To start off let's talk about nitrogen. As a cannabis grower we either are worried about this macronutrient for having too much or not enough. Nitrogen is a mobile nutrient. This means that if you are lacking it the deficiency will show in the lower leaves. This appears as yellowing leaves when the plant starts to strip it from the lower leaves to send it to the new growth. If we have too much it presents itself as the dreaded claw. This is when the tips of your leaves bend downward. Too much Nitrogen going in to flower can also impede our bud development which is not an ideal situation for any cannabis grower. Our job is to find the right balance.
Nitrogen is a vital part of our plants as it is a major part of chlorophyll. This is why the green of our leaves are either yellowing when it's lacking, or dark green when it is at a toxic level. Chlorophyll is the compound our plants use to complete photosynthesis where they produce sugars from water, (sun)light, and carbon dioxide.
It is also a major component of Amino Acids which are the building blocks of proteins. I am presently unsure of how in depth I am going to go with this blog. I have looked in to supplementing Amino Acids as well in the soil. Brewers Yeast is readily available with a great Amnio Acid profile. Before I derail myself let's get back on track with Nitrogen.
As mentioned previously there are a few different methods/inputs of getting our Nitrogen to our soil. Without dulling the subject by what Nitrogen is and what it does, let's get down to it and start discussing the options.
Earth Worm Castings -
Earth worm castings contain an active biological mixture of bacteria, enzymes, remnants of plant matter and animal manure. Not to mention they have 50% more humus than can be found in top soil. With all this it is also a gentle source of nitrogen and our plants love it.
When creating your super soil you can mix it in with the substrate and give it a biological charge with a compost tea or Earth Worm tea. Both are quite effective at adding the biological kick start our super soils need. Then again, you can just mix this amendment in and be done with it; no teas needed.
I would mix this in at no less than 2-3 cups per cubic foot of soil. Once the soil is mixed and moistened, the microbes and enzymes go to work breaking down the other amendments. Then there is a biological explosion and the soil can take on an exothermic property where it puts off heat.
This heat is the reason our super soils need to sit and cook for at least month. It can and will fry tender roots. Some recommend letting it cook (sit) for 3 months, but I have used it as soon as 1 month of cooking.
Alfalfa Meal-
Alfalfa Meal is great at balancing sugars, proteins, and starches within the soil. It also brings triacontanol; a growth promoter for our plants. It also livens up the rhizosphere giving a great boost for the microbes.
It is actually considered a medium release amendment. Since we are adding it to our super soil and letting it cook for a month at least, it is readily available when we plant in it.
Feather Meal-
Feather Meal is a great source of slow release nitrogen. I wish I had something fancy to say about this amendment. It can cover an entire outdoor grow season to harvest once the other nitrogen inputs have worn out.
It's made from ground up poultry feathers. I discovered this one as I was reading the ingredients in Happy Frog's All Purpose Fertilizer. I love the smell of this stuff.
High Nitrogen Bat Guano-
Yes, not all Bat Guanos are high phosphorus. Through my reading I discovered that high phosphorus bat guano comes from bats that predominantly eat fruits. This high nitrogen bat guano comes from bats that eat insects.
Not only does this guano bring its own set of microbes, it has another ingredient us cannabis growers should be aware of; chitosan.
Insect shells are mostly made of chitosan, and since these bats feed on insects their excrement is full of chitosan as well. This is considered a slow release fertilizer, so if it's used I would reconsider how much Feather Meal is used. Most inputs are 2 Tbsp per cubic foot of soil (7 gallons), so one could conceivably use 1 Tbsp Feather Meal & 1 Tbsp High Nitrogen Bat Guano.
I used the bat guano in one of my first runs. I however have not used it since then, but felt it noteworthy to make mention of it. DO NOT SMELL BAT GUANO:
Histoplasmosis is caused by a fungus that lives in soil, particularly where there's a large amount of bird or bat poop. People can get histoplasmosis by breathing in fungal spores, and infection can be mild or life-threatening.
My eyes are struggling to get these posts done, and once I cover what I use I am ending the post. I will go over other inputs later. Perhaps less options is better since I don't want this to be overwhelming and desire it to feel approachable.
This covers all I have used or would use for my Nitrogen in my super soil recipe. Next week we will touch on Phosphorous inputs.
Per Cubic Foot of soil I would use:
2-3 cups EarthWorm Castings
4 Tbsp Alfalfa Meal
2 Tbsp Feather Meal
