The Basics

Abyss

This is a series of articles written by Darkone which I found to be very informative. I hope you do as well.
Much love
Abyss
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Plant Nutrients

There are 16 chemical elements known to be important to a plants growth and survival.
These are divided into two main groups. Non-mineral and Mineral.

The Non-mineral nutrients are:
hydrogen (h)
Oxygen (o)
and carbon (c)

Non-mineral nutrients are found in the water and air.
Through the process of photosynthesis,plants use solar energy to change carbon dioxide (co2) and oxygen and hydrogen (h20) into starches and sugars,the lifeblood of our plants.

Mineral nutrients:There are 13 mineral nutrients,which are all found in soil,are dissolved by water,and then absorbed through the roots of the plant.

These 13 nutrients are again divided into two groups....Macro-nutrients and Micro-nutrients.

Macro-nutrients: (this group contains two sub-classes..primary and secondary)

The primary macro-nutrients are the ones we can all see listed as numbers on nutrient bottles as they are of course:
Nitrogen "N"
Phosphorous (P)
Potassium (K)

These major nutrients are the first ones found lacking in soil theough a plants life,as they are used in such large amounts for growth and survival.This is why nutrients containing primarily "NPK" ratios are reffered to as BASE nutrients.

The secondary nutrients are:
Calcium (Ca)
Magnesium Mg)
Sulfur (S)

There are usually enough of these elements available in "natural" soils,that extra fertilisation is often not needed.
It must be remembered though,that as cannabis growers,we are often using fairly sterile mediums,which may not contain high enough levels of Calcium or magnesium to actually sustain a plant.
Sulfur on the other hand seldom needs to be added as it is replaced in the soil as part of the natural decomposition of soil organic matter.

Micro-nutrients:

These are, as the name suggests (micro), essential elements that your plants need...but only in very small or "trace" amounts.
The Micro-nutrients are:

Boron (B)
Copper (Cu)
Iron (Fe)
Chloride (Cl)
Manganese (Mn)
Molybdenum (Mo)
Zinc (Zn)

Again,the decomposition of plant matter supply's wild soil with an abundance of these trace elements,in this case from the decomposition of "green" matter...leaves grasses etc.
So again it must be remembered that we are not allowing for the same processes in an indoor grow,and so must be sure to provide these very essential nutrients.

It must also be realized that although every one of those trace elements are essential,they are also very prone to becoming toxic when over applied.As well,all of these elements will react differently with each other,again dependent on how balanced each is.An abundance of an element like copper for instance can be lethal to plants...and high levels of chlorides can make even slightly above copper levels toxic to plants...etc etc...and as each element swings out of balance,a domino effect can ensue,causing complete crop failure.
This seldom happens in wild soil to to enzymatic and michorizal controls,unless an outside source,like pollutants enters the eco-system.

That is pretty much a wrap for the first part of this thread.
I hope this helps further a general understanding of just what a plant needs to meet it's most basic of requirements...nutrients.

Abyss

In th above artical I discussed the Macro,and Micro nutrients that make up the 16 basic foodstuffs of all plants...land based plants anyways..
In this artical I will delve into exactly what role each of the 16 play.
First the Macro-nutrients:

Nitrogen (N) :

Nitrogen is a part of ALL living cells,and a vital part of all enzymes,proteins and metabolic processes involved in synthesis and transfer of energy.Nitrogen also makes up a portion of chlorophyll,a green pigment which is responcible for photosynthesis.it aids in rapid growth ,increasing the speed of fruit,and seed production as well as leaf and forage crops.
Nitrogen is found naturally in both soil and air.

Phosphorus (P)

This element is also essential to the process of photosynthesis.It is also involved in the formation of oils,sugars starches etc.It also helps with the transference of solar energy to chemical energy,and proper plant maturation as well as a stress reliever.it helps to "Effect" rapid growth (in conjunction with (N) ) ,and encorages root and bloom growth.

Potassium (K)

Potassium is absorbed by plants more than any element except for nitrogen...and on rare occasion calcium.It helps with the building of raw protein blocks,as well as ,again,being an aid to photosynthesis.It also plays a role in disease reduction.

Calcium (C)

calcium provides the essential structure for the cell walls of plants,provides for normal transport of other essential elements,It is also thought it may help to counter act the effects of alkali salts and organic acids within the plant.

Magnesium (Mg)

Magnesium is also a part of the chlorophll in plants.It also helps to activate the enzymes needed for plant growth.

Sulfur (S)

Sulfur is essential plant food for the production of proteins.It also promotes the activity and development of enzymes and vitamins.
It also helps a plant have tolerance to lower temperatures.

That is your list of "Macro-nutrients" and what role they play in plant development.


On to the Micro-nutrients...well right after lunch..
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Abyss

Micronutrients:

Boron (B)

Boron helps with the using of,and regulating of toher nutrients.It also aids in the production of sugars and carbohydrates,and is essential for seed orfruit development.

Copper (Cu)

Copper is essential for reproductive growth.It also aids in root metabolism,and the utilisation of proteins.

Chloride (Cl)

An aid to metabolic process within the plant.

Iron (Fe)

Iron is essential to the formation of chlorophll,without it there is no phoypsynthetic reaction and your plants cannot convert solar energy to chemical,and so will starve to death.

Manganese (Mn)

Functions with enzyme systems to breakdown carbohydrates and nitrogen.

Molybdenum (Mo)

Without Molbdenum plants cannot effectivly process any but air-borne nitrogen sources.

Zinc (Zn)

Zinc is essential for the transformation of carbohydrates,and regulates your plants consumption of sugars.
It is also a part of the enzyme system that regulate plant growth.


There you have it gang,a complete list of the essential 16 elements that make up "nutrients",and at least some idea of which each does.
It is easy to see the biggest difference between Macro,and micro nutrients,just by noteing how "specific" eack role of a Micro-nutrient" is,when compared to the multiple roles that Macro-nutrients have.


I hope this first artical was of some value.
The next will be a brief explanation of what soil is..and what it does.
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Abyss

Soils
For the most part soil is the medium that most of the worlds land plants grow.
And for the most part,plants grow by absorbing nutrients from the soil.Thier ability to do this with efficiency is based largley on the composition of that soil.
Depending on it's source location,soil is made up of varying ratios of,sand,silt ,clay and composted organic matter.
The makeup (soil texture) and the acidity (soil PH) are the largest determining factors of how well plants can attain,and absorb nutrients.

Soil Texture:

Soil texture affects how well soil will maintain both water and nutrients.High clay and organic matter soils hold nutrient and water for much longer periods,than soils with a high sand base.
As water drains from sandy soil,it will also drain nutrients with it.This process is reffered to as nutrient leeching,and basically "holds" the nutrients away from your roots,thus slowing or even stopping absorbtion of vital nutrients.

So an ideal soil mix should contain roughly equal portions of each of the elements,sand silt clay and organic matter.with variences only to provide for enviromental differences.
Ie....cactus and other succulent plants require sandier soil,as they have very minimal soil based nutrient requirements,and using a loamy soil,can actually very rapidly turn "normal" amounts of nutrients into toxic stockpiles.

Soil PH:

Soil ph is probably one of the most important properties to affect the absorbtion of nutrients by plants.
Macro-nutrients are less available in soils with a low ph,and Micro-nutrients are less available at high ph levels.So just like soil componenets,a soils ph should also be balanced between the needs of Macro,and Micro nutrients.

As natural soils can very quickly drop in ph value,often Lime is used to lower the acidity,and to make calcium and magnesium more available to your plants.
Soils below or above a PH of 6.0-6.5 will cause lockouts or buidups of both of those critical elements.
the other reason that soil ph in the 6.0-6.5 range is important is because at that ph microbial activity in the soil increases allowing the breakdown of nitrogen and sulfur to a form that plants can readilly absorb.

Alrighty gang..there is a brief blurb on soil.Hydroponics etc. follow the same basic principles,thats why nutrients are still absorbed,but have a different optimal ph range for these events to maintain thier peak.

The next artical will be the role of Michorizals,what they are,how they work...and why they are such a vital link in the chain between enzymatic,microbial,fungal and bacterial controls in soil....

Following this we will make a stab at understanding enzymes microbes and bacteria and fungus.....

Manyana folks.
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Abyss

mycorrhizal's...yeah,there a bunch of fungi's
Although we generally think of mycorrhizal's as a beneath ground fungus,as the word literally means "Fungus Root",it is in fact a reference to any fungus that has a symbiotic relationship with another plant.
So even the large dinner plate fungus growing on the sides of dead trees,are in fact mycorrhizals.Although in that particular case,the fungi gets fed,in exchange for attracting microbes that further break down the trees decaying mass.

In the more,shall we say,"Traditional" use of the term mycorrhizals...the symbiosis occurs as the fungi recieve carbon from the plants in exchange for nutrients that the fungi pull from the soil.
But plants are more than capable of drawing thier own nutrients...otherwise that massive root ball we all brag about...would be a pretty useless item!So why would they give up carbon...something they cannot live without....in essence,paying for something they can get themselves for free.?

Mycorrhizals are well worth the price the plants pay.First of all they aquire nutrients in ways that a plants root system just can't manage.
They "extend" the root zone...nutrition can rapidly deplete near a plants root zone as it draws from the soil.But the fungal hyphae are able to grow out beyond these depleted areas...far past the plants root system,to where a richer nutrient base is found.

As an example,an outdoor football field covered in grass.The actuall roots of the grass extend past the sideline markers by only a matter of feet.Yet the mycorrhizal's that are drawing nutrients for that grass,may well extend for up to 5 miles beyond the field in all directions.
The fungi do this by forming special structures called rhizomorphs,that allow for an extremely efficient transfer of nutrient from fungus to a plants root zone.

As well as actually "extending" a plants root system,the mycorrhizal fungi are much much finer than traditional plant roots,and so are capable of finding nutrients and water in the smallest of soil pores.This also allows a more signifigant drought tolerance,as again it extends the area your plants can actually take water from.And finally,the fungi have a much larger surface area than just the roots (surface to volume ratio) and so can actually draw more nutrients.

The last effort made by mycorrhizals to earn the plants precious carbon is by being more effective nutrient competitors against free-living soil microbes than roots are,and that mycorrhizal fungi also alter the bacterial community living in the "extended" root zone.Ie. attracting a far greater range of nitrogen fixing bacteria.

There is also very strong evidence that suggests that mycorrhizal fungi produce a massive diversity of of enzymes and chelating compounds.(chelating compounds bind metals into the soil so they don't interfere with uptake of other nutrients).
This is best shown with the fact that certain mycorrhizals are able to take up nitrogen in it's organic form...something plant roots...cannot.

In the soil nitrogen comes in two forms.
Oraganic,which means "Attached to carbon"
Inorganic,which means "without carbon"

Plants can only absorb inorganic nitrogen directly from the soil in the form of ammonium or nitrates.They lack the neccesary enzymes to take up complex forms of Organic nitrogen.
Enter the mycorrhizals...they produce enzymes that can absorb organic nitrogen through various means,and convert it to an inorganic form...they remove the carbon...that plants can use.And not all mycorrhizals rely on enzymes to do the job.Some such as Laccaria Bicolor are actually predatory in nature.Laccaria will actually invade the bodies of Springtails,an abundent soil fungus feeding insect,and strip thier bodies of organic nitrogen,consume the carbon,and leave the now inorganic nitrogen for your plants to use.

So we can see that the role of these symbiotic fungi,are as important as they are diverse.
We can also see that for a cannabis grower indoors...they are not critical to your plants success,but rather voluminously expand your plants capabilities for success.

There is a basic primer for Mycorrhizals,not horribly detailed I'm afraid,but hopefully with enough general background to keep the explanation simple but imformative.
I am not going to go into the thousands of species,nor what each specific one does.
But as a bit of an aside.I will add that some of the earliest testing to determin the effects of symbiotic fungi was done on Aminita Muscaria...Yes,those wonderfull red shrooms with the happy white dots,that if consumed will allow you, at least briefly, to see whatever god you may believe in.

So when Alice walked through the Looking glass,,,she was really trippin on mycorrhizals.
Hope you enjoy the post gang.
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Abyss

Enzymes....there everywhere..
What is an enzyme..the answer to that is almost as vastly complicated,as it is oddly simple.
And no...this isn't just me trying to get all writery on you (ya I made the word up) it is the simple fact that all enzymes are exactly the same thing...yet are as diverse as nature herself.

So what is an enzyme:The definition i prefer,is as follows,as I feel it best describes enzymes that are involved with plants,nutrients mediums etc.

An Enzyme is a PROTEIN which acts as a CATALYST,speeding the rate at which a bio-chemical reaction proceeds,but without altering the direction ,or nature,of that reaction,by lowering the energy requirements of tasks that are normally requiring high energy expenditures...
(alright,I sort of like the definition because it is a sentence that takes up almost an entire paragraph...my favorite kind).

In fact the only thing that long winded definition leaves out,is the fact that all enzymes are made of AMINO ACIDS...which are PROTEINS.

How are Enzymes formed?

To form a fuctional enzyme,one needs to string together,between 100 and 1000 different amino acids in an extremly specific and absolutley unique order.
If this is done right this newley designed protein will collapse and fold upon itself into a shape.This shape allows the enzyme to carry out specific chemical reactions,at a faster and more efficient rate,than the chemicals alone could achieve.

What does an Enzyme do?

Basically,an enzyme does ALL of the work inside a cell...plant fibre cell...skin cell...it makes absolutley no difference.All work done in cells from breaking down glucose into usable energy..to buiding cell walls,all of these tasks are dictated by and carryed out by enzymes working in cinjunction with the chemicals in the cell.In fact without the reaction of enzymes,cells are just sac's of inert chemicals,not capable of division,nor structure,or feeding.

As a real world example....Lactose intolerance.This is a very common condition amongst humans.And it is,because we are the only animal that chooses to drink another animals milk.
The sugars in milk...where we get our food "energy" from,is known as Lactose.
The enzyme responcible for turning lactose into energy is called Lactase.
When someone becomes Lactose intolerant,it simply means that thier intestinal tract is not producing the enzyme Lactase.

So when we look at plants,we must realise that every single facet of what goes on inside your plant cells is controlled and dependent on enzymes.
And due to the unlimited amount of combinations that various amino acids can be string together in,enzymes are even respocible for reactions at the level of bonding atoms and molecules together.

Whe we package a product like Sensizyme,we are looking at known enzymes that have a primary objective of breaking down cell walls,and then further stripping the cells of thier energy and nutrient content.
This is also why it is important to note the blend of Amino acids in a product like Big Bud.There again,the amino acids chosen are known to cause enzyme proteins and will work on a specific cellular structure in your plants.

the last thing I would like to bring to everyones attention is the fact that 7 of the 16 nutrients a plant needs...have a direct relationship to...enzymes.

Potassium and sulfur both serve to "activate" enzymes,in other words trigger,or allow to trigger the chemical reaction the enzyme was built to control.
Sulfur also acts as a C0-enzyme...a compund which is not a part of all enzymes,but is needed in conjunction with an enzyme for it to do it's specific function...ie..plant cell wall reproduction.

Iron,zinc and copper are all components of enzymes...they all contain those elements in some combination,and so must have them present to form.In fact copper and Iron are the components in the enzyme that allows photosynthesis.

calcium is an enzyme regulator.hen enzymes form,they form in large numbers of identical groups,and then as they are neede they bond with the cells chemicals and start working.calcium is the element that controls how many are working at any one time.
And finally molybdenum. This element acts as a nitrate reducing agent in enzymes.This is the gem that allows enzyme reaction to release usable nutrients in the form of nitrogen for your plants to absorb,from the cell walls it breaks down in decaying matter.

There are far too many different enzymes to go into even a portion of what and who they are.
Again,thanks for your time gang,feel free to make use of this material in any way you choose..EXCEPT..please dont go cut and pasting this on other cannabis istes,I do this for the information of THIS forums users....they can find someone to write thier own stuff..LOL
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gorejess

:]

HighSeeker

No wonder Im not a scientist. I tried to read it but ...no way. LOL

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iamcannaclubmember

Jesus H Christ ......think I found my protege lmao...

Great post abyss....Karma to you my friend and a very good but boring read..lololol

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