Selecting A Fertilizer
The 2 main options are Synthetic or Organic Fertilizers. Synthetically derived fetilizers are manufactured from minerals, gasses from the air and inorganic waste materials. Organic Fertilizers are derived from plant and animal sources such as manures, composts, kelp meal, blood meal, bone meal etc., plant extracts/ferments and so on. Both have their pros and cons. Synthetic Fertilizer feeds the plant directly with higher concentrations of NPK that are quickly absorbed by the plant. Organics feed the soil microbial life which in turn converts it into absorbable nutrients and then feeds them to the plant more slowly over time. Both Synthetics and Organics come in dry and liquid forms. Synthetics are cheaper. Organics are more expensive at the beginning but if you can learn to build and care for living soil it can become cheaper over time. Synthetics can give you more control over what you’re feeding but can also cause nutrient burn (too high of nutrient concentration in root zone causing leaves to droop, yellow, turn brown and crispy) or worse yet nutrient lock out (even higher concentration which alters the mediums pH and prevents nutrient absorption by roots). Organics can have nutrient deficiencies that can be hard to diagnose and slow to correct but the slow release is generally protective against burn & lockout. Synthetics don’t offer much in the way of immune support and pest resistance. They can be supplemented with microbes but application is ongoing throughout the entire cycle as there’s no soil food web to create a self-sustaining population. Appropriate use of Organics builds microbial populations and helps support plant health and immunity to pests and disease. And finally Organics can produce a stankier and more flavorful flower than Synthetics but that being said a whole lot of how dank your flower is based on genetics and the care taken during the drying and especially the curing of your herbs.
If I was going to recommend a simple route for Organics I would recommend purchasing some Roots Organics Soil (Peat and Perlite with Compost) with a prepared dry amendment kit from Nature’s Living Soil. This is as plug n play as organics gets. Mix your dry amendments in (which smells like holy hell btw.. until it’s mixed in and watered) with the Roots Organics and you’ll have an add straight water only set up.
If you can’t find Roots Organic Soil then you can make your own soil by Combining equal parts Peat, Perlite & Compost. Look up Clackamas Coots Soil Recipe for more info. Or go to Build A Soil or KISS Organics online for great info and products.
For synthetic nutrients there are A LOT of options and products in this category. Good success can be had with simple 2 or 3 Part Powdered Nutrients like Jack’s, FrontRowAG, Veg+Bloom or Bottled lines Like Botanicare, Canna, House & Garden and Athena. The list goes on and on. Choose the best you can afford but save room in your budget for some supplements like Microbials(increase nutrient uptake), Bat Guano (increase aroma/flavor), Enzymes (Breaks down salts to reduce nutrient build up) and a Silica Product (increases nutrient uptake, strengthens stems, increases drought tolerance) if you can afford it like Power Si or Dyna-Gro Pro-TeKt.
