The Importance of Slow and Fast Release Nutrients

Organic nutrients come in many forms. Each one provides unique benefits to your plants and breaks down at a different rate. If you grow organic, you’ll be happy to know that is made up of a combination of fast- and slow-release nutrients, so your plants will have access to essential food over an optimal span of time, rather than using it all at once and risking nutrient burn.

So what’s the difference between fast-release and slow-release nutrients, and how do they affect your plants? Let’s take a look!

Fast-Release Nutrients

Fast-release nutrients are available immediately to the plant and are incredibly vital for early growth.

Quick-release nitrogen and phosphorus encourage rapid green growth and root development. Blood meal, feather meal, bat guano, fish protein hydrolysate, and alfalfa meal are Geoflora’s primary sources of fast-release nitrogen, allowing your plants to uptake vital nutrients for stem, stalk, and canopy growth almost immediately after top-dressing and watering in. Bat guano also features quick-release phosphorus to aid in photosynthesis and root development. 

Slow-Release Nutrients

Slow-release fertilizers allow plants to use nutrients when they need them, breaking down ingredients over time.

Geoflora’s slow-release nutrients include feather meal and crustacean meal for nitrogen, and bone meal, crustacean meal, and bat guano for phosphorus, allowing your crop to have access to multiple sources of each nutrient at all stages of the growth cycle. 

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12 Tips for Sprouting Cannabis Seeds

Every tiny cannabis seed represents a potential pound of cannabis flower. It’s crazy to think that so much abundance springs forth from such a small thing.

Simply follow these basic tips for germinating your seeds and planting them in soil.

1. Look for viable, plump seeds with a telltale “tiger stripe” on the side that indicates maturity. Larger seeds tend to yield more vigorous and hardy plants.
2. Plant at least 12 seeds, knowing that 50% of them could turn out to be male plants, which you don’t want. You can also purchase feminized seeds, a bit more pricey than regular seeds, but then you will have female plants. Only female cannabis plants create the resinous flowers that we desire. Choose the most vigorous plants to keep and if you end up with more than 6 female plants, you can juice them or eat them in a salad for a burst of phyto-nutrition.
3. Begin germinating by soaking a paper towel in water and lightly wringing it out. You want the towel to be thoroughly soaked but not dripping.
4. Place your cannabis seeds on the paper towel, and fold it over the seeds. Place towel in a plastic bag. Exhale some air into the bag and seal it.
5. Keep the seeds warm at 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit for a proper incubation time. Find a warm place on top of a fridge, on a sunny windowsill, or on a seed mat or heating pad. Within 48 hours a taproot will break through the seed casing. Plant your seeds in soil at the first sign of a taproot.
6. Prepare a one-gallon pot with a light seedling soil mix. Fox Farm Ocean Forest or Black Gold also work great If you’d like to add worm castings, you can do so in a ratio of 4 parts soil to one part worm castings.
7. Water the soil before planting the seeds, getting it wet but not soaking.
8. Using a chopstick, make a hole 1/2 – 3/4 inch below the surface, using rubber gloves very carefully place the seed in the hole taproot pointing down. Cover the seed with dirt.
9. Avoid pouring water over the newly planted seed, since this can disturb its placement. You can carefully pour just 1 – 2 tablespoons of water over the top if desired. Place seeds under a good light source and keep them warm. After another 48 hours, a sprout should emerge!
10. Maintain the seedlings in a sunny window, cold frame or greenhouse. As long as temperatures are between 60 – 80ºF, the seedlings will be fine. Dipping below 50ºF at night can slow growth, so you may want to bring the fragile plants inside in the evenings until they are hardier.
11. Your juvenile plants will be fine in their 1 gallon pot for the next 4 – 5 weeks of growth. Water moderately every day until moist but not soaking.
12. Spend time every day observing your plants, and this attentiveness is the best way to catch problems before they start.

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Choosing Cannabis Seeds

Cannabis is well known for the effects it produces when consumed, but few know where the high comes from—and even fewer know how to ensure that they’re smoking the highest quality buds possible.

Growing a great crop starts with picking the right seeds. To do so, you’ll need an in-depth understanding of how to grow cannabis and which genetics are best. When a season or a strain performs better than expected, many growers set aside some seeds so they can replicate their success later. In this guide, we’ll explain how to choose seeds based on THC content and genetics.

THC: What Is It and Why Is It Important?

Also known as tetrahydrocannabinol, THC is the compound in cannabis that produces its well-known psychoactive effects. When a smoker feels high after lighting up, they have THC to thank.

THC is one of hundreds of known cannabinoids, which are chemicals that work within the endocannabinoid system or ECS. By attaching to certain receptors in the brain and nervous system, THC activates the neurons that affect time perception, coordination, pleasure, thinking, and memory.

Anecdotal evidence and scientific research suggest that tetrahydrocannabinol may work to treat various medical conditions. And, from a recreational user’s point of view, THC brings a sense of well-being, euphoria, and relaxation.

Considering Genetics When Selecting Seeds: Why It Matters

Reputable seed banks produce seeds only after the mother plant has been stabilized—and they inspect the seeds after harvest, looking for any defects. This process is time-consuming, but it helps to ensure that customers get the highest quality cannabis seeds that exhibit beneficial traits such as effects, potency, fragrance, and flavor.

Apart from seed quality, selecting the right cannabis strain is of primary importance. We offer options such as:

• American seeds
• High-THC seeds

With hundreds of strains to choose from, such as the award-winning varieties found on weed-seeds.com, you’re sure to find a strain that provides the effects you’re looking for.

Unlike buying vape pens, edibles, flower, or other cannabis products, you have control over the environment when growing a home crop. If you’re cultivating a cannabis crop under less-than-ideal conditions, consider selecting a strain that’s resilient and simple to grow. Choosing the best seed genetics ensures that your plants will reach their full potential—and that you grow a healthy, delicious crop.

Selecting the Right Cannabis Species

There are two main types of cannabis: indica and sativa. If you’re after a relaxing, mellow high, pick an indica strain that’s high in THC; if you want an uplifting feeling, go with a sativa strain. Most seeds on the market today are hybrids—which combine indica and sativa traits. While some hybrids are evenly balanced, others are indica- or sativa-dominant.

Sativa plants are usually thin and tall. They take longer to mature, with a flowering phase that lasts 10 to 16 seeks. For instance, a Purple Thai seed can take 13 weeks to reach maturity after you’ve switched to a 12/12 light cycle. While you’ll have to wait longer for these plants to mature, you’ll reap the benefits of a higher yield.

On the other hand, indica plants are bushy and compact, so you don’t need as much vertical area to grow a healthy crop. Though indica yields are typically lower than those of sativas, the buds can be equally potent and the effects just as relaxing. Strains such as Hindu Kush melt away the tensions of the day and induce a feeling of pure relaxation.

Selecting the Right Cannabis Species

There are two main types of cannabis: indica and sativa. If you’re after a relaxing, mellow high, pick an indica strain that’s high in THC; if you want an uplifting feeling, go with a sativa strain. Most seeds on the market today are hybrids—which combine indica and sativa traits. While some hybrids are evenly balanced, others are indica- or sativa-dominant.

Sativa plants are usually thin and tall. They take longer to mature, with a flowering phase that lasts 10 to 16 seeks. For instance, a Purple Thai seed can take 13 weeks to reach maturity after you’ve switched to a 12/12 light cycle. While you’ll have to wait longer for these plants to mature, you’ll reap the benefits of a higher yield.

On the other hand, indica plants are bushy and compact, so you don’t need as much vertical area to grow a healthy crop. Though indica yields are typically lower than those of sativas, the buds can be equally potent and the effects just as relaxing. Strains such as Hindu Kush melt away the tensions of the day and induce a feeling of pure relaxation.

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What Is A Cannabis Clone?

A clone is simply a cutting which has been taken from a female marijuana plant and rooted in some medium, usually rockwool, so that when they root, they can be easily transferred to any number of growing mediums.

Marijuana species of the sativa and indica varieties grow in such a way that marijuana clones can be taken from cuttings. This is no different than any apple, cherry or plum tree, succulent or any number of species of flora capable of putting out new roots after being clipped from a parent plant.

When attempting to weigh the differences of clone vs seed, there really is no comparison as they are completely different animals, though you can’t make a clone without first popping a seed at some point in time. As far as growth-rates go, clone vs seed time is incomparable. Because clones are already at a mature phase of growth, they are pretty much ready to go after just a week or so of settling into their new environments.

Professional grow operations utilize clones because of their fast turnaround and, to do so, a separated space is required where they keep what are called ‘Mothers’. These mothers have been kept because they are the strongest and most productive examples found of a specific strain. They are generally considered viable for up to six months before being discarded and replaced by one of their early clones. What this allows the grower to do is to keep a perpetual crop of identical plants, in order to maintain consistency of product.

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Growing Trend in Hydroponics

Hydroponic farming has certain inherent advantages. Plants grown hydroponically will mature on average 25% faster and deliver up to 30% greater yield than plants grown in soil. Creating the conditions necessary for such an increase in plant efficiency requires very close monitoring of the growing environment. You can find best deals online for your general hydroponics needs and hydroponics fertilizer.

Knowing exactly what conditions your plants are growing in at every stage of plant development is key to achieving and sustaining enhanced yields. A key practice in realizing maximum plant growth and crop yields is data acquisition. Although acquiring data manually is fairly common in the hydroponic industry, it leaves too many opportunities for critical data points to be missed. Best deals online on best water pump sales.

A seamless/continuous data stream could mean the difference between catching a problem early and correcting it before it becomes fatal to the plants and losing an entire crop to an easily correctable imbalance. Another common practice for those manually acquiring data is the grower will test multiple reservoirs in separate grow rooms and isolation tents with the same equipment. This practice increases the potential of transferring harmful organisms from one reservoir to the next.

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Many growers use a low cost data collection equipment that is not lab calibrated. Some of these devices require regular calibration sometimes between uses. Inaccuracies in data collection due to inaccurate equipment and collecting critical information with faulty equipment can result in slower growth and lower yields, thus increasing crop cost by lowering growth efficiency. In short, the longer a plant needs to be under lights in nutrient solution the more costly a crop becomes to produce. Lowering the profit of a given crop can often break a hydroponic business.

This is where wireless data logging comes into play. Capturing and archiving your grow data automatically puts a grower at a distinct advantage in this fast growing and competitive industry. Knowing exactly what contributed to a successful crop will lead to much higher yields and growth efficiency with every crop. Through analysis and comparison of acquired data from crop-to-crop, a grower will understand and quantify the success and/or shortcomings and can either repeat or improve upon the known conditions. Additionally, continuous, uninterrupted data logging can help to identify a problem before it becomes harmful or detrimental to crop efficiency. Improving data quality, accuracy and continuity is vital to success in the hydroponic industry.

How Much Light Is Too Much

How Much Light Is Too Much Light For Your Clones? Often, un-rooted clones receive too high of light intensity which can manifest itself in the form of yellow, cupped leaves. Best deals online on best water pump sales.

This usually occurs when light levels exceed 180ppfd as excess light will trigger increased photosynthesis, which in turn will increase the plant's demand for water and nutrient consumption. You can find best deals online for your general hydroponics needs and hydroponics fertilizer. Looking for a wide range of OG strain seeds online like alien og seeds, og kush seeds and white fire og seeds.

Because fresh clones have no roots, they are unable to uptake water and nutrients efficiently which will eventually lead to self-cannibalization and yellowed cupped leaves. Keeping light levels in the optimum range of 150-180ppfd will help you avoid this occurring! 

Increase Yields & Cut Costs

With so much conversation around crop steering, but with limited information available, we wanted to research why it's become such a trend in indoor, and greenhouse cannabis grows. And as it turns out, it's all the rage because the benefits are substantial enough to encourage cultivars to experiment and dial in precise techniques. Let's get into it.

What is crop steering?

Crop steering manipulates plant growth by modifying environmental factors and irrigation events to encourage coveted crop outcomes. Changing environmental factors and irrigation strategies allows growers to influence growth toward vegetative or generative stages. Different types of fan for grow tent that fits for indoor growing like wall fan and inline fan online.

The vegetative growth stage increases leaf and stem growth, while generative growth is the reproductive phase that develops fruits and flowers. 

Potential benefits of crop steering.

The potential for crop steering to increase yields, save labor and nutrient costs, and enhance crop quality are notable reasons to research and implement a crop steering program. There's also the possibility to decrease energy and overall operations costs, but let's examine the most notable potential benefits of crop steering. Try and grow indoor and outdoor big bud seeds, zkittles seeds and your favorite acapulco gold seeds.

Increased yields - By manipulating plant growth to optimize the development of specific growth phases, you encourage more prominent and robust buds, which, if done correctly, will increase yields.

Cost Savings - Labor costs may decrease by completely automating the process using a crop steering program (CSP). Another advantage in using a CSP is that precise, small dosing of nutrients means your plants only take up the number of nutrients they can process, potentially saving you money in expensive nutrients. 

Enhanced Terpene Production - Using a CSP, you'll be stacking buds towards the end of the cannabis plant growth cycle, and altering lighting can trigger an increase in trichome production of terpenes. By tricking the plant into a moderate stressor, it responds by increasing terpene production to protect it from excess UV light exposure. 

What is a Crop Steering Program (CSP)?

A crop steering program allows you to enter customized, ideal setpoints for your specific genetics, and the program will automatically trigger events to achieve the desired parameters. For irrigation, a sophisticated AI program analyzes your substrate sensors' real-time data and doses your plants accordingly, freeing up your time to take care of everything else.

Crop Steering Program Features

Controlling environmental conditions and irrigation strategies to steer growth requires sophisticated software created by expert growers and engineers. Let's take a look at the features that make a CSP a worthwhile investment. 

Overnight Failsafe Protection - The program will constantly monitor your substrate and give it an emergency shot if it falls below your target overnight VWC% and will continue to maintain it at that percentage until the lights come on the following day.

Automatic Phase 1 Delay - If you run into an issue involving a temporary decrease in plant transpiration, it will manifest as a slower dry back than usual. Adjust your irrigation timers to accommodate this decrease in VWC % loss to prevent over-saturation. When the lights turn on, the program will automatically count down the additional dry back % you specify and delay your P1 ramp up timers until the set percentage has been satisfied. 

EC Adjustment - Substrates EC is crucial to crop steering successfully but can be challenging without changing the EC of your feeds throughout the day. By using the Crop Steering Program, you can specify your maintenance dry back %.