Transitioning Cannabis Outdoors

This week (May 17-21, 2020) should be a great week to move your cannabis plants under the sun. It can be nerve wracking to do this and frequently you will end up with burnt plants if you transition too quickly. However, the weather right now is nearly ideal to get this done.

This week’s forecast includes cool temperatures and overcast skies. This means that the sky will provide a natural shade that should greatly reduce the chances of light-burn to your plants. Light-burns occur when a combination of heat and light intensity actually damages the plants. Instead of blistering as human skin would, chlorosis (yellowing) is quickly followed by necrosis (death) of sensitive plant tissues.

The cannabis plants will display varying levels of sensitivity that are driven by a couple primary factors; indoor light intensity, and genetics. Some varieties of cannabis can tolerate a lot of light stress normally. I could explain why, but I’d mostly be guessing. What we can talk more about is the type of light you used indoors to start the plant.

If you use a shop-light or some sort of low intensity light, your plants will be more likely to burn given that full sun-light (up to 2000 PPFD) is vastly more intense than flourescents (up to 400 PPFD). On the other hand, if your plants enjoyed a top of the line LED (up to 1700 PPFD) that you have dialed up to full intensity, then the transition to natural sunlight will be much quicker.

Making the transition

A shade tree can be used if the sun is bright and it is warm outside. The indirect light a plant gets will still be stronger than your weaker indoor lights. Position your cannabis so that it will receive sun light after about 4-5 pm (west side of the tree). On the third day, move them slightly westward so that they get full sun starting at 3pm. Increase the amount of full sun each day until full dawn-dusk sunlight is achieved. This is a great method if you can’t babysit them all day because you should only have to adjust once per day.

Alternately, a shade cloth can also be employed and you will find that 80% shade cloths are most common. 80% light blocking will surely prevent the plant from becoming burned and you can use that cloth much like the shade tree above.

You may also be able to use the north side of a building, privacy fence, etc. to provide the needed shade. Move the plants into the sun for an hour, then back to the shade for the rest of the day. Increase exposure to full sun by an hour or two each day until full sun is achieved. It will require more babysitting, but is very doable. Both of these methods will take a week for the most sensitive plants.

Watching for light-burn

The earliest signs of light stress will be drooping leaves; imagine that the sun is melting the plant. Soon, leaf tips and edges may begin to curl, which usually means some damage will become apparent in the next day or two. If you see yellowing already then the plant is in distress. If you notice any of these signs, move the plants to shade immediately and wait for 24 hours to assess any damage that may have occurred.

Avoid letting your soil dry as well. Cannabis, like most plants, also uses transpiration (of water vapor and gasses) to control leaf surface temperature. Ensuring adequate water will help with this transition.

When at temperatures over 80 degrees, light stress can show itself very quickly in sensitive plants. Temperatures below 55 seem to cause the plant to have trouble adjusting to environmental changes (like light), and is likely due to a slowed metabolism.

All that being said, this week is the week! Cooler temperatures coupled with overcast skies that transition to partly cloudy by the end of the week makes for the perfect conditions to transition your cannabis to its new outdoor home.

What are you waiting for?

Happy Harvests!
– The Lit Farmer –

Lit Farming: Episode 02

Show Notes:

This special, extended episode finds Eric and BigV showing their passion for a number of topics related to living soils.

Living soil topics include: benefits, costs, recipes, magical microbes, compost teas, amendments, and native soils. Given the time of year, they also cover outdoor enclosures, the risk of pollination by outdoor hemp, as well as a moment or two of breeder talk.

Related articles:

Selecting an outdoor location
Preparing your soil
Missouri Legalities for outdoor grows

Want to find your purpose for cultivating this amazing plant? Tune-in!

Have Questions? Reach us via email to KCGrowCoach@gmail.com or contact them through the website . They might read your question on-air, but won’t say your name unless you clear them to.

Special Guests: None in this episode.

Find the Lit Farming podcast in your favorite podcast program – now available in Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Overcast, Pocketcast, Castro, Castbox, and more!

Have questions you want addressed on-air?  Get in touch at KCGrowCoach@gmail.com or via https://visitlitnaturals.com/contact/

Enjoy the Show!
— The Lit Farmer —

Lit Farming: First Episode

Show Notes:

This first episode introduces your hosts, Eric and Big V, what Lit Farming is all about and why we like to get our hands dirty.

Want to find your purpose for cultivating this amazing plant? Tune-in!

Have Questions? Reach us via email to KCGrowCoach@gmail.com or contact them through the website . They might read your question on-air, but won’t say your name unless you clear them to.

Special Guests: None in this episode.

Find the Lit Farming podcast in your favorite podcast program – now available in Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Overcast, Pocketcast, Castro, Castbox, and more!

Have questions you want addressed on-air?  Get in touch at KCGrowCoach@gmail.com or via https://visitlitnaturals.com/contact/

Enjoy the Show!
— The Lit Farmer —

Doing It In The Dirt ~Root Zone Temp

We’ve all heard how important it is to keep our PH in check when it comes to watering or feeding our plants and we know all about room temperature and humidity; but how many of you consider the Root Zone or the temperature you water at and how it effects the root zone and the nutrient uptake of the plant? Do you also consider the Bio Life, if you are an organic living soil enthusiast? I would guess not many or very few pay attention or even consider it when growing in dirt but I think you will change that once you gain this little nugget of knowledge I’m about to drop.

There are 3 reasons we put water in our soil; to provide moisture to the plant and the bio life, to carry nutrients to the root zone of the plant and to bring oxygen to the soil in the form of dissolved oxygen. Dissolved Oxygen (DO) is a measure of how much oxygen is dissolved in the water and the amount of oxygen available to living organisms and plants. One thing we don’t hear a lot about is the proper temperature of the water or tea and why it makes a huge difference in not only the overall health of the plant but more importantly bud size and terpene production. Optimal root zone temperature can help with biological activity, with mineral and water uptake, with fighting pathogens and roots diseases and insect control. Therefore, plants grow healthier quicker when root zone temperature is optimized. All of this is not only affected but, even more so, is dependent on the levels of Dissolved Oxygen available. The concentration of dissolved oxygen in water is highly affected by temperature and cold water can hold more dissolved oxygen than warm water.

It’s important to keep in mind that Root zone temperature and water temperature are different things. Root zone temp is ideal at 68-72 deg F, the ideal water temperature to use when watering plants is between 62 and 72 deg F . This is the range with the highest levels of dissolved oxygen and avoids shocking the plant with water that is either too hot or too cold. I like to chill my water temps to 62 deg F (lots of oxygen at this temperature) and in an 80 degree room this brings the root zone down to about 68-70 deg F and provides a prefect environment for the bio life to thrive; therefore making a much healthier and suitable substrate for your plant to grow to it’s fullest genetic potential.

I hope this helps some of you with a little more understanding of the importance of proper Root Zone temps and delivering the highest levels of dissolved oxygen to your soil.
~Big V

Grow light coverage

I commonly see confusion where light coverage is concerned. Don’t worry, it can be an difficult concept. Advertising for lights are purposefully difficult to understand sometimes. Anything to get us to part with our money, right? Although we can apply these concepts to any light and any sized space, here I’ll break it down in order to answer the question: “Will the Mars Hydro TSW 2000 light work in my 4’x4′ space?”

I don’t recommend or advise against this light, but am using it as an example because the price point make it a reasonable choice for a new grower, and you have to analyze each light on it’s own merits. The short answer is; “No, it won’t cover a 4’x4′ space.” let me explain why.

First, in order to bring cannabis through it’s flowering phase and turn out the best possible product, you want PPFD (measurement of light intensity) between 600 – 1000. This is the number your looking for int he coverage charts that any reputable manufacturer should provide.

Mars Hydro TSW2000 coverage chart

Look closely at the Mars Hydro TSW 2000 light coverage chart above. Note that the edges of 2’x2′ (lightest blue) comes in at just under the 600 PPFD rating mentioned above. This means that this light will cover ~2’x2′ area for flowering. Pretty simple, right?

NOTE: Technically, I’d say that this light only covers 1.5’x1.5′ adequately – but let’s work with a 2’x2′ for discussion purposes.

How many of these lights would it take to cover this area? At first blush, someone might blurt out that it will take two lights, but this is wrong.

Have a look at this simple graphic of a 4’x4′ space. The blue area is a 2’x2′ footprint and is the coverage of the light in question. It will take 4 of these lights to fill an entire 4’x4′ tent. Wow! Four of these lights will cost more than $1000. Perhaps it makes more sense to save some money and buy a $1000 light that will cover that same space and provide even more light. The Grower’s Choice ROI-e680 is one such light and I do recommend it for a 4’x4′ space – it performs rather well!

Never fear – why not purchase the light to start your grow, then save and upgrade later to a larger light and then use the TSW2000 for your vegetative area? It can also work as a backup just in case.

Whatever you decide, remember to use your light(s) for the area they are rated for. Your cannabis will under-perform if you stretch that boundary. Under-performing plants won’t be perfectly healthy. Plants at less than 100% health can invite pests, decreases yield dramatically, and can reduce cannabinoid and terpene production as well.

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

Grown under a GC ROI-e680

Micronutrients; from sea to soil

For those growing outdoors there should be little concern about micronutrients, unless you are growing in a raised bed with manufactured soil. Otherwise, all native Missouri soils have enough trace elements (micronutrients) to sustain your medical cannabis garden. This is primarily due to our clay soils which are full of micronutrients. However, the peat and coco found in manufactured soil can be lacking in this area and you will need to amend your soils to ensure proper trace element content.

Kelp

The trend seems to be for adding various rock dusts to your soil to round out your micronutrients. However, there really isn’t much research to support this. Logically, roots can’t make use of rocky materials as a substrate. Therefore, if you add a lot of rock dust to your mix you are reducing the usable soil content. I do believe rock dust has it’s place though, but it is going to be better for buffering PH (in the case of gypsum or oyster shell flour) and providing a material earth worms can use to aid digestion. As such, I recommend less than a cup of crushed rock per cubic feet of soil.

Instead, rely on kelp meal, seaweed, or calcified seaweed for trace elements. Because the ocean is full of trace elements and seaweed grows there, you can find almost everything your garden needs in seaweed. If you’re lucky enough to live near the ocean you can, if local law permits, harvest seaweed directly from the shore as it washes up. Just be sure to rinse it thoroughly to remove the extra salt and then add as a compost layer.

The rest of us will have to rely on store bought versions that include kelp meal and calcified seaweed. In the right proportions you can use calcified seaweed as a calcium supplement, soil PH buffer, and for adding micronutrients. If using kelp meal, it will also be a good idea to use oyster shell flour or gypsum in order to enjoy the same overall functionality.

As an added benefit, kelp also contains a high amounts of plant growth regulators (PGRs). These compounds can help boost the health of your plants and promote vigorous growth. I know one grower in particular who saw big gains when switching from alfalfa meal to kelp meal. Alfalfa is high in nitrogen but it lacks in micronutrients and PGRs.

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

Biochar – the secret sauce

Biochar enriched soils, also known as terra preta, have been proven to increase microbial life and have also been proven to grow plants bigger and faster than soils without this amendment. I have seen similar, anecdotal results in my medical cannabis garden. The beds utilizing biochar not only grow bigger plants, but the soil seems last longer as well. It’s unclear exactly why the soil lasts longer, but I’m left to assume that the biochar is able to buffer toxicities that may build up in the soil otherwise.

Biochar is a form of charcoal made through a specific pyrolisis process that results in pure carbon. You can certainly make biochar at home, but you will want to avoid using large pieces and powder in your soil mixes. Large pieces take up too much space and carbon powder can cause compaction in the soil. I like to use small (1/2 pea size) pieces only at a 10% rate. This means that for every 10 gallons of soil I’ll mix in one gallon of biochar.

These tiny chucks of charcoal function much like an apartment building for microbes and bacteria. Once exposed to nutrients, it will absorb them, and now you have an apartment building with a large buffet of food. The pores of the biochar are just the right size for microbes and fungi while being too small for most of their predators. Is it fair to say that it is a gated community for microbes?

Beyond retaining nutrients and providing living spaces for beneficial microbes, biochar will also retain water so that less water is needed through out the growing cycle. I’ve found that my beds with biochar need about 20%-30% less water than the beds without biochar. Biochar also boosts the cation exchance capacity (CEC) and helps buffer the PH of soil. Yes, I’ll be amending all my beds with biochar in their next cycles!

Finally, I plan to add about 5% biochar to my worm bins so that as the worms decompose nutrients through their digestion process the biochar will become charged with nutrients and microbes. I soak my biochar in a nutrient mix comprised of worm casting tea and fish hydrolysate and my plants love it. Once I’ve established my worm colonies I’ll be able to skip that step.

Have you used biochar? Does it provide you with great results? Let us know.

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

Missouri Medical Marijuana Equivalency Units

In the Missouri Medical Marijuana Program regulations there are various limits to the amount of MMJ that can be purchased and possessed by patients, cultivators, and caregivers. The limits set forth in the constitution had to do with a particular weight of dried cannabis. However, most of us know that dried flower can also be processed into concentrates and infused products (e.g. edibles). The state has published a conversion chart and coined the term “Missouri Marijuana Equivalency Units” (MMEs). Understanding what this means to you is very important.

Click here for the official version

This chart can be used to convert the various products to MMEs. Remember, fractions of MMEs also count. It is wise to keep track of how much you have on hand to ensure that you aren’t exceeding the limits set forth by regulation. This should be pretty straight forward for concentrates and marijuana (dried flower). You will need a scale that is accurate to the tenth of a gram.

The tricky part in this will be estimating the amount of THC in home-made edibles. This does take a bit of calculation to know for sure and you will need to understand how this is done. I’ll cover the math required for this in another article. The most important part is that you have somehow labeled your infused products with a quantity of THC. If you are transporting home-made edibles it is especially important. If labeled with the THC content, you should be safe as long as you are under your limit. What is an enforcement officer to do if it isn’t labeled? How can they assess if you are within regulations or not?

Purchase limits for any patient are 32 MMEs in any 30-day period. This is a rolling period of time and, we are left to assume, that your local dispensaries will communicate your purchase amounts to METRC. It is METRC that should keep track of this for you. However, possession limits must also be accounted for in case of a home inspection (cultivators) or in case you are challenged by law enforcement.

Patient Purchase Limit: 32 MMEs in a 30 day period
Patient Possession Limit: 64 MMEs

Cultivator Purchase Limit: 32 MMEs in a 30 day period
Cultivator Possession Limit: 96 MMEs

Note 1: Patients with a caregiver cultivating on their behalf are considered a ‘cultivator.’

Note 2: A caregiver possessing MMEs on behalf of a patient shares the limits above with the patient. For example: A caregiver cultivating on behalf of the patient may possess 48 MMEs (6 ounces) and the patient may possess another 48 MMEs. Any combination of the two may exist as long as that total doesn’t exceed 96 MMEs (12 ounces).

Note 3: Patients being provided MMEs by their caregiver are not subject to purchase limits. It is extremely important to remember that your caregiver isn’t selling you marijuana. You already own the marijuana due to the nature of the relationship. Instead, they should be selling you the service of cultivation and processing.

What do you think? Are there any important aspects that have been missed?

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —

Aeration for living soils

In nearly every soil recipe for cannabis, the recipe calls for an additive to aid in soil aeration. The point of these additives are to ensure that the soil drains water and retains enough air for the roots to thrive. It is important for the soil to remain moist because nutrients like nitrogen are only mobile when water is present. However, it is also very important that the soil not be overly saturated with water as it will suffocate the roots and promote detrimental bacteria growth. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the options for soil aeration.

Earth Worms are my favorite aerators of all time! While going about their work of decomposing solids in the soil, earth worms create tunnels and other voids in the soil that can both trap air and allow for increased drainage. A strong colony of earth worms can create a situation where you don’t need additives for aeration at all. Red Wigglers are a type of worm that are ideal for this given that it is very unlikely that they will overpopulate. Rice hulls are a good choice for an aeration starter in this case.

Rice Hulls, an agricultural by-product, are inexpensive and can be used at exactly the same rates as other aeration additives. Rice hulls will degrade over time – but it will take a year or so. When they degrade, the silica contained in the rice hulls are released and can be used by your cannabis plants. I recommend using rice hulls if you plan to use earth worms. By the time the hulls break down you should have a good colony of worms doing the aeration work. As an added bonus, rice hulls are a great sustainable addition to your soil.

Perlite is one of the most common additions for aeration and is created by heating volcanic glass until it expands. It is very light weight, retains water well, allows for drainage, and retains air as well. It is widely used in commercially available potting mixes. Perlite is extremely light and has the habit of ‘floating’ to the top of soil mixes. Perlite will last much longer than rice hulls, but eventually will break down into a gooey substance that isn’t helpful in soil. However, this can take years.

Pumice is a volcanic rock with good aeration properties. It retains air and allows for drainage well. It’s great for aeration, but is very heavy. If lifting heavy objects is a concern, you may wish to avoid pumice. It can also be costly but it will last almost indefinitely in your soils. “Lava rock” is commonly found for landscaping and makes a good aerator as well. If you can find a supply of small lava rock it can perform just as well as the most costly pumice. Be aware that lava rocks can be a bit jagged, so it can be hard on hands and roots.

Shale is commonly found in landscaping centers and can be acquired relatively cheaply. Shale can also be very heavy but does well as an aerator. The downside of using shale is that it tends to be solid and smooth so, although it will aide in drainage, it will not retain much water or trap air.

Expanded clay can make a solid, durable aeration amendment. It will hold some water and is very easy on the hands. While heavier than rice hulls and perlite, it isn’t as heavy as lava rock and shale.

Finally, while you can use gravel and other commonly available materials for aeration, it is very important that your aeration material is non-reactive and neutral in PH. Using crushed limestone can modify the PH of your soil. This can be nearly impossible to control in some situations and create major issues in your soil. It is best to use tried and tested materials for aeration when possible.

Happy Harvests!
— The Lit Farmer —