CBD concentrations for their cannabis products.
Organic nutrients are also better for the environment than synthetic fertilizers. They do not release nutrients into the air, and they do not create harmful salt buildup in the soil. They also do not contaminate water supplies like synthetic fertilizers do.
Another benefit of using organic fertilizers in cannabis cultivation is that they have a slow-release formula that allows them to be used sparingly. This helps eliminate the risk of nutrient burn and toxicity that can affect growth, yields, and flavor.
Many cannabis cultivators choose to use natural fertilizers that are organically-derived. These include manure, seaweed, and worm castings. These are all rich in nutrients that will nourish your cannabis plants throughout their life cycles.
In addition to being more sustainable for the environment, they have a lower learning curve than synthetic fertilizers and do not cause nutrient buildup in the soil. This makes them a great choice for any beginner grower.
Lastly, organic fertilizers are generally more cost-effective than their synthetic counterparts. They can also be applied year after year as the soil continues to improve. This is especially beneficial to outdoor gardeners who are utilizing the same soil multiple times.
Organic fertilizers are also known as “living soil”. This means that they contain a variety of bacteria, fungi, and insects that promote soil health and biodiversity. They also offer a variety of benefits for the cannabis plant, including increased plant strength and resilience to pests.
2. Improves Flavor
Organic fertilizers are formulated from materials that naturally decompose and improve the quality of soil. Some of these organic materials include leaves, grass clippings, manure, and other plant wastes. They are then mixed with soil to improve the nutrient levels in the soil.
Using organic fertilizers in cannabis cultivation not only increases the yield of plants, but also enhances the flavor and aroma. This is because organic nutrients have robust profiles of micro- and secondary-nutrients that enable the plant to reach its full potential.
When a cannabis plant ingests the right nutrients, it can produce flavonoids, terpenoids, and cannabinoids that contribute to flavor and potency. Moreover, the cannabis plant is more likely to metabolize these compounds and release them to the consumer.
In contrast, inorganic fertilizers are manufactured from a synthetic process that artificially extracts minerals from the earth. These minerals are then used to provide the nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) nutrients that cannabis plants require for growth.
One of the biggest drawbacks of using synthetic fertilizers in cannabis cultivation is that they can contaminate waterways and soil. Moreover, they can leave behind residues that can be harmful to the environment and cannabis consumers.
This is why many farmers prefer to use organic fertilizers in their cultivation. They are safer and do not contain toxic pesticides or heavy metals that can pose health risks to consumers.
Another benefit of using organic fertilizers in your marijuana grow is that they allow the soil food web to thrive, which helps maintain a healthy growing medium. A healthy soil food web means that the soil has more microbial activity and is better able to absorb and retain nutrients.
While some organic fertilizers are slow to release, there are also preparations that can be applied as foliar sprays for quicker uptake and correction of nutrient deficiencies. This is particularly useful in cases where a plant needs to quickly take in the essential nutrients it has lost during harvest.
The best organic cannabis fertilizers are the ones that are formulated to match your specific needs and can be easily mixed with water. For example, if you are looking for an organic fertilizer to add to your soil during the flowering stage, you can use molasses as a base and water it according to a 10:1 ratio. Alternatively, you can use coffee grounds as an organic fertilizer for your soil. This nutrient contains a balanced ratio of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium.
3. Reduces Pests
Organic fertilizers are a great way to reduce the number of pests in your cannabis garden. They are less toxic than synthetic fertilizers, and they also work more slowly on the plant. This can help you avoid overfeeding your plants, which can be dangerous to their health.
Another benefit of using organic fertilizers is that they improve the soil microbiome. This means that fungi and bacteria in the soil will break down the organic material, which can release nutrients for your cannabis plants to use. It can also help prevent soil rot and increase the microbe diversity in your soil, which will protect it from disease and other issues.
Some organic fertilizers include worm castings, aged animal manures, and compost. These are all great ways to improve your cannabis soil’s nutrient levels, and they will also add beneficial bacteria and fungi that can help to prevent insect infestation.
Aside from the above, a variety of other practices are used by organic cannabis growers to keep pests at bay. One of these is foliar spraying, which uses the natural scents of certain plants to deter pests from your grow area. These aromatic herbs can be sprayed onto the leaves of your cannabis plant to keep aphids, thrips, and other common insects at bay.
Another method is companion planting, which involves allowing other plants to coexist with your cannabis crop in the same growing area. This strategy will allow you to develop a dynamic ecosystem that will naturally control pest populations.
Lastly, natural pest deterrents like wood ash can be spread around your cannabis plants. These ashes can be dried and laid out on the leaves or they can be mixed in water and sprayed onto the plant.
These nutrient-rich ashes can help to prevent infestations by repelling pests and causing them to move on to other hosts. They are especially effective at helping to ward off aphids, which can be extremely detrimental to your cannabis plants. They are especially useful during the flowering phase, as they can help to keep the plant healthy and strong enough to produce a big harvest.
4. Reduces Chemicals
There are many benefits to using organic fertilizers in cannabis cultivation, including health and safety, ecological impact, and increased yields and potency. As the industry grows, more growers are incorporating organic methods into their cultivation regimens.
Organic fertilizers are formulated from naturally occurring materials that are broken down by microbes over time. They contain a wide range of nutrients, from nitrogen to potassium to phosphorus.
They also contain a variety of essential minerals that cannabis plants need, such as magnesium, calcium, manganese, and sulphur. These substances help plants develop strong root systems, fight off pests, and produce higher yields.
However, a grower needs to be careful about applying too much fertilizer if their soil is not healthy. Over use of fertilizers can cause nutrient runoff, which can harm water quality and negatively affect the health of your plants.
One way to reduce the number of fertilizers used is to use mulch to cover your growing area. This can include a mix of leaves, sticks, and other natural material. This will keep the soil covered, reducing evaporation and keeping it at a desirable temperature.
Another option is compost. This is a black, rich soil amendment created from decaying plant matter and yard waste. Compost is a great alternative to synthetic fertilizers, as it has a high nutrient content that can improve the flavor of your plants.
You can even steep compost in aerated water, a process called “compost tea,” to extract the beneficial microbes and nutrients. This can be a great way to boost your growing soil, especially during the colder months.
Organic fertilizers are also less likely to cause toxicity than their synthetic counterparts. Inorganic fertilizers, on the other hand, have been produced through a process known as “synthetic fixation.”
The process uses nitrogen and other chemicals to break down minerals into a form that roots can easily absorb. Nitrogen is the most common ingredient found in synthetic fertilizers, but other nutrients like phosphate and potassium are often missing from these products.
This is why it is important to use compost and other organic methods of soil enrichment when growing marijuana. These techniques will encourage healthy microbes that can break down toxins and other harmful compounds in the soil. Eventually, the microbes will kill themselves, leaving behind only useful nutrients that can be absorbed by your cannabis plants.
