Although most people believe that microorganisms are harmful by definition, life, as we know it, would be impossible without these tiny lifeforms.
It is no secret that the soil is home to a variety of organisms: bacteria, fungi, insects. Some of them are useful and even necessary for plants, others are called pathogenic and cause various problems.
In this article we will look at the effects of microorganisms on plant development (Cannabis) due to their presence in a nutrient medium.
As you know, the future harvest is laid at the stage of growing seedlings and even earlier - when preparing seeds.
Experienced grover always has the highest requirements for the quality of seeds because they are carriers of properties of future plants and harvest depends on it. But not always only genetics determine the volume and quality of the final product.
Why do the plants get sick?
Usually infected seeds do not germinate at all, or the sprouts that have just appeared from them die. But it happens sometimes: seedlings please the eye, look completely healthy, plants develop well, bloom abundantly and... get sick. So serious that the whole harvest is at risk. Of course, growers decide that plants have recently become infected, and wonder why colleagues do not have suspicious symptoms. So they ask themselves, how did these lucky people spray the plants to make everything okay?
But don’t try to second guess - in fact infected seeds can be responsible for the mass death of plants. Please remember that 80% of diseases are transmitted through seeds and only 20% through soil. Many microorganisms have evolved an amazing ability not to depress the host plant in the early stages of its development. Disease-causing organisms successfully remain on the surface of a seed and they infect the seedlings during germination in the nature of things.
Until a certain time the disease does not manifest, but once the plant enters a vulnerable phase (usually in the middle of vegetation or bloom), the causative agent is activated. External signs of a disease become visible: wilting, tissue damage, drying spots, sporulation, etc. . This is why it is so important to treat the substrate when seeding or rooting cuttings.
Power of microbiological solutions
Some growers consider biopreparations environmentally friendly but weak analogue of chemicals. In fact, this is not true. Experiments have shown that, compared to chemical disinfectants, the efficacy of some biological preparations containing microorganisms, such as Fire Yield - Microbial Protect (Trichoderma, etc.) or La Calavera Catrina - Microbial Grow (Bacillus etс.), not much lower - 75-85% («bio») against 95% («chemistry»).
Although the results are comparable to the effects of the use of chemicals, they can be maintained throughout the growing period only if the balance of microorganisms is supported.
How to create balance?
✅Like plants, most microorganisms prefer an acidity level of 5.5 to 6.5. ⛔High or low pH, or pH fluctuations, may inhibit the development of microflora.
✅ As for plant development, microorganisms need oxygen ⛔ Lack of oxygen in the substrate hinders the development of microflora. Please read a separate article about substrates, their properties and applications. How to choose the substrate correctly?
✅Environment for the active reproduction. Microorganisms themselves produce special substances that help them feed and reproduce. In practice, the introduction of such special substances into the substrate, for example, Atlas - Terra Ensymys, La Sirena - Vitamin Power enhances not only their development, but also plants. ⛔ Insufficient amount of nutrients and biologically active substances in the substrate hinders the development of microflora.
✅ The ratio of beneficial to pathogenic products is always ensured in favor of the former by regular introduction of microbiological products for plants into the substrate. ⛔ Irregular application of microorganisms cannot provide a correlation between beneficial and pathogenic, as they all develop according to the principle of natural competition, and most often pathogens are much stronger than their counterparts. Why is this so, please read a separate article, Why does the plant need microorganisms?
Grover practice.
When sowing seeds / cloning:
1. The substrate is moistened (watered) with Fire Yields solution 2 ml + La Calavera Catrina 2 ml + Atlas 2 ml / 1 L water.
2. For active environments recommended to apply La Sirena 2 ml/l (depending on the type of substrate and the size of the growing pot)
During growth and flowering it is recommended to regularly apply Fire Yields - Microbial Protect, La Calavera Catrina - Microbial Grow, Goddess Lada - Microbial Bloom, Atlas - Terra Ensymes and La Sirena - Vitamin Power (Feeding Chart).