Marijuana Business Magazine July 2018

N utrients have bred many a false hope among marijuana growers. Soil amendments, of course, are important to growing healthy plants. But often they are overused in the belief that more nutrients mean bigger, better plants. Quite the contrary. It’s possible to give your plants too much nutrient content.There is a point of diminish- ing return, after which any additional nutrients are wasting money while compounding the harm being done to local water sources. “I see a lot of redundancies in ferti- lizer usage. People just load up on stuff because they think their plants need it,” said Christopher Vaos, a cultivation consultant in Colorado specializing in sustainable techniques. Here are three tips for being more sustainable in your nutrient practices. 1 Don’t Overdo It Moderation is a must. “The most common mistake with nutrients is that people are overusing them,”Vaos said. In particular, growers overuse nitrogen, soluble phosphates and potassium. All are commonly used nutrients that can cause algae blooms and poison fish, he said. Just as it’s helpful to look at plant tis- sue to understand how much water your plants need, plant tissue analysis can tell you what your plants are getting and lacking in the way of nutrients. NUTRIENTS Plant Diet Moderation, homemade brews and guano are three ways to make the most of nutrients SUSTAINABLE CULTIVATION July 2018 • Marijuana Business Magazine • 67