Marijuana Horticulture: The Indoor/Outdoor Medical Grower's Bible

well to increase the soil nutrient content, but nutrients are released and available at different rates. The nutrient availability may be tricky to calculate, but it is somewhat difficult to over-apply organic fertilizers. Organic nutrients seem to be more consistently available when used in combination with one another. Usually, growers use a mix of about 20 percent worm castings with other organic agents to get a strong, readily available nitrogen base. They fertilize with bat guano, the organic super bloom, during flowering.
    An indoor garden using raised beds allows true organic methods. The raised beds have enough soil to hold the nutrients, promote organic activity, and when managed properly, ensure a constant supply of nutrients. The raised beds must have enough soil mass to promote heat and fundamental organic activity.
    Outdoor organic gardens are easy to implement and maintain. Using compost tea, manures, bulky compost, and other big, smelly things is much easier outdoors.

Several common chemical fertilizers from the hydroponic industry.
Organic Teas
    Compost teas not only contain soluble organic nutrients diluted in water, but they support a potent elixir that is loaded with beneficial microbes that fight off pests and diseases. For example, a quarter teaspoon of a well-made compost tea holds more than a billion bacteria and at least 15 feet of fungi strands! A good compost tea also contains thousands of different species of protozoa, nematodes, and mycorrhizal fungi.
    Disease-causing organisms are unable to compete with beneficial bacteria and fungi. Beneficial bacteria also work to break down plant residues and toxic materials, plus they improve soil structure and water-holding ability.
    The best teas are made from well-rotted compost, because it contains a complex collection of microbes and nutrients. Just make sure the compost pile has heated to 135°F (52°C) for at least 3 days to ensure it is free of most diseases. You can usually buy quality compost at the local nursery. If using manure, make sure it has been well-composted.
    You can brew the tea in a 5-gallon (19 L) bucket. Add about a gallon (3.8 L) of rotted compost or manure to 4 gallons (15 L) of water. Stir well, and let the mix sit for several days. You can also put sifted compost into a nylon stocking, and submerge it in the bucket. To stir, simply bounce the stocking around in the water. Stir the mixture gently several times a day to integrate oxygen and remove microbes from the compost. Adequate oxygen keeps the brew fresh. If it starts to smell foul, anaerobic bacteria are present. Add fresh water and stir more often. The good aerobic bacteria re-establish as soon as they have an ample supply of oxygen.
    Dilute the tea at the rate of 1 to 5 with water. Add more water to the same bucket, and continue to brew 3 to 4 more batches before starting a new batch.

Here are just a few of the numerous fertilizers available for cannabis cultivation.
     
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Organic Nutrients Chart
    Alfalfa meal has 2.5 percent nitrogen, 5 percent phosphorus, and about 2 percent potash. Outdoor growers use pelletized animal feed as a slow-release fertilizer.
    Blood and bone meal are wonderful organic fertilizers, but could transport Mad Cow Disease and other maladies. I can’t recommend these with a clear conscience.
    Blood (dried or meal) is collected at slaughterhouses, dried, and ground into a powder or meal. If’s packed with fast-acting soluble nitrogen (12 to 15 percent by weight), about 1.2 percent phosphorus, and under one-percent potash. Apply carefully because it’s easy to burn foliage. We advise avoiding use of any dried blood or blood meal that could carry Mad Cow Disease.
    Bone meal is rich in phosphorus and nitrogen. The age and type of bone determine the nutrient content of this pulverized slaughterhouse product. Older bones have higher phosphorus content than young bones. Usebone meal in conjunction with other organic fertilizers for best results. Its lime content helps reduce soil acidity and acts fast in well-aerated soil. We advise avoiding any bone meal that could carry Mad Cow Disease.
    Raw, unsteamed bone meal contains 2 to 4 percent nitrogen and 15 to 25 percent phosphorus. Fatty acids in raw bone meal retard decomposition. We advise avoiding any bone meal that could carry Mad Cow Disease.
    Steamed or cooked bone meal is made from fresh animal bones that have been boiled or steamed under pressure to render out fats. The pressure