Powdered vs Liquid Nutrients: Which should you choose?

by Travis C | Feb 13, 2023 | Blog, Broscience Mythbusters, Culture, Editorial, Grow Tips, Growing, Marijuana

powdered vs liquid nutrients, liquid fertilizer or powdered fertilizer for cannabis

There’s debate over just about anything when it comes to growing cannabis. What soil you should use, if you should even use soil. What type of lights you should use, or if growing outdoors is better than indoor.

But today we’re talking about nutrients, and settling the powdered vs liquid nutrients debate.

You wouldn’t be wrong if you have noticed an increase in the popularity of powdered fertilizers over the past couple of years. But is it because they are better than liquid fertilizer?

Liquid Nutrients/Liquid Fertilizer

Liquid nutrients have been the standard for large scale cultivation, mainly for its ease of application on a large scale. With a reservoir system and irrigation a grower can easily dose out their liquid nutrients for regular, automated feedings.

Another benefit to liquid nutrients is that they are pre-mixed, saving the grower time which a valuable commodity in the grow. With liquid nutrients it is important to always read the dilution rates.

A highly concentrated liquid fertilizer can overwhelm your plants if not properly diluted and fed on specific schedule. Giving your plants too many nutrient too quickly can result in nutrient burn or nutrient lockout. Luckily these problems can be solved relatively easy if you catch them in time.

One of the most common arguments you may hear against liquid fertilizers is that you are just paying for water. In a sense that is true since liquid nutrients will often come diluted in the bottle. Some liquid nutrients have small concentrations of actual nutrients, resulting in bottles that may be over 80% water.

Additionally with the convenience of pre-mixed liquid nutrients and liquid fertilizers comes a higher price point. This is one of the main reasons many growers have made the switch the powdered nutrients in recent years.

Powdered Nutrients/Powdered Fertilizers

Anybody who has been participating in the legal cannabis industry in the US is likely aware of the current state of the industry. Long story short, it isn’t doing too well!

The average price of cannabis per pound dropped dramatically after COVID. Many growers were forced to completely drop out due to the costs of growing compared to the profit they were making. Others tried to find ways to cut costs.

One of the main ways growers found to cut costs was with powdered nutrients. Powdered fertilizers are cheaper than their liquid counterparts because they don’t come pre-mixed or measured. There is less processing involved in making the product as well, so it is cheaper for the customer.

This in no way makes powdered nutrients inferior. The grower just has to be a little more involved in the nutrient mixing process.

In fact many growers now prefer powdered fertilizer over liquid fertilizer for its simplicity and cost savings. Modern powdered fertilizers come in easily dissolvable granules that mix easily with water so there isn’t much extra work involved.

One downside to powdered nutrients is that the concentration in one scoop might not be the same as the total bag’s nutrient concentration. For example, a powdered fertilizer may be 33% nitrogen, 33% phosphorous and 33% potassium, but a single scoop could be 40%, 30% and 30%.

Because this is much more common in larger powdered fertilizers, companies that sell 25 pound powdered nutrients will recommend batch size concentrations. In other words if you buy a commercial size powdered fertilizer, mix it all at once to ensure consistency instead of scooping out individual feedings.

Powdered vs Liquid Nutrients

As with anything when it comes to growing cannabis, you’ll find solid arguments on both sides of the powdered vs liquid nutrients debate. One side may be more convincing than the other but in the end it just comes down to cost and preference.

For the grower trying to save costs without cutting quality, powdered nutrients is definitely the way to go. A grower that is more concerned with saving time and increasing efficiency may have more luck with liquid nutrients.

Liquid fertilizers offer a level of convenience that powdered fertilizers never will in that they come pre-mixed in most cases. But the time saved may not be worth the extra cost in comparison to powdered fertilizers which provide the same level of nutrition with just a little more work involved.

Whatever you may decide, check out Cultivate Hydroponic’s video on the topic with Jimmy and Darryl in a Red vs Blue Battle!

CANNA Nutrients: THE Cannabis Nutrient Line

by Travis C | Jan 30, 2023 | Blog, Broscience Mythbusters, Cannabis Science, Culture, Grow Tips, Growing, Opinion, Science & Technology

canna nutrients review, cannabis nutrients

CANNA is a leading company in the world of cannabis cultivation and nutrient management. The company provides a full line of professional-grade nutrients and supplements specifically designed for plants of the cannabis family. With CANNA’s decades of experience in the field, growers can trust that their products are the highest quality and most effective for optimal growth.

CANNA Nutrients designed by science

First and foremost, CANNA products are designed with the intended environment in mind. CANNA offers a specially designed nutrient line for hydroponic systems and one for soil systems, both of which have been expertly created to optimize yield and quality. CANNA also offers tailored nutrient solutions for different stages of development, so no matter which stage your crop is at, you can trust that the nutrients it is receiving are the best-suited for maximum growth.

Beyond optimization, CANNA nutrients are also designed to be eco-friendly and sustainable. CANNA utilizes natural ingredients and avoids the use of unnecessary chemicals, allowing you to rest assured that your cannabis is being grown in an environment that is safe for both you and the planet.

Top Quality Cannabis Nutrients

The company also prides itself on its strict quality control standards. Before any product is shipped, it is meticulously inspected and tested in order to ensure that it meets the highest standards of purity and potency. This ensures that the nutrients you are providing for your crop are of superior quality, so that you can trust that the results you are getting are the very best.

Finally, CANNA provides outstanding customer service and support. All CANNA products come with a full warranty, and the company is dedicated to providing customers with helpful advice and assistance. If you have any questions or concerns, the knowledgeable staff at CANNA will be more than happy to help you out.

Cannabis Growers Agree on CANNA

CANNA nutrients are a great option for growers looking to get the most out of their cannabis crop. With powerful and eco-friendly products, strict quality control standards, and excellent customer service, it’s easy to see why CANNA is the go-to choice for many professional and amateur growers alike.

Top 5 Grow Room Upgrades for 2023

by Travis C | Jan 23, 2023 | Blog, Culture, Grow Tips, Growing, LED, Opinion, Science & Technology

top 5 grow room upgrades and grow room build tips

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Starting the New Year strong means getting those grow room upgrades you’ve been pushing off!

There are some aspects of a grow room build that are always consistent, like how much space you have to work with. What you can change, however, is how well that space works for you.

In other words, with the right grow room build and grow room upgrades, you can set yourself for success no matter the size of your room. Today, we’re going over the top five grow room upgrades we think you should be making in 2023.

Top 5 Grow Room Upgrades

It can be difficult to choose what grow room upgrades to make in 2023, when there are so many options. We are not saying that every upgrade in this list needs to be made in order to be successful.

We believe that optimizing your grow room build to be as efficient and cost-effective as possible it what matters. While some grow room upgrades may come with a hefty price tag, many of these upgrades will pay themselves off in time.

Upgrade Your Grow Lights

The number one grow room upgrade we recommend to growers these days is to upgrade grow lights. It wasn’t that long ago that HPS (High Pressure Sodium) lighting was king.

Just about every commercial facility was using HPS lights because they were the most efficient. But that has now changed.

LED grow lights have revolutionized indoor cultivation. LEDs don’t just save on electricity costs compared to HPS grow lights thanks to their efficiency. LED lights also offer a much wider light spectrum for your plants.

The spectrum of LEDs more closely simulates natural sunlight, which is what your plants truly crave.

On a large scale, the costs of LEDs and HPS lights may be similar, but what you lose in efficiency and energy costs with HPS, you get in spades with an LED.

Grow Room Dehumidifier

Even in Colorado, humidity can become an issue in an order cultivation facility. As plants are fed water and performing photosynthesis, moisture is produced by the plants themselves.

This moisture can add up over time, and without proper maintenance can result in mold, mildew, bugs and other issues. Just one dehumidifier in your grow can make a significant difference.

The old, roll-in dehumidifiers that sat in the corner of the grow are a thing of the past. With a little hardware, you can hang a Quest or Anden dehumidifier right in the middle of your room to maximize its efficiency.

Environmental Controller for your Grow Room

2023 is the year of efficiency, and that means taking more control over your grow to save time. An environmental controller is one of the best grow room upgrades you can make this year.

The term “environmental controller” can be broad, or specific. That is, you can get a controller that merely controls your light cycles. You can also get a controller that will monitor and control your temperature, humidity, lights, feeding cycles and more.

The amount of automation in your grow more or less determines what type of environmental controller you will need for your grow room build. For example if you are hand watering, there is no need for a controller that manages irrigation.

However as you’ll learn in our next grow room upgrade recommendation, you should reconsider hand watering too.

Grow Room Irrigation

Hand watering has its perks, like getting up close and personal with each plant. But it isn’t worth the potential mistakes we can make as humans.

Hand feeding is more likely to result in overfeeding, underfeeding or mis-measuring nutrient doses, which is why automated irrigation is our next grow room upgrade recommendation for 2023.

Setting up automated irrigation can be intimidating, and it can certainly be time consuming. But with proper resources like our own DIY irrigation build out tutorial, you can start designing and building your irrigation system with ease.

Automating your feedings doesn’t just save you the time of hand watering, it also ensures your plants get the exact amount of nutrients they need in every feeding. With the help of an environmental controller, the irrigation process can be entirely automated.

Think of the hours saved that can be spent on more important matters in the grow, like getting the most out of your space!

Rolling Benches Grow Room Upgrade

It’s time to pick the plants up off the grow room floor and put them on a rolling bench. Here’s the thing; they aren’t actually on wheels.

A rolling bench is a stationary stand with a moveable tabletop. This design allows the grower to move the tabletop side to side without actually moving the table itself.

In other words, you can have two rolling benches directly next to each other, while still being able to move one out of the way to move between them and check on plants. No more stationary isles!

When maximizing square footage is the name of the game, rolling benches in the grow room will help do it better than anything else.

Other Grow Room Upgrades

There are always new upgrades to make in the grow room, whether it is new tech or the cultivation style itself. At Cultivate, we keep our finger on the pulse of the industry, and work with leading brands to stay ahead of trends and keep you informed.

If there’s a grow room upgrade you think we missed or should cover next, let us know! Don’t forget to check out our Top 5 Grow Room Upgrades and Grow Room Build Tips video on YouTube!

Top 3 Machine Trimmers for Cannabis

by Travis C | May 19, 2022 | Blog, Cannabis Business, Cannabis Science, Grow Tips, Growing, Opinion, Science & Technology

The rise of machine trimmers for cannabis across the industry has made them an essential for commercial cultivators that want a manicured final product that still holds its quality. The rough-bladed, choppy machine trimmers of the past are no more.

Now you can get a bud that looks like it is handtrimmed, while trimming more pounds per hour than ever before.

When it comes time to trim, you have two things to decide; whether you want to trim your harvest wet or dry, and choosing between hand trimming or machine trimming.

For the former, it is mainly preference. Trimming dry or wet is more of a personal choice and different growers will express the pros and cons of each method.

Trimming by hand or with a machine on the other hand can be a much simpler decision, dependent on the size of your operation. It might only take a few hours to trim up 6 plants, but 6,000 plants? That’s a lot of time, and a lot of hands.

In a large scale operation, you might pay a dozen people to trim it all by hand which can take days. A machine trimmer for cannabis can get the same work done in mere hours. But what about the quality?

Those who prefer hand trimming to machine trimmers for cannabis mostly claim that the same quality trim is just not possible with a bud trimming machine. However the quality of bud trimming machines has improved exponentially.

You can achieve a great looking, well-manicured harvest with a bud trimming machine these days, as long as your using the right one. Here are three of the best bud trimming machines for getting a quality trim without doing damage to your harvest.

GreenBroz Model M Dry Trimmer

GreenBroz Model M Dry Trimmer bud trimming machine

The GreenBroz Model M Dry Trimmer is designed to closely mimic the act of hand trimming your harvest while at the same time increasing the consistency and efficiency of your harvest process.

While the Model M is primarily designed to be gentle, quiet, and extremely easy to clean, the 16 pounds per hour capacity allows you to trim as quick as anyone in the game.

Their patented blade design features surgical grade stainless steel which allows for the gentle rolling of the flower maintaining the natural curves and integrity of your product.

You can trim over 16 pounds per hour with the Model M, and it’s easy to take apart for cleaning. GreenBroz was one of the first companies to produce high quality machine trimmers for cannabis. They’re reliable and effective for the price.

Twister BatchOne Dry Trimmer

Twister BatchOne Dry Trimmer bud trimming machine If 16 pounds per hour just won’t cut it, the Twister BatchOne Dry Trimmer will exceed your expectations.

With the ability to trim up to 88 pounds dry per hour, the BatchOne allows you to move through your harvest quickly so you can accelerate your time to market and maximize your return on investment. The BatchOne is designed with ultra-fine saddle adjustments and paired with a ¼ HP motor which prevents stalling, to provide the confidence needed to walk away while achieving the industry’s tightest batch style trim.

Everything from the ease of loading and unloading product from both sides, to a removable control box for simplified wash down and even 360 rotating casters makes BatchOne portability a dream. The BatchOne machine trimmer for cannabis is the next generation of trimmer; sleek, easy to use and effective.

CenturionPro Original Wet/Dry Trimmer

CenturionPro Original Wet and Dry bud trimming machine What if you want the best of both worlds with the option to trim wet or dry? The Original Trimmer from CenturionPro can meet your needs.

The CenturionPro Original Standard System comes all-inclusive with the largest hopper in the industry, a 3 horsepower leaf collector suction system and our unique triple-bag kief filtration & trim collection system. Our machines are specially designed to trim both wet and dry material.

The Original can process 50 pounds per hour wet and 10 pounds dry. While not the the most efficient in terms of output per hour, having the ability to trim both wet and dry with one machine puts the CenturionPro Original ahead of the competition.

Cultivate offers drop shipping on all of the industry’s leading wet and dry bud trimming machines, so you never have to worry about us being out of stock! Get in touch with us to set up your order for a high quality machine trimmer for cannabis.

What is IPM? Integrated Pest Management Explained

by Travis C | May 11, 2022 | Blog, Cannabis Science, Grow Tips, Growing, Hemp, Marijuana

It’s easy to think that dealing with a pest problem on your plants is as simple as spraying some pesticides and letting it do the work. But it isn’t always that simple.

Different pesticide products can fight various forms of pests, mold and mildew, at all different stages of development. Some focus specifically on eggs, while others focus on dealing with matured pests.

The key to dealing with potential pest problems is preventing them from happening in the first place. That is where Integrated Pest Management, aka IPM, comes in.

What is IPM?

IPM is relatively self-explanatory. You are integrating preventative pest management practices directly into your grow regiment.

That doesn’t just mean using various pesticide products throughout your growth cycle to prevent various issues though. In fact, we would argue that just as important to your IPM regiment, if not more important, is your environmental control practices.

Certain environments not only welcome, but help to breed various pests that you’ll then have to apply additional products to in order to destroy. Keeping your environment under the right conditions is the first step to preventing an eco system welcoming to pests.

Integrated Pest Management Practices

Opposed to waiting for a problem to appear and dealing with it, IPM aims to prevent the problem from happening at all. This is done by using a range of pest control products throughout your plant’s growth cycle.

That means from the very beginning, regardless of if you even have a bug problem, you need to be giving your plants pest control products anyway. Think of it like wearing a seat belt.

You never plan on getting in a car accident, but you wear a seat belt as a safety precaution just in case. IPM is the seat belt for your plants.

Through providing your plants consistently with pest control products, if any pest, mold or mildew were to appear (which is already less likely thanks to IPM), you have a head start on fighting it.

While you will be giving your plants these pesticide products regularly, you don’t need to use the full dosage that you would use if the pest was already there. This means you can use less of the product throughout your growth cycle, so you’re less likely to damage your plants while still preventing potential problems.

So what products should you use?

Best IPM Products

At Cultivate we recommend three types of pesticide products for IPM: an oil-based product, a pyrethrin product, and an azadirachtin product. Using these three products in unison will help prevent just about any potential pest, mold or mildew issue that could arise.

But remember, it can all be for nothing if you don’t take control of your environment.

Lost Coast Plant Therapy is an oil based product that in its traditional usage will adhere to the target insect, egg case or larvae to destroy it. When used in a diluted fashion, the oil coating of Plant Therapy will prevent any bugs from landing on the plants and laying their eggs.

Pyrethrins are a class of organic compounds normally derived from Chrysanthemum flowers that have potent insecticidal activity by targeting the nervous systems of insects. Bonide Pyrethrin Garden Spray is effective against just about any potential pest.

Even in its traditional usage, Garden Spray can be used up until the day of harvest if necessary. That makes this product a great addition to your IPM regiment in a diluted dosage.

Azadirachtin is a chemical that is sourced from the Neem tree which is most prevalent in India, and one of the oldest known pest control products in history. AzaMax is an antifeedant and insect growth regulator that controls pests through starvation and growth disruption.

AzaMax is effective against all of the most common pests that might come for your plants. It is also organic and avoids using harsh chemical solvents, which makes it great as an IPM product.

Remember…ENVIRONMENT

While using the above products together is a great way to protect your grow from unwanted pests, mold or mildew, they can only do so much to combat a bad grow environment.

Hot, humid environments are breeding grounds for bacteria and make a great home for pests to lay eggs. Cold and dry environments can cause the same issues.

Your environmental needs will depend on what is being grown. You wouldn’t just throw some tomato seeds out into a dry dead field and expect them to grow without doing some research. Your indoor grow shouldn’t be any different!

Indoor Grow Tent Setup Guide

by Travis C | Jan 31, 2022 | Blog, Grow Tips, Growing, Legalization, Medical Marijuana, Science & Technology

how to set up an indoor grow tent for cannabis

Growing indoors is a great way to protect your plants from the conditions of the outdoors. But finding the right spot for your plants inside without a specific space set aside can be difficult.

With an indoor grow tent, not only can you grow your plants indoors in a secure space. A grow tent also gives you even more control over the environment your plants will grow in throughout their cycle.

Choosing an indoor grow tent

When choosing a grow tent, the main factors are the size and features. An average indoor grow tent will be 4′ x 4′ x 6.5′, which is a great compact size that still allows for optimal growth due to the height allowance.

To make everything easier, look for a grow tent with adjustable ports for vent fans/ducting, screened vent panels, and an adjustable power cord port. Growing in a tent will still require HVAC and lighting, and you don’t want to have to cut holes out yourself and risk tears that can lead to light leaks or temperature fluctuations.

The Lighthouse 2.0 Controlled Environment Tent is the perfect all in one tent, with all the above mentioned features. It also comes in a 4′ x 8′ x 6.5′ size for a wider area allowing more plants.

There are also smaller and even larger options for indoor grow tents. However it all depends on the size of your space, how many plants you want to grow and how much energy you’ll be able to provide through supplemental lighting and ventilation.

Once you have chosen your grow tent, it is time to get it set up.

Setting up your grow tent

Setting up an indoor grow tent is easier than setting up IKEA furniture, but it’s not always as easy as snapping a few corners and velcro together. Some grow tents might be made easy to assemble, while others have poles and joints that must be connected through the fabric of the tent to hold it up.

But we’re going to focus on setting up the tent once the frame has been built. This mainly involves setting up your lighting and ventilation using the vent ports and the support poles at the top of the tent.

In a smaller grow tent, air circulation can be taken care of easily with some clip on fans in the corners of the tent. However, additional ventilation like a carbon filter will need to be fed in through a vent port and supported if hanging in the tent.

This can include the carbon filter itself, plus an inline fan, tubing and the needed hardware. Ensuring that your carbon filter is supported and set up properly is going to make a big difference.

If your tent doesn’t have any built in ports to feed your tubing and wiring through, you may need to cut them yourself.

The lights you use will also depend on the size of your tent and how many plants you have. Check out our guide for finding the best grow light to make sure you don’t spend too much on a light that won’t cut it or damages your plants!

Aside from these two essentials, the customization you add to your grow tent is really up to you. The less plants you have, the more grow gear you can fit in with them like environmental controllers or a standing fan if you have larger plants.

Irrigation can also be useful in a grow tent for those who want to automate and maximize their efficiency. But in a smaller tent hand watering is likely easier and cheaper with just a few plants.

The biggest benefit of an indoor grow tent is that it gives you an environmentally controlled space wherever you want. No designing a grow room in your house or apartment required.

With ventilation, lighting, and water, your plants are ready to go in a secure, sealed environment.