Amendments
There are many benefits to applying animal manures to our soil as a nutrient source for our outdoor cannabis. Like most amendments we use animal manures to improve soil fertility and texture. The consideration of nutrient density along with break down times as well as other preparations such as the source of our organic soil additives must be accounted for when planning to grow premium quality in an outdoor setting.
animal manure
ANIMAL | NITROGEN % | PHOSPHORUS % | POTASSIUM % | OTHER BENEFITS TO SOIL AND PLANT HEALTH |
Alpaca | 1.7 | 0.69 | 1.2 | Improves soil texture and water-holding capacity. |
Chicken | 1.0 | 1.5 | 0.5 | Must be aged 3-6 months to purge high levels of ammonia. |
Cow | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.5 | Easier to spread when made into a liquid otherwise needs to be dried. |
Goat | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.9 | A hot manure that needs a little composting before use. |
Horse | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.4 | Considered the standard for adding large amounts of organic matter. |
Rabbit | 2.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | This manure is especially dense in nitrogen and should be well aged. |
Sheep | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.9 | Another hot manure that needs a little composting before use. |
Deer | ? | ? | ? | These manures would be highly debatable but have been used before. |
Moose | ? | ? | ? | Moose eat a lot of willows and this manure would be full of AUXINS. |
Since we are are on the topic of easily sourced outdoor cannabis fertilizer options, we may as well start thinking about the different things that may some times be viewed as trash. When looked at from a different perspective certain household waste suddenly becomes a viable option for what we are trying to accomplish. This next list is not meant to be a comprehensive list only one to get you all thinking!
free fertilizer
HOUSEHOLD WASTE | NITROGEN % | PHOSPHORUS % | POTASSIUM % | OTHER BENEFITS TO SOIL AND PLANT HEATH |
Banana Peel Meal | 0.6 | 0.4 | 11.5 | Bananas in general are a very powerful tool in the garden even fresh organic bananas will do what we need them to. |
Bio Char | – | – | – | Is an excellent carbon source but the benefits are too many to list. |
Coffee Grounds | 2.1 | 0.3 | 0.3 | Adds texture to soil and brings a good amount of nitrogen. |
Egg Shells | 0.4 | 0.3 | – | Mainly used for their calcium but in general very useful. |
Wood Ash | 0.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 | Home made ash is invaluable in the garden, campsite ash is liable to have garbage residues. |
The best advise here is to look at thing a little differently than most people do. Every day we over look and toss potentially valuable thing away that could be of great value down the road to help us along our journey. Most people don’t make the time and it ends up costing them in the end. Remember outsourcing is always more expensive than home made and home made is usually of a higher quality.
The use of fresh compost when gardening outdoor cannabis is no secret, along with a good supply of manure and only a few more ingredients we can start the planning process. Understanding how much of what to use when is a harder topic to tackle. Each grower will have different things available to them so in turn each soil recipe will be different. We have also made a section with pre formulated soil and nutrient recipes to help the newer growers get started. The purpose of these tables is to help the more advanced growers easily formulate their next soil recipe. The bellow table was created to give an example of how we start to calculate how much of each different soil amendment is necessary for this years blend. Create a list like this for your self that includes what is readily available to you in your area and current situation to help garden the best outdoor cannabis possible.
amendments to enrich soil
AMENDMANTS | NITROGEN % | PHOSPHORUS % | POTASSIUM % | NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY | OTHER BANEFITS TO SOIL AN PLANT HEALTH |
Alfalfa Meal | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 4-6 weeks | Rich in triacontanol as well as other fatty acids. |
Banana Meal | 0.6 | 0.4 | 11.5 | 12-24 months | A great cheap source of potassium everyone has access to. |
Bone Meal | 2.0 | 11.0 | 0.0 | 1-2 years | Steady delivery of nutrients for big blooming flowers. |
Bio Char | – | – | – | 1000+ years | Brings carbon to our garden wile providing a home for microbes and fungi. |
Bird Guano (Chicken) | 1.0 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 5-6 weeks | Slow release source of macro and micro nutrients. |
Calcium Carbonate | – | – | – | 1-4 weeks | Buffers PH for nutrient absorption. |
Coffee Grounds | 2.1 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 3-6 months | Organic material worms love to eat that is rich in nitrogen. |
Epsom Salt | – | – | – | Easily dissolves | Aids in nutrient absorption. |
Fish Bone Meal | 0.6 | 16.0 | 0.0 | 4-6 months | Provides nitrogen, Phosphorus, Calcium and tons of trace elements. |
Green Sand | 0.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 12-14 months | Iron, Potassium, Lime and silicates (trace elements). |
Household Compost | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 3-4 months | Very broadly nutritious and delivers microbes and fungi to soil. |
Horse Manure | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 12 months | Improved fungal-microbial activity and texture of the soil. |
Humic Acid | – | – | – | 12 months | Regulates fixation properties of soil and increased buffering. |
Insect Frass | 3.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3-4 weeks | Insect exudates strengthen plant immune systems. |
Kelp Meal | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 4-8 months | Arguably the most important soil amendment I use. |
IMO Serum | – | – | – | microbes live in soil. | The use of indigenous micro organisms changes the game completely. |
Mineralized Phosphate | 0.0 | 9.0 | 0.0 | 2+ years | A great source of phosphorus and trace minerals. |
Mushroom Compost | 0.7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 12 months | Brings both microbes and fungi to the garden. |
Shrimp Shell Meal | 6.0 | 6.0 | 0.0 | 12 months | Rich in calcium but also brings chitin to our plants. |