The Secret to Massive Cannabis Plant Growth? fish poop!

Hydroponics, composting, vermiculite… these are just a few of the many common fertilizers used to grow cannabis.

But did you know that fish droppings are also an excellent fertilizer?

It is an excellent source of phosphorus, nitrogen, magnesium, calcium and potassium. These are all nutrient powerhouses for growing any crop, including cannabis, when using an aquaponic growing system.

Compared to other ways of growing cannabis, aquaponics offers many advantages, and fish waste is a key way to be successful in this space. The fish waste is rich in ammonia and when it is excreted into the tank or reservoir, the ammonia is distributed throughout the growing system. After that there are naturally occurring bacteria in the water that convert the ammonia into nitrites, then other beneficial bacteria convert the nitrites into food for marijuana.

Marijuana efficiently metabolizes the nitrates so the plant can have all the nutrients it needs for good growth, while at the same time purifying the water for the fish to live in. The result is a symbiotic relationship between the plants and the fish, an ecosystem that is all natural and allows growers to produce high-quality organic medical marijuana without the need for harmful chemicals, fertilizers, and pesticides.

Using fish poop is already a common practice when growing cannabis with aquaponics, but you can use it in non-aquaponic grows as well. However, the use of animal waste as fertilizer is nothing new, although it has usually been obtained from land animals such as cows, chickens, sheep, pigs, horses and others. The problem is that breaking down terrestrial animal dung is a lengthy process; so it can be used efficiently by plant growers – in this case cannabis, you want high quality excrement that breaks down quickly for your plants to feed on.

Benefits of using fish poop

Fish droppings act much faster, allowing it to get its nutrients into the soil quickly. But there are other benefits as well: It’s more efficient, more affordable, and helps you achieve potent, larger grows, while being eco-friendly at the same time.

If you’re interested in using fish poop as fertilizer, be sure to do it yourself or get it from a quality source. This way you can be assured that the fish themselves are not being exposed to pesticides or fertilizers, or that this would negate the benefits of using fish manure instead of chemicals.

Let’s take a look at companies that are already successfully using fish poop – these might inspire you to try it yourself.

Thumb Genetics: Michigan

An article by MLive gives an insight into how Thumb Genetics, a licensed cannabis grower in Michigan, is already using fish poop.

Thumb Genetics is a family business that uses aquaponics to grow cannabis. “I can assure you, you’ve never been in an extension like this,” says director Lloyd Owens, who runs the extension with his son Jack. “This is the craziest add-on you’ve ever seen.”

While aquaponics is more common when growing lettuce or other vegetables, it’s not yet widespread in the cannabis world…yet. But aquaponics is all about efficiency, and you no longer need expensive fertilizers or tons of soil nutrients. “Basically, it’s about $80 a month worth of fish food versus tens of thousands of dollars a month in chemicals,” explains Lloyd. “The other thing is: all these others are growing, they’re wasting all this water.”

“We eliminated all media because our media is reusable, we eliminated all fertilizer and the fact that we don’t have to transplant and that, we minimized our staff… We had the same water in those tanks for about a year and a half.”

Thumb Genetics uses blue Nile tilapia fish, thousands of them of various ages, swimming freely in dark water. Larger elderfish swim overhead in an area with safety nets that prevent the occasional suicide attempt on the concrete below. This type of fish was chosen precisely because they do not reproduce, and as long as they keep the temperature below 30 degrees they will continue to poop healthily.

“We currently have different life cycles,” explains Jack. “We can probably keep them for another six months, but they’re definitely getting to the size where they don’t poop as much as the smaller ones.”

Green Relief: Ontario

Green Relief Inc. has an underground facility in Ontario that houses a state-of-the-art aquaponic farm for growing cannabis. They use filtered fish waste as fertilizer for the marijuana, which then purifies the water for the fish.

Because of this, they no longer need to use pesticides. However, it took them two and a half years to sort out the process.
“This is the farming of the future,” explains co-founder Warren Bravo. “If you don’t adhere to sustainable farming technologies now, you will become a dinosaur.”

Her farm uses a closed system with 6,000 tilapia fish and 4,500 cannabis plants. Despite this, compared to conventional farming, they use 90% less water and still produce 10-20% higher yields, reports Global News Canada. Lynn, Warren’s wife and the company’s chief architect, tells Green Rush Daily that “it’s absolutely impossible to use harmful chemicals because the fish will suffer and the whole system will fail.”

Have you tried using fish poo for your home grow? How was the experience?

USING FISH TO GROW WEED, READ MORE…

IF FISH GROW BETTER WEED, LEARN ABOUT AQUAPONICS!

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