There are numerous benefits to organic marijuana cultivation. By choosing to restrain from the use of non-organic fertilizers, pesticides and/or herbicides, limit the chances of ingesting hazardous compounds when finally indulging in the sweet rewards of your cannabis harvest. Furthermore, you also contribute to a unique, positive impact on living nature.
One of the downsides of organic marijuana growing is that it takes time for the microorganisms thriving in the soil to develop and establish their colonies to help you enjoy massive yields. But with a healthy dose of patience and the right know-how on homemade organic cannabis plants fertilizers, you can boost yields all naturally without spending a fortune (and in fact, you may not even spend a single dime)!
Did we already manage to grab your attention? Great, because we can’t wait for you to join us below and take advantage of the ultimate list of DIY organic cannabis fertilizers that we have tried and tested in time with dedication and pure love for the green medication.
Composting: The Most Natural Way to Make your Marijuana Plants Flourish
Now, let’s get things straight from the very start: even the best homemade organic cannabis fertilizers will fail to be fully utilized in an inert growing medium. The real magic happens when the essential nutrients present in organic fertilizers get in contact with the microbial life in the soil.
But in order to help the microbial life develop and thrive, it is best to forget about tilling soil.
Even if you are an indoor grower who is concerned about the possible pathogens that may get inside your house when you use rich, organic soil – fret not, bud buddies! Instead of using animal manure enriched compost you can simply choose to stick to the vegan versions on that matter, and you won’t be the least disappointed.
The drawback to going for no-till cannabis cultivation in soil and getting into composting is that the process is, indeed, time-consuming.
You can’t just throw food scraps straight into your cannabis plants’ containers and watch them grow dense, juicy, multiple sugar-coated nuggets in the blink of an eye. In nature, all beautiful things take time.
But once you take the time needed for the process of composting to be fully and successfully accomplished, you will soon realize that every single effort spent, including the waiting, is well worth it in the long run.
By choosing to compost, you will learn how to recharge soil all by yourself and finally get out of the vicious spiral of lugging bags of soil in and out just for the sake of having to buy new bags for each grows operation. You can pretty much think of composting as recycling old, depleted soil and watching in turn into rich, fertile soil within a couple of months.
For best results, start composting and recharging the soil in the late autumn season as to be 100% ready to plant your green beauties in spring. Don’t forget to check out the pH balance and adjust the levels if needed as you don’t want to make your marijuana plants suffer because of too highly acidic or too highly alkaline soil.
Quick Heads Up: Remember that no matter how hard you try and how much love, attention, and dedication you put into your cannabis growing operation, you won’t be able to get the final results you are dreaming of in the case you don’t use high-quality seeds. As small and fragile a cannabis seed may seem at a glance, it is right inside this tender, tiny body, where the secret key to a bountiful harvest resides, the secret key being none other but strong genetics.
DIY Organic Fertilizers for Every Stage of Marijuana Plants’ Growth
1. Urine
Ask any experienced marijuana grower about a good and affordable fertilizer that will help your green ladies turn into green queens during the vegetative stage of growth, and you will most likely receive no other advice but to go for urine.
Well, it may sound a bit gross, at least when you are just being introduced to the idea of using your own urine to feed your marijuana plants. However, the truth is, there is barely anything more natural than optimizing the magnificently growth-boosting properties of urine.
In the living nature, it is the essential nutrients obtained from the urine of various animals that your plants can take advantage of. Anyway, the fact that you can use your own urine is even better for you can rest assured that no animal-borne disease will possibly get in contact with your precious plants.
Urine is a fantastic natural fertilizer during the vegetative stage of your cannabis plants as it is very high in Nitrogen. What you need to remember is that urine must be diluted (the ratio is 10 part water for 1 part of urine), or else, you may easily burn your plants and cause unwanted harm.
Also, you want to be careful when watering with the homemade urine fertilizer as not to get it directly on stems, foliage or leaves. Even when diluted, it can still burn the foliage of cannabis plants. Simply water it gently into the soil, and you’re good to go.
Finally, don’t pour the entire 10 parts of water to 10 parts of urine fertilizer at once. This quantity will be enough for roughly 2-3 feedings which are best to take place every other day or so.
2. Coffee grounds
Coffee grounds can make a beautiful organic fertilizer for cannabis plants during each stage of their growth but are best suited to use during vegetation.
That’s because coffee grounds possess a balanced ratio of Phosphorus and Potassium but it is Nitrogen which is present in the highest rates.
Coffee grounds are great to add to your compost, too, and they break up very quickly.
Furthermore, coffee grounds come with a superbly balanced pH level that cannabis plants simply adore (coffee grounds’ pH is very close to neutral and typically varies from 6.5 – 6.8).
However, when it comes to organic cannabis fertilizers, all you have to do is place coffee grounds in a clean bottle and fill it with water following a 10:1 ratio (10 parts of water for 1 part of coffee grounds).
Leave the bottle in a cool, dry place and let the coffee grounds dissolve for about a week (7-10 days works best). Next, strain the fertilizer using a cheesecloth and feed it to your hungry marijuana plants. Similarly to the urine fertilizer feeding routine, it is best to avoid using the coffee grounds fertilizer on two consecutive days.
3. Coconut flesh and coconut water
Coconut water makes a brilliant cannabis plants fertilizer that is not only 100% natural but it also doesn’t require any fancy preparations or waiting in order to take advantage of.
Simply cut a fresh coconut in half and pour the coconut water into the soil of your plants. The pH of coconut water is usually about 6.3 but it can vary with +or – 1.5 so it is a good idea to keep track of the pH level and balance it out if needed. For instance, you can add urine to raise the pH level.
Keep in mind that coconut water is best to be applied during flowering as it is very high in Potassium (in fact, it contains more Potassium than a total of four bananas!)
As to the flesh of the coconut fruit, it makes a no less impressive and well-working organic fertilizer for your precious green ladies. All you have to do is to scoop out the flesh of a coconut and add the pieces into a clean bottle full of water. Use as much water as to cover the pieces of coconut flesh with about 2 inches. Let the coconut fruit release its nutrients in the water for 5-10 days, making sure to place the water container away from direct access to sunlight.
You will need to strain the coconut particles before feeding your marijuana plants. For best results, feed every other day or so. Coconut flesh can be used both during vegetation, as well as during flowering.
Interestingly, extensive research on the potential of using fermented coconut water as an organic fertilizer conducted by the Department of Chemical Engineering, Indonesia, has found out that one can manipulate the Nitrogen to Phosphorus to Potassium content depending on the days spent in fermentation.
Letting coconut water ferment for more than 5 days lead to a decrease of Potassium and Phosphorus levels and letting it ferment for 10+ days lead to an increase in Nitrogen levels.
4. Molasses
Using molasses as an all-natural, organic fertilizer for your cannabis garden is one of the wisest steps you can take in order to enjoy sufficient yields.
Molasses can boost the rewards you get upon harvesting with about 15% – 20% on an average, and that’s generally because of the bigger buds it helps marijuana plants to produce since it is rich in sugars, as well as essential elements. In a nutshell, adding molasses greatly benefits the microbial life in the soil.
The most important thing you need to remember when mixing a batch of molasses cannabis fertilizer is to apply it in the last stages of vegetation.
For best results, feed your green ladies molasses about 1 week before you switch to flowering and opt for un-sulphured molasses.
Feel free to add 1 and up to 2 tablespoons of molasses per 1 gallon of water.
Last but not least, a molasses cannabis fertilizer can be an especially mighty tool when growing hybrid strains; to be more specific, when growing modern-day, top-quality hybrid strains from seed as many of these are known as heavy feeders.
5. Aerated compost tea fertilizer
Aerated compost tea is technically referred to as Actively Aerated Compost Tea (aka AACT).
Quintessentially, all you have to do is to steep good-quality compost in water and keep brewing it while also taking advantage of a bubbler in order to provide oxygen into the concoction. Oxygen is crucial for it helps to create a balance of healthy bacteria which in return helps to create a healthy microbiome in soil.
Aerated compost tea is a mighty weapon for every cannabis grower out there. It not only helps to protect and feed the root system of marijuana plants but it can also be used in the form or a foliar spray when it comes to some of the most common diseases.
It will take you about 2 days (48 hours) to breed a whole array of trace elements, fungi, and aerobic bacteria that will literally shoot your cannabis plants straight into BEAST BUDS MODE. Aerated compost tea should be fed to your plants only once every other week during the crop cycle.
Your gains? About 20% and up to 40% better yields. Yes, it is as simple, straightforward, and well-working as that!
6. Animal manure as marijuana fertilizer
All across the globe animal manure has been highly valued and keeps being treasured for its ability to greatly enhance soil’s fertility. For your hungry cannabis plants, a homemade organic animal manure fertilizers can work wonders for this ancient way of fertilization has withstood the test of time.
What is crucial to keep in mind is that making your way with animal manure fertilizers requires utmost diligence.
If not fermented properly, animal manure can pose serious threats not only to your plants’ health but also to the well-being of animals and nonetheless, to the well-being of humans. That’s because of the possibility of harmful pathogens to remain intact.
Another drawback to fertilizing cannabis plants opting for homemade animal manure recipes is that it tends to be quite tricky to balance animal manure with the base soil you take advantage of.
On the bright side, these threats can be avoided once you let animal manure compost fully (the process usually takes several months but can be speeded up when the animal manure is left to decompose under the generous rays of the sun). Of course, it is a practice that makes perfect so your animal manure fertilizer recipes will be inevitably upgraded and improved in time.
Sheep and goat manure is very well-balanced, as well as extremely rich in essential elements to help marijuana plants thrive. Goat manure is actually stronger than sheep manure, and both of these take quite some time to ferment properly.
Cow manure is not as rich in beneficial elements as sheep and goat manure. However, it is far easier to work with.
Swine manure is generally considered quite outdated in terms of homemade fertilizers and it might be best to restrain from using it.
Chicken manure is impressively strong in Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. In fact, it is exceedingly rich so it must be only used once carefully diluted.
Horse manure is considered superior for cannabis growing among other types of animal manure. Plus, it is quite easy to work with.
Rabbit manure is very rich, too, and is especially beneficial for stimulating worm production when composting.
7. Eggshells
Eggshells make a fantastic source of Calcium for your green ladies. Thus, you can take advantage of eggshells during each phase of the pot plants’ growth cycle. Plus, there are several ways to make the most from eggshells homemade fertilizers.
Firstly, you can choose to add eggshells to your compost.
Secondly, you can spread egg shells directly over the top layer of soil of your cannabis plants’ containers or over the ground in the case you are an outdoor grower. However, do mind that the nutrients present in eggshells are released slowly so it will take about a month or so before the nutrients actually penetrate deep into the soil.
Thirdly, you can simply boil egg shells and water you cannabis plants, thus, making sure that a healthy dose of Calcium can be utilized straight away. Finally, don’t hesitate to water your marijuana plants with the cooking water left behind after boiling eggs for you and your family simply share the nutritious water with your green queens and they will highly appreciate it.
A kindly reminder: some cannabis strains need higher doses of extra Calcium than others so make sure to get acquainted with the growing specifications provided by the retailer/breeder. As we know fair well, the very base of a healthy, high-yielding cannabis garden is working with seeds that possess high-quality genetics.
8. Herbs
There are various herbs make wonderful cannabis companion plants. Companion plants can easily and efficiently repel nasty pests from causing harm to your cannabis garden without ever having to opt for toxic pesticides.
However, it is often the case that newbie marijuana growers fail to take utmost advantage of herbs in the form of homemade organic fertilizers due to lack of know-how. Well, not anymore, and not you (*canna-smiley face*).
Yarrow, comfrey, and nettle, among others, make AWW-some DIY fertilizers. All you have to do is to place the herb of your choice (or a combination of these) in an airtight container filled with water. Make sure at least an inch of water covers the herbs. Place the container away from direct sunlight and leave the herbs’ cutting intact for about a month or so. Once the suggested period has passed, strain any plant particles and feed your hungry green princesses.
9. Banana peels
Banana peels can be turned into powerful yet simultaneously well-balanced and gently-working homemade fertilizing solutions. They are rich in Potassium and Phosphorus, and therefore make a great addition to cannabis plants in flowering.
To reap the benefits of homemade banana peels organic cannabis fertilizers, simply cut the peels off several bananas and place them in a clean bottle or any other suitable container. Pour water until you cover the banana peels with about an inch or so. Keep the container away from direct sunlight for a week, and your fertilizer is ready to be utilized once you strain any plant material left over.
10. Bean water
If you are a fan of tinned beans, lentils, or chickpeas then you absolutely want to take advantage of bean water (also known as aquafaba).
Bean water is an excellent source of Potassium so it can be used during each stage of the cannabis plants’ growth cycle, although it is required in higher amounts during the flowering phase.
Making use of bean water is a quite straightforward process – simply feed it to your plants in the same way you would feed plain water.
Not the least, bean water is a superb way to boost the quality of your compost, too.
11. Seaweed
If you happen to live near the seashore, then you definitely want to take advantage of seaweed to mix your own top-grade pot fertilizer. It will work similarly to a readily-available kelp extract with the major difference that you will be able to get it for free!
Once you manage to collect some seaweed, you need to place it in a clean, airtight jar filled with water (best to use distilled water) and leave it intact for 5-7 days before you strain the seaweed that has not been fully dissolved and finally feed the nutrient-rich fertilizer to your marijuana beauties.
12. Citrus Peels
Citrus peels are an all-around player when it comes to making homemade cannabis fertilizers that are all natural and free of additives and/or toxins.
That’s because citrus peels are rich in all of the three major elements cannabis plants require, namely NPK (Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potassium).
Citrus peels can be added to your compost but you can also make DIY citrus peels marijuana fertilizer in pretty much the same way as the banana peel fertilizer recipe we shared above.
Last but not least, it can be a great idea to boil citrus peels and simply feed the water to your plants. Although not a full-strength fertilizer, this method does result in boosting the quality of the soil.
Homemade Organic Marijuana Plants Fertilizers: The Wrap-Up
Nowadays, it is easier than ever before to learn how to maximize your yields as a marijuana grower. Videos, tutorials, blog posts, Instagram posts – we are literally flooded with information from numerous directions.
However, it is because of the abundance of information why one can easily get lost, puzzled, and confused in which pieces of advice to follow. Well, there is no golden piece of advice because there are no two marijuana growers that are exactly alike. With this in mind, homemade organic cannabis plants fertilizers can be an awesome choice for some while not an awesome choice at all for others.
What is important is that you keep expanding your horizons, to keep experimenting, to keep trying to understand better the growth patterns and unique needs of cannabis plants – because doing so is what paves the path to success, and not blindly following the steps someone else believes to work wonders.
Most importantly, as long as you stick to working with high-quality cannabis seeds and never make compromises on that note, your chances of enjoying massive yields are at the highest. In any case, we will be happy to know that the list of homemade organic cannabis plants fertilizers we shared has been of your utmost assistance as we do believe that a friend with weed is a friend indeed. Blaze one up and let your Soul roam wild and free.
