Starting your cannabis garden might sound easy enough to do, but there are a lot of things one should consider when doing so. It doesn’t suffice to just plant the marijuana seeds, water them from time to time, and let nature run its course. It needs planning ahead and special tending to, especially when it comes to fertilizing it. The fertilization definition and basics are not enough, so here are some of the best tips and tricks on how to make your very own cannabis fertilizers.
Customizing Your Cannabis Fertilizer
Organic cannabis fertilizer is made from animal and human waste or vegetable matter, like compost or manure. These types of fertilizers are opposed to the majority of inorganic fertilizers, which are extracted from minerals like phosphates, or those produced industrially when you find the best place to buy marijuana seeds.
There is much debate between cannabis growers and farmers as to whether organic fertilizers are better or not for gardens. The result of all the organic versus chemical fertilizer debate is yet unknown, as agriculturists are subjective when it comes to their ways of improving the soil with nutrients. Organic gardening is all about feeding the earth, rather than feeding the plants.
Farmers or gardeners who go for the organic solution usually want more than just a quick fix, like, for example, spraying some liquid fertilizer on their plants and making them grow really fast. They want to take their time, go slow, invest in the soil, and feed it with all the nutrients it needs coming from all the good sources.
After you went ahead to the best place to buy marijuana seeds, try considering making your own version of fertilizer. Organic fertilizers can be made of a single material, such as phosphate or kelp, or can be a mix of nutrients. In the same sense, you can buy it already mixed, in bulk and ready to be spread out right out of the bag, or you can make it yourself at home.
Here are some wonderful and fast organic fertilizer recipes for your cannabis garden:
- Banana peels – all you have to do is to bury one or two banana peels in the hole before you plant or place them on the ground, under mulch so that they can compost naturally and release their nutrients. Bananas contain high levels of potassium and this is a great and natural way to introduce it to your crops. Another way of raising potassium levels, especially for hydroponic gardens is using potash, which is basically a rock and which is soluble in water.
- Coffee grounds – they provide much-needed acid. Plants such as tomatoes, blueberries, roses, and azaleas will love it. You can mix it with some cold water and pour the mixture in the ground or spread some coffee grounds all around and let the soil absorb them.
- Eggshells – you need to first wash them and then crush them to powder. They are great for tomatoes and peppers. They are made almost completely out of calcium carbonate, the same as lime, which is great for the soil, as long as it’s spread low.
- Seaweed – you don’t even need to wash or rinse it in water before using it, to remove the salt. You can use both fresh and dried up versions, they are not so different in results, the choice is yours. The recipe is as follows: chop a small bucket of seaweed and add all of it to some 5 gallons of water. Let it rest for 2 or 3 weeks and then pour the concoction into the soil. You can experiment with the quantities and you can also combine the seaweed with other tea fertilizers.
- Molasses – this is an unusual one, but it’s supposed to raise the levels of microbes and beneficial bacteria in the soil. So, for starters, you can mix a few tablespoons of molasses with a gallon of water and pour it into the ground. It works miracles on citrus trees, for better and prettier fruit.
- Human urine – you may have watched The Martian, where Matt Damon uses his own waste as stimulation to grow potatoes. This is exactly like that. If it comes from a healthy person, urine is considered sterile and is also very high in potassium and phosphorus. The best ratio here is 1:8, meaning 1 cup urine mixed with 8 cups of water. Remember to use a plastic bucket and to perform all operations outside.
- Compost manure – this is by definition the best fertilizer out there, in use for hundreds of years. You cannot really make this at home if you don’t have animals around the house, but it is a wonderful way of getting as many nutrients into the soil as possible. It includes chicken droppings, horse, and cow manure. But you can also add fish remains and bone meal. You can use it on any kinds of plants, both vegetables, and flowers.
- Lime – this is a perfect way of de-acidifying the soil. Very few plants grow or thrive in acidic soils, other than roses, blueberries or ferns, so spread some lime on the ground for making it more hospitable. This is a great fertilizer solution for marijuana and cannabis as well. For these, you can also use humic acid, which is rich in nutrients. Wood ashes work the same way as lime. It also works great on grass, lawns, and orchids planted in your garden.