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here: Issue
#248 - Sunday, January 15, 2016
Dear Fellow Grower,
In today's
issue... - Learn the main differences between "true" organic growing vs just using organic soil with organic nutrients.
- Find out where to get your own living soil!
- Learn about the controversial defoliation technique!
- This week's trophy pic features a beautiful plant that produced bigger yields due to defoliation!!
Nebula Haze & Sirius Fourside (founders of GrowWeedEasy.com) "The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself."
~Franklin D. Roosevelt
What is "True" Organic Growing? by Nebula Haze |
What Does "Organic" Mean?
If you've ever wondered what people are talking about when they refer to growing "organic"
cannabis, what they mean is that everything used to grow the plant was derived from living things. This means that substances such as chemical salts, synthetic fertilizers and inorganic pesticides are never used as part of the growing process.
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Organic cannabis is grown with soil and nutrients that are derived only from living things In nature cannabis is almost always grown in purely organic conditions, and many growers want to re-create that same natural environment indoors.
However, if you really want to copy nature as closely as possible, you have to do more than just buy organic nutrients and organic soil. Although you will get great results using regular organic soil with organic nutrients, the best taste and smell benefits come from growing cannabis in "living" soil.
"Living" Soil is Key to the Best Bud Taste & Smell Living soil is overflowing with colonies of beneficial microorganisms and microfauna (including bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes) which create a complex and interwoven soil food
web.
These tiny creatures break down nutrients in the soil, making them easier for roots to absorb. In return, the plant excretes substances at the roots which feed the soil colony. This symbiotic relationship is the basis of True Organic Gardening! When these organisms are missing from the soil, it's more difficult for your plant to get the nutrients it
needs.
The organisms which colonize living soil actually "hand-deliver" nutrients directly to your plant roots, just like in nature! This video displays some of the wide variety of creatures that are found living in soil:
Although cannabis growers don't yet fully understand exactly why, plants grown in living soil seems to produce buds with a stronger and more
complex taste and smell profile than plants grown in regular soil or hydro.
Will Any Organic Soil Work to Strengthen the Smell of Buds? Living soil is usually organic, but not all organic soil is "alive". Soil generally
needs to be composted for a few months so the beneficial microorganisms have time to colonize and start breaking down the nutrients in the soil.
When buying regular potting soil at the store, chances are it hasn't been recently composted. There's also the chance it has been baked or otherwise processed to kill any bugs or
eggs, which sterilizes the soil but it leaves it without any beneficial microorganisms.
Luckily, you can buy freshly composted soil that has been amended specifically for plants like cannabis (such as Kind Soil, who even have marijuana-specific instructions on their website). Composted and amended soil is sometimes referred to as "Super Soil" and generally only needs water for plants to
flourish. The microorganisms take care of almost everything else!
This soil may look inert, but at the microscopic level it is alive with millions of organisms! Note: Although cannabis-formulated living soil takes care of delivering nutrients for you, it can't produce nutrients from scratch. If a cannabis plant is left in a container for
too long (or is grown in a small container), it may start to use up all the nutrients in the soil. When this happens, growers can supplement their living soil with organic nutrients in some form, including compost "tea" or bottled nutrients. Other growers may simply transplant to a different pot with fresh soil after their plant starts using up what's in its original container!
As plants get bigger, you may eventually need to either supplement with extra nutrients or transplant to fresh soil When it comes to choosing whether to go with regular organic nutrients vs living soil, here are some of the main
considerations:
Living Soil
Pros
- Buds grown in living soil produce the strongest and most complex smells when compared to bud grown in other styles (like hydro)
- Usually no need for extra nutrients
- Similar to how cannabis grows in the wild
Cons
- Soil can be smelly, which might be offensive indoors
- Plants tend to grow a little slower than plants grown with liquid nutrients
- Making your own living soil can be a major hassle (though you can buy it)
Standard Organic Soil with Organic Nutrients
Pros
- Plants tend to grow a little faster in
the vegetative stage because of the easily absorbable nature of liquid nutrients (nutrients don't need to be broken down in the soil by microorganisms)
- Standard soil usually has a neutral smell
Cons
- Buds smell great, but the odor/taste may not be quite as strong as what could be achieved with living soil
- Need to
provide nutrients regularly in the water
As you can see, there is no "best" way to grow when it comes to soil. Each type has its own pros and cons!
You can produce an abundance of potent and beautiful buds no matter which type of soil you use!
Will chemical nutrients kill all the beneficial life in the soil?
Yes and no. Although chemical
nutrients won't kill all the organisms in the soil directly, they can outcompete them. As the plant gets nutrients directly from the water, the roots stop producing the various substances which normally feed bacteria and fungi in the soil. The soil food web can start to slowly collapse, as first the bacteria and fungi die off from lack of exudates from the roots, and then the protozoa and nematodes which feed on the fungi/bacteria die off too. In fact, over-application of readily
available organic nutrients can cause the same problem!
So a single watering with chemical or other liquid nutrients won't kill your living soil, but regular use can decimate their numbers!
Nematodes may not look like predators, but they actually prey on bacteria and fungi in the soil.
If the bacteria and fungi die off, so will the nematodes. Each type of organism is an important part of the living soil ecosystem!
I hope this helped you decide whether to grow with regular or living soil! If you have decided to make the leap, here is a tutorial on how to get the best results with living soil!
Where to Get Living Soil? |
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Did today's article pique your interest?
(and find out where you can purchase living soil online!)
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Controversial Defoliation Technique |
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"Defoliation" is the very controversial process of removing leaves from the plant. When done strategically, this technique can be used to increase your bud size and final yields!
At GWE we've been practicing defoliation to increase our yields for years. In our new growing forum, many of our growers are using defoliation to produce monstrous buds!
And don't forget to check out the trophy pics below demonstrating a plant that got bigger yields through defoliation!
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Hi,
Just wanted to thank you for making such a great site. I am just about to start my first grow after 29 years of smoking and this is by far the best source
of information I have found. Also the most open minded, as many growers seem super defensive of their personal methods or setups.
Julius. |
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Strain: THC
Bomb
Growing Method: Topping, defoliation, SCROG
Period: 4 months 14 days.
Grow Medium: Soil
Light: 600W HPS
I've been following the site since the beginning and this is the first time I tried defoliating the plant and I pulled 110g off this single plant! Thanks so much for all the info you provided on the site.
~Ricky
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You Might Find the Following Links Helpful! |
Check Out Our New Grow Forum! |
We opened a free public forum in September 2016 so growers like you can ask questions and talk with each other anonymously! If you sign up to join, please be patient because it may take us a few hours to let you in, but we'll accept you as soon as humanly possible!
Ask Questions and Get Answers From Real Growers!
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We encourage you to forward this email to a friend in need!
Who Runs This
Newsletter? |
Nebula Haze:
I'll be honest with you, when I first started growing, I struggled. Now, it is my mission to make it easier for new growers to
get started as well as help advanced growers get bigger, better yields with less time and money. We are updating and adding articles every single week and our goal is to eventually build a comprehensive growing resource so anyone and everyone can grow if they want to! If we all share the knowledge there's more buds in the world for everyone :) |
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Learn which seed sources are personally recommended by Nebula Haze |
Sirius Fourside:
Sirius Fourside is a hobbyist grower who has gained the bulk of his experience growing in water as a medium (deep water culture,
bubbleponics).
"Growing cannabis is a relaxing hobby in and of itself, but it also saves you money and keeps you from having to deal with shady characters. Cannabis is much
easier to grow than people give it credit for, and growing in water doesn't increase the difficulty much, if any. But whether you want to grow in water, coco, or a different medium, we'll show you how easy it can be!"
Get Your Seeds Delivered
Safely! |
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GrowWeedEasy.com has put together a hand-picked list of all the available seed banks including what type of payment they accept and where they ship in the
world!
List of trusted seed sources:
http://www.growweedeasy.com/seeds Get Seeds!
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Copyright (c) 2016 GrowWeedEasy.com
Disclaimer: Grow Weed Easy only recommends products that we've either personally checked out ourselves, or that come from people we know
and trust. For doing so, we may receive a commission. Nothing in this e-mail should be considered personalized Financial, Legal, or Medical Advice. The contributors to this magazine grow legally under their local laws but are not lawyers or medical professionals. Any decision to grow marijuana should only
be made after consulting with an experienced lawyer or other legal adviser. Any medical decisions should only be made after speaking with a doctor or other medical professional. Be safe!
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