Growing Science

Growing Science

The Different Meanings of Organic
When people think of organic agriculture, they often imagine products free of synthetic chemicals and pesticides. While that’s part of what qualifies products for organic certification, it’s a limited definition. In this blog post, we’ll discuss the regulatory and scientific meanings of “organic” and how fertilizers containing organic ingredients affect hydroponics.Regulatory meaningWhat does it mean when a product is labeled organic? Fruits, vegetables, meats, packaged foods and other agricultural products can be labeled organic only if certified through a government-approved program. …
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Plant Density and Its Influence on Cannabis Cultivation
Plant density plays an important role in cannabis cultivation. Deciding how many plants to grow per unit area determines your cultivation strategy and influences outcomes like yield and secondary metabolite synthesis. In this blog post, we’ll discuss how plant density affects cannabis production and share strategies for managing denser canopies. Why plant density matters Plant density influences resource allocation, which in turn affects plant morphology. The closer plants grow together, the more they compete for light, water and nutrients. Plant density also …
Growing Science

Phenohunting in Cannabis Cultivation: Techniques and Strategies
Growers who start with clones or tissue culture can count on plants with the same qualities and characteristics as the mother plant, or donor. However, growers starting from seed aren’t guaranteed a replica. That’s because cannabis exhibits phenotypic variation.[1] A phenotype refers to an organism’s observable traits, such as yield, structure or aroma.[2] The term derives from the Greek phaino, meaning “to appear.”[3] Phenotypes can vary widely based on environmental conditions,[4] so even if two growers plant the same seeds, they …
Growing Science

Plant Respiration
All living organisms need food for energy, but to use that energy, they must first release it through respiration. In plants, food is created through photosynthesis, which uses captured light energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into complex molecules like glucose and starch. These compounds are stored in plants, but the energy is not immediately available. Respiration allows plants to tap into that stored energy to power growth and other biological processes. In this blog post, we’ll explain how respiration works, …
Growing Science

How Plants Feed
Plants produce their own food through photosynthesis, using energy from light to convert water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and carbohydrates.[1] Understanding the factors involved in photosynthesis and how they interact is essential for ensuring plants photosynthesize effectively, resulting in healthy, high-yielding crops. In this blog post, we’ll explore the science behind photosynthesis, including the critical role played by nutrients, and discuss how growers can support this vital process.The photosynthesis equationPhotosynthesis is a light-driven process. Plants capture light energy and use …
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Flushing in Cannabis Cultivation
Flushing is the practice of halting fertilization before harvest and irrigating plants with plain water instead. The goal is to remove excess salts from the growing medium and the plant.[1] Growers typically flush for two reasons: First, nutrient deprivation is believed to trigger secondary metabolite production as a stress response, indirectly increasing the quality (i.e., color, fragrance, flavor and potency) of the end product. Second, reducing the plant’s nutrient content may degrade chlorophyll, which some believe contributes to the harshness or …
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Nutrient and Fertilizer Interactions
Plant fertilization is a sophisticated science that requires understanding both plant needs and the interactions between nutrients and the fertilizer salts used to supply them. Certain nutrient combinations can interfere with uptake, while improper fertilizer combinations may lead to precipitation or other reactions that make nutrients unavailable for absorption.If you’re using pre-mixed fertilizers from a reputable brand, these incompatibilities aren’t a concern, as such products are formulated in a balanced way to ensure chemical compatibility. However, if you prefer to …
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Chelation and Chelates
Plants need secondary macronutrients and micronutrients in smaller quantities than primary macronutrients, and yet deficiencies in the former can be just as harmful to growth and yield as deficiencies in the latter. Micronutrients are particularly prone to becoming unavailable due to nutrient lockout or precipitation from the nutrient solution. Chelation helps to prevent this.In this blog post, we explain what chelation and chelates are, how they work and why they’re essential for nutrient uptake and utilization.Science of chelates A chelate is …
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Understanding NPK Sources and Ratios
Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium—commonly referred to as NPK—are the three essential macronutrients. They’re called macronutrients because plants require them in large quantities, which is why they’re often regarded as the most important for plants.Each plays vital roles in plant development. Nitrogen is a fundamental part of both amino acids, the building blocks of protein, and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), while phosphorus is essential for photosynthesis, and potassium regulates water use.Because growers must supply these nutrients in hydroponics, it’s important …
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Optimizing pH in Hydroponics
The acidity or alkalinity of a liquid is measured as pH. A low pH indicates high acidity, while a high pH indicates high alkalinity. More concretely, pH—short for “potential of hydrogen”—reflects the concentration of hydrogen ions. When acids dissolve in water, they release H+ ions, lowering the pH. Bases release OH- ions, raising the pH. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral (Figure 1). Figure 1. pH scale. Acidic solutions have a low pH. Alkaline solutions have a high pH. Neutral …
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Nutrients in Hydroponics
Plants require specific nutrients to survive and develop properly. These are called essential nutrients because (1) plants cannot complete their lifecycle without them; (2) they perform specific functions that no other nutrient can replace; and (3) they are directly involved in the plant’s metabolic or structural processes.[1]In addition to the three non-mineral essential nutrients—hydrogen, oxygen and carbon—plants require 14 essential mineral nutrients. These are categorized as primary macronutrients, secondary macronutrients or micronutrients, depending on the amount needed (e.g., micronutrients are …
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Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria in Soilless Cultivation
Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are beneficial bacteria that colonize the root zone, acting as biostimulants, biofertilizers and biocontrol agents that influence plant responses to their environment.Rhizobacteria inhabit the rhizosphere—the region of soil immediately surrounding roots, as well as the sticky root surfaces themselves. This zone regulates key factors such as nutrient availability and microbial interactions that support plant health and survival.Although soilless systems lack a traditional rhizosphere, root surfaces remain bioactive, allowing PGPR to colonize them in hydroponic conditions. This …
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