Hydroponic crops: A little history
Since ancient times, man has looked for ways to cultivate and be able to supply himself with food. However, in 1920, the first discoveries began at the hands of Dennis Hoagland who is the father of the discovery of micronutrients as the basis for plant nutrition. These micronutrients are iron, sulfur, and magnesium which are vital for optimal plant development, but are only needed in small amounts. After this, during World War II, American soldiers began to grow their vegetables in water to avoid moving heavy loads of perishable food between Pacific islands, arid regions of the Middle East, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.
In this article, we are going to show you the best way to grow in a hydroponic system. The goal is for you to thoroughly learn all the necessary details so that you have heavy yields in each of your cannabis harvests.
What is hydroponic weed cultivation?
It is a cultivation system that is based on water, replacing the classic soil. Therefore, plants grow, flourish, and are harvested in a medium such as water. The hydroponic cultivation of ganja is also done with other plants or vegetables such as tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries, among others. If you are a beginning grower in hydroponics or a more knowledgeable gardener, we can guarantee that this guide will help you with your next crop.
What is the best hydroponic system for beginning breeders?
At this point, we are going to tell you about the main hydroponic growing systems. Also, we are going to highlight the growing systems that are easier for beginning growers.
Deep Water Culture
Prototype of a Deep Water Culture.
One of the easiest hydroponic systems for beginning gardeners is the Deep Water Culture (DWC) where plants grow with their roots immersed directly in nutrient water. Home growers can build their home growing system with dark-colored storage containers or buckets. Commercial gardeners, on the other hand, can create ponds through which the water runs and the weed plants grow in the first phase. After this, the plants in most cases are transferred to other specific rafts for flowering.
In this type of cultivation, you do not recirculate the water. It should be noted that it is necessary to use an oxygen producer so that the roots of the plants have fresh oxygen and to prevent plant death because the plants are always in the same water. If you look at soil cultivation, the plants obtain oxygen thanks to the pores in the substrate that allow air circulation. Regarding the cultivation in water, a pump is necessary to allow the oxygenation of the water.
What can we do so that the water has constant oxygen?
The solution is simple and cheap; you only need to put a pump in the water container where the ganja plants are grown. This air pump has an attached stone that you can buy in pet stores because it is the same one used in fish tanks. This is what delivers oxygen to the water so that your weed plants have an amazing growth and flowering.
What cannabis genetics can we grow in Deep Water Culture?
For this type of hydroponic system, we recommend growing more compact genetics, those that are better suited for size and height to Deep Water Culture. We say the above because cannabis plants with more apical growth (vertical), cultivation can be complicated compared to more spiky varieties.
Granddaddy Purple feminized seeds from Blimburn Seeds Bank.
What you see in the image above is a feminized Granddaddy Purple cultivar from Bilmburn Seeds Bank. As you can see, the plants have a moderate height and even a SCROG was made to have more uniform plants. We can add that mostly Indica strains such as Granddaddy Purple, Mango, or Hellfire OG are ideal for this type of crop because they tend to be more compact and also easy to grow for beginning breeders.
This style of hydroponic cultivation is for more advanced farmers because it requires experience to be able to grow these plants in a more uniform way and with one-piece containers. However, it is a good example to show you how the Blimburn Seeds genetics adapt in this type of cultivation and the heavy yields that you can obtain with a hydroponic garden.
What are the advantages of hydroponic cultivation?
There are two main benefits of this type of cultivation which are the rapid growth of the plants, the great potency, and also a much easier supply delivery. At this point, we are going to tell you about other great benefits of this growing style.
Maximizing space. Hydroponic cultivation can save up to 20% of space in relation to growing in soil.
Power and punch. Cannabis experts and connoisseurs say that buds harvested from a hydroponic crop stick better and have more power than those grown in substrate.
Roots of a plant in hydroponic
Cultivation time. It can be grown all year round with the garden indoors. On the other hand, you reduce the cultivation times because, as already said, the plants grow and bloom much faster.
Cleaner and greener. You don’t need pesticides for your marijuana plants. In general, weed plants are kept in sterile spaces, therefore, they do not need special treatments.
Water in the garden. You can maximize the water yield because you can reuse the water resource which means that you can reduce consumption by 20 times compared to a soil crop.
How to Make a DWC Hydroponic System for Beginning Farmers at Home
Deep Water Hydroponic
1- Storage container or bucket
In these containers or buckets is where you are going to put your plant so that it grows and flourishes in the water which contains the necessary nutrients to feed it. Deeper buckets and containers are found to be better by many breeders because they help balance fertilizer formulas. It is necessary to be careful so that the light does not enter the water inside the containers as this will cause harmful algae to grow in the water.
2- Make some holes in the lid of the container that you are going to use as pots
There must be several holes in the lid of the container to place the plants there. The diameter of the holes must be of a size where the plants do not fall and they must have a distance between them of about 15cm. In 50L buckets, you can make a single hole in the center of the bucket to grow a single plant.
3-You must assemble your water pump
This water pump must be assembled outside of the bucket or container for cultivation. You have to be careful that the pump does not suck water when it is off. With a tube, you must connect the air stone with the check valve. After this, you must connect the air pump to the check valve with a tube too.
4 – Fill the container or bucket with nutrients and measure the Ph
You must decide where the container with the plants is going to be located because it becomes heavy once it is full. Then, you must add the nutrients and carry out the respective PH measurement. With a PH meter, you should try to calibrate between 5.5 and 6.5 In case you need to regulate the PH, you can buy powders at your gardening store that help to raise or lower the PH so that it remains in balance.
5- Final arming of the system
You must put the stone inside the container and it must also be connected to the pump. Then, securely seal the lid of the container to prevent water from spilling. After this, you can start putting the plants in the holes. Your cannabis plants may have been previously grown in soil or in rock wool, this option being one of our favorites because it is not messy and is also less likely to contaminate the water in the container. On the other hand, in the upper holes of the lid, you can put clay granules or also rock wool as plugs which will help you to contain the water.
How can we maintain a hydroponic system?
First, the water levels must be analyzed so that they do not drop. This ensures that the roots will always remain in contact with the water, allowing the growth of the marijuana plant. Second, it is necessary to measure the PH levels each time you fill the pond or container with water so that the plants have good nutrition and can develop in a healthy way.
Change the water in the tank or container every 14-21 days. If you do not change the water, your plants can get sick or die, so it is best to use that precaution.
Is it possible to grow autoflowering varieties in hydroponics?
Of course it is possible! Here, we are going to share information about it. We are also going to share other techniques of the hydroponic growing method that are easier for beginning gardeners so that you can make your own water growing system.
The hydro EDBB and flow and continuous flow system
This is the easiest hydroponic growing method for novice gardeners. You must put ponds with water reserves at the bottom of the container. The pump works every 15 minutes, delivering a flow of water that fills the growing area and feeds the marijuana plants with the necessary nutrients. When the water reaches its peak, the pump is turned off and the nutrient water is drained through a pipe.
When you use this type of hydro system, you can use perlite, coconut fiber, or clay balls to hold the plant, both in growth and flowering. Remember that you must have some type of medium so that the roots can take hold of something and grow properly.
Gorilla G#4 Auto from Blimburn Seeds Bank in hydroponic.
This incredible Gorilla G #4 auto has shown its full potential in this hydroponic cultivation. If you are a new grower, perhaps the size of the plant will surprise you. However, friend, we tell you that autoflowering genetics tend to show monstrous growth and flowering in these types of crops.
To grow large, autoflowering cannabis plants, some gardeners recommend these tips:
- Start with the basic nutrition of fertilizers in the water in minimal doses and then, in the first week, add additives and stimulants.
- The use of rooting agents and hormones is essential for the root structure of the weed plant to develop in the best way.
- Perform PH and EC analysis at least 2 or 3 times a week in the water. With these analyses, the breeder makes sure that the plant is receiving the proper nutrition, in addition, it ensures a powerful growth and flowering.
- When germinating the seeds and making them sprout together with their pair of cotyledons, it is recommended to use jiffys so that the plant is placed in its definitive pot without the need to transplant.
- Check the water daily. With this activity, you will be able to prevent algae from growing and prevent the accumulation of insects or pests in the water container where the plants are. If the container of the plants has insects or algae, you must remove the water, clean the hydroponic system, and put in new water in order to prevent the plants from getting sick or dying.
Thank you for wanting to learn more about this amazing plant and the different ways of growing it. Buy your cannabis seeds now from Blimburn Seeds Bank and start with your hydroponic cultivation. If you have questions, do not forget to leave a comment on this blog. Our professional advisers will guide you in the cultivation of your herb so that you can harvest large plants loaded with buds.
