Trouble reading today's article? Click here:
Issue #367 - Sunday, April 28, 2019
Dear Fellow Grower,
In today's issue...
- Today, learn the main differences between "true" organic growing vs just using organic soil with organic nutrients.
- Once you've seen the power of "true" organic gardening, get that power for yourself. Learn how to get your very own living soil!
- Flash Quiz: Do you want to learn how to grow CBD?
- What's with all the awesome LED grows you guys are sending in? Whatever is making you produce all these great plants under LEDs, we love it!
Nebula Haze & Sirius Fourside (founders of GrowWeedEasy.com)
"Nature always wears the colors of the spirit."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
"True" Organic Growing vs.
Just Using Organic Nutrients
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.
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 “living”. 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, click here or on the link below for a tutorial on how to get the best results with living soil!
Want to Grow in "Living Soil"?
|
As some of you may know, we've been growing 6 plants using "true" organic gardening as described in this article. They are extremely fragrant to say the least, and watering them is as easy as pie!
Here's a picture of our 6 babies looking super happy and getting fat in their living soil under LEDs:
|
So, does the idea of organic gardening pique your interest?
Would you like to produce weed with less effort and more taste/aroma?
Does the idea of just using water sound appealing?
(and find out where you can purchase living soil online!)
Flash Quiz! Do You Want to Grow CBD?
|
Hey everyone!
I've been researching everything to do with CBD and I was wondering... How many of you want to learn how to grow cannabis specifically to produce CBD?
Could you take a minute to answer this quick quiz? Just click the link that best describes you (your answer will be recorded automatically):
Regardless of how you feel, I would appreciate your thoughts!
Take care,
Nebula
|
Here's a Critical+ CBD Auto plant I grew last summer. The effects were beautiful, soaring and relaxing. Highly
recommended!
|
|
"Hi Nebula, glad to see that you are no longer camera shy. Now I know what you really look like. I love the color of your hair. You look great! Thank you and Sirius for all the good information on weed! There is no better information on the web on this subject than yours. You cover everything about weed! You both have the number one website as far as I am concerned. I just completed my third successful grow thanx to you and Sirius. Keep up the great
work!!!!"
~Steve
|
Trophy Pictures of the Week!
|
"Dj's gold and crazy miss hyde."
~Bevayiakn
|
We encourage you to forward this email to a friend in need!
Check Out Our Growing Community! |
Check out our friendly growing community to ask questions, discuss your grow, share pictures, or otherwise talk about growing cannabis with other real growers!
Ask Questions & Talk with Other Growers!
Please note: We let each person in manually, so please be patient after you request to join and we'll try to let you in as soon as possible!!
|
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 :) |
|
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 can be 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! |
|
|
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!
|
Copyright (c)
2019 GrowWeedEasy.com
NOTE: If links aren't working or if pictures are not showing up properly, please view the full newsletter here: http://archive.aweber.com/gwe-updates
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!
How Did I Sign Up For This Newsletter?
Our records indicate that requested to be added to the GrowWeedEasy.com weekly newsletter at .
Date:
To unsubscribe:
|
|
