The roots of marijuana: everything you should know

Cannabis roots: discover their fundamental role

The roots of CBD weed plants should not only be seen as a simple means of transport for hydration and nutrition of plants but deserve much more attention.

A plant with a large healthy root system will be able to develop and guarantee the best harvest, while a plant with small roots (maybe even weak), can never reach large sizes or have an optimal yield.

In order to grow healthy and expand in the right way, the roots of cannabis plants need:

• the right space;
• a good soil;
• adequate nutrients,
• proper watering;
• optimal oxygenation.

If these elements are lacking, the roots of light hemp plants cannot do their job to their full potential and, often, get sick or weaken.

Root health can be considered, in a sense, the key to the successful growth and development of hemp plants.

It is therefore important to understand what are the mistakes to avoid during cultivation, and what every canapicoltore should know to achieve the desired results.

Read also: Legal marijuana Sativa: differences with cannabis indica and best strains of 2021

Marijuana roots and common problems

Above we have clarified that, in order for the roots of marijuana plants to develop at their best, and to play their very important role in the right way, they must be able to enjoy the necessary space, adequate nutrition and much more.

Often, the harvests of CBD flowers of very poor quality derive from a lack of attention to the roots: if they cannot absorb the right nourishment, the number of buds will, in fact, be low and the production of resin and everything necessary to make the main hemp derivatives (such as legal hashish) will be insufficient.

But, specifically, what can happen when the roots are neglected?

One of the most common problems of roots of hemp plants is the phenomenon of entanglement.

The roots tie together, creating a kind of ‘ball’, because they do not have enough space to expand.

This phenomenon can slow down the growth of the plant, consequently affecting its development.

To prevent it from happening, it is important to always keep the roots under control and to transfer the plant as it grows, so that both the root system and the plant itself have the opportunity to expand to its full potential.

Another effect that is important to avoid is rotting.

Normally, the color of the roots of legal marijuana plants is white.

If the white turns brown and the roots begin to give off an unpleasant odor, it is likely that they are suffering from an overabundance of water and that they have been attacked by bacterias and / or mold.

To prevent this type of inconvenience it is important to ensure that the root system can enjoy the right oxygenation and that there are no water stagnations.

Faced with the problem already presented, in most cases, it is however advisable to eliminate the compromised plants so that they do not represent a threat even to those around.

In addition to this, of course, the roots of hemp plants can be prey to pests, bacterias and viruses.

To limit these eventualities as much as possible, it is important to keep both the environment and the equipment as clean as possible and to inspect the plants frequently for threats in time.

How to improve the root health of cannabis plants? Here are some tips

In order to maintain the root system of cannabis light plants in excellent health, it is essential to follow some small (but very important) precautions.

Let’s start with the pots.

Their choice, regarding marijuana plants, can be very important from various points of view.

Recently, many canapicultors have begun to use plastic containers equipped with hundreds of holes for the air. These guarantee an excellent oxygenation of the root system and prevent the roots from turning around the base and sides of the pot by tangling.

Always to be able to oxygenate the roots at best, in canapiculture, fabric pots are often also used: excellent tools that allow oxygen to cross the clod of soil in an optimal way and, at the same time, prevent the form of stagnation of moisture.

As for the capacity of the pots, it is good to choose a suitable size for each stage of growth of the plant.

If excessively large, in fact, the pot could cause stagnation of water and nourishment and, consequently, the rotting of the roots and some anomalies to the foliage.

When it is too small, however, it cannot contain all the water and nutrients that the plant needs, depriving the root system of the space necessary to expand.

Let’s say that, in general, regarding legal cannabis genetics characterized by long vegetative periods, a 30 or 50 liter container could be fine; while for genetics that reach the flowering phase more quickly (such as autoflowering plants) it could be enough from 15 or 20 liters.

Of course, these are indicative data that may vary from case to case.

It may seem strange to you, but in outdoor crops even the color of the pot can make a difference.

Why?

Cannabis roots need to maintain a constant temperature, around 22°C.

Dark pots, especially black ones, when exposed to the high temperatures of the summer sun may overheat the roots too much, weakening and compromising their ability to feed. It is better use white pots, which are absorbing less heat keep the substrate cooler.

And what about soil and nutrition?

For the root system of cannabis to remain in excellent health and to absorb all the nourishment necessary for the development of the plant, it is essential to use a good quality substrate with a good symbiotic relationship between bacteria.

It is good, then, not to exceed the use of fertilizers.

An excessive amount of nutrients (whether chemical compounds or organic fertilizers for hemp) instead of stimulating the growth of the plant, could soak in the roots for a long time, causing a well-known phenomenon called ‘fertilizer burning’.

It is essential to adequately dose the amount of water.

Cannabis roots are afraid of water stagnation, so it is better not to exceed.

If the plant needs more water, it will communicate it from the appearance of the leaves and it will also be noticeable by the fact that the soil will dry out too quickly.

If, on the other hand, there were too much water, solving the problems related to excessive irrigation would be much more complicated.

Read also: CBD flowers: everything you need to know about THC-free legal hemp flowers

To conclude

As you read in this deepening, the roots perform a very important task in the process of development and maturation of hemp plants.

If these are not healthy, the rest of the plant cannot be either.

If, on the other hand, they are in excellent shape, it will be possible to reach the flowering and harvest phase to the best of their ability.

Those who work in the field of canapiculture, if they therefore want to obtain excellent results, should have the utmost attention to the root system: the key component of the success of the plant.

That being said, and always remembering that in Switzerland growing and consuming cannabis is not allowed, we invite you to visit our Justbob store, where you can buy CBD weed and its derivatives (such as hashish and CBD oil) for collecting purposes.

Take a look at all our proposals, we are sure that you will find the products that are for you.

We are waiting for you on our CBD flower shop. See you soon!