There are tons of options for growing marijuana, and they all have their pros and cons, of course. Aside from growing outdoors, each option still requires you to get rid of plant debris and toxins by either throwing the water out or obtaining new soil for each plant.
So, to fix this issue there is an exciting green option that keeps money in your wallet while helping you end up with larger and healthier plants.
Have you ever heard of aquaponics?
If you put hydroponics and aquaculture together, you end up with aquaponics.
Various animals such as snails, frogs, fish, and turtles survive in aquaculture environments. Hydroponics grows plants in a system that does not include soil which offers your plant food through the water.
By bringing these to unique environments together, you can create a mutually beneficial setup where the plants get to enjoy nutrients the fish release and the fish get the advantage of the plants cleaning the water. You’ll spend less time and energy by using this type of system.
So how does this thing work?
A good portion of fish excrement has an ammonia base. Their feces and uneaten food are transmuted into ammonia during mineralization. When the water from the fish tank is filtered, bacteria turns the ammonia into nitrites, then into nitrates. The nitrates are then pushed to the plant for food.
The pH balance must be on point in this type of environment so you have to get fish that enjoy the same pH as marijuana. Hydro marijuana grows well in a 5.5 to 6.5 range, and a lot of fish prefer 6.5 to 7.5. The fish can eventually adjust to your marijuana’s preferred levels by changing the pH by no more than .2 pH per day. The best fish for this system are catfish, koi, goldfish and black moors.
The cons of aquaponics
If you are just starting as a marijuana grower, this may not be the right choice for you because it is not for beginners. With this system, you most certainly want to know what you are doing because you’d want to make sure your fish stay alive, while understanding hydro growing.
Taking care of fish may sound easy, but it’s actually quite a challenge to keep those bad boys afloat. This just isn’t the way to go for people looking for a quick fix to growing weed.
Is aquaponics worth it?
While this is a new system, the few marijuana growers who have tried this have reported excellent results. But it’s not just marijuana growers who are trying this. People are growing peppers, cucumbers, kale, cabbage, tomatoes, spinach and lettuce using this system. People are using this system to help foster a more organic lifestyle when it comes to their herbs and vegetables.
We say it is definitely worth a shot!
by Robert Bergman, founder of ilovegrowingmarijuana.com. Robert has been growing cannabis passionately for over 20 years and shares these insights to help educate growers to avoid mistakes and to fully capitalize on a bud’s potential.
(Photo: ediblemilwaukee.com)