The growth of marijuana hydroponically has the simple meaning of growing the marijuana in an inert and sterile growing medium which is more preferable than soil. All the nutrients that the plants require are usually supplied as you mix water with the nutrient solution. As we know, plants are made up of 80-95% water with the other nutrients combined of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Thus, the nutrients in the plants are very minute. For this reason, the entire hydroponic environment of the plants has to be controlled in order to provide the best kind of crops.
In all plants, including marijuana, they do not require to be living in the soil for a long time. All they require are the macro-elements, which include Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium and Sulfur, and the micro-elements which include iron, chlorine, boron, zinc, manganese molybdenum and copper. Hydroponics allows the air, water and nutrients gat introduced to the roots via the growing mediums. With the help of hydroponics, the web of roots is bypassed thus giving the plant more energy to acquire the nutrients and get the plants grow faster.
The most common hydroponic system that is used in growing weed is known as Ebb and Flow. The advantage with this system is that it is easy to use. This is how the set up looks like. A reservoir which has the nutrient solution is situated below the growing tray. The tray has plants placed in containers with a growing medium such as Rockwool. The growing bed is usually pumped with the nutrient solution through a small pump which has a timer so as to feed the plants and also water them. When the timer stops, the pump is shut and the nutrient solution slowly drains back to the reservoir.
The Ebb and Flow system is highly favored due to its low maintenance, ease of use, and the high productivity. Not only is it ideal for a beginner grower of weed but also an advanced gardener. Screen of Green (SCOG) as well as Sea of Green (SOG) are also other hydroponic systems that are used for more commercial operations and are usually used since the speed and yield of the marijuana are very important. The equipment used in these two systems are a bit different and you will have to use the cannabis strains that have the capability of flowering within a very short vegetative period. You can either buy a full equipped grow room if you want to avoid the hassles of buying the hardware and constructing it yourself. Though it will be a little expensive to buy the readymade grow room, it will save time to get everything at once.
When growing marijuana in an advanced stage using hydroponic systems, you will have to consider a few factors in order to create a near optimal or fully optimal plant. With a few manipulations, you can be able to produce physical variations that are different from each of the seeds selected. The first of those factors is the light intensity. When considering the light to use, the spectrum should be very close to that of natural sunlight and the light intensity has to be as possibly bright as it could be. When modern hydroponics began, people used the high intensity discharge light (HID) such as metal halide or the high pressure sodium in order to grow the marijuana. The light produced from metal halide is very close to the regular room light or that of a cool fluorescent tube. The good thing is that it is more available in the blue and green spectrums, the best spectrums for to use in the vegetative growth stage. The high pressure sodium is available in red, amber or orange spectrums. These are the best spectrums to use in the flowering stage. These two lights are usually used by the growers alternatively since they are both well suited for the different stages.
The most appropriate spectrum for the marijuana plant is between the 420 and 730 nanometers wavelength. The HID lamps usually provide a lot of light but much of the energy is wasted through the emission of heat from the lamps. Therefore, you will require managing the heat through a good ventilation system. The HIDs also prefer ballast when operating. You will be expected to pay around $250 for a combination of 250W MH/HPS digital ballast, a reflector and a bulb.
The LED grow lights that have a broad spectrum are the new kids on the block. They offer a few advantages over the HIDs, the good thing with these lights is that they provide the required wavelength, 420-730 nanometers as the growing range and use 82% less electricity. To put it in real perspective, for 1000W of HPS light, you can equivalently get the same light with an 185W LED light. Another advantage is that the best LEDs have a lifespan of between 50,000 and 60,000 hours. They also do not require any ballast. These make them the best solution for growing lights.
Another factor to consider is the photoperiod. Each growth phase has its own light period that is required. The growth phase is the most involving phase for the lights. The minimum light period for the growth phase is usually 18 hours. This period can be extended to a full day, that is 24 hours in some cases and it should have profound effects. The flowering phase is much better and does not use much light as before. This is because the growth of the plant is now completing its course and the most important growth parts have already formed. The flowering phase requires only a 12 hour photo period of light that has to be continuous, that is uninterrupted. This stimulates a budding of the plants. The dark period is equivalently important as the light period. The dark period is very important as it delays the development of the flowers and at the same time promotes the growth of the leaves. In any case that you require working on the plants during the night, only allow very minimal light as that of pale moon light and should be for less than five minutes.
The temperature is also an important aspect when growing the marijuana. The temperature when growing the plants should always be adjusted to be in the 80’s and 90’s degrees Fahrenheit. But as you get closer to the ideal and optimal temperature range, the budding will be better and the buds will be stronger. For these reason, you will be less likely to acquire male plants of the marijuana plant.
Another factor to consider is the fertilizer to apply. Fertilizers are the providers of nutrients to the plants. These nutrients can only be provided with each watering period. As earlier said, the growth phase is more involving. In this phase, you will have to mix a ¼ tsp of Peter’s 20/20/20 fertilizer for each gallon of water. The flowering phase is much flexible. In this phase, there is a different approach in the mixture. In the same proportion, Peter’s 12/34/16 African violet fertilizer will be mixed and applied to the plants to boost their flowering and growth of leaves.
The variations in carbon dioxide levels vary in the different stages. It is required for the carbon dioxide levels to be high, especially during the flowering stage. High carbon dioxide levels increase the growth rate. Different levels have different repercussions. 300ppm is the outside air and has no much effect; 700ppm is the ideal level of carbon dioxide. At 2000ppm, the plants burn while if it is at 5000ppm, the plants die. Therefore, it is very important to have the right methods. Carbon dioxide is cheap to produce since it only requires the burning of natural gas. Another way to acquire carbon dioxide is by leasing or buying carbon dioxide cylinders from a local welding company.
You will also have to involve pruning to maintain an optimal growth rate. To do this, you have to trim all the leaves that are more than four inches long. This will help the intermodal length to be around one inch. The more you trim, the shorter the intermodal distance and the Marijuana will slower the growth. Avoid too much trimming as it would cause the plant to change into a hermaphrodite. This process should be done for a minimum period of the flowering period.
Leeching is also another factor to consider. It is highly beneficial to leech the soil with high concentrated salts. This comes from the fertilizers. To do this, the growing mediums has to overwatered and then give it time to soak in. after a few minutes, then siphon off the excess water.
The humidity also has to be controlled. It has to be kept at around 90% unless the medium has been overwatered and it has to be dried quickly. Marijuana does not like the roots being wet all the time. therefore, take precaution not to water it every day unless there are high temperatures. With proper ventilation, fungi and algae would be minimal.
