So, marijuana is legal to grow in your state. This is a guide to
teach you about organic marijuana cultivation in less than a few thousand
words.
Modern gardening practices are arduous; much more
than they need be. On the other hand, organic gardening is effortless and requires no particular
body strength, nor need there be any exposure to harmful toxins that professional cultivators incorporate.
By and large, the most arduous task of your upcoming marijuana grow is reading this piece.
Your Plot
If you plan to grow outdoor, the first thing not
to do is ravage your plot with a rototiller. Some idiot over 400 years
ago began turning soil, releasing carbon dioxide and exposing microbial
life to harmful ultraviolet rays. Talk about thick as a brick - this
practice of tilling soil became an international standard for plot
preparation, and for centuries now cultivators have embraced the
technique as the norm.
Dr. Elaine Ingham, a soil biologist,
had proven in 2004 there exists a network known as a food chain that
exists beneath our soil. These consist of bacteria, fungi, protozoa,
nematodes and the like you learned about in biology class. These,
together with microanthropods, support each other in a dog-eat-dog
environment much like our animal kingdom. Gases are trapped beneath soil
for a reason: these life forms require carbon dioxide as much as living
plants do. Yet, plants through photosynthesis are easily able to absorb
what it needs through foliage. On the other hand, soil life cannot
replace what was carelessly released through tilling.
A
prospective plot may have existing vegetation or be overgrown with
weeds, which is just fine. To prepare our plot will take months, so
begin staking out your garden during the winter.
To prepare,
cover the plot with a waterproof tarp, one that will also block sun
from penetrating. Blocking water and sun causes all vegetation to die
and eventually compost. Meanwhile, microanthropods and beneficial
microbes will continue to grow into a soil food web that, when ready,
shall become a robust network to benefit your plants.
Once
time has rendered the plot surface bare and devoid of any plant life or
weeds, it is ready to grow plants. It is important to begin growing your
desired plants immediately after removing the covering, as exposure to
sun and water will allow undesired weeds to return. (At the end of the
growing season, plot should again be covered to prevent weeds from
returning and preserve the plot for the following grow season).
In
a healthy garden, weeds will return only sporadically; once the plants
are settled into the soil food chain, the microbial network will serve
the plants and not undesirable weeds. Therefore, it is important to
maintain your garden as though every beneficial microbe counts. Do not
practice any gardening techniques that destroy microbial life.
Soil Amendments
The
best way to begin your plot is by purchasing soil and amendments, and
spreading the medium over your bare plot. This will allow the topsoil to
absorb and eventually take in all of the new medium, as if it were very
slow quicksand.
The medium you provide can be the key to
explosive growth. Soil amendments can include anything organic, such as
crushed sea shells, green sand, vermicompost and bio char. The more
diverse your soil amendments are, the more successful your garden will
be.
Actively Aerated Compost Tea
Next,
inoculate your garden by brewing and applying an actively aerated
compost tea (AACT). This concoction will include a billion beneficial bacteria
and fungi that will supercharge the soil food web of microorganisms
beneath, providing a fresh source of workers and food to stimulate the
entire chain. Additionally, the tea recipe can add new types of
beneficial bacteria or fungi not already present in the soil, thereby
replacing something that should already have be there. The first
application of tea to your garden is called inoculation, and once this
is done, you have a proper microbial garden.
However, to
maintain your microbial garden in it's current supercharged state, you
must take steps to prevent from destroying the abundant life you have so
carefully preserved. Keep in mind that pesticides and fertilizers of
any kind are destructive to these organic life, and should be used in
moderation. Fertilizer application should be followed up with aerated
compost tea application, sending in more troops to handle the onslaught
of dumped nutrients. Tea applications will not only prevent salt build
up or nutrient lock, but foliar application will also fortify natural
plant resistances to aphids and mold.
Pesticides, on the
other hand, are contrary to our gardening practices; they
indiscriminately kill off microbial life, leaving foliage susceptible to
pests and disease. It is best not to use pesticides of any kind.
Water Source
Proper
water is needed to support a microbial garden. Municipal water sources
include chlorine and chlorides which destroy microbial life; therefore
these chemicals must be reduced as much as possible. Reverse osmosis
water filters remove chlorine, but do little to rid water of chloride
content. Allowing your plant water to sit in an open container for a day
permits the natural release of chlorides.
Aeration is
important for your water in that it keeps the oxygen level high.
Aeration also helps with the release of chlorides. Water should be kept
at plant temperature, not warm nor incredibly cold. Water temperature
can shock your plants, and shocking plants on regular watering cycles
can be detrimental to a healthy plant microbiome.
As science advances our understanding of the human body and it's microbiome, botanists too study the plant microbiome.
As
has been proven for human life, science suggests that plants too have carefully
balanced microbiomes that can suffer from irregularities as much as
humans do: inconsistent watering and light cycles will produce an
unhealthy plant.
Planting
Before you
drop your clone into the hole, be sure to toss in a measure of
mycorrhizal crystals, as these are beneficial fungi that boost root
growth and can have a huge impact on your start.
By adhering
strictly to these practices, anyone can become an expert grower and
produce a superior crop to any "professional cultivator" who still uses
pesticides and soil tilling techniques.
And by
understanding the mechanics of soil biology, we gain a step further than
the modern grower - who abide by bottled products and feeding schedules
- having not a clue to as to how the engine works.
Quite
honestly, organic gardening is also cheap. Actively aerated compost tea
can be brewed for less than $1.50 per application, and by citicide
(killing off the use of -cides), one can stop harming the wallet as
well.
And yes, there is an increase in yield. Otherwise, why do it?
Reference:
Teaming With Microbes - A Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web
The Biochar Solution: Carbon Farming and Climate Change
The Field Guide I for Actively Aerated Compost Tea (AACT)
