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Advance Growing

Leachable Nutrients

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Leachable Nutrients

Xylem & Phloem

What Are Leachable Nutrients?

The term leaching is believed to have been derived either from the late Middle English term ‘leche’ or the Old English term ‘leccan’ which means to moisten and to allow leaking. Leaching can be described as the loss of soluble substances or small particles through soil or rock, due to rain and irrigation. Leaching can also be considered to be the practice of applying a small amount of surplus irrigation where the salt content in the water is high. This is done to avoid salts from accumulating in the soil. While carrying out the process of leaching, it is necessary to have a proper drainage system for carrying away the excess water. Leaching can be a cause of concern for the environment as it often leads to groundwater contamination, especially in regions with intensive agriculture. During leaching, valuable plant nutrients are lost in the soil. This may sometimes change the soil structure. Nutrients that are leached below the level of the roots are most likely to be lost from the system, although there remains a possibility of these being recycled if the roots grow deeper. Nutrient leaching plays a big role in creating nutrient deficiency.

How Are Leachable Nutrients Beneficial?

Leaching can also be considered to be two important activities occurring in concurrence; the interaction of chemical with surfaces, and the movement of water. When the water passes through rocks and soil it comes in contact with the surfaces of the minerals. This can lead to the compounds on the surface of the minerals to become dissolved. Furthermore, the movement of water displaces and moves particles. Leaching can move around chemical compounds such as dissolved substances or larger materials like fragments of rock, decomposing plant materials, and microbes throughout the soil.

The soil is somewhat similar to a sponge. When it rains, the soil at the top absorbs as much water as possible, and in this way keeps the moisture available for the plants that grow there. When the soil gets filled with water, it begins to leak and travels downwards through the layers of rocks and subsoil. Once water reaches the bottom, it takes soluble chemicals such as nitrogen and other fertilizer components, and other toxic elements as well along with it. When the soil is more porous, it becomes more susceptible to leaching. It becomes easier for the chemicals and other components to pass through. Pure sand is most suitable for leaching. When a vegetation or garden has more sand, it is more likely to be vulnerable to leaching. Soil, on the other hand, is more of a clay components and has less chances of facing leaching issues. When elements leach from the plants and gets passed through the soil into the water table, it poses as a threat to the environment. Leaching, as a result, is more of an environmental concern rather than a drainage issue. Leachable nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous are most often responsible for this.

Nitrogen is one of the most common elementsfound in the atmosphere and is very essential for nutrition in plants. It covers approximately 78% of the Earth’s environment. Nitrogen assists in plant growth, and as nitrogen naturally cycles through the air, water, and soil, it goes through various transformation, both chemically and biologically. Nitrogen leaching is affected by the type of soil and its structure, the amount of water that is absorbed by the plants, and the amount of nitrate that is already present in the soil. Nitrate leaching is also heavily responsible for acidification of the soil.

Phosphorous is also an essential nutrient regarding the presence of excessive minerals and nutrients in water bodies. Loss of phosphorous from a vegetation or garden is one of the biggest threats to surface water quality. Leaching is a crucial transport route for phosphorous loss from agricultural lands, mostly in flat areas with sandy soils or soils prone to favorable flow. Unlike nitrogen, phosphorous interacts with soil particles through adsorption and desorption.

Mobile Nutrients

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Mobile Nutrients

cannabis veg growth

What Are Mobile Nutrients

The growth and development of plants highly depends on nutrients acquired from the soil, air, or through fertilizers. Nutrients are essential for the growth of a plant, and they differ in their ability to move within the plant. The demand of nutrients keeps changing throughout the life of the plant. It generally increases during vegetative growth, and decreases during reproductive development. When inside the plant, nutrients are transported to the locations where they are necessary, generally to the points of growth. Once nutrients are absorbed by the plant, some elements can be mobile while others can be immobile. Nutrient mobility influences redistribution of nutrients and the fertilization of crops.Mobile nutrients can leave their original location and move to areas where the requirement is more, and immobile elements normally get locked in place and stay there. If one knows how nutrients move within the plants, then it can become a lot easier in diagnosing deficiency symptoms. The deficiency symptoms of mobile nutrients can be first seen in the older leaves as the nutrients are transported to new growth from there. Immobile nutrient deficiencies can be first seen in the new growth as the plant cannot take ample amount of nutrients to transport them to the new shoots.

What Are The Mobile Nutrients

There are eighteen elements, found in the nature, which can be considered necessary for plant growth and nutrition. Each of these elements has their own functions in the plant, and differs in characteristics and in the level in which they are required. Three out of these eighteen elements are non-minerals and the rest are minerals. The non-mineral elements are carbon (C), hydrogen (H)and oxygen(O). These elements are used within the physical plant structure, and are obtained from the environment (from carbon dioxide, CO2) and water (H2O). They form the basis for carbohydrates such as sugars and starch and acts as the source of energy for the plant.The minerals can be further classified into primary and secondary macronutrients and micronutrients. Plants need macronutrients in comparatively large amounts and micronutrients are required in smaller amounts. The requirement of nutrients increases as the plant grows.If nutrients are deficient or present in excess amounts, then plant will be damaged by slowing down or constraining the growth. Most of the time deficiencies can be identified by observing plants.

Primary Macronutrients

Primary macronutrients comprise of nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P), and potassium (K), which contributes to nutrient content of plants, function of plant enzymes and biomechanical processes. If macronutrient are present in deficit amounts it will result in reduced plant growth and yield. These three elements are considered most important nutrients that are absorbed from fertilizers.Secondary macronutrients comprise of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg) and sulfur (S).

Primary Micronutrients

Micronutrients, even though used in very small quantities, are also essential for plant growth and survival. These include boron (B), copper (Cu),iron (Fe), molybdenum (Mo), zinc (Zn), chlorine (Cl), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co) and nickel (Ni).

Mobility in plants- In the plant, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassiumand magnesium are very mobile. Suplhur, copper, iron, molybdenum, zinc, and manganese are moderately mobile. Calcium and boron are immobile nutrients.

Mobility in soil- In soil, nitrogen as nitrate, sulfur as sulfate, and boron are very mobile. Potassium, calcium, molybdenum and magnesium are moderately mobile. Organic nitrogen, phosphorous, copper, iron, zinc and manganese are immobile nutrients.

Xylem & Phloem​

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Xylem & Phloem

Xylem & Phloem

What Is The Xylem and Phloem!

Similar to humans, plants also have their own circulatory system that facilitates their growth. The main parts of this circulatory system are called Xylem and Phloem. Plants (and trees) have a top and a bottom portion. The top portion consists of trunk, branch and leaves, and the bottom portion is a system of roots. The top portion conducts photosynthesis and helps the plant reproduce, whereas, the lower portion keeps the plant steady and consumes moisture and nutrients from the soil. Both the portions are dependent on each other for survival, and need to be connected. Xylem and Phloem are responsible for making this connection.

What Does The Xylem and Phloem Do?

Xylem and Phloem are two types of vascular tissues which are considered as the transport system in plants. They are responsible for moving materials such as food, water, nutrients and other minerals around the plant body (between the roots, stems and leaves). Xylem and Phloem are found in groups called vascular bundles and work together as a unit. The vascular bundles connect tissues in the roots, stems and leaves, and also provides structural support to the plant. Xylem vessels are tough and are made of complex, dead and permanent tissues, whereas Phloem vessels are soft and are made up of living cells. Xylem vessels are composed of dead tissue at maturity which makes the vessels hollow with no cell contents. Phloem vessels are composed of living tissue, but sieve tube elements lack nuclei and have few organelles. Xylem’s movement is unidirectional. They only move upwards. The movement of Phloem is bidirectional. They move both upwards and downwards. While the basic function of Xylem is to transport water from roots to stems and leaves, it also transports nutrients. On the other hand, Phloem transports photosynthates (soluble organic compounds made during photosynthesis) and amino acids to those parts of the plant where it is needed.

Apart from these, there are some other evident differences between Xylem and Phloem. The structure of Xylem tissues is similar to that of a star. They are tubular shaped and has no cross walls. Phloem tissues are also tubular shaped but are elongated. They also have thin sieve tubes with walls. The vessel wall of Xylem consists of fused cells that build a continuous tube for uninterrupted flow of materials. The vessel wall of Phloem has cells that are connected at the transverse ends to create porous sieve plates, which functions as cross walls. The fibers in Xylem are smaller, and larger in Phloem. Xylem consists of xylem parenchyma, xylem sclerenchyma, xylem fibers, tracheids, and vessel elements. Phloem consists of sieve tubes, phloem fibers, bastfibers, phloem parenchyma, companion cells, and intermediary cells. Xylem occupies the center (or inner portion) of the vascular bundles, and Phloem is located on the outer side of the vascular bundles. Xylem moves materials through the process of transpiration, and Phloem moves materials around the plant through the process of translocation. Xylem gives mechanical strength to plant and helps in making the stem strong. Phloem transfers the synthesized sugars, especially sucrose, made through photosynthesis, to storage organs such as roots, bulbs and tubes. Xylem lives with hollow dead cells, and Phloem lives with cytoplasm within the nucleus. The total amount of Xylem tissue is more in comparison to Phloem. Xylem replaces the total amount of lost water molecules through transpiration and photosynthesis, and Phloem transports proteins and mRNAs all over the plant.

How To Make Feminized Seeds!

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How To Make Feminized Seeds For Beginners!

Have you ever wondered how people make feminized cannabis seeds and how do they  know that the seeds are feminized? Well let me shed some light on this topic for you. There are many different ways that people can achieve this, but the two methods that I have done is using colloidal silver (my favorite) and the other is Rodelization(Not my favorite). Here in this article I’m going to explain how they make feminized cannabis seeds and why colloidal silver is my favorite technique. 

What Are Feminized Seeds

First thing first what are feminized seeds? To better understand this you have to know that cannabis is a dioecious plant. Meaning that there is a female and Male plant.  The female plant is the one that everyone loves with the buds and resin. While the male plant produces very little resin does not have buds and makes the pollen sacks. The way to identify the difference between the two plant is to check for pistils with white hairs or small balls where the nodes are. When cannabis is pollinated with a male and female plant you have a 50/50 chance for a female and a 50/50 Chance for a male plant from the offspring ( seeds ). 
To feminize your seeds you have to take out the male in the equation. Then force the female plant to hermaphrodite. Once you force the female to hermaphrodite and pollinate your plants your offspring (seeds) will not have genes from a male plant. Because the male plant was originally a female. Below I will describe ways to force your plant to hermaphrodite out! 

Rodelization

Rodelization is a technique that stresses the female cannabis plant forcing it to hermaphrodite out. But with this technique it emphasis on the genetics that have hermaphrodite tendencies already in the plant’s lineage. Hence why some strains tend to herm out more often than other strains. There are hundreds of ways to stress the plant out but the most common way is light poisoning. By constantly flipping your plant in and out of the flowering stage you will raise the chances of the plant to herm out. Some growers prefer this method because it’s a natural way to induce hermaphrodites and your not spraying your plants. The only drawback is the success rate could potentially be a lot lower. That is why this method is my least favorite for making feminized seeds. 

Colloidal Silver

Now we have finally made it to my favorite method for making feminized seeds, colloidal silver! “Yay!” Now let me explain what it is, colloidal silver are tiny particles of silver suspended in distilled water. The measurement of the silver particles are by parts per million (PPM). I was always told to use colloidal silver that is at least 30 ppm or over. 

Colloidal silver is fairly easy to make, but since I have not made it yet here’s a link to a website that teaches you how to make it.  ( How to make colloidal silver ) If your like me and do not have the time to make it you can purchase from amazon like I did! ( Buy colloidal silver ) Steps To Making Feminized SeedsHere I’ll explain the 5 steps that I use to make feminized seed. Click The Image To Buy From Amazon

Step 1: Picking The Perfect Starting Point

Using colloidal silver as a way to make feminized seeds you need to keep in mind that wherever you spray your plant you shouldn’t smoke. The seeds are good, but it’s highly recommended not to smoke the buds that you sprayed. That being said you’ll need to think twice about spraying your entire plant!     ( When I spray my plants I leave the main cola alone and will only spray 3 to 4  of the smaller branches on the bottom )

Step 2:  Figure Out How To Spray

This may sound simple, but Colloidal silver is actually real silver. Meaning that it is not cheap! If you put it into a massive spray bottle you can find yourself running out well before the balls develop. A beginner mistake that I made was spraying too broadly, it’s alway nice to keep everything exacted . ( When I spray my plants I use a small hair spray bottle) 

Step 3:  Spray Cycles

The First day of flowering is when you would want to spray your plants. You’ll need to spray your plants everyday until you see the balls begin to form! When you spray make sure that you heavily saturate the entire branch you want the balls on. This step usually takes about 3 weeks but some strains it could take longer. ( I spray mines twice a day, once when I wake up and once before I go to sleep until I see the sacks forming )Buy on Amazon click the link or image!Click The Image To Buy From Amazon

Step 4:   Inspect Plants

Remember that colloidal silver is a water base substance. You’ll want to make sure that your not growing mold with your plants. If your plants have an infection or disease there is a higher chance that your seeds would be deformed, or when you store your feminized seeds that the mold would transfer to the seeds. When your plant starts to make pollen sacks watch them closely because the sacks are more likely to catch mold than buds.

(What I found that helps prevent this is to defoliate unwanted growth and isolate the branches that you want leaving a gap! )

Notice that the branch is isolated and there is a gap from the rest of the plant. This keeps the colloidal silver off the other branches along with keeping the moisture from the spray away from the rest of the plant. Remember wherever colloidal silver is sprayed you do not want to smoke!

Step 5: Repeat Steps 3 And 4

Each strain flowers and reacts differently. Patience is the key! As long as you stay on top of it you should have feminized seeds in no time! 

Extras

Just to keep in mind when making feminized seeds is that every pair of white hairs would make a seed. If you pollinate your plant properly you should have a minimum of a few hundred seeds to a few thousand seeds. ​

Thank You!