Nutrients and Media for Growing Cannabis

Your growing media (substrate) will dictate what you need to feed your plant. In an inert media such as coco coir, you will need to provide your plant with a mix of water and a full range of nutrients throughout its lifetime. In some organic complex "living" soils, you may only need to feed your plants water and very little else. However, living soils are probably more suited to experienced growers who can read their plants just by looking at them.

For the "Perfect Grow", Drew has chosen to use "Light Mix". It is comprised of a peat moss base which helps create lightness and keeps oxygen in the Mix. Light Mix also offers better porosity than soil. Together both factors make for the best growing Mix for your cannabis plants and their delicate roots. Light Mix also contains a small number of additives which help with plant nutrition. It is a great security blanket for new growers who are still unsure of what their plants will need or are not yet confident in mixing nutrients.

So taking up where the last video left off when your seedlings are ready to come out of their plastic party cups and into their "forever" pots, open up your Light Mix and break it up with your hands to get rid of any clumps. Now grab some large fabric pots between 15-19 Litres in size. Fabric Pots are great for keeping the root zone aerated, which translates to healthier roots and plants.

Fill each pot about ¾ of the way up with Light Mix and make a pot-sized hole to the size of the root ball on the plant you are transferring over. Now is the perfect time to add some additives to boost those roots. Mycorrhizae is the best organic additive to increase nutrient uptake and help roots grow strong. Just sprinkle some in the potting hole immediately before transplanting.

When transplanting, hold the plant securely by the bottom of the stem, turn the pot upside down and gently wiggle the plant free. Now place it in the hole you have made in the new pot and gently cover the root ball with the surrounding Light Mix.

When putting the pots into your tent, use a drip tray under each one to catch any run-off from watering and a riser platform to keep your pots off a potentially cold floor.

Your next task is to mix up some nutrients. Mixing nutrients may seem daunting at first, but it's not; just select the brand you want to use and follow their dosages and feed chart throughout your growth cycle. Once you are more experienced, you can use different products from different brands. Still, to keep it simple, I would just use a full feed range from 1 brand so you can guarantee your results.

For this Grow, Drew is using the "Terra" series of nutrients. To get an accurate estimate of exactly how much nutrient mix you need, you can go to the brand's website, enter the specifics of your grow, pot size in litres, number of plants etc. You will be given an accurate feed schedule as possible. Then, all you need to do is follow it as closely as possible for each stage of plant growth, i.e. Veg and Flowering.

You always get a measuring cup or jug to help achieve an accurate dose. For example, with the "Terra" series of Nutrients, first, we add to our water "Power Roots" and then "Terra Grow" and give the whole thing a good stir to thoroughly mix the nutrient elements.

Next, use a pH stick to ensure the pH of the feed is within the ideal range for the plant. If it's too acidic or alkaline, the plant may not be able to take it up as well, causing deficiencies or take up too much, resulting in toxicity issues. With cannabis, the pH sweet spot tends to be between 6.0-6.5.

Once the nutrient Mix is done and pH checked, it's time to drench your plants and get them settled in their new pots in your tent. In the following video, we will look at light cycles and the "growth" stage of your plants, otherwise known as the "Vegetative" stage.

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YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/67161FTTc34