A Scientific Approach Comparing Growing Substrates for Cannabis
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- Опубліковано 19 вер 2024
- A Scientific Approach Comparing Growing Substrates for Cannabis
Professor DeBacco
Research Article
Nemati, R., Fortin, J. P., Craig, J., & Donald, S. (2021). Growing mediums for medical cannabis production in North America. Agronomy, 11(7), 1366.
www.mdpi.com/2...
What Growers Typically Look For..
High porosity
Fast draining
Maintains moderate water content between irrigations
Quick dry downs to reduce the risk of root pathogens
Well-balanced physical and chemical properties
High consistency
Free of weeds and pathogens
Main Categories
Rockwool
Phenolic Foam
Peat Based
Coir Based
Living Soils
Rockwool Overview
Rockwool is made from basalt rocks or other minerals which are liquefied at high temperature and then spun into fibers that can then be made into different sizes and shapes such as : blocks, cubes and slabs.
It can hold more nutrient solution and air than any other growing medium.
Rockwool…
Lightweight inert soilless substrate
Provides moderate to good aeration
Excellent water holding capacity
Low CEC (Nutrient retention)
Easy to handle and use
Homogeneous
Durable
Pathogen free
*However, microbial life does develop in rockwool during the growth cycle of plants.
Phenolic Foam
Relatively new sterile soilless substrate that comes in a range of sizes
Phenolic Foam has…
Consistent texture
Excellent aeration
Moderate to low water holding capacity
Superior drainage
Helps keep the top surface drier, limiting algae growth
Peat Moss
Peat moss has a high buffering capacity for water, pH and nutrients.
It is acidic, hydrophobic and low in nutrients.
Additives are incorporated to make it suitable for growing plants.
Peat has a spongy structure without lignified fiber.
Lignified fibrous material may originate from other species growing on the peat bog if any.
Coir Properties
Various particle sizes from fine dust to large chunks
Hold high volumes of water
Hydrophilic properties
Tough structure
Excellent wettability and can rewet easily
*Reducing the need for wetting agents.
Slow breakdown rate and therefore
does not shrink during production cycle
High aeration and drainage
*Can depends on particle size distribution.
Living Soils
The living soil category has no defined standards.
It can be as simple as incorporating a microbial inoculant into a growing media but it can be much more complex
The living soil matrix must support microbial populations
Biodiversity is important to maintain a balance between mineralization, plant protection and biostimulation.
The basic components of living soils are peat moss, coir pith, coir chunks, naturally aged bark, wood fiber, composts and natural additives.
A variety of inoculants can also be used in living soils: compost, bacterial inoculants, mycorrhizae and actinomyces to name a few.
“Best” Growing Substrate
It is not easy to suggest what is the best growing medium for cannabis production.
Each category of growing medium has its strengths and weaknesses and choosing any of these categories depends a lot on the growing technique and production system.
Many factors have to be taken into account when selecting a growing substrate.
Overall, coir-based products are the intermediate substrates showing more advantages and less weakness
Expandable coir bags allow for minimal storage space, sterile starting conditions and a supportive growing substrate.
Link to Lecture Slides: drive.google.c...
*Due to the description character limit the full work cited for "A Scientific Approach Comparing Growing Substrates for Cannabis" can be viewed at... docs.google.co...
Much love from (now legal 🙏🏻) Germany! Your content has always been very helpful for my research about this wonderful plant. Very exited for the future!
Great to hear and happy growing!
Dr Harley Smith und Bruce Bugbee auch sehr zu empfehlen
Well done. australia also hopes to have legal pot in the next 50 years lol. :/
As a living soil grower, hugely appreciate it. I use a peat free, coco free substrate with success. Leaf litter compost, mushroom compost, vermiculite, perlite and rice hulls and local aged forest products. Then natural fert mixes. Sustainable, high performance and great water holding capability. No eco issues shipping from across continents for coco, no sustainable issues from peat moss, it's perf😍💪🤓
Thanks for sharing your system!
I don’t think perlite and vermiculite are sustainable because of the high energy input you need to produce them. Personally I use both too :)
I just grow in soil from my backyard places in growing bags and put some compost on top every few weeks while the plant is growing. Never needed any fertilizer :) Just use what you got and keep the soil alive.
My personal living soil mix: 50% peat moss-perlite grow mix, 30% coir, 10% worm castings and 10% fermented biochar (terra preta). With organic dry amendments as main fertilizer. And the shredded stalks of the previous harvest mixed in as additional green biomass at the bottom of the pot for drainage and aeration.
If you want a mineral mix and forget long term timed release fertilizer, try Osmocote pellets in the 3-4 month variant for indoor and 5-6 month variant for outdoor plants.
Thanks for sharing your living soil mix of ingredients.
Osmocote is some of the best fertiliser on the market, but damn it's expensive af in my country.
I just started growing in Rock Wool cubes and this vid showed me how to up my game. Video Shared. Stay Frosted!
Great to know, always happy to help people up their game!
I have a friend who’s been taking RSO for 3 weeks and has gotten the best numbers ever from her Cancer Doctor 🙏🏻✌🏻❤️
Great to hear, hope the positivity continues!
@@Chronicseedsinc fantastic news I hope your friend continues to improve from that horrible illness and shows again how important cannabis can be as a treatment for not only cancer but loads of different things. Give them my very very best and you stay strong for them also ,never underestimate how much you can be as well in their healing we are all connected and we can all help more than we know.🫵😘👍
I love hearing this. ❤
@@Soul_Contract she told me she’s changed nothing except started taking RSO, made my hair stand up when she told me ✌🏻❤️
@@Chronicseedsinc I'm a survivor of sorts myself so it fills my heart when hope is restored for others. Almost losing my life taught me the power of nature. Fast forward years later, Now I'm studying herbalism! Bless your heart for your altruism.
Thank you. Obtaining peat in Europe has become somewhat more difficult due to the damage to the landscape and vegetation caused by peat mining. At current temperatures, peatlands are also considered CO2 sinks. In Europe, the extraction and sale of peat is partly restricted depending on the country (Ireland has a peat ban), yes we are the good guys :-). But after the lecture it seems to me that coconut fiber is superior to peat.
Peat still has its benefits, if you can get it.
Beautiful work yet again clear and easily understood as always. Have a wonderful weekend.
That is the goal on the channel!
Hello, my name is Alexandre, I'm from Brazil, an agronomy student. I really appreciate the scientific information you bring to the community, I'm thinking about starting a channel with this model to bring cultivation information to Brazilians.
Hi Alexandre, thanks for the subscription. Creating any channel will take time and dedication, best of luck with your idea.
This is huge! Thank you. I started to mix my own soil.
I love the scientific knowledge, it helps so much for growing (only got a bachelor in biology though).
I'm looking forward to a video where you discuss wallostonite powder (I only know the german word Urgesteinsmehl), perlite, vermiculite, sand, and lots of other mediums for growing in general (not only cannabis, but that as well hehe)
Thanks for the subscription and here is the DeBacco University video you requested... ua-cam.com/video/wc5BvxuIwno/v-deo.html
Another great informative video !! ❤ this guy he makes the info easy to understand, and for me that’s great , thank you Debacco University
Glad it was helpful and thanks for the comment that is the goal of the channel to take complex scientific articles and provide the key information in an easy to apply video to help growers.
Great presentation … well done
Thank you, glad you liked it!
Exactly what i needed thank you
You are welcome.
very informative thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I prefer living soil in a sub-irrigated planter(SIP). Top water with compost tea weekly, and use a general-purpose organic nutrient mix that I top feed and water in with plain water right before flipping to flower. I use Build A Soil products because they came highly recommended in the forums I frequent.
The quality of the finished product when growing organically in a SIP vs. all my grows before making the switch is astonishing. I'm loyal to the soil for sure.
Back in the day, we used to use rockwool to get our babies started, then drop the plug in bagged soil in fabric pots. I used that method for years, but was constantly having to adjust watering and also spent a lot of time PHing and measuring out specific nutrients during various stages. It was a labor-intensive method.
When I switched to SIPs and living soil, I also stopped using liquid fertilizers to try and add specific nutes. By using a more general dry amendment, I saved time measuring and PHing nutes and also provided the plant with a buffet of nutrients to choose from.
The biggest issue I had was feeding enough. I started off light with infrequent tea feedings, but quickly realized that I was underfeeding. After feeding with tea weekly and increasing the dry amendment from 1/3 to a full cup, my plants were happy, healthy, and beautiful.
I know this is a crazy long comment, but you actually read the whole thing, would you mind doing a video on SIPs vs. Pots vs. Bags, etc?
Thanks for sharing your experience, and there is a video on containers, but not the sub-irrigated planters, but there is one on ebb and flow tables.
@@DeBaccoUniversity I'll check it out. Thanks.
I love the broad spectrum of your lecture. Thanks for such thoughtful lessons. I have learned a lot.
Happy to hear that!
Thank you for another video!!!
Glad to know you liked it, even though it is a longer video length.
Thank you Mr DeBacco, I have learned a lot from your channel watching many videos in the past year. There is just too much "bro science" out there and you are doing your part in changing these false paradigms and educating the general public. Both you and Bugbee are easy to follow and understand, even for rookies.
Glad to hear it and thanks for the comment, be sure to share the channel with others!
I learned the hard way last year. You want soil that has no flavor to it. I filled my holes with leaf mold and dead fish, then finished them off with miracle grow potting soil, I fed the plants cedar chip water and one watering that consisted of water soluble neem oil, my buds tasted like leaf mold and cedar wood chips with a hint of neem and dead fish. This year pure Sunshine brand potting soil with no additives, clean pure water and the only fertilizer is miracle grow in moderation. hoping for much better tasting buds this year.
Why you water with cedar chip water and neem oil is beyond me..
Interesting approach do you take a soil sample? (*If so, what are the results?)
@@DeltaH-9 I thought putting cedar chips in a bucket and filling it with water and letting it steep for a day or so would give my buds a piney taste. Wrong it gave them a number 2 pencil shavings taste. Live and learn. and pass on your findings to hope to prevent anybody else from making the same mistake. Oh yeah I only watered once with the neem max because I had an Aphid infestation, It didn't do anything for the aphids and I think feeding molasses water to the plants during veg is what attracted the aphids in the first place.
@@DeBaccoUniversity No soil samples, my holes are lined with plastic and filled with sunshine brand organic potting soil,, It didn't have any type of smell when I first put it in my holes and I haven't added anything to the soil except fresh water ever since except for the few miracle grow fertilizings I have done.
@smoothmove7566 Feeding with neem won't do anything. You would have to spray the foliage with neem or insecticidal soap. It'll suffocate the aphids, and they'll die. If you have access, you can also use parasitic wasps that paratize the aphids. They are tiny wasps. They aren't harmful to people. What substrate did you use?
Thanks for another great video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great grow media info, thanks!
Glad it was helpful and be sure to share the channel with others!
This video is great! I always learn something new from your videos
Awesome! Thank you!
My question is the effects of micro plastics on the plant. Does the plant absorb the plastics, or are they incompatible? Curious about the effects on smoke-ability. Nobody likes smoking plastic 😅
Are you sprinkling plastic dust on your buds? Or are you seriously asking if the plant will grow plastic in the flower...? If anything MP effects yield/ growth..
Probably gets broken down into hydrocarbons and stays in the soil but it’s always possible
@@1b3tr0ll1ng are you living in a world where we don't use plastic everywhere? Minimizing plastics is just my goal, again, curious on the effects on the plant, if the flower uptakes the plastic, or if it's rootbound, lowers yield, etc
@behlockaetheking7062 Plastics can leach toxic chemicals into the soil, which can lead to phytotoxicity and reduced growth.
@@DeltaH-9appreciated
thank you :)
No problem 😊
Brilliant, good to hear info for those of us who grow at home outdoors. Question how often would you add microbes to growing in the back yard?Thank you
If using soil, there are already plenty of microbes.
The ground makes its own.
Lol that's their habitat
@@freedom_born that’s assuming you know the soils history. With all the chemicals used and how water can transfer these chemicals the safety and life of soil ani’t what it used to be
@@bobdobs23
Huh?!
You asked for "outdoors at home" !!
IMO is your best bet for your own home outdoor mate. They're already tailored and designed for your specific location. That's why they're called IMO's !
*Indigenous Microorganisms*
@@bobdobs23
I mean unless you're staying in a pot - then you do not need extra microorganisms. The ground gives you enough of what it's tailored for!
Considering you said "at home outdoor" which generally means in-ground!
If you're gonna introduce foreign species, they might outcompete, and competition for food doesn't help the plant... or they might not compete at all and just die.
Coco all day
Many would agree with you and thanks for the subscription!
Thank you ❤
You are welcome!
Hydroponics.. Coco-coir/Perlite
Simple and works for many.
Should you water peat moss as you would the substrate?
Peat moss is a type of substrate.
@@DeBaccoUniversity should you water it daily?
could you make a video (or refer me to a source) that talks about nutrition.
Like this one... ua-cam.com/video/ZTE-YCNWC8s/v-deo.html
New video let’s goo
Nice to know you look forward to new content!
Thank you for this!
If you were growing 4 plants in a 4x4 tent, in your home, which medium would you use?
See the end of the video for the "best" substrate.
@DeBaccoUniversity I'm sorry. I misheard about the coir bags. I thought you meant coirs better for large scale. You were talking about the packaging.
Depends on your level of expertise/experience. Hydro is always the best for indoor. But then you have to run equipment you might not be familiar with. As well as learning ppm/EC, buffering, etc etc.
Coir is basically hydro too.
Nonetheless, you're gonna be dealing with water seepage and/or spillage anyway. Cos soil still needs feeding so you'll need catch trays etc - just the same as you'd need res buckets if hydro.
It honestly depends on your dedication and commitment. Soil would be the "easiest", whether synthetic or organic. Cos it doesn't need as much buff, EC, pH requirements.
Coco-coir/Perlite
I learned DWC I've tried other media but always have gone back to DWC everything else is just slomo.
Everyone has a favorite;-)
So basically,
Pick one, stick with it and you will eventually learn how to be successful with that substrate.
You can be successful with any of them, but when starting out it is good to know the options so you can select one that will fit your situation the "best".
Thanks for the effort, but nothing new here. Additionally, there was no attention paid to the damaging environmental aspects of peat moss - the usage of which is unsustainable and permanently scars the landscape.
Many different aspects to take into consideration.
well composted vegan hippies is always just right.
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
So off topic but if a plant is 10 weeks in flower and 10-15 amber trics but pistols are still white
Harvest is near!
the ones on the leaves will turn amber first , i ignore that
Please can you make a video on social equity programmes and compensation entitlements. I would like to make a cannabis insurance company after being criminalised when I was undertaking my undergraduate degree as all this is still illegal a 180° change on murder is not possible
Remember 1812 you lost and therefore still adhere to the United grand lodge of England
You mean like this one... ua-cam.com/video/t56YcrxJS3k/v-deo.html
🙂❤👍😊
Thanks!
Even he is bored hearing himself talk
May not be the most interesting, but this topic is critical to having a successful growing operation.
His videos are anything but boring.
One that I would recommend is CANNA COCO PROFESSIONAL PLUS , if u want to grow in coco
Thanks for providing the suggestion!
I love ur knowledge. Do you have a E-Mail i can use for one or two questions?
You can post questions here (just create a new post).
You are the best !! 🫵🏼👏🏼
Much appreciated.
@@DeBaccoUniversityyou shold to do more living soil studies and análisis