Theories on proper NPK cannabis ratios

Here’s some paramagnetic rock info to wet your beak.

Here’s where I normally order mine.

Here’s where I normally get the glacial rock dust.

I mix them 50/50 then use it at 4tbsp/gal of soil.

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I’m as stoked on the websites as I am the info! Thanks!

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Where I live in the Cascades its all glacier silt deposits and rocks. I never knew that I had valuable growing soil. I also have lapidary rock dust from polishing rocks. Does that work to? I have been throwing it away.

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The lapidary dust may be a valuable addition to the soil depending on what stones you’re cutting. :joy::joy:

Puns aside adding it will add minerals of some kind depending of rock type. You’d have to see the composition data to see what all it could possibly add. The thing I didn’t mention is most of those mineral won’t be broken down and become plant avaible without a thriving microbe and fungal population to break them down using natural acids and bases per what the plants communicate to them what they want.

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There is absolutely a correct nutrient ratio for Cannabis. And there is an acceptable range for each nutrient that’s not optimal, yet doesn’t show much, if any, deficiency or toxicity symptoms.

Taking it a step further, in soil the vast majority of the nutrients are not immediately available to the plants and you can have a deficiency of an element that is abundant. That’s why Mammoth P can command the price it does – Phosphorus is notoriously unavailable and they’ve got the magic key to unlock it.
On the other hand, Nitrogen is hyper available and will be assimilated whether it is needed or not, at the expense of a large portion of the plants energy.
And then when Potassium is low, Sodium can take its place to an extent.
(I believe there’s a similar situation when calcium is low, the walls of the cells are lined with a replacement element that leads to easier attack by bugs and fungi, but dont quote me on that one)
Silica is another element that will show no symptoms if a plant is deficient, but there is an optimal range where you’ll have a stronger plant from its presence.

It’s a game you’ve gotta play based on the inputs and how long they take to break down.

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Putting organics aside, there has to be a perfect ratio for it. I can look up every other plant and some scientist has found and published usually 3 different npk ratios that are optimal for a specific type of plant. It doesn’t mean that those plants don’t need other special amendments or nutrients like magnesium but they all have optimal ratios for the npk. Cannabis is just an annual plant, not a mutant. There has to be a magic formula.

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Also @Worcestershire_Farms have you used Mammoth P? I decided a few weeks ago to buy some despite the hefty price tag and test it on my next grow. Any observations or advice there?

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The fact that cannabis research has been restricted for so long is probably the reason you can’t find a peer reviewed research article that gives you a straight answer. Even if you found one, one article doesn’t say much since results should be reproduced multiple times before any conclusion can be made.

Why does science have to be so complicated?
Oh yeah, because it’s science LOL.

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Nah, It’s out of my price range. :joy: :sob:
Theoretically tho, it only needs to be bought once and it can be multiplied ad infinitum.

@Meesh I’m still working on finding a good thread on raw salts to pluck a ppm breakdown from. The one I have been looking for was probably on hempcultivation_dot_com which became gardenscure, which apparently evaporated.
I have a short day at work tomorrow so I’ll put in some time and should have something worthwhile tomorrow night.

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Meaning I can put it in compost as like a charger or starter?

That’s awesome of you! I’m sure everyone is curious!

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Preliminary update: Comparing a bunch of recipes designed for hydroponic cannabis grows, theres a general trend toward
N100-200
P50-150
K150-300
Mg50-75
Ca100-150
S50-150
Si50-150
Fe10

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If you decide to buy Mammoth P (not saying you should or shouldn’t), get it at a grow shop so you could check the expiration date. I read many reviews on Amazon complaining about expired bottles (same goes for most bacteria/fungi based products on there). I’ve also heard it should be a light golden color and you should avoid it if it looks too dark. Greencoast sells it in our neck of the woods.

Edit: Reading the Mammoth P FAQ, I see that the date on the bottle is the manufactured on date (not an expiration date) so I think those reviewers might have been confused. According to the website it will be good for a year after opening. And yes, the color change or any sediment/floaties seem to be normal.

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So that’s a 2:1:3 ratio? Correct?

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I will def check the date. Ha! I shop at Greencoast exclusively. They price match and give me lots of free stuff. lol The Mammoth website actually says the coloration variation is normal though. Hmm…

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Well I guess as long as the date is good, then it shouldn’t matter much. Greencoast is great! They have the entire line of Down to Earth organic soil ammendments if you ever decide to join the dark side. Muahhahahaha…

Did I mention we have :cake:?
:slight_smile:

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Here’s some information provided by Harley Smith:

The ranges denote the deficiency to toxicity concentrations. The numbers in the () are what he considers the highest that should be provided in a nutrient formulation (not necessarily ideal but wouldn’t want to normally exceed). For instance, sulfur is listed as 400 PPM which is not something you’ll be purposefully formulating.
FWIW, sulfur is something of the wildcard in formulations since plants tend to tolerate excess sulfur. You can balance your macro nutrients in your formulation allowing for excess sulfur containing molecules, such as potassium sulfate instead of potassium nitrate.

Also, what he see as typical ratios for veg vs bloom:

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3-1-4 is what I hear :man_shrugging:

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Megacrop hits 2-1-3 on the nose.

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Interesting read on the subject

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I have been reading more about so called rock snot (wet lapidary dust). It is mostly silica, which is silicon dioxide. SiO2. Most of the earth crust and mantle is made of it. Required for healthy plants. I have been getting fine ground sand from the river here that is mostly fine silica dust. I am adding it to my soil. We shall see if it does anything.

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