The Rhizosphere is the term for the soil directly surrounding a plant’s roots. Over the course of time, billions of different species of bacteria have evolved to fit the needs of our changing planet. There are typically 40 million bacterial cells in a gram of soil and a million bacterial cells in a millilitre of fresh water. Most of these bacteria are completely benign, some are harmful, but a handful of bacteria exist only to aid and bolster plant growth. The important part is knowing which bacteria are going into your soil, and how to properly feed them. Tap water contains chlorine, and will instantly kill any beneficial bacteria, so before looking into beneficial bacteria, you must first be using a reverse osmosis filter (i got mine on eBay).

Many microbial solutions are on the shelves in the hydro store. My personal favorite is Advanced Nutrients’ Voodoo Juice. This very expensive bottle contains an inactive culture of beneficial bacteria. In order to activate it, you simply add water and sugar (preferably unsulfured molasses). I think the best way to explain how this stuff works is one bacteria at a time.

Ingredients:

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens
Bacillus laevolacticus
Bacillus licheniformis
Bacillus megaterium
Bacillus pasteurii
Bacillus pumilus
Bacillus subtilis
Paenibacillus azotofixans
Vitamin B-1 (Thiamine Hydrochloride)

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens – This bacterium is known for it’s ability to break down proteins. It has some mild antibacterial properties as well, but they are less pronounced. Bacillus amyloliquefaciens produces and secretes amylase, an enzyme that breaks down starch into sugars the plant can use. It also secretes an antibiotic protein called barnase, however it also tells the host plant to begin manufacturing a barnase inhibitor called barstar.

Bacillus laevolacticus – Produces phytase in the soil. Phytase is an enzyme that helps break down phytic acid. Phytic acid is found in most commercial agricultural crops. Phytic acid can not be naturally broken down, instead it binds to free floating minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc, and makes them inaccessible to the plant. Phytase breaks down phytic acid into available forms of phosphorus (Phosphorus is an essential ingredient for photosynthesis, and is nescessary to create ATP, chemical energy)

Bacillus licheniformis – Produces protease (binds amino acids into proteins) and amylase (breaks down starch into sugars). By breaking down the plant’s food ahead of time, your plants gets to use its’ energy on more important things like making better buds. Also colonies of bacillus lichenformis near the root zone stimulate root production, as well as secondary stem growth.

Bacillus megaterium – A relatively large bacteria compared to the others, bacillus megaterium is used to aid in decomposition of soil. It is used to break down large complex proteins and sugars into useable food for the plant.

Bacillus pasteurii – Secretes urease, an enzyme that helps break down urea into nitrogen (ammonia) and carbon dioxide for the plant. The ammonia then has to be broken down in the soil before becoming available nitrate.

Bacillus pumilus – Used for its fungicidal properties. Bacillus pumilus colonizes the roots just like a fungus, except it fights off any fungus that comes its way. Since it acts like a fungus, it triggers a SAR (systemic acquired resistance) response. A SAR response is a natural building up of the immune system in response to a perceived attack. Since nothing is attacking, the build up of immune cells is prepared for anything else that may come along.

Bacillus subtilis – Originally discovered by Germany during WWII, Bacillus subtillis was originally used as a cure for dysentery. However in our little ecosystem we use it for its byproducts. Bacillus subtillis secretes large amounts of cytokinins (plant hormone that increases lateral shoot growth). Cytokinins tell the plant to become bushier, and node closer together, both are optimal for budding.

Paenibacillus azotofixans – Nitrogen fixing bacteria. Takes Nitrogen from the atmosphere, and turns it into available ammonia and carbon dioxide in the soil. Both of which are integral to photosynthesis.

Vitamin B-1 (Thiamine Hydrochloride) – Water soluble form of Thiamine. Vitamin B-1 is a simple, safe way to trigger a SAR response. Exposure to Thiamine Hydrochloride causes plants to increase production of immune cells, without actually exposing it to anything harmful.

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So I began last week researching and comparing beneficial bacteria. However, like the article on foliar feeding, in order to understand all the potential benefits microbes offer, first we have to talk about how plants eat.

When a plants life begins, it cracks open its shell, and sends it’s first set of leaves called cotyledons out to look for light, and it sends down it’s first root to anchor it into the ground. Although it appears the plant is sending out little straws to look for water, it is the structural role of roots that is important.

A tree mirrors it's roots

A tree mirrors it’s root structure. This is what makes your rooting time so important, in order to maximize yeild, you have to grow alot of roots in a small amount of time.

I am not a fan of big plants. They are inefficient, they compete for light, and anything below the canopy becomes susceptible to mold.

Using small plants is much easier, the pots can touch, so there is no wasted space. However these small plants are limited in their production by the size of their root structure.

When a clone is first placed into a new medium it undergoes transplant shock as it’s roots make a new home. This rooting period is basically all the vegetative time necessary. However, since it is so short, lets discuss some ways to minimize shock, and maximize root growth.

1. Chemical Root Pruning – When a plant is placed in a pot, the first thing it does is find the borders. Roots run straight down, and around the sides of the pot. However this causes the stems to likewise stretch out, increasing the distance between nodes. Certain chemicals, such as SpinOut contain Copper Hydroxide which causes roots to die on contact. By spray coating the inside of your pots with Copper Hydroxide, it sets up a barrier for the roots, so they instead grow denser root balls within the soil. Denser roots mean denser plants.

2. Avoid Transplant Shock – Adapting to a new setting is always tough on a plant. First off, and most importantly, be mindful of the roots. Try not to touch any of them as your finger oils will kill roots on contact, as will too much air, so try to minimize transplanting time. Anytime a rooting plant looks dry, it is ready for more water. Transplant shock will occur anytime you change the plant’s growing media, however the quicker you can get past it the healthier your plant will be in the long run.

3. Feeding – Once the plant is in its new media, water with a small amount of dissolved Sugar and a few drops of a rooting hormone (IAA, IBA, and NAA are readily available in comercial cloning gels and liquids, I personally recommend Dyna’s K-L-N). Also trimming off a few of the lower leaves will signal the plant to begin growing roots to support new growth.

4. Ascophyllum nodosum – Also known as Norwegian Sea Kelp, Ascophyllum nodosum is a form of algae known for its agricultural benefits. It is full of plant hormones, and amino acids that get your baby off to the right start. It helps to stabilize chloroplasts for more efficient sugar production. It also increases amylase production which helps the plant break down its food into useable sugars. Ascophyllum nodosum contains large amounts of cytokinins which are hormones your plant already produces that tell it to stay bushy and node closer together, preparing the plant for a strong flowering phase. It is found in many available products including B-52 (a blend of Norwegian sea kelp and water soluble B-vitamins) and Roots Excelerator (which mixes Norwegian sea kelp with beneficial micro-organisms).

5. Beneficial Bacteria – I think advanced nutrients phrased it the best by calling their blend of beneficial bacteria “Voodoo“. Micro-organisms are all around, and have evolved a symbiotic relationship with plants. They have a multitude of different effects ranging to more efficient feeding to fungicides that keep your root zone safe. I will break it down in a little more detail in my next post, but lets suffice it to say this stuff is great!

6. Pinching – The old school way to grow more roots is to stop upward growth, and let the plant fill in some more. The top of the plant is where most of the growth is happening, if you tell the plant that its top is gone, all the branches around it will fight for dominance. But no one wants to lose a perfectly good top node… Place your forefinger and thumb around the stem right below the top set of new leaves, and squeeze slowly until your feel the xylem pop. When you remove your hand you will see the node fall over limp, it’s ok, it’ll grow back. But in the meantime, the branches below it will shoot up to take it’s place. Make sure to feed it Ascophyllum nodosum during this time, as the cytokinin rush will greatly increase the number of heads that come up to become tops.

Foliar feeding is a a great way to supplement your feeding. Whether to correct a nutrient imbalance, get the plants eating through nutrient lockout at the roots, or just to get a little more food in there to boost your buds, feeding cannabis through the leaves is fast and effective.

BE CAREFUL: Start with lower than recommended dosages, it is really easy to burn your plants.

Conventional wisdom tells us that plants can absorb moisture through the stomata on the underside of the leaves, so small doses of nutrients can be diluted in water and sprayed on the underside of the leaf, where the plant (or weed) can absorb and use them directly where they are needed.

Now, since we are playing with more interesting things than conventional wisdom, I recommend a product called Penetrator by Dutchmaster.

Traditionally the only holes in the waxy cuticle are the stomata on the underside of the leaf, however what Penetrator does is create a series of tubes coming in through the cuticle into the mesophyll layer. These tubes are lined with water, and evaporate away when the feeding is over It also contains a chemical agent that helps maintain the stability of the reaction. With traditional foliar feeding, the leaf can only uptake nutrients until it runs out of electrical charge, then it begins to close up and reject whatever is left. With Penetrator leaves are able to uptake more nutrients through both sides of the leaf, and they receive more nutrients at each site.

Since foliar feeding is topical, it allows the plant access to the nutrients it needs, at the location it needs them. It allows the plant to recover from any kind of deficiency quickly with minimal energy loss.

Foliar sprays should be alternated, to help the plant thoroughly ingest every feeding. I recommend foliar feeding 2-3 times a week during weeks 2-6 of flowering. I use concentrations of about 400-700ppm of about half nutrient/half Penetrator. Start at the low end, or even a little lower. Always use pH neutral water, whatever the pH of your medium is, 5.6-6.0 for hydro, and 6.0-6.3 soil. Since Penetrator allows your plant to absorb more food, use lower than recommended doses until your plants adjust to foliar feeding.

Products I use to foliar feed:

B-52 – B-vitamins and Norwegian Sea Kelp extract make this a great source of trace minerals. Also B-52 helps you plants be more tolerant to heat and drought. There are two essential plant hormones, auxins and cytokinins. Auxins encourage apical dominance, telling your plant to shoot straight up from the tallest point. Cytokinins do just the opposite, they signal the plant to stop elongating, and to start bushing, and noding closer together. Norwegian Sea Kelp is rich in cytokinins, so wait until you are satisfied with your plant’s height before you spray this one. Start around 200ppm B-52 200ppm Penetrator, and work your way up.

Revive – Advanced Nutrients gift to frustrated cannabis growers everywhere. It is a special blend of super chelated micro-nutrients. If for any reason your plants start to yellow, add 200ppm of Revive to the reservoir, and mix up 100ppm Revive 200ppm Penetrator in a foliar spray. You will see your plants returning to green in less than an hour. This stuff is amazing, and it works before your eyes. (In a pinch, substitute Ca-Mg+, same idea just not as immediately effective)

Humic/Fulvic acid – These are the decomposing remains of peat bogs, refined from leonardite (WARNING: exposure to bare skin may cause skin and eye irritation, handle with gloves). They contain loosely bonded elemental remains that your plant uses to break down its food. Humic acid helps with the breaking down of trace elements, where as Fulvic helps with the breakdown of sugar. Foliar feeding of these basically chemically induces hunger. These natural acids create a demand for nutrients wherever applied, so when applied in small doses directly to the flower, it tells the plant to send more food to the buds. Foliar application also helps your plants get through nutrient lockout at the roots. These two can be combined when added, but start off light, its way easy to burn your buds.

Note: I discontinued foliar feeding at the beginning of week 7, and began spraying pH 6 water on the leaves to help them intake the rest of their food. About 3 days later I found the beginning signs of powdery mildew. It is too late to spray fungicide, so I have to attack the mildew itself. I turned the air conditioner up to impede growth, and dry out the air. Anywhere that is already infected with powdery mildew (in the shade, near the bottom) it can be cured with a foliar spray of 1pt whole milk to 9pts water. The lactic acid will eat the powder mildew alive.