There are many different methods used to grow cannabis plants, and they are not equal. Some cultivation methods produce a cleaner, greener product, while others may potentially result in the accumulation of substances which can be toxic to the human body over time. For this reason, it’s crucial to select a cultivation process which eliminates the risk of contamination with harmful substances such as heavy metals. To achieve this goal, a water only method in combination with a high quality living soil is a great choice.

What Is Bioaccumulation and How Does It Impact the Quality of Your Cannabis Plants?

Cannabis is a bioaccumulator plant, making it prone to absorb heavy metals and other toxic materials in the soil. When this occurs, these substances may get passed along to the person consuming the cannabis plant, creating the potential for long term health risks.

Bioaccumulation is a plant process that results in the uptake of anything from heavy metals to salt-based nutrients in the plant’s root structure. These substances are then brought up through the plant and reside in the plant throughout its lifecycle. When the substances being absorbed from the soil are toxic, as with heavy metals and other inputs in certain soils or plant supplements, it can cause your cannabis plant to become toxic.

The most common heavy metals which accumulate in cannabis plants are:

• Arsenic – As
• Cadmium – Cd
• Lead – Pb
• Mercury – Hg

While the levels of these toxic molecular compounds in the harvested cannabis plant aren’t large enough to pose an immediate danger to the consumer, long-term consumption of cannabis plants containing these substances can pose significant health risks. Over time, these toxins can build up in your system and reach dangerous levels with irreversible results.

Flushing Plants Is an Ineffective Way to Remove Toxic Substances Absorbed by Bioaccumulation

Many growers will flush their plants with water to remove these harmful toxic substances created by bioaccumulation. Unfortunately, this  process isn’t very effective since the toxic substances have already been interwoven within the plant’s cellulose, and they can’t be entirely eliminated by flushing with water. At best, the flushing process will result in a dilution of these substances, but they will still be present in levels that can potentially be harmful over time.

A Water Only Growing Method Is the Most Effective Way to Eliminate Toxic Substances from Your Plants

If you use a water only method of growing, the chance of these toxic substances entering your plants is dramatically decreased. You still need to make certain your water source is free of any harmful elements. As the name implies, a water only growing method refers to a process that refrains from adding supplemental nutrients, chemicals and other substances to the soil. This is accomplished using a high-quality living soil that contains a diverse community of beneficial bacterial and fungi.  All nutrients necessary for a healthy, thriving plant are contained in the soil and as a result, all you need to do is add water to optimize the growing process.

Living Soil and Water Only Growing – The Recipe for Clean Green Cannabis

If you’re going to use a water only growing method, you must use living soil. This type of soil is the only growing medium which contains all the nutrients necessary for a plant to thrive using this organic growing method. If you don’t use living soil, you’ll need to provide supplemental nutrients during the growing process, and this can result in plant toxicity due to bioaccumulation. Living soil eliminates the risk of bioaccumulation toxicity.

Living soil is the premium medium for growing cannabis, and it is the most effective way to achieve a Clean Green™ plant. Living soil contains all the nutrients needed to optimize the genetic potential of a plant through the life of its vegetative and reproductive grow cycles.

Each cannabis strain has its own strengths and weaknesses. For example, some strains may be more disease resistant, while others may be more drought resistant. Using living soil allows you to optimize the genetic potential of your plant, regardless of the innate characteristics of the strain.

SoHum Living Soils® for Clean Green Cannabis Plants

If you’re looking to set up a water only grow process that achieves Clean Green Certified® cannabis plants, SoHum Living Soils® is an excellent option for your living soil medium. It contains all the nutrients necessary to optimize the health and potential of your plant. Simply add water for a hassle free cultivation process.

While SoHum is ideally suited for water only growing, it doesn’t have to be used exclusively in this manner. If you want to add nutrients and supplements to your cannabis plants, you have the option to do so.

SoHum Living Soils® is a Clean Green Certified® soil product. As a result, cannabis operators  can grow a certified Clean Green product once their growing process has been Clean Green Certified®. In this case, SoHum with a water only process will produce a Clean Green Certified® cannabis product. If you choose to add additional nutrients, you can still harvest an organic product if these nutrients are OMRI certified.

SoHum Living Soils® Is Participating in the Water Only Challenge

Chad Westport of the Future Cannabis Project has recently launched a Water Only Challenge in order to educate growers about the water only process. SoHum Living Soils® was selected as one of the four living soil products to participate in this challenge. You can follow the challenge on Chad’s YouTube channel.

Video by Chad Westport/Twin Peaks Cannabis
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