By Luke Sumpter Reviewed by: Gloria Payá

As one of the sweetest bounties found in nature, honey goes down well in endless recipes, as well as on its own. Taste aside, this bee-derived substance also comes in handy when growing weed! Keep reading to find out how honey helps to fertilise cannabis plants, boost soil health, and enable cuttings to thrive.


Does Honey Help Cannabis Grow?

If you prefer to take a natural and organic approach in your cannabis grow room or garden, you’ll be pleased to know that a substance currently sitting in one of your kitchen cupboards can serve as a sweet source of fertility. Honey can support the growth of cannabis plants in numerous ways[1], from providing key macronutrients to stimulating root growth and regulating microorganisms that make up the soil food web.

As you’re probably aware, honey derives from the laborious work of certain species of bees. These complex organisms harvest nectar from flowering plants and deposit it in cells in their hive. While honey helps bees to thrive, and also keeps our sweet tooth satisfied, it contains an array of nutrients and other bioactive compounds that come in handy in any cannabis garden.

Molasses vs Honey

Molasses vs Honey

Before we dive into the uses of honey when growing weed, we’re going to cover how the substance differs from another sugar-rich input often used in gardening: molasses. While both natural sweeteners, honey and molasses differ in the following ways:

  • Origin: Bees make honey, whereas molasses is a thick, tar-like byproduct that results from boiling cane juice.
  • Flavour: In contrast to the sweet and floral flavour of honey, molasses has a rich and somewhat bitter taste.
  • Consistency: Honey comes in various textures, including runny and solid. In contrast, molasses is a much thicker and more viscous substance.
  • Colour: Honey ranges in colour from light gold and translucent to opaque and yellow, whereas molasses is dark brown.

Despite their differences, both honey and molasses are excellent sources of sugars and minerals that can help to elevate plant and soil health.

The Benefits of Honey for Cannabis Plants

Honey and gardening might seem like an odd pairing, but we’re about to make it all make sense. Below are the key benefits of using honey in your cannabis grow:

  • Honey is a good source of sugars: Plants spend a whole lot of time making their own sugars through photosynthesis. They need this form of energy to conduct basic cellular functions. While plants are more than capable of sustaining themselves under an adequate light source, adding honey into the soil will provide another source of sugar that plant roots can uptake from the rhizosphere (the space immediately surrounding plant roots).
  • Honey is a source of plant macronutrients: Honey contains macronutrients crucial for cannabis, such as nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. Although they are present as trace elements, they play essential roles in protein synthesis, water transportation, and enzyme activation.
  • Honey feeds members of the soil food web: Healthy living soils house billions of different organisms, including fungi, bacteria, protozoa, and nematodes. These critters help to cycle nutrients, which ultimately benefits cannabis plants. Plants send many of the sugars they make during photosynthesis underground to help these populations thrive. Adding honey into the mix will help to bolster their numbers even further.
  • Honey possesses antimicrobial compounds: As well as aiding beneficial microbes, honey contains antimicrobial compounds that could help to deter pathogens[2].

How to Use Honey in Your Cannabis Grow

Now you’re aware of the potential benefits of using honey when growing cannabis. But how should you go about using it? In what follows, we’ll highlight the very best ways that you can put this bee-derived product to use in your growing space.

1. Honey as a Rooting Hormone for Weed Clones

Rooting Hormone

Honey works great as a natural and sustainable rooting hormone option compared to conventional synthetic products. Here’s why:

  • Antimicrobial: The antimicrobial compounds found in honey help to inhibit diseases in young clones caused by types of fungi and bacteria.
  • Key enzymes: Honey contains several enzymes and amino acids[3] that help to stimulate root growth.
  • Cost-effective: Over the long run, you’ll save money by opting for honey instead of synthetic products. Plus, you can eat it yourself!

To use honey as a rooting hormone, follow these easy steps:

  1. Take a cutting from a healthy mother plant using sterilised scissors or a pruning knife.
  2. Remove the lower leaves from the cutting, leaving only a couple on the top of the clone.
  3. Dip the cut end of the clone into some organic honey.
  4. Insert the cutting into a small pot containing vermiculite, and place it in a warm and well-lit spot.
  5. Transplant into soil once a healthy root system has formed.

2. Honey as a Cannabis Fertiliser

Fertilizer

Honey contains an array of macronutrients and micronutrients that weed plants need to grow optimally. As well as all three macronutrients, honey also serves as a source of calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc.

Follow these steps to use honey as a fertiliser in your weed garden:

  1. Mix one tablespoon of organic honey into 1.5l of boiled water.
  2. Stir the mixture well so the honey completely dissolves into the solution.
  3. Leave the mixture to cool.
  4. Pour the solution into a watering can and apply it as a soil drench.

3. Honey as a Foliar Spray

Foliar Spray

Foliar sprays take advantage of the small openings on cannabis leaves. Known as stomata, these structures allow growers to bypass the root system and deliver molecules directly into plants. Honey foliar sprays provide nutrients and also likely influence the phyllosphere—the community of microbes that lives on plant leaves.

Follow these steps to make your own honey foliar spray:

  1. Add two teaspoons of honey to 4.5l of warm water.
  2. Mix well until the honey dissolves.
  3. Pour the mixture into a misting bottle.
  4. Spray over fan leaves, with a particular focus on any that show signs of deficiency.
  5. Repeat this process once every two weeks.

Honey Traps Help to Keep Pest Pressure Down

Honey Trap

Honey can help to remove pests from your growing space. Insert small jars into your soil, so the lip of the jar sits just above the soil surface. Add some honey and, over the next few days, watch your trap catch slugs and fungus gnats.

How to Measure the Sugar Content of Cannabis Plants

There are many ways to determine the health of a cannabis plant. Many growers are used to scouting out their crops in search of pests, diseases, and deficiencies. If you appreciate attention to detail, then you’ll also want to start measuring the sugar content of your cannabis plants. But why?

Sugar plays a vital role in every plant cell[4]. Adequate levels of sugar correlate to healthy plants, whereas low levels are a sign of poor photosynthesis or other issues. While you can’t measure sugar levels specifically, you can measure the next best thing: Brix.

The Importance of Brix When Growing Weed

As a scale of measurement, Brix (which uses the unit °Bx) measures the amount of dissolved solids in a plant sample. As well as measuring other solids, such as secondary metabolites and proteins, Brix provides a pretty accurate measure of the sugar levels within a sample. This becomes obvious when looking at the Brix scores of vegetables; the higher the Brix, the sweeter the food.

Measuring Brix throughout the growing cycle can give you a peek into the inner workings of your cannabis plants. Those with high Brix scores are producing more sugars. Not only does this mean they're destined to become more productive, but their health and ability to resist pests and diseases will likely also be higher

How to Determine Brix Levels

Growers measure Brix using a Brix meter. This device looks somewhat like a telescope. It features a sample screen on one side of the screen, and an eyepiece and focus adjustment on the other. As light shines through the sample end, it refracts based on the level of dissolved solids in the sample. When looking through the eyepiece, you’ll see a scale that marks the degree of refraction or, in this case, °Bx.

To collect your sample, you’ll need to harvest some fan leaves and mash them up in a bowl (a pestle and mortar work great) to extract the juice inside. Next, apply enough juice to cover the sample screen and then close the transparent lid. Then, aim the sample side toward a light source and take your reading. It’s important to know that Brix levels are in constant flux due to several variables, including the time of day. For this reason, you should always take your Brix reading at the same time of day during similar weather (such as only while the sky is clear).

Healthy cannabis plants clock in with a Brix score of anywhere between 12–20. However, those at the upper end of this spectrum are more likely to provide better yields and display superior pest resistance. To bump up your numbers, consider adding some honey into your input regimen, and see what happens!

Honey and Cannabis: A Versatile Partnership

There you have it: that honey in your kitchen cupboard also doubles up as a handy input in your cannabis growing space. So, will you decide to add honey to your feeding regimen? After all, it’ll help provide key nutrients, regulate the soil microbiome, and help your cuttings thrive!

External Resources:
  1. The effect of weight-bearing exercise and non-weight-bearing exercise on gait in rats with sciatic nerve crush injury - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  2. Antibiotics | Free Full-Text | Microbial Community Structure among Honey Samples of Different Pollen Origin https://www.mdpi.com
  3. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14620316.2019.1592711
  4. Dietary sugar consumption and health: umbrella review | The BMJ https://www.bmj.com
Disclaimer:
This content is for educational purposes only. The information provided is derived from research gathered from external sources.

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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: