True Living Organics - The Ultimate Guide to Growing All-Natural Marijuana Indoors (2012)

REV’S TIP
Myco fungi that is dormant in the bottle for sale is pretty easy to find at
high-end nurseries or grow shops. It comes in both granular and soluble
dry forms and is actually reasonably priced for what it does for you. Your yields and overall
quality levels are greatly increased when this fungus is used in TLO container growing. The
Myco fungus is known as a mutualistic fungus, and it actually works with the plant. The roots
supply the fungi with certain elements, and in turn the fungus actually brings available minerals
and elements to the plant, effectively extending the reach of the roots. Not only can these Myco
fungi bring in nutrient elements, they can actually free locked-up nutrients, such as phosphorus
(P), in the soil and bring them in an available state to the plant roots. P is über-important to both
root growth and size of flowers/yields, so you can see how important it is to have these Myco
fungi on the scene in your containers. I use all three; I have a soil mix from the nursery with Myco
fungus in it, and I have soluble and granular versions in the bottles as well.
Soluble applications of Myco fungus should be delivered using chlorine-free water only. I
use this version a week after sprouting or 10 days after any transplanting. I use the granular
version in the container just below where I set the root ball down, and I actually set the root ball
down on a thin sprinkling of this granular version. Whenever I transplant freshly rooted clones, I
use a Myco fungi–infused soil mix, and my favorite for this purpose is the Gardner & Bloome
brand of Blue Ribbon Potting Soil. This is great soil, and it only needs to be aerated with a little
additional perlite.
Blood meal, feather meal, and guanos
These are high-nitrogen, dry, all-natural fertilizers and I use all of them in TLO container growing.
Cannabis likes a lot of nitrogen, and so does the living soil mix. The biggest and most notable
difference in those elements is the strength of release. The guanos (from either birds or bats) and the
blood meal are both very strong and supply a lot of nitrogen fast. The feather meal has a weaker
release rate, but lasts very long in the soil mix. Why does this matter? First of all, you have to be very
careful using blood meal and guanos because these are so powerful; in fact, they can sizzle your poor
plants into a burnt brown mess in no time. The feather meal is a great fertilizer, and supplies slower
nitrogen over a much longer time, along with some calcium. Nitrogen and calcium is a much-loved
combination by TLO growers, and you’ll come to see why.