By Luke Sumpter Reviewed by: Gloria Payá


Fungi are a fascinating life form, fundamental to all life on Earth. An interesting fact to many: Fungi are a totally independent kingdom of life, separate to that of animals and plants. However they are genetically closer to animals than plants. Fungi play a vital role in the ecosystem by decomposing and breaking down dead organisms and biological byproducts, liberating the nutrients from within these sources which are then utilised elsewhere in the network of life. Fungi form a symbiotic partnership with some plants and algae and are actually responsible for the very survival of numerous species. Fungi grow in threaded structures known as hyphae, which, due to their massive surface area, allow for maximum nutrient absorption.

The cannabis connection: how mycorrhizae can improve plant health

This function of fungi can be taken advantage of and used by growers to maximise the nutrient uptake of their plants. But how exactly does this relationship work? The key word here is "mycorrhizae".

Mycorrhizae is a symbiotic alliance constructed of both a fungus and the roots of a plant. This mutualistic association is found throughout nature and is a fundamental part of soil life. By forming this relationship, the fungi and plants in question receive impressive benefits from one another, especially important when attempting to maximise the quality and quantity of marijuana yields.

The cannabis connection: how mycorrhizae can improve plant health

The fungi receives constant access to the sweet bounty of carbohydrate sugars such as glucose and sucrose which are synthesised within the plant's leaves, transported to the root system and across to its fungal sidekick. In exchange, the plant then reaps the benefit of the fungi's superior abilities of absorbing water and nutrients from the soil in which they reside. This is due to the far larger surface area of the hyphae which are much finer than plant roots, making them much more effective at mineral extraction.

The fungi present can also make it easier for plants to access key building blocks such as phosphorous and nitrogen whichare paramount to optimal plant health, yieldsize and quality.

The formation of mycorrhizae also extends past nutrient uptake. This phenomena can also protect your plants against numerous threats that many growers face. Mycorrhizae plants show increased resistance to pathogenic microbial diseases that occur within soil. They are also better equipped at combating drought conditions that may occur, and are better at handling salt stress. They are also more resistant to certain toxicities that may occur in soils such as those with high metal concentrations.

Cultivating This Special Relationship

Growers have several methods at their disposal when it comes to introducing beneficial fungi into the soil. First, they can opt to attract mycorrhizal species found in their plants’ immediate environment. These species exist in most soils, so cultivators can easily attract them from nearby and boost their numbers by feeding them the right food.

Mycorrhizal fungi thrive on organic matter such as compost and other microorganisms, but also jump at the chance for some sugary sweetness. After all, sugars derived from photosynthesis are the main reason they hook up with plants in the first place.

To attract beneficial fungi from nearby, simply add carbohydrate sources such as fruit juice or maple syrup into the soil. Combine 10ml of sugars with one gallon of water and drench your beds and containers.

Alternatively, head out to a nearby forest and capture a fungal colony with your bare hands. Remove some soil from a woodland free of chemical contamination and pollution, and place it into a bucket. Once home, inoculate your growing medium with this microbe-rich goodness.

Finally, you can also use specially designed products to inoculate your soil. For example, Royal Queen Seeds Easy Roots contains a completely organic blend of Glomeromycota fungi that swiftly bind to roots and begin shuttling in nutrients in return for plant sugars.

Bacteria Bring Brilliant Benefits

Fungi aren’t the only microbes to populate the soil. Healthy, living soil also features a food web abundant with bacteria. Although they usually have negative connotations, many species of bacteria actually team up with cannabis plants, helping them to remain healthy and strong.

Sure, plenty of bad bacteria also exist in the soil. However, healthy populations of good bacteria help to keep these detrimental types at bay.

Easily introduce good bacteria into your soil using Royal Queen Seeds Easy Roots Rhizobacter. The blend contains two species of bacteria—Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas flavescens—that form a symbiotic relationship with plant roots. These minute life forms help to promote plant growth by fixing nitrogen, increasing nutrient solubilisation, and protecting against bad bacteria.

Easy Roots Rhizobacter also includes a special form of algae known as Lithothamium. This algae protects the bacteria from fertiliser and pH irritation, and also contains vital trace nutrients required for optimal plant health.

Mycorrhizae vs Rhizobacteria: How Do They Compare?

Mycorrhizal fungi and beneficial bacteria both play a critical role in the soil food network. Species from both categories decompose organic matter and make locked-up nutrients available to plant roots.

Mycorrhizal fungi physically fuse to the root system and become an extension of the network, exuding enzymes into their immediate environments, breaking down complex molecules, and carrying free nutrients into the roots. In return, plants pay a currency of sugar created through photosynthesis.

Cannabis plants also thrive with beneficial bacteria close to their roots. They tempt these miniature critters with a cocktail of sugars; in return, rhizobacteria wages war against potentially harmful bacteria, and even helps plants uptake atmospheric nitrogen—one of the most important nutrients for plant health and development.

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

SECTION 5 – COOKIES

Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: