By Luke Sumpter Reviewed by: Silvia Maroto


Every living organism, including your cannabis plants, requires nutrients. But you're not confined to a single source when taking care of your crop. The debate around organic vs synthetic fertiliser rages on within the weed community. Below, you'll discover the pros and cons of each type, to help you choose the best option for your unique growing situation.

Growing Naturally: Is Organic Weed Better?

Growing organic cannabis involves no synthetic chemical inputs. Instead, growers use manure, compost, plant teas, and foliar sprays to nourish their specimens. This method produces less of an impact on the environment and helps to preserve soil life. Organic nutrients have been shown to increase the abundance of soil organisms such as fungal mycorrhizae[1]. Other studies have shown that these associations are effective in promoting mechanisms favorable to terpenoid accumulation in plants[2], which has also been observed in Cannabis sativa[3].

Growing Naturally: Is Organic Weed Better?

What Are the Benefits of Organic Nutrients for Growing Cannabis?

Organic vs synthetic: which reigns supreme? Whether you're growing in containers or no-till beds, organic nutrients can do wonders for your plants. Many cultivators are also attracted to organic nutes because they’re easy to make at home. As they’re packed with organic matter, they not only help to keep your cannabis plants well-fed, but they serve as a vital food source for beneficial microbes in the soil. But what does this mean for budding cannabis growers? Well, a healthy soil food web allows plant health and productivity to surge.

Let's dig a little deeper on the benefits of organic fertiliser.

Advantages
Packed With Key Nutrients
Enhances Microbial Life
Improves Soil Structure
Less Nutrient Runoff
Less Nutrient Waste
Enhances Flavor and Aroma of Buds
Less Chance of Burning Due to Overfeeding
Sustainable and Renewable
  • Packed With Key Nutrients

Organic fertiliser is rich in macronutrients and micronutrients that plants depend on to survive. Manure contains good quantities of nitrogen to fuel leafy growth, potassium to ferry water and minerals throughout plants, and phosphorus to drive flowering. Good-quality composts are also loaded with vital micronutrients such as magnesium, calcium, manganese, sulphur, and iron.

Organic options also contain more diverse nutrients than synthetic forms. Giving cannabis plants access to the host of minerals and elements they need to survive won’t only increase growth and yields, but will help them fight off diseases and pests more effectively.

  • Enhances Microbial Life

Organic nutrients such as worm castings, compost, chicken manure, horse manure, seaweed, bone meal, and woodchips drastically enhance beneficial microbial life. These materials decompose over time thanks to specialized bacteria and fungi. In turn, this process starts the cycling of carbon and nitrogen, and creates active organic matter and humus that feeds a wealth of organisms including bacteria, fungi, nematodes, arthropods, and other species. Healthy populations of these life forms help cannabis plants thrive, and some of them even form synergistic relationships with the herb.

  • Improves Soil Structure

An abundance of soil microorganisms creates a better soil structure. Lifeless soil takes on a dusty appearance and easily erodes during heavy rainfall. In contrast, soil packed with life becomes spongy, firm, and more immune to erosion. Bacteria create biofilms that glue soil particles together, and fungal threads weave through the topsoil to create aggregates.

Well-structured soil also allows water to flow through in a gradual fashion. As the water flows, it creates a vacuum that pulls in oxygen and creates an aerobic environment. Interestingly, many disease-causing microbes cannot thrive in these conditions.

  • Less Nutrient Runoff

As microbes create better soil aggregation, the growing medium develops a better capacity to hold water. Whenever you apply a seaweed root drench or nettle tea, the spongy soil will hold on to the nutrients and ensure your plants are able to utilise them. Additionally, organic matter sources such as manure retain nutrients such as nitrogen, and release them slowly over time. This helps to keep nutrients in the soil during heavy rainfall and other weather events that cause erosion and runoff.

  • Less Nutrient Waste

The slow-release properties of organic nutrients mean much less goes to waste. Microbes work hard to chomp, shred, and digest this material into beautiful soil filled with nutrients that are accessible to plants. However, important elements such as nitrogen are either bound up in organic matter or passed through the bodies of worms and bacteria. Because these nutrients are cycled through the soil food web, and not left sitting in bare soil, they are protected from eroding rains, meaning much less goes to waste. As such, organic nutrients feed plants for a much longer period than synthetic, and require fewer applications to get the job done.

  • Enhances Flavor and Aroma of Buds

Every cannabis cultivar has a distinct flavor and smell. Volatile hydrocarbons known as terpenes underpin these characteristics. Cannabis flowers produce terpenes in small translucent glands known as trichomes in an effort to protect themselves from predation and communicate.

In order to grow tasty weed, cultivators employ numerous techniques to boost terpene production. Organic nutrients might help to bolster terpene levels by fostering thriving populations of mycorrhizal fungi (species that fuse to and synergise with plant roots) that are known to enhance terpene accumulation in some plant species.

What Are the Benefits of Organic Nutrients for Growing Cannabis?
  • Less Chance of Burning Due to Overfeeding

Cannabis growers that use synthetic nutrients often run into issues with overfeeding. Beginners are especially prone to adding an excess of nitrogen, which can cause toxicity and burning. Because organic nutrients are bound up in the organic matter, they take longer to become plant-available. This slow-release mechanism helps to eliminate the risk of nitrogen burn and other nutrient overloads that can damage foliage, affect growth, and reduce yields.

  • Sustainable and Renewable

Organic nutrients are better for the planet in most circumstances, especially those obtained from your own home. Instead of sending your garden waste and kitchen scraps off to a landfill, you can convert it into nutrient-rich compost. Rather than slicing and throwing away those weeds, why not turn them into nourishing plant teas? Even collecting manure from local farms and woodchips from arborists can put a limit on the amount of waste produced, transmuting these resources into dank nugs.

The Downsides of Organic Nutrients

As you now know, organic nutrients offer a long list of benefits, from nurturing soil life to reducing runoff. However, they do have a few downsides that turn some growers off. Take a look at the disadvantages of organic nutrients below.

Disadvantages
Slow Release
Can Attract More Pests
Cost
Sometimes Harder to Apply
The Nutrient Contents Can Fluctuate
Slower Breakdown in Colder Climates
  • Slow Release

While many cultivators prize organic nutrients for their slow-release nature, this can become a problem when you need to add nutrients fast. In cases of nutrient deficiency, for example, you need to add a formulation that can quickly correct the issue. As mentioned, the nutrients tied up in manure and worm castings take a while to become available to plants, so you can’t simply add them as a mulch layer and expect your crop to recover. You can, however, apply preparations such as compost tea and liquid seaweed as foliar sprays for quicker uptake to correct any deficiencies.

  • Can Attract More Pests

Adding mulch layer after mulch layer to your soil protects your growing medium and provides your herd of microorganisms with months worth of food. However, these materials can also become a paradise for pests. Slugs, ants, and even mice are attracted to the shelter that mulch provides. You also run the risk of bringing contaminated batches of compost and manure into your garden that are loaded with pest eggs, herbicides, and weed seeds (the bad kind).

  • Cost

Whether you choose to use bags full of animal poo or tablets and potions made by manufacturers, the cost of organic fertilisers can quickly add up. Products are usually more expensive than synthetic alternatives, and buying bags of mulch materials can easily reach triple figures. This leads many down the path of brewing their own compost tea, and composting everything from kitchen scraps to garden waste to close the loop and save money.

  • Sometimes Harder to Apply

Sure, you can find organic nutrients in the form of pellets that are easy to apply. But sometimes growers are lucky enough to land a massive bag of manure from the farmer down the road. You better roll your sleeves up and grab your rake, because applying it will take some work, especially if you’re growing over a large area.

  • The Nutrient Contents Can Fluctuate

Compost, manure, and other organic fertilisers aren't perfectly dosed like synthetic options. One handful of compost can have a much different NPK profile, for example, than another handful. Although this doesn't cause a problem most of the time—given the slow-release nature of organic nutes—it can stump some growers that are used to more exact ratios.

  • Slower Breakdown in Colder Climates

Organic nutrients aren’t of much use to soil life or your plants if they don’t break down. Growers rely on specific species of fungi and bacteria to kick-start the decomposition process, and they work much more efficiently with a bit of warmth and humidity. If you live in a colder climate, you’ll find it takes quite some time for freshly added amendments to integrate into the soil.

Video id: 207447257

Organic vs Synthetic Fertilisers: A Look at Man-Made Cannabis Nutrients

Synthetic nutrients contain the minerals that are important for plant growth in a form that is instantly available to your plants. The three most essential nutrients for growth and flowering—aka macronutrients—are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). The nitrogen comes from an artificial nitrogen fixation process that’s called the Haber-Bosch process, which was invented in the first half of the 20th century. The phosphorus (phosphate) and the potassium are extracted from minerals, with harmful impurities removed.

Commercial synthetic fertilisers are usually manufactured to contain a specific ratio of these three minerals, designated by the N-P-K ratio, which describes the percentage of each mineral in the product. Along with NPK in specific ratios, other beneficial minerals, like calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and others—aka micronutrients—can often be found in synthetic fertiliser products as well.

Advantages of Synthetic Nutrients

Organic purists are quick to turn their nose up at synthetic nutrients, whereas growers on the other end of the spectrum value them for their consistency. Check out the best reasons to use synthetic nutrients below.

Advantages
More Control Over Dosing
Convenient
Quickly Fix Deficiencies
Cheaper
  • More Control Over Dosing

Synthetic nutrient formulas offer precise dosing. Whereas organic preparations can fluctuate in NPK values, for example, synthetic nutrients contain no organic matter or fillers, and instead provide a pure source of macronutrients and micronutrients. This makes for precise and consistent dosing, and minimises nutrient deficiencies.

  • Convenient

Synthetic nutrients are super easy to use. They come in various forms, including liquid, pellet, and granule, and are water-soluble. Simply follow the instructions on the given product to dose your plant with growth-stimulating nutrients within a matter of minutes.

  • Quickly Fix Deficiencies

Synthetic nutrients aren’t bound up in manure, compost, or worm castings; they are free-form. This means plants can uptake them as soon as growers administer them to the soil. For this reason, synthetic nutrients are a superior option when it comes to correcting nutrient deficiencies. They enable growers to tackle the issue as soon as symptoms arise, without having to wait weeks for organic nutrients to break down as deficiencies become more severe.

  • Cheaper

Unless you manage to land a heap of organic fertiliser for free, synthetic nutrients are much cheaper outright. You can purchase liquids and pellets at minimal cost, especially if you’re growing on a small scale.

Disadvantages of Synthetic Nutrients

Although synthetic nutrients save growers money and help to rescue plants facing nutrient deficiency, they aren’t perfect—far from it. Here are the downsides worth considering.

Disadvantages
May Reduce Soil Fertility
Must Apply Regularly
Easier to Overfeed
Nutrient Buildup
Damaging to the Environment
  • May Reduce Soil Fertility

Synthetic fertilisers help to nourish plants in the short term, but can reduce the fertility of your soil over time. The salts present in these formulas irritate and kill the beneficial microorganisms that make up the soil food web. Although your plants are receiving the vital nutrients they need, the microbes they depend on will eventually decrease in numbers. As you know, plants don’t depend on nutrients alone to survive. These little critters play an important role in preventing disease and improving soil structure.

  • Must Apply Regularly

Whereas organic fertilisers break down slowly over time, synthetic types are either used up quickly or leach from the soil. This means growers need to apply them more regularly to meet the nutritional demands of their plants. Not only does this increase costs over time, but the soil microbiology takes quite the beating over a single growing season.

  • Easier to Overfeed

You need to exercise care when feeding your cannabis plants with synthetic nutrients. If you don’t read the instructions with a keen eye, you can easily fall victim to overfeeding. In these cases, nutrient burn and toxicity quickly cause leaves to yellow and nutrient uptake to come to a halt, ultimately impacting growth and yield.

Disadvantages of Synthetic Nutrients
  • Nutrient Buildup

Overfeeding can lead to a salt buildup that throws soil pH out of balance. Soil-grown weed plants thrive at a pH of 6.0–7.0. Synthetic fertilisers have the tendency to acidify the topsoil. To prevent this, you’ll need to take frequent readings with a pH tester and use pH-altering products when needed.

  • Damaging to the Environment

Synthetic fertilisers don’t just damage the life in the local soil. Through runoff and erosion, these chemicals make their way into the groundwater and nearby waterways. Here, these pollutants inflict harm on aquatic ecosystems, where they reduce the oxygen content of rivers and streams and often kill fish and other organisms.

Can You Combine Organic and Synthetic Fertilisers?

Absolutely. Both organic and synthetic fertilisers have unique benefits, and you can use one to fill in where the other lacks. Because synthetic fertilisers can damage the soil life when used for a long period, we suggest reaping the myriad benefits of organic nutrients and supplementing with non-organic as needed.

For example, growers that depend on organic nutrients can get into trouble if their plants start to display signs of deficiency. This can arise due to a lack of overall nutrients, or because their mulches are still in the process of breaking down. Cultivators can leverage non-organic fertilisers in this situation to rescue their crops, without depending on them long-term and doing harm to their growing space and the environment beyond. There’s no need to think in absolutes; we often view it as a black and white argument of organic vs synthetic, but it’s not. Simply do what you can organically, but utilise the benefits of synthetic nutrients when you need them.

External Resources:
  1. Environmental, Energetic, and Economic Comparisons of Organic and Conventional Farming Systems | BioScience | Oxford Academic https://academic.oup.com
  2. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: effects on plant terpenoid accumulation - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  3. Enhancement of growth and Cannabinoids content of hemp ( Cannabis sativa) using arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
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: