Today we are talking about the importance of fertilizers and marijuana fertilizers to obtain good buds. Compost is often one of the factors to which less attention is paid, but foodies can perfectly distinguish whether a Maria has been grown with chemical or organic fertilizer, in addition to the abysmal differences in production (but in those topics we will enter later).
Third and last installment of our series on how to get good Marijuana buds. After the first installment focused on water and nutrient uptake, the second installment focused on nutrients and microelements, we are done with fertilizers. If you have not read the other two entries, take a look because they complement this information: “How to get good cannabis buds?” and «The plant nutrients of Marijuana«.
There are two main families of fertilizers: fertilizers of chemical synthesis and organic fertilizers.
Chemical synthesis fertilizers for Marijuana
Chemical synthesis fertilizers are mineral salts purified in solid state or dissolved in water; They do not contain organic matter and are usually very concentrated. Chemical fertilizers are produced from artificially synthesized compounds or minerals rich in the desired nutrient. Crushed minerals are sometimes used directly, but the most common is to purify and process them chemically to obtain pure water-soluble mineral salts. These dissolved salts provide nutrients in ionic form that can be directly assimilated by plants.
In nature, the millions of microorganisms present in the earth are responsible for slowly decomposing organic matter and releasing nutrients in ionic form, which plants absorb. Chemical or mineral fertilizers contain nutrients directly in ionic form, so soil microorganisms do not have to play their role and end up dying due to lack of organic matter, which results in a loss of soil fertility in the medium and long term. . Another pernicious effect of chemical fertilizers, especially nitrates, is that they seep into the subsoil and accumulate in underground aquifers, poisoning the waters.
The abusive use of mineral fertilizers that is carried out in today’s agriculture has raised nitrate levels in aquifers in large areas of the country well above the safe limits for human consumption. The nutrients contained in the organic matter remain protected by it and are not lost, washed away by the rain or degraded by the sun.
On the other hand, mineral elements in their simplest form remain available for a very short time to plants, so that a large part of the nutrients provided by chemical fertilizers are never used by plants.
Organic fertilizers for Marijuana
Organic fertilizers are made from products of plant or animal origin. There are many processes that serve to convert organic matter into nutrients for plants, although in general they all involve decomposing it by one means or another. The main benefit associated with the use of ecological fertilizers is that, due to their organic matter content, they help to increase soil fertility and maintain a biodiversity of microorganisms living in it.
Manufacture of liquid fertilizers
The system for making an organic liquid fertilizer at home is extremely simple, just put the materials in a bucket or drum, fill it with water (preferably rain) and let it ferment for a few weeks. If you use very bulky materials such as nettles or seaweed, you can fill two-thirds of the container with them; if the materials are more concentrated, the amounts will be less.
After a while, usually one or two months, the liquid is filtered and the compost is ready. It should be diluted in five to ten parts of water and can be used by spraying it on the plants or mixing it with the irrigation water.
A simple system that facilitates the process consists of filling a sack of cloth or raffia with the nutritional materials and inserting it into the drum, tied with a rope and then being able to remove it. Fill the container with water and leave the bag to soak for several weeks so that the nutrients dissolve in the water. When you want to use the compost, you remove the bag by pulling the rope.
We are going to give two recipes for homemade compost.
Recipe for homemade compost for Marijuana with horse manure
For the first, two liters of compost, one liter of horse manure, one liter of chicken manure, one liter of phosphorous-rich guano and one liter of seaweed meal are placed in a bag. The bag is put in a drum with about fifty liters of water, where it is left for about a month. After this time the bag is removed and the compost is ready. To avoid burning the roots, it must be diluted in ten parts of water before applying it for irrigation.
Recipe for homemade compost for Marijuana with nettles
For the second recipe we need to collect nettles. The best time is usually in spring, before they start to bloom. Nettles are cut to fill two cubes and are placed in a drum together with half a liter of seaweed flour and half a liter of guano. The drum is filled with thirty or forty liters of water and the mixture is stirred once a day. It will immediately begin to ferment and foam for a couple or three weeks. Once the foaming stops, just filter the solid waste from the liquid and the compost is ready to use; it should always be diluted in five to ten parts of water before use.
We hope you found it interesting. Leave us your comments and doubts. We will be happy to answer them.