Organic vs. Chemical nutrients

I know there's probably a thread on this already but i haven't seen a poll on it yet so it here it goes. I've grown the past three years with fox farm synthetic nutes but I'm thinking about going organic after reading one of subcool's articles about his supersoil. Not only do i want to see the community's opinion on organic vs chemical nutes but also want to figure out what's right for me. thanks, post away.

Soil or hydro?

ive been at it almost as long as you have & im getting it together for my next grow its gonna be ace of spades in coco with general organics nutes

Organic in soil here, although every once in a while I'll cheat and add a synthetic booster or additive. 98% organic though.

My buddy grows hydro (chem), and grows some pretty nice weed. He uses lots of micros and additives though. When I puffed some of my recent harvests with him, he was like "what nutes are you using again? That shit is dank!"

I've had brilliant weed grown both ways. cn

Seems you should narrow the issue a bit by providing your wants, needs and goals in context to the choice. Otherwise be prepared for an epic and endless debate.

phillipchristian said:

Soil or hydro?

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I'm growing in soil.

Heisenberg said:

Seems you should narrow the issue a bit by providing your wants, needs and goals in context to the choice. Otherwise be prepared for an epic and endless debate.

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Yea, I'm sure all of you heard people ranting about how much better organic is for smell and taste. My last grow turned out pretty decent, hard nugs with a good amount of trichomes. The smell just wasn't the strongest and it tasted a little harsh (which was common for the strain but didnt get that kushy taste i was looking for). I guess the best way for me to figure it out is to do side by side comparison. Maybe i need to flush my plants more often as well. I couldn't agree more on the debate part, that's what the poll is for.

horribleherk said:

ive been at it almost as long as you have & im getting it together for my next grow its gonna be ace of spades in coco with general organics nutes

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Right on man, I wanted to get some of the ace of spades beans as well, too bad they sell out so fast.

"my nitrogen is better then yours" "NOOOO my nitrogen is better, its a different nitrogen" bahhaahahah

I like chemicals...I get high on chemicals..so why deny the plants that get me high with their chemicals?....besides shit stinks..jus sayin

Organic/no hormone raised livestock is by far the best tasting not to mention looking meat there is.If one wants to go organic with a plant,it is my opinion it is a matter of pride and beleif than result.So many factors so little time so better off growing the way you want.

over the past year i've made the gradual switch to organic (in soil), and i'll probably never go back. the way i have it now it's cheaper than it's ever been for me to grow, i don't have to fuck with mixing nutes and ppm and all that jazz, no salt issues. every 2 weeks i throw a handful of dry organic fert on top of the soil and that's it. maybe a shot of fish fert or kelp here and there, and the kelp i might be able to omit. it's really nice to just have to water when they need it because i hate the chore of mixing nutes. i'm also able to taste a difference on the only strain i've grown both ways.

interestingly, i also find it much easier to keep my leaves green late in flower with the organic route. i found a perfect combo of fast acting and slow acting ferts to have in the dirt, so there's none of this "keeping on top of shit" nonsense to fuck with. the bulk of my effort goes into mixing my soil, which i only have to do once, and my plants practically grow themselves.

for the record, i don't find anything wrong with chemical nutes, i just find this way suits me better. i'm a lazy sob.

If you are referring to "organic" in the sense of making your own teas, composts, etc... then I think there is merit there. It can be very cheap and also enjoyable. If you are talking about store bought nutrients then I really don't think there is any difference between organic and synthetic. I have smoked the best of both in soil and hydro and you can't taste a difference. I don't care what anyone says if the weed is grown correctly, harvested properly, and cured the right way then there is no difference in taste.

phillipchristian said:

If you are referring to "organic" in the sense of making your own teas, composts, etc... then I think there is merit there. It can be very cheap and also enjoyable. If you are talking about store bought nutrients then I really don't think there is any difference between organic and synthetic. I have smoked the best of both in soil and hydro and you can't taste a difference. I don't care what anyone says if the weed is grown correctly, harvested properly, and cured the right way then there is no difference in taste.

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I couldn't agree with you more. Last night I was researching chemical and organic nutes for hours and I stumbled upon a article written by a dispensary in mendicino county. They were doing blind tests and the first test was to see what was preferred in the area, the majority voted organic. The next test was a little tricky because they switched the labels from organic to chemical and chemical to organic. The next 50 people or so that voted almost all voted for chemical, saying it tasted and smelt so much better. But, in reality it was the the chemical nutes that made this bud, not organic. SO I have made up my mind. I am doing a side by side comparison for my next grow and will post the results.

anyway, vote away!

Chronic Indica said:

I couldn't agree with you more. Last night I was researching chemical and organic nutes for hours and I stumbled upon a article written by a dispensary in mendicino county. They were doing blind tests and the first test was to see what was preferred in the area, the majority voted organic. The next test was a little tricky because they switched the labels from organic to chemical and chemical to organic. The next 50 people or so that voted almost all voted for chemical, saying it tasted and smelt so much better. But, in reality it was the the chemical nutes that made this bud, not organic. SO I have made up my mind. I am doing a side by side comparison for my next grow and will post the results.

anyway, vote away!

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Very cool. Keep me posted if you do a journal. I'd be interested in seeing that. I'm in hydro so synthetic and organic is all the same really. Since there is no buffer and the medium is actually water the plants don't care if your N molecules are organic or not.

phillipchristian said:

Very cool. Keep me posted if you do a journal. I'd be interested in seeing that. I'm in hydro so synthetic and organic is all the same really. Since there is no buffer and the medium is actually water the plants don't care if your N molecules are organic or not.

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For sure man, will do. Thanks for the feedback as well.

i like organic, and then a mix of the two in the last 3-4 weeks of flower. chemical nutes are great because they're always available and broken down enough for the roots to take up, but they can burn them and leave a brittle or harsh taste due to salt buildups, but if used in correct moderation it is very efficient. organics give you great smoke, nutes cant burn them either. some argue chemical nutes do give a higher yield, but i dont believe this. a combination of chemical and organic are great for fat yields, been doing it for the last few years an i believe it beats only organics or only chemical nutrients.

chemical nute companies will try to overcharge although, claiming to have "cannabis-specific" formulas. this is a marketing tactic, and new growers will fall for it about 90% of the time if they dont know their shit. organics are very cheap if you only use guano, worm castings or compost(i use black kow then mix in dead leaves, branches, male plants, banana peels, dead fruit, egg shells and sugary drinks for the microbe food and minerals).
if you do want good results at a cheap price, jacks classic or dyna. bontaicare sent me some samples, im already liking their nutes.

really depends on what style of growing is being done, but i say a combination of fast chemical nutrients and slow/fast feed organic nutrients about 80% organic 20% chemical yields the best results and times for me. in small pots with a low nutrient content soil. but like i said you pretty much have to tailor make your system, some people can do 90% chemical nutes yet still keep 10% organic (benificials and what not) alive. its interesting but its all in the theory of how you grow. i use tap water and dry periods to help keep my beneficials in check becsue thier growth is so outragous. some people dont have to do this or if they did all of their bennies would die. IMO its all up to you use a combo but finish with plain water last 2 weeks maybe a "pretend flush" and well my shits dank!

polyarcturus said:

really depends on what style of growing is being done, but i say a combination of fast chemical nutrients and slow/fast feed organic nutrients about 80% organic 20% chemical yields the best results and times for me. in small pots with a low nutrient content soil. but like i said you pretty much have to tailor make your system, some people can do 90% chemical nutes yet still keep 10% organic (benificials and what not) alive. its interesting but its all in the theory of how you grow. i use tap water and dry periods to help keep my beneficials in check becsue thier growth is so outragous. some people dont have to do this or if they did all of their bennies would die. IMO its all up to you use a combo but finish with plain water last 2 weeks maybe a "pretend flush" and well my shits dank!

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we all gotta way to cut a tomato, but in the end were all eating tomatos right? whatever works for you man, all i use is guano, rain water, worm castings, guano and some bloom booster, im trying hydroplex from bontaicare this year though. either way, organics always give my bud sweet smooth smoke that is very distinct when smoked out of a vaporizer or a pipe. its almost fruity smoke, might be because i compost fruit in my compost as well. and i dont usually flush, salt buildups have never been a problem for me ever since i used mostly organics.