When it comes to growing your cannabis plants in your backyard, choosing the correct cannabis fertilizer for your plants is critically essential in the growing process, which will affect the farming and harvesting process in the end. It is then highly advisable to use natural and organic cannabis fertilizer to achieve the best results when growing their plants, especially when it comes to marijuana (weed). The best marijuana harvest will come from the soil filled with the right amount of nutrients and minerals.
Now, if a home grower wants their plants to be fully controlled from the start-up to the very end, the usage of homemade fertilizers are much preferred in this case. Additionally, one can save a lot (especially when they are on a strict budget) when it comes to their marijuana/cannabis purchases.
In this article, we will check the reasons why you should make your cannabis fertilizer at your home, and how to make one with relative ease.
Reasons for Making Your Own Cannabis Fertilizer
For many growers, they prefer for their plants to be planted with natural and organic materials, like for the fertilizer that will be used. They will only grudgingly resort to factory-processed nutrients and fertilizers if they are unable to produce their homemade fertilizer due to either the lack of materials or time to do so.
However, the only downside for making your fertilizer is that it will be intensive when it comes to labor due to the fact you will be doing all the process, from planting, farming, harvesting, up to the processing of the said harvest.
The other beneficial reason for making your fertilizer for your plants is that you have overall control over what you are feeding to your plants in general. Thanks to that, it gives you room for self-experimentation on your end, and making your fertilizer is the best way to grow your cannabis plant in your home’s backyard.
The last best reason for making your fertilizer is that it will boost the quality of your soil around the location you have chosen for planting your marijuana/cannabis plant. This will have a positive domino effect in the surroundings and the overall environment within the perimeter of your chosen location for home growing your plant.
Essential Cannabis Nutrients: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium
When it comes to making your fertilizer for your cannabis plants, you must take note of the following essential nutrients needed by cannabis plants, which are the following: potassium (K), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) respectively. These three nutrients are essential in keeping cannabis plants alive in your farming location.
In the plant world, most of them are unable to absorb nitrogen from the air into their system directly, and instead relies on nitrogen that can be found on the ground, hence why your fertilizer must have nitrogen for the plant to consume, helping in their photosynthesis process for energy consumption.
Meanwhile, for the plant’s strengthening of its root systems resulting in its good health, requires the nutrient called phosphorus. This nutrient helps plants to bloom high-quality flowers, which in turn, results in a more potent bud. While for younger plants, the said nutrient is essential for their proper growth.
Lastly, the potassium is also required for a plant’s photosynthesis, wherein it works in tandem with nitrogen. It is also known as a necessary nutrient for the immune system of a plant to work correctly, for a healthy and plenty yield during the time of harvesting.
Making Cannabis Fertilizer: The First Hurdle
Now, we come to the main highlight of this article today: making your cannabis fertilizer for your home growing needs. However, many people perceive that making a specialized fertilizer is a tough process overall. But, it is super easy, as long as you have the three main nutrients mentioned earlier at your disposal.
Once those three nutrients are available, it is time to make your cannabis fertilizer at the comfort of your own home. The first process for a successful, high-quality fertilizer is the composting process. Once this process has been done correctly, you are nearing the completion of your perfect cannabis fertilizer.
However, there is a catch for this process: it is usually composed of solid wastes, not suitable for people with a weak stomach. But, that process isn’t only made by that kind of waste; other wastes such as herbal teas (used), table scraps, coffee grounds, etc., therefore bypassing that stomach-churning portion of the D.I.Y. process.
Once those initial materials are complete, you must make sure that the compost isn’t too dry or too wet. Additionally, earthworms can be added to the compost to make the said process faster. However, suppose you don’t like doing the process that can potentially turn your stomach inside out. In that case, you can immediately add the compost to your cannabis plant for them to process it themselves. However, it will take a longer time to do so.
Materials You Can Add To Your Homemade Fertilizer
As mentioned earlier, various materials can be used compost material for your homemade cannabis fertilizer, in which we have listed for you below:
Coffee Grounds
If you want the most comfortable material that can be gathered while having the three main nutrients needed at the same time, using this material is the answer you are looking for. It is easily dissolved in the compost, and most plants can break down this material relatively easily and fast.
Banana Skins
Aside from their fruit being perfect as a standalone dessert or a perfect ingredient for cakes and loaves, their skin is also perfect as a compost material. Their skin is known to be very rich in the two of the three main nutrients, namely potassium and phosphorus, respectively. Additionally, they also have a huge amount of calcium, which is perfect as a source of that said nutrient.
Aquafaba
Commonly known as bean water by the public, this material is usually found in many products in the market, such as beans, chickpeas, and lentils. Traditionally used as a great source of potassium for fertilizer composts.
Cooking Water
It may be weird to put this in this list, but the water used for cooking has lots of extracted nutrients that can be mixed in fertilizer compost. Usually, the nutrients that can be reaped from this material varies greatly, depending on what food was cooked in this material. However, the common nutrients that can be found on this material are the following: iron, potassium, and calcium.
Urine
It may be certainly the most disgusting material in this list. Still, many studies show that human urine is one of the best materials for fertilizer compost since it is highly rich in nitrogen. However, the urine must not be directly applied to the plant themselves, as the excessive amount of nitrogen can severely damage the said plant, and must be diluted before applying to the plant’s soil.
Citrus Peels
Same with banana skins, the peels from citrus is a highly effective material for fertilizer compost, as it is rich in the three required nutrients overall, thus making it the jack-of-all-trades material in this list. Additionally, it has the benefit of as a natural bug repellant, perfect for keeping those pesky bugs away from your precious plant.
Egg Shells
Sure, this material might look like a total waste to us humans, but it is known as a high source of calcium, perfect as a material for your fertilizer compost. However, due to its nature, it is one of the materials that take a long time to be broken down by a plant, so it is better to be mixed on a compost instead.
Herbs
The last best-known material for a fertilizer compost, this material is best when various herbs are used, especially when herbaceous plants are used for this material. One effective herbaceous plant that can be correctly used as a compost material is known as Nettles, which is a known accumulator of various nutrients when used as one.
Overall Conclusion
As we have seen in this article today, making your cannabis fertilizer is very easy, in the very comfort of your own home or backyard. Additionally, most of the materials that we have mentioned on this list are everyday items that you can quickly obtain throughout a single day of searching those in your local supermarket or grocery store. Some are even produced by your own body, also though it may be disgusting for some people.
Still, when making a cannabis fertilizer (or any kind of plant fertilizer in general), the three key nutrients that have been mentioned earlier must be on the top of your priority list when it comes to making your plant fertilizer at home, to ensure a significant, high-quality yield amount and harvest at the end of the journey, in which you are the one who will significantly benefit from it.