Strong Roots Make Strong Plants!

Published : August 13th, 2015
Categories : Blog • Cannabis • Growing Cannabis
Last edited : October 17th, 2017

Strong Roots Make Strong Plants!


When it comes to growing healthy cannabis, there is nothing more important than an awesomely strong root base.

For anything to be strong, it needs a solid foundation. This applies to pretty much everything in life. It can be in a literal sense, like with buildings and structures, to a more conceptual sense, like with relationships, education and healthy living. It also applies to cannabis. Roots are the foundation of a cannabis plant, so strong roots will result in a strong plant.

It is not very complicated when you think about it. The roots are used by the cannabis plant to uptake nutrients and water, which are essential to healthy and vigorous growth. If the roots are large and operating at max efficiency, then the rest of the plant will benefit.

So here are a few pointers to ensuring your roots are as healthy as possible.

OXYGEN ACCESS IS CRITICAL

Although roots are mainly known for taking up water and nutrients, roots also require oxygen to operate efficiently. This can be achieved by making sure that your soil is loosely packed, and that it contains perlite, which help break up soil and make air pockets.

If you are using a hydro setup, then make sure there is plenty of oxygen being dissolved into the water (the more bubbles the better). Also, the lower your water temperature is, the more oxygen it can hold. You don’t want it too cold, but it shows how important temperature control is.

ENSURE ADEQUATE DRAINAGE

Following on from the last point, adequate drainage is also a must if you want healthy root growth in a soil based medium. Without it, roots can become waterlogged, depriving them of oxygen as well as potentially causing rot and disease. Make sure your soils contains perlite to help break it up, and that there are holes in the bottom of your pots for excess water to run out of.

MAINTAIN A HEALTHY PH LEVEL

Most strains of cannabis tend to thrive at a neutral pH. If it strays too far away from this comfort zone then nutrient uptake can be diminished, no matter how many nutrients are present. It is one of the biggest rookie errors when it comes to assessing nutrient deficiencies, but it can actually be quite easy to manage. A good way of monitoring you pH is with a cheap electron pH reader. This can give you a precise reading on how things are in your soil.

To find out more, and learn out to control pH levels, check out or recent blog post on the importance of pH.

AVOID ROOT BINDING

A plant becomes root bound when its need growth space in the pot surpasses the actual space available. Basically, the roots run out of room to grow and bind themselves in a clump. Not only does this inhibit plant growth, but it also makes repotting the plant difficult, as safely unbinding the roots can be hard without actually causing damage to the cannabis plant. If you simply repot a root bound cannabis plant without unbinding the roots, they will continue to grow around themselves in a ball, instead of spreading out into the new soil around them.

To avoid root binding, ensure your cannabis plant’s roots never run out of space. This can be through pre-emptive repotting, or by planting your seedling directly into its large, final pot – where it will have plenty of room to spread throughout its entire life cycle.

INTRODUCE MYCRROHYZAE

Mycrrohyzae are an extremely beneficial group of fungus that accelerates healthy root growth by an insane amount. It is completely natural and organic, and helps not only keep roots healthy, but also the bacteria and micro lifeforms in the soil that support it. This is really going above and beyond to ensure that you cannabis has a solid foundation, but it pays off big time.

There you go! Many of these points are quite simple, but by following them you will give your cannabis the best chance it has of developing a healthy root network, thereby building a solid foundation of some super growth!