Making cheap organic Fertilizers for Cannabis
Sun, 20/Jun/21
Speaking about “free weed” again, you can make cheap organic fertilizers for cannabis practically out of nothing, just reusing (recycling) the materials, which are already at home. That may save both time and nerve, making your weed growing hobby merely an adventure, instead of a buck-eating enterprise. More important, using natural organic fertilizers, like banana peel or coffee used grounds, shall add up greatly to your knowledge on your way from a nub to frosty buds.
This post contains the empirical ideas for the experiments, which may result in extending your experience in growing weed. However, they are experiments, then we offer the following advice:
- Do not apply everything at once, because you will not know what has impacted the next state of your plant (whether it changed for better or worse). Plants are slow, you have time, just add or be adding one thing at a time then watch.
- Do not add a ton of anything, even if panicking. Add a reasonably small quantum, then watch. If you have a few plants, consider the different flow of experiments for each of them.
Primary nutrients for cannabis (NPK)
To understand the concept of marijuana nutrition quickly we start with the NPK magic spell, worth mentioning every time. The acronym unwinds to Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium – these are the principal nutrients the marijuana plant requires to include in your attempt to result in healthy stinky nugs. Potassium is “K” because “kalium” is the word for potassium in Latin, and it is K in the periodic table.
What’s the function of nitrogen in marijuana plants
Nitrogen (N) is responsible for the internal processes in the plant, aka metabolic processes. Consequently, it stands for plant structure formation. This makes nitrogen so important in the vegetation stage. That’s when the plant grows in size the most, before flowering. Nitrogen is the wellness of your marijuana plant.
Free DYI fertilizer for nitrogen
You get free nitrogen for your cannabis soil from coffee beans, where the used coffee ground waste from your coffee cup is the best source of nitrogen for your marijuana plants.
How to add nitrogen to cannabis soil
What is on the bottom of your coffee cup and in the filter of your coffee machine is a ready thing. Use it as a nitrogen fertilizer for cannabis. Just add the mass to the upper layers of soil, and it’s done.
Also, animal blood is a good source of nitrogen, you can get some from your butcher, I suppose. I’ve never used one, but technically such may serve.
What’s the function of phosphorus in marijuana plants
Phosphorus (P) is for new cell division, making new tissues of the marijuana plant grow faster and better. That means phosphorus is crucial in the rooting stage and flowering stage. It does not mean you skip it in the middle, as it boosts the development of marijuana plants in general.
Free DYI fertilizer for phosphorus
You get free phosphorus from fish leftovers or aquarium water. General knowledge is that fish and fish scales are rich with phosphorus, and fishbones may provide calcium – whereas calcium is in the list of marijuana secondary nutrients. Aquarium water also contains nitrogen, phosphorus, plus some other ions too.
How to add phosphorus to cannabis soil
Fishbones you roast or grill. Then crush them or grind, and then add the quasi-powder, that you’ve resulted, to the upper layers of soil. That should increase calcium and phosphorus. Scales are a good fit for the purpose as well.
Using fish guts is a little complicated, as you need to prepare an emulsion translated into fish rotting for a couple of weeks. I do not think such a smelly enterprise is a good idea, but you try. Some people do.
However, the best and the most genius solution to get enough phosphorus and nitrogen is aquarium water!
What’s the function of potassium in marijuana plants
Potassium (K) is for better photosynthesis, that’s the reaction of your plant to light. Also, potassium enhances many other vital processes, among them the regulation of water in plant tissues and nutrient transportation.
Free DYI fertilizer for potassium
You get free potassium from the regular banana peel. Sometimes we call that peel “the king of fertilizers” for a reason! Banana peel is rich with both potassium and magnesium – the latter is super important, and it is in the list of marijuana secondary nutrients.
How to add potassium to cannabis soil
For using banana peel (potassium and magnesium) to fertilize your weed, roast it till dark brown crusty condition to break organic compounds into elements, then bury it crushed into the soil. You need not dig too deep, but the upper layers of soil around the plant are just enough.
Secondary nutrients for cannabis
We already know, that marijuana plants desperately need nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. These soil amendments you watch especially. Also, there is a secondary nutrient list, as vital as the primary one, it includes calcium, magnesium, and sulfur.
What’s the function of calcium in marijuana plants
Calcium is a must for any living organism, including us. For marijuana plants, calcium is a trucker of minerals, as it helps to deliver all other nutrients from roots all way to leaves and buds. Also, calcium is responsible for the integrity of cell walls and improves the resistance of plants to severe temperature changes. Calcium makes plants stronger.
Free DYI fertilizer for calcium
You get free calcium from fishbones, as we have mentioned already. But the traditional source of free calcium ashore, including the wild nature, is eggshells!
How to add calcium to cannabis soil
To add calcium to cannabis soil you boil an egg, and crush or grind the eggshells as close to powder as possible, then add them to the soil.
Powdered milk is a beautiful solution too.
What’s the function of magnesium in marijuana plants
Magnesium plays the principal role in the formation of chlorophyll, which is very important for photosynthesis – the process of conversion of light, water, and carbon dioxide (CO2) to energy for growth employing sugars. Visually, magnesium makes your green stuff greener. The lack of magnesium makes the light less efficient.
Free DYI fertilizer for magnesium
You get free magnesium from pumpkin seeds, peanuts, red beans, black beans, and cacao. The latter is not cheap but you apply a tablespoonful or two of it to improve the levels of magnesium in your cannabis soil.
How to add magnesium to cannabis soil
Peanuts and pumpkin seeds you roast, then crush or grade them carefully before adding them into the soil. Cacao is a ready thing. As we do with coffee, you just collect and re-use the remains in your cacao cup.
As soon as we speak about enhancing the nutrient levels rather than creating, you can re-use the water, left after you boiled red beans or black beans for yourself, for watering.
Do not forget that banana peel may add magnesium to your cannabis soil, once you already use roasted banana peel for potassium, that principal nutrient from the NPK formula.
What’s the function of sulfur in marijuana plants
Sulfur is a catalyst of photosynthesis, and it creates proteins and organic structures of the plant. While doing this, it incorporates nitrogen into those structures. Logically, more sulfur leads to a decrease in nitrogen. Sulfur stands for the growth and vitality of marijuana plants in general. The overdose of sulfur can be toxic or fatal for the plant.
Free DYI fertilizer for sulfur
A free source of sulfur is the manure of mammals. The better news is that plants may absorb sulfur from the air. If you grow weed outdoor in a city, there will be sulfur dioxide resulting from fuel consumption by vehicles.
How to add sulfur to cannabis soil
Mushroom compost is a source of sulfur.
Aquarium water is a fertilizer for organic growing
For growing weed just as it goes, consider watering your marijuana plants with the aquarium water as a genius, lazy, and free-of-charge soil amendment. Fish sh*t and pee dissolved in aquarium water deliver a lot of stuff that your marijuana plants will find tasty. And, of course, we mean fresh (not salt) aquarium water and a fair amount of fish in it. The outcome shall include nitrogen and phosphorus at a minimum.
Are DIY fertilizers for indoors and outdoors?
The outdoors soil is already in its natural environment. However, you can turn to experiment with DIY organic fertilizers to achieve better bud and fix for free whatever may go wrong.
For indoors, I suggest hitting this road is rather brave but may bring fruits too. After all, if you have awesome soil and a proper LED light, then needless are gallons of expensive fertilizers, as you only regulate tiny abnormalities or speed up some processes for free just by using this guide on DIY fertilizers for marijuana plants.
Organic fertilizers vs chemical fertilizers
As long as we ask a random grower about what’s the difference between organic and chemical fertilizers, we often hear a lively speech about the safety of the former and the yields of the latter. Our common sense logically suggests the same:
– “Inorganic fertilizers lose in quality, but they are commercially effective. Thus, the chemical fertilizers (or nutrients) satisfy end-users and vendors. This balance keeps the concept of man-made nutrients alive,” – this is very logical, except this is not true!
- From a plant perspective, there is no difference at all, because plants “eat” ions – charged molecular particles. Your weed desire Magnesium (Mg+) for breakfast, but not a zebra poo.
- From a plant’s perception, if we could ask her, there’s no difference between organic or inorganic soil amendments, as soon as both types eventually deliver ions to the roots.
- Thus, organic fertilizers are about the price, mostly.
The same provision explains that chemical fertilizers give results quicker, if not immediate. Chemical ones have the ions (the nutrients) ready to go, but the organic ones need yet to degrade the poo-matter, or whatever matter, to ions in the soil.
Why do we roast banana peel? – to break organic matter faster by exposure to temperature.
Is there another disadvantage of chemical fertilizers? – yes, the medium where the ions are dissolved, can be bad.
Why does everybody say chemical fertilizers can damage the plant? – because of concentration, i.e. adding too much of it.
What’s the strongest advantage of chemical fertilizers? – only this kind fits best for hydroponic, yay!
Delta-9 THC explained
Wed, 02/Jun/21
THC or Delta-9 THC represents the principal psychoactive compound present in marijuana. THC, as an acronym, unwinds to “Delta nine tetra hydro cannabinol”, its scientific name. In the market, however, and in everyday speech, we use a famous handy nickname for it: simply, THC.
Delta-9 THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is there in marijuana to make us high when we smoke weed, eat weed as edibles, or otherwise consume it.
Impact of Delta-9 THC
If you’ve hit, and you suddenly start feeling an increase in imagination and an over-positive mood; troubles are far away; if a favorite movie involves you more than usual, or you desperately want to play a video game, or express your avalanching creativity in a drawing — it means the weed is good and rich with THC, and it’s kicked in.
Kenny McCormick, South Park series
For more than 12,000 years, people smoke marijuana for creativity, spirituality, and merely fun, and also we leverage the outstanding medical properties of weed, just along with the general highness THC gifts to us.
Boaters smoke weed, filmmakers definitely smoke weed, game designers, artists, poets, executive managers, and craftsmen — everyone smokes weed. Yeah, the latter two need a lot of creativity to keep going! The software developers of this website, marketers, designers, and copywriters love toking as well. The whole world.
Is Delta-9 THC addictive?
It depends on what you call “addictive”. Everything is addictive: social networks are addictive, the morning coffee is way addictive, and the sun in the sky is addictive beyond imaginable.
The Cambridge dictionary defines the word:
Addict /ˈæd.ɪkt/ is a person who cannot stop doing or using something.
I personally cannot live without software making, I’m also video game addict, and an oxtail soup addict (yes, I’m very serious about oxtail soup!)
How long does Delta-9 THC stay in the body?
Studies indicate that 80-90% of the total intake of Delta-9 THC is gone from the system within 5 days. The peak reached after smoking falls in 4-6 hours. If you are a “chronic stoner”, Delta-9 THC is never out of your system. It also accumulates in fats where its presence expands to an undefined time span.
The crystal monstrosities in the picture above are the trichomes on the cannabis plant magnified. The trichomes make buds look frosty, while the contents of trichomes (namely, Delta-9 THC) make us high.
When we puff…
At the temperature 220-235℉, it equals 105-112℃, carbon dioxide present in the trichomes of marijuana abandons THCA (the THC acid) changing it to Delta-9 THC. As heating continues the temperature rises very quickly to 350℉, which equals 176℃, and at this point, THC evaporates: it changes from solid-state to gas. We inhale it with smoke, then in the lungs, Delta-9 THC absorbs into blood, and heads towards the brain.
How Delta-9 THC works on the micro level
On the micro-level, the molecular of THC has a proper structure to interact with the cannabinoid receptors in the human brain. These receptors are part of our endocannabinoid system, and, loosely speaking, Delta-9 THC is incidentally “compatible” with it. So THC contracts those receptors of the endocannabinoid system and incentivizes the chemical processes, eventually changing our behavior and our way of thinking.
Anandamide in relation to THC
The “high” that Delta-9 THC performs is a natural condition, and we have Anandamide in the body for the purpose to make us happy, thoughtful, and creative. THC only stimulates it.
This is what goes on when we intake marijuana.
Who has discovered Delta-9 THC?
Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, Israeli organic chemist and professor of Medicinal Chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel, was born in Sofia in Bulgaria in 1930. He discovered THC and its effects on the human body and also isolated THC, and fully synthesized it in 1969. Also, he has identified how Anandamide works concerning the chemical backgrounds of happiness, and how marijuana affects this condition in the human body.
Easy tricks on Cannabis Soil you apply for better yields
Sun, 22/Nov/20
This is already a small “scientific” job for a true hobbyist if you feel passionate enough to maximize yields greatly by using worms, sand, clay or some your very own unique mix of nutrients. Quite an exciting quest — to design your own recipe for the best performing cannabis soil.
The Easy Guide for cannabis soil
This basic guide explains where to start from and what are the options. The first step, however, is to choose your basic soil that you’ll find comfortable and most exciting to work with. Explore what is in the market, you maybe wish some specific parameters of NPK of some specific basic soil to start your experiments from. All professionally mixed soils may have different origins or the purpose, and most of the commercially distributed cannabis soils from the grow shops contain common components such as Vermiculite, Sand and, of course, Humus.
1. Sand Soil use for cannabis growing
The issue with the sand soil is that it allows water to go through too quickly. It may result in more frequent watering if you do not wish your marijuana plants to suffer and produce less or less potent weed in the end. Consequently, such a transit of water wastes a whole lot of minerals instead of giving them to your marijuana plants. You add sand into the mix, but it won’t be all-sand. However, designing your own soil mix, you use sand or silt in it for improving the drainage properties.
2. Clay Soil use for cannabis growing
Clay is basically made of fine-grained rock material with a little of quartz (SiO2), fully loaded with aluminum and magnesium oxides (Al2O3 and MgO respectively). Clay is plastic when moist and hard when dry, it hosts the roots of your marijuana plants quite badly due to the lack of ventilation. However, you can add clay as 5-10% of the soil mass to manipulate ventilation property, when designing your own most efficient soil mix.
3. Humus Soil use for cannabis growing
Humus is the mix of organic matters like dead plants, those rotten fully to the end and already became a soil, so this is a “usual soil” which everybody means saying “soil”. Any regular grow shop (even if not any special cannabis grow shop, but the normal flower grow shop) can offer you this very basic soil. For cannabis this is the main material and for any other plant too (except for a hydroponic approach).
Sometimes humus may be called compost, but to be precise the compost is the mix of humus and manure, which is the great thing too — you can guess — because Cows are poor digestives, they intake about 15% and the rest 85% of yummy stuff goes into manure full of nutrients by that reason — and this is what every cannabis plant wants the most. Also, manure is great for worm casting.
Touch this link to skip to worm casting below on this page
4. Nitrogen and other NPK members in Cannabis soil
Nitrogen is produced from soil matter by bacteria “converting” organic forms of nitrogen into mineral forms of nitrogen, and the latter can be consumed by plants. Cannabis plants love nitrogen, and especially on the vegetative stage it helps them to grow better with bigger leaves and stronger stems. The overdose of nitrogen fertilizers may result in burns on leaves and weaker plant in general (see below for details).
Lack of Nitrogen in Cannabis soil
Nitrogen deficiency is the most common weed grower’s problem with nutrients.
— Older leaves become yellow or partly yellow;
— The oldest of them may even get completely dry being yellow in color too;
— The veins (the vascular tissue) may get more of the red color; Check the back side of the leaves too, sometimes they start there in the early stage of the problem;
— Younger leaves can also contain yellow areas;
All the above indicates that the nitrogen is low, and you need to add it. Nitrogen fertilizers is an easy thing widely available everywhere. This is the basic compound of the very basic N-P-K model, vital for all plants. The sea bird guano or animal blood may serve as the fast and the potent source of nitrogen for your lovely potent marijuana plant.
Intoxication of Nitrogen for Cannabis plants
— Big and a lot of leaves, but they all appear weak and react to stress badly;
— Such marijuana plants are abnormally often attacked by pests and diseases, and quite badly in the result compared to the normal healthy marijuana plant;
— Underdeveloped weak roots;
— Week and also plastic stems and branches;
— Small and losing flowers;
— Leaves may become brown and even fall;
Any of the above symptoms may mean serious intoxication from Nitrogen, and obviously, this is a sign to decrease the use of Nitrogen fertilizers for your cannabis. And, of course, it’s better to react as early as possible.
Always keep an eye on if any of your marijuana plants starts showing Nitrogen intoxication — this is very important. Keeping notes is also another brilliant idea to master your grower’s skills.
Lack of Phosphorus in cannabis soil. Symptoms
— Slow growth or even sudden stop of any growth;
— Dark leafs more blue than usual (well, they are still green but with certain blue component in the color);
— Low height of the plants in general;
— Everything smaller and grim )))
However, the above symptoms may indicate that your soil requires more Phosphorus now. But with too high pH level, say higher than 7, the plant cannot intake Phosphorus efficient enough even though Phosphorus is sufficient in the soil. In this case — work with the pH level instead of adding more Phosphorus.
Lack of Potassium in Cannabis soil
Potassium takes part in the photosynthesis process. And also participates in the synthesis of proteins and amino acids, which come from nitrogen in the form of ammonium, so the interaction between these two nutrients is vital to perform different metabolic processes of plants. Lack of Potassium is bad and can be detected by the following visual checks:
— Leaves lose color, yet are quite healthy looking;
— Increase in the number of new branches but weak and thin ones;
— Old leaves are yellow with a certain rusty color on the edges;
— Rust color is on the younger leaves in a form of smaller stains, especially on the edges;
— Too late and too short flowering stage (this is the sign for the next harvest already, mind keeping the notes of whatever you’re doing to your marijuana plants, that’s the certain way to improve your grower’s skills to the highest levels).
Potassium intoxication, however, is a rare problem. Potassium also provides the soil with a better ability to resist pests and undesirable bacteria. Also, it affects chlorophyll positively, increasing its amount, and enables the cell division processes — having a sufficient amount of Potassium, the plant takes light better and exchange with the air more effectively. In other words, you will get more healthy and strong marijuana plants in general.
5. The Pot
The roots of a cannabis plant require space, and it is a very common mistake when roots go curving around in some too narrow pot. Give space to your cannabis, a lot of space. Recommended 8 to 15 liter pot for a marijuana plant. Give first-class space to your plants to reach the best results from your soil experiments!
6. Nutrients (fertilizers) for Cannabis, N-P-K
As soon as N-P-K (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium where “K” comes from its Latin name and used in chemistry for Potassium) are the main elements required for the marijuana plant to grow well and healthy, the nutrients delivered to the market fit this demand nicely. They normally appear liquid in the bottle, and marked something like 12-6-6, which means 12% of N-Nitrogen, 6% of P-Phosphorus, 6% of K-Potassium. The rest may be water with or without other nutrients of the “second class” if I may.
7. Use of Worms in Cannabis Soil
Red Wiggler worm (or Red Californian Earthworm)
The recommended worms are the Red Wigglers (on the upper picture), also known as Eisenia fetida or Red Californian Earthworm, and the other commercially distributed worm good for cannabis is the Night Crawlers (in the below picture). Both images are from Wikipedia. Both these species of worms can be found anywhere, the Nightcrawlers are larger in size…
I dun’no, try both to see the difference, or just choose one following your feeling, whichever of them seems more romantic to you, looking at the picture or meet one for real in the grow shop. They are gonna be your pets for awhile, after all, ha-ha-ha )))
Night Crawler worms aka Lumbricus terrestris
Use cow manure for worms
If using worms for growing your cannabis, then mind the cow manure (if the situation allows — I mean, mom or neighbors)))) Both worms and plants love cow manure, as soon as cows only digest 15% of what they eat and the rest 85% goes into manure, rich as hell with nutrients by that reason.
What worms do for the soil
Worms prove life and health to the soil and, consequently, to the plant. They are a natural fertilizer, making the environment of your marijuana plants rich in nutrients and minerals. Worms consume the organic matter, and it goes through the digestion, and what is left is called worm casting. Kind of a worm poo.
Their castings contain tons of bacteria, fungi, and other serious things.
— Worm castings improve the germination and the full growing process;
— More of your favorite fertilizer can be used with less fear of damaging the plant;
— Worm castings in cannabis soil efficiently hold water and nutrients;
— Worms through their castings provide microorganisms and minerals to the soil, increasing disease resistance greatly;
They are good guys, these worms, you can see that.
