As the cannabis industry continues to grow economically as well as in popularity, consumers are looking for more upper echelon buds. In response, growers have become more articulate in their approach to producing craft cannabis. With techniques such as hydroponics becoming more popular, a fair question has risen: which way of growing it is better? Is utilizing hydroponics better to create craft cannabis? Or should growers continue to cultivate How about the application of organic vs chemical nutrients? Let’s take a look at which technique is better for making AAA-Grade Cannabis.
How is Craft Cannabis Grown with Soil?
For manyyears, cannabis has grown wildly without human interaction throughout the globe. Early cannabis cultivators have been recorded as early as 3000 B.C. Today, growers have virtually mastered the art of growing cannabis in a fortified soil medium. The typical grow medium will include vermiculite, perlite as well as peat moss. Growing craft cannabis also requires specific amounts of the following nutrients:
- Nitrogen
- Phosphorus
- Sulfur
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Potassium
Many of these same nutrients are needed for all plant (and human) life. Cannabis cultivators have been able to identify advanced growing techniques that help enhance bud density, terpene profiles and even provide a respectable amount of potency via cannabinoids.
How top-shelf cannabis is grown with hydroponics
In addition to growing craft cannabis with soil, growers have taken a strong interest in utilizing hydroponic techniques. Hydroponics refers to cannabis plants that have been grown using a nutrient water-rich solution and a static growing medium instead of soil that has been fortified with nutrients. This form of growing craft cannabis could be something as basic as pots in a grow tray within a static medium with a nutrient solution. Most hydroponics grow setups are complex systems with multiple pumps, reservoirs as well as timers. Utilizing a hydroponics grow setup can be quite tedious and require a slew of daily tender, love and care. However, this also means that a hydroponics setup will require a greater financial as well as laborious investment.
The drawbacks of soil mediums for cannabis
Cannabis cultivators have been using multiple hydroponic methods for many years as a way to maximize yields and speed up growth, the two main advantages of soilless growing. Moreover, working with soils indoors can be quite inefficient and difficult for a number of reasons:
- Soil may become nonrecyclable
- More susceptible to pest outbreaks
- Complex nature associated with specific amount of nutrients
- Increased soil pH monitoring
- Increased use of chemicals resulting in unhealthy cannabis
- Inability to fine-tune key elements of cannabis like nutrients and trichome structures
The benefits of hydroponics
However, traditional grow methods are not that bad. when cannabis cultivators ultize hydroponic methods, the can use soil medium that can has more recyclable properties while being able to control what nutrients the plants need to receive during the appropriate stage of the plant’s life. This also includes better regulation of pH levels. With the ability to fine-tune growers find that their buds are bigger, healthier and more potent.
Top-shelf cannabis and hydroponics
So, which grow method is better for craft cannabis? The answer is simple: Hydroponics. This ‘soilless’ method allows cannabis cultivator to tweak their cannabis in very particular fashions. Hydroponics can allow growers to increase bud density, precise nutrients, complex terpene profiles and even produce that sugary coat on buds by altering trichrome structures. Although creating craft cannabis can be quite tedious and time consuming, hydroponics will ultimately lead to a higher quality of craft cannabis in comparison to traditional methods.