We continue with the second part of the previous article where we will see the rest of the determining factors to achieve our objective: a quality harvest.

We will focus on the importance of choosing a good substrate and characteristics to take into account, small strokes of the SUPER SOIL and its advantages, the types of pots, differences between organic and mineral fertilizers, in addition to the good use of supplements and beneficial microorganisms. Finally, we will reach the moment that all growers crave: the harvest.

SUBSTRATES

Another important factor to consider for a quality crop is the type of substrate that we will choose. The vast majority of substrates available on the market are composed of mixtures of different peat and other elements such as coconut fiber, perlite and vermiculite that help retain moisture, as well as other compounds such as mycorrhizae, bat guano or earthworm humus as supplements. Although each brand has its own mix, or even more than one, all are fine for cannabis cultivation.

SUBSTRATES CARACHTERISTICS

Depending on the amount of food it contains, we will talk about neutral lands (without food), light-mix (moderate quantity of food) and all-mix (well loaded with food). Everything will depend on the control in the food that we want to carry during the different phases of the crop.

LIGHT MIX AND ALL MIX

A light-mix substrate can go very well for growth and then in flowering use the products of your liking. Or on the contrary, there are those who prefer to use as few products as possible and use an all-mix for the whole phase of the crop adding some additive for the increase phase.

AERATION

Another characteristic in which the most advanced growers are fixed is in the aeration and sponginess of the substrate. This is very important since the roots need a medium with good oxygenation (hence the sponginess) and due to continuous irrigation, all substrates end up clumping to a greater or lesser extent, preventing the roots from expanding and fully developing.

The importance of a well aery substrate

GROWING OUTDOOR: SOIL OR POT

If we are going to grow outdoors we have two options: cultivate in soil or in a pot. Doing so on the ground has the handicap of not being able to move the site plants if heavy rains or hail come, so we must worry about mounting a good roof or protection so that when this happens it does not harm our plants.

For the rest, we will only have to worry about the substrate that we want to use … although then, we also have the SUPER SOIL.

 

SUPER SOIL

We won’t go too far with this concept (later we will create a more specific and detailed entry). Simply say that it is the term used to create a fertile substrate composed of several elements, which offers everything that cannabis plants need, at the exact moment, and without the need to control their pH or add additional nutrients. There are many, different and varied “recipes” (this is that one of the teacher or guru who has popularized it, Subcool the Dank) to create your SUPER SOIL but doing it well implies that we will need space (to make the mix) and a certain period of time until the mixture matures.

Let’s say we do not have one or the other (or none) it may be a very good option to go to one of the many nurseries that sell high quality composted land. This may be an intermediate option for those who want the benefits of SUPER SOIL, but who are not willing to go through the composting process.

If we really want to get a quality crop, we are not going to consider recycling or reusing the substrate, right?

POTS

Beyond the traditional plain black (or colored) plastic pots, there are other alternatives such as Air Pot or Smart Pot textiles.  

The most common drawbacks that occur with the use of traditional pots are the lack of drainage and the lack of oxygen in the roots. This last problem is solved with the arrival of these new models.

AIR POT

First of all, we have the Air Pot pots that are characterized by creating a regular root pruning process, since they are in continuous contact with the oxygen contained in the air. This contact creates oxidation at the tips of the roots (root necrosis) which at the same time causes the stimulation of new shoots at their tips.

Air Pot and Smart Pot pots

SMART POT

Also, the Smart Pot pots. They allow an optimal oxygenation of the roots, enhancing their stimulation during the whole life phase of the plant, so much, that they can even get out of the pots … and gently passing the hands we already have our Root pruning done.

Due to these two factors, they are especially recommended for the maintenance of mother plants where the oxygenation of the roots plays an indispensable role and the task of pruning the roots, a child’s play.

 

Textile pot where roots begin to stand out

COMPOST AND FERTILIZERS

The definition of compost or fertilizer according to the European Union is “material whose main function is to provide nutrients to plants.” And basically there are two types of compounds to feed plants: organic or biological and mineral or chemical.

BIO AVAILABILITY

Bio availability is the measure of nutrients that the plant can absorb. When mineral nutrients are used, electro-conductivity (EC) should be increased to much higher levels to compensate for the lack of bio availability. When mineral nutrients are used, only about 25% bio nutrient availability is obtained. With organic farming, bio availability is doubled.

It has been shown that feeding the plants with organic nutrients, in optimal conditions (which implies working with 000ppm water), can absorb up to 100% of nutrients and the main reason is the increase in bio availability.

ORGANIC

The rising increase in the consumption of organic, ecological and bio products in the food sector in general, especially in agriculture and livestock farm, is increasingly tending to abandon the old methods to bet on new processes through technology that you can quickly see the increase in productivity, the reduction of harvest time, a reduced need for labor, the disappearance of the use of toxic chemicals and pesticides, the optimization of resources, and best of all, they help the ecosystem and respect environment.

This trend towards organic is also being reflected in the cannabis sector at different levels: from commercial production of large-scale companies in large infrastructure (such as industrial buildings), small and medium enterprises (family farms and cooperatives) to small grower who seeks to stock up for his own self consumption. And so much that its use is for the extraction of flowers, oils, CBD, terpenes, etc., all of them seek to obtain that extra quality in the final product that will make them move away from their competitors.

Organic nutrients are the closest forms of nutrients to which plants would be exposed in nature and can be more easily absorbed by the plant, which ultimately results in greater bio availability.

MINERAL

If we choose to use a range of mineral nutrition from the dozens of brands available for sale, we recommend you follow the fertilization plan that it suggests. All the tables are tested before going on the market although there is no reason to follow them to the letter. Moreover, in many of them, in the lower part in small, it is usually read that they are approximate quantities since the values given can vary according to the conditions of one crop or another, of the parameters with which we work and ultimately, the genetic variety.

Regardless of whether organic or mineral is used, there are many products and each one will use the one that suits you or likes it but to ensure maximum absorption of nutrients remember to always use water without chlorine.

SUPPLEMENTS AND BENEFICIAL MICROORGANISMS

The use of supplements and beneficial microorganisms are always highly recommended as long as we apply them correctly since misuse will reduce the quality of the final product.

If we want to maximize our harvest, it will be mandatory to introduce these types of supplements into the diet of the plants, usually rich in phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), at the beginning of the fourth or fifth week of flowering. The high concentration of these nutrients will provide us with a drastic increase in size and final production.

To make good use of these products it will be imperative to perform an intense and meticulous cleaning of roots, beginning the process, preferably, about 15-20 days (or even more) before cutting. In this way we will ensure that we do not leave unwanted debris or impurities that affect the appearance and, above all, the taste.

THE HARVEST

It’s time for the harvest after so many weeks of work and wait and if there is something that puts all the growers in disagreement, it’s this: the correct time to know when to cut.

DAYS

The first relevant factor to obtain references and know the days needed to cut, we can extract it by consulting the seed bank from which we obtained them. Today, the vast majority of seed banks attach this data either in days (for example, 60-65) or in weeks (9-10). Data that may vary according to the weather and latitude that we may have in outdoor crops or according to indoor growing conditions. As these are not concrete values but rather ranges, we need some more relevant factor to make the transcendental decision.

 

PISTILS COLORS 

Looking at pistils colors is another very relevant factor. The plant begins to be at its point of maturation when more than half of the pistils change from whitish to brown. This is the optimal moment where we will retain all the psychoactive properties of THC with very low levels in CBN. CBN is the cannabinoid substance that enhances the physical and narcotic effect. The more days we let the rest of the pistils change color and turn brown, the more potent this effect will be, while decreasing the levels and potency of THC.

 

COLOR OF TRICHOMES 

Observing color of trichomes is another very relevant factor. We will need the use of a microscope to be able to look carefully at what colors they are. From the moment of their appearance they have a crystalline color and as their life cycle progresses, they become more whitish and milky tones until they catch amber tones, an unequivocal sign of maturation.

FOR LIKES…

As in this life it never rains to everyone’s taste and everything is a matter of taste, for tastes, those of each cultivator! Even after looking at all these factors, there are many growers who also notice the aroma (not to be confused with the smell). During the flowering cycle the plants begin to give off their aromas and as they reach their final live cycle, they acquire different nuances.

In the next and last article, we will talk about drying, curing, conservation and some tips and tricks.