Why should we grow organic?

Organic is often used as a buzz word to describe a product of significantly better quality. Not only is this common place across all manner of commercial sectors but even applies to the cannabis industry as well. Now if you're thinking surely all cannabis is organic because it is grown, for the most part using seeds planted in the soil well.....you wouldn't be too far wrong. What we really mean when we say 'organic' is not just using a naturally occurring product but a lack of interference in the products growing environment, in this case, weed. By growing organically a cannabis grower would use only naturally occurring substances and nutrients to support the weed, free from pesticides or artificially produced chemicals like pH up or down for example.

With organic products often described as better quality because they are in turn better for you and the environment in which they are produced, it will come as no surprise that they often attract a premium. When it comes to marijuana can we really demand a premium for organically grown strains and are there any real benefits to growing in this way?

Growing Cannabis Organically

Firstly we need to establish what growing cannabis organically actually entails. Adopting an organic approach is about producing the healthiest version of the product you are growing with minimal impact on the local habitat.

Using the term 'healthy' and cannabis in the same sentence may seem like a strange one but dependant on how the weed is grown it can have additional chemicals present within the plants genetics, that when smoked could have harmful effects on your body. With this in mind, that organic lifestyle is starting to sound pretty appealing. Growing cannabis organically is purely allowing nature to take its course. No additional chemicals or pesticides are used during the growing process, other than water and some TLC, the weed is left to do its thing. This style of growing can prove difficult given that cannabis is still largely illegal across the globe. It is unlikely you will have a spare patch of land ready to grow some wild cannabis plants, not to mention success rates will vary given the natural climate of the area you are in. Remember we can't interfere by artificially adding anything your cannabis plants may be lacking.

Unfortunately chucking a few seeds in the back garden and waiting to sit back and enjoy does not make you an organic grower. It is about using the natural decay of leaves, lawn clippings, and all manner of biodegradable organisms to produce the nutrients plants need to fertilize themselves. This variety of nutrients is absorbed into the soil without any human interference and hay presto! We have our organic growing approach.

What are the Benefits of Growing Organically?

So we know how to grow organically, we may even have the perfect patch of land lined up, but what are the actual benefits of taking this approach?

To name just a few; improved yields potency and that ever distinctive aroma are just some of the benefits of choosing to grow organically. Not to mention the reduced environmental impact the grow will have without the use of harmful pesticides or fertilizers contaminating the soil. This ensures that the area can be used again, not just for cannabis growing but a whole host of other vegetation.

It is often argued that without the right manipulation at the various stages of growing cannabis you could never hope to achieve the same yields if grown artificially indoors, where each stage is typically highly monitored. Whilst there may be some truth in that, if your microenvironment is right for the strain you are growing you can easily produce some extremely lucrative plants. Natural soil makeups can still be tweaked to give a cannabis plant everything they need without the artificial element. Simply by using different combinations of worm castings, bone meal, guano and other naturally occurring substances you can effectively gain the same edge as mass produced fertilizers.

The same applies for the potency and subsequently the aroma that follows. As a result of being less regimented and allowing the naturally occurring nutrients to enter the soil, the cannabis plants can absorb elements that they may not have encountered in a clinically grown indoor environment.

Whilst not essential to the growth or flowering of the plant; nickel, sodium and cobalt are all nutrients that have proved beneficial for plants like cannabis. This mesh of elements adds to the complex genetic nature of weed and can help to deepen aroma whilst proving hugely beneficial for potency. An attribute that is often touted as the must-have component of great weed but is easy to underwhelm users when strains fail to deliver.

Growing organically is about more than just producing great weed, though. It is about producing a cleaner product through the smallest impact on the environment possible. Not only is the weed great for you but its great for the area that you choose to grow. What is not to like about getting the best of both worlds.