After you get your ACMPR license, you may be in a rush to start growing your first batch of medical marijuana. But, before planting, surely there are some questions you need to be answered.

Here are some answers to Frequently Asked Questions about nutrients and pH when it comes to growing medical marijuana in Canada:

Nutrients

What Will Make My Plants Grow?

In order for your cannabis plants to grow, there are some elements that must be present both in the air and in the soil.

In soil, plants benefit from elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, sulphur, and calcium. However, the three most important of the list are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. In fact, whenever you buy nutrient blends or fertilizers, these three nutrients are listed on the label as N-P-K (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium).

From the air, plants need elements such as carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. If you grow your plants indoors, one of the best ways to give your plants enough carbon dioxide to photosynthesize is by installing a carbon dioxide generator in your grow room.

Other important macronutrients integral to plant health include zinc, iron, and copper and all three can be bought in nutrient blends.

How Much Nitrogen Do I Need?

While nitrogen is important for plant growth, if you add too much, this can cause growth to be stunted and even the death of the plant. To avoid this, try natural means such as adding worm casings or seaweed to ensure the nitrogen levels in your soil will be safe.

 

Should I Use Soil Nutrients Or Hydroponic Nutrients?

If you grow outdoors, nutrients which occur naturally in the soil are readily available for plants. Therefore, you won’t have to worry about adding nutrients.

When you grow indoors, you have a variety of growing mediums to choose from. You can choose to use a hydroponic system where nutrients are concentrated in water (soil-less growing). However, you will have to keep adding nutrients to this growing medium.

pH

Why Should I Worry About Checking Soil And Water pH?

The first thing you need to know about soil pH is that the best growing medium for health cannabis plants is slightly acidic soil. Therefore, anything that is more acidic or more alkaline will affect the health of your plant and reduce its potency. The optimal range for soil pH is between 6 and 7.

The optimal pH of water for watering cannabis plants range from 5.5 and 7. Bad pH can cause the growth of your plants to slow down, make them sick, decrease your yield and potency and even kill your cannabis plants.

Should I Get A Digital pH Meter Or A Manual Test Kit?

The best option for serious cannabis growers is obviously the digital ph meter. It will give you the exact pH of the liquid you are testing and is relatively easy to use.

With manual pH test kits, you will have to dip colour-changing paper strips into the water and this will determine its pH. While this is okay for persons with smaller growing operations such as newbies, it is not very practical for large-scale growers who need to work efficiently.

How Do I Adjust pH?

When it comes to adjusting the pH of your water or soil, all you need to do is purchase a product which does the job. There are many products on the market that reduce and increase pH levels using both organic material and compounds or chemicals, and even a combination of both.

Have all your burning questions about pH and Nutrients when growing medical marijuana been answered?

Be on the lookout for more answers to other burning questions!