As some of you at 420 Magazine know I have multiple sclerosis, and the older I get, the worse the pain, muscle stiffness and spasms become. Looking for alternatives to mitigate or minimize my symptoms, I decided to test my more traditional gardening skills on a non-traditional approach…cultivating medicinal marijuana for personal use. I was a little nervous at first but have transitioned pretty well. Getting started on growing medicinal marijuana with no knowledge of the plant was a little intimidating to say the least.
Jumping into the forums, reading blogs and articles proved to be extremely helpful. Interestingly enough, this is how I discovered my gardening skills for growing tomatoes (the best homegrown tomatoes ever) would come in handy. I discovered these two plants require very similar growing conditions. In fact, if you can grow tomatoes, you can probably grow cannabis too.
As I am getting more and more into the nuances of cultivating, I’ve noticed quite a bit of discussion about what mycorrhizae or mycorrhizal fungus is and the benefits it might offer during plant cultivation. In my experience, as both a recreational vegetable gardener and now medicinal marijuana grower, these fungi help build a natural microbial system in and on the plant’s roots greatly enhancing the plant growth and vigor. I like to think of them as tiny workhorses working sight unseen to make sure I have a strong root system and a great yield.
So, what are mycorrhizae and how does it benefit my plant? Mycorrhizae are soil organisms that have a close, symbiotic relationship with the plant’s rhizosphere. The word “mycorrhizae” actually stems from the latin words mycor (fungus) and rhiza (root). The mycorrhizae and roots form a sort of tissue that enlarges the surface absorption area of the roots by 100 to 1000 times. Mycorrhizae create thousands of tiny filaments or threads that act like an extension of the root system. This not only increases the plant’s ability to uptake water but also the ability to uptake vital nutrients.
Plants supplemented mycorrhizae will be less likely to be “held up” by the inability to uptake nutrients. For indoor growers that have spent a lot of money on high-powered lighting and CO2 enrichment, designed to maximize photosynthesis, this is particularly important to know. Mycorrhizae also increase resistance to environmental stresses like drought or cold and reduce shock associated with transplanting.
Here is an excerpt from one of the articles I found online addressing the value mycorrhizae brings to the cannabis growing process: “Cannabis with well-established mycorrhizae tend to perform better than those that do not. The relationship between mycorrhizae and Cannabis is a symbiotic one; both organisms benefit from their association with the other. The Cannabis plant provides a carbohydrate source for the fungus, and in return, the fungus assists the plants in nutrient uptake, drought resistance, and blocking their environmental niche from pathogenic fungi. Mycorrhizae collect and process nitrogen, phosphorus and a variety of micronutrients, and pass them to the plant. Of particular use is their ability to increase phosphorus uptake, which dramatically increases in non-infected plants.”
For those of you who are visual, I found this video:
It is an animation showing how the fungi attach to the roots and feeds the plant. Created by the makers of PRO-MIX HP, this video is pretty easy to understand. I was actually using the product before and it is easily found in the nursery section of Home Depot or Lowes. You can’t miss it – it has a tomato plant on the packaging – that’s how I first found it!
Hopefully this article will help other gardeners (like me) realize their knowledge may transfer and that they may be able to help others seeking advice should they need to grow medical marijuana. Knowledge is power! So, please share.
Jumping into the forums, reading blogs and articles proved to be extremely helpful. Interestingly enough, this is how I discovered my gardening skills for growing tomatoes (the best homegrown tomatoes ever) would come in handy. I discovered these two plants require very similar growing conditions. In fact, if you can grow tomatoes, you can probably grow cannabis too.
As I am getting more and more into the nuances of cultivating, I’ve noticed quite a bit of discussion about what mycorrhizae or mycorrhizal fungus is and the benefits it might offer during plant cultivation. In my experience, as both a recreational vegetable gardener and now medicinal marijuana grower, these fungi help build a natural microbial system in and on the plant’s roots greatly enhancing the plant growth and vigor. I like to think of them as tiny workhorses working sight unseen to make sure I have a strong root system and a great yield.
So, what are mycorrhizae and how does it benefit my plant? Mycorrhizae are soil organisms that have a close, symbiotic relationship with the plant’s rhizosphere. The word “mycorrhizae” actually stems from the latin words mycor (fungus) and rhiza (root). The mycorrhizae and roots form a sort of tissue that enlarges the surface absorption area of the roots by 100 to 1000 times. Mycorrhizae create thousands of tiny filaments or threads that act like an extension of the root system. This not only increases the plant’s ability to uptake water but also the ability to uptake vital nutrients.
Plants supplemented mycorrhizae will be less likely to be “held up” by the inability to uptake nutrients. For indoor growers that have spent a lot of money on high-powered lighting and CO2 enrichment, designed to maximize photosynthesis, this is particularly important to know. Mycorrhizae also increase resistance to environmental stresses like drought or cold and reduce shock associated with transplanting.
Here is an excerpt from one of the articles I found online addressing the value mycorrhizae brings to the cannabis growing process: “Cannabis with well-established mycorrhizae tend to perform better than those that do not. The relationship between mycorrhizae and Cannabis is a symbiotic one; both organisms benefit from their association with the other. The Cannabis plant provides a carbohydrate source for the fungus, and in return, the fungus assists the plants in nutrient uptake, drought resistance, and blocking their environmental niche from pathogenic fungi. Mycorrhizae collect and process nitrogen, phosphorus and a variety of micronutrients, and pass them to the plant. Of particular use is their ability to increase phosphorus uptake, which dramatically increases in non-infected plants.”
For those of you who are visual, I found this video:
It is an animation showing how the fungi attach to the roots and feeds the plant. Created by the makers of PRO-MIX HP, this video is pretty easy to understand. I was actually using the product before and it is easily found in the nursery section of Home Depot or Lowes. You can’t miss it – it has a tomato plant on the packaging – that’s how I first found it!
Hopefully this article will help other gardeners (like me) realize their knowledge may transfer and that they may be able to help others seeking advice should they need to grow medical marijuana. Knowledge is power! So, please share.
