Making cheap organic Fertilizers for Cannabis
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!
Thu, 11/Nov/21