Growing Tips

Advanced Tips

Preparing Stock Solution
When feeding cannabis crops in hydroponic systems, growers must first prepare a stock tank solution—either using a complete fertilizer line from a reputable manufacturer or by mixing and matching fertilizers themselves. With a complete fertilizer line, creating a stock solution is straightforward: simply follow the manufacturer’s instructions. But for those who prefer to mix their own fertilizers, the process is more complex. Growers must understand the nutrient concentrations in each fertilizer, how much they want to feed and the dilution …
Advanced Tips

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 …
Advanced Tips

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 …
Advanced Tips

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 …
Advanced Tips

Cannabis Plant Morphology
Plant morphology refers both to the scientific study of the external physical structure and appearance of plants and to the descriptive terminology used to characterize these traits.[1] In this blog post, we’ll provide an overview of the descriptive morphology of Cannabis sativa. Morphology matters The morphology of cannabis varies throughout its life cycle in relation to such factors as genetics or strain, environmental conditions and growing techniques. Its height impacts how much light it can receive, as well as its biomass and …
Advanced Tips

Understanding EC in Hydroponic Systems
Electrical conductivity (EC) measures a solution’s ability to carry an electrical charge. In hydroponics, EC is an important indicator of nutrient concentration, as it reflects the amount of dissolved fertilizer salts in the nutrient solution. By monitoring EC at different points in the system, growers can ensure plants receive adequate nutrients and track nutrient uptake.In this blog post, we’ll break down how EC works, its impact on plant development, how to measure it and what to do if adjustments are …
Growing Tips

Pruning Techniques for Cannabis Plants
Pruning selectively removes unnecessary foliage, redirecting the plant’s energy into producing larger, denser, higher-quality buds. It also improves plant morphology, resulting in a better microclimate by increasing light exposure and air circulation around the plant.Cannabis exhibits monopodial growth, meaning it develops a single main stem that grows vertically, and because it is apically dominant,[1] the main stem inhibits the growth of lateral shoots. Pruning the main stem relieves the plant of apical dominance, triggering hormonal changes—specifically, changes in auxin and …
Advanced Tips

Canopy Lighting in Cannabis Cultivation
One of the biggest challenges for indoor cannabis growers is replicating the sun’s ability to penetrate the plant canopy, particularly the lower portions. Outdoors, photons[1] from natural sunlight strike leaf surfaces at multiple angles throughout the day, ensuring light distribution throughout the plant. By contrast, traditional overhead lighting in indoor cultivation struggles to reach the lower canopy, limiting photosynthesis and yields. To remedy this problem, canopy lighting has emerged as an effective method for ensuring all parts of the plant receive adequate …
Advanced Tips

Choosing a Hydroponic System
Hydroponics is a soilless growing method where plants receive a water-based nutrient solution,[1] giving growers precise control over the growing environment and inputs like water, nutrients and oxygen. Several hydroponic systems—varying in size, complexity and efficiency—are available. These setups can be: Open or closed: Open systems discharge the nutrient solution after use. Closed systems recirculate the nutrient solution for reuse. Active or passive: Active systems use pumps to deliver the nutrient solution to plants. Passive (e.g., wick) systems give roots …
Growing Tips

Post-Harvest Care: Trimming and Drying
Growing a successful cannabis crop does not end when the buds are ready for harvest. Two post-harvest processes heavily influence cannabinoid and terpene concentrations: trimming and drying. Their timing and technique can lead to significant differences in the final product’s secondary metabolites—and hence its color, flavor, fragrance and potency.Harvest timingBefore post-harvest care begins, the first step in securing a high-quality cannabis product is harvesting at the right time. Unripe buds lack the potency and cannabinoid and terpene content of mature …
Advanced Tips

Monitoring Runoff in Recirculating Hydroponic Systems
When cultivating cannabis hydroponically, growers can choose between drain-to-waste and recirculating systems. In drain-to-waste systems, the nutrient solution is discarded after use; in recirculating systems, the nutrient solution is reused. When using a recirculating system, it is important to collect and test the runoff—the excess nutrient solution that passes through the root zone—because it gives an idea of whether it is suitable for reuse or adjustments need to be made. Neglecting to monitor runoff can lead to salt buildup, resulting in …
Advanced Tips

Guiding your Garden Through Crop Steering
Crop steering is a cannabis cultivation technique where careful control over environmental factors guides plant growth, optimizes yields and enhances quality. By adjusting elements like light intensity, irrigation, temperature, humidity and root zone conditions, growers can steer plants toward vegetative growth—channeling energy and resources on foliage, stems and roots—or generative growth, also known as flowering or reproductive growth. This blog post explains how crop steering works and how different environmental controls can steer crops toward one type of growth over the …
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