Water and Nutrients

Marijuana Horticulture

by Jorge Cervantes

Water provides a medium to transport nutrients necessary for plant life and make them available for absorption by the roots. Water quality is essential for this process to work at maximum potential. The laws of physics govern plant water uptake. Applying these laws, a grower can provide precise, properly balanced components t grow outstanding marijuana indoors.

Microscopic root hairs absorb water and nutrients in oxygen present in the growing medium and carry them up the stem to the leaves. This flow of the water from the soil through the plant is called the transpiration stream. A fraction of the water is processed and used in photosynthesis. Excess water evaporates into the air, carrying waste products along with it via the stomata in the leaves. This process is called transpiration. Some of the water also returns manufactured sugars and starches to the roots.

The roots support the plants, absorb nutrients, and provide the initial pathway into the vascular system. A close-up look at a root reveals the xylem and phloem core, vascular tissue that is enveloped by a cortex tissue f the layer between the internal vascular and external epidermal tissue. The microscopic root hairs are located on the epidermal tissue cells. These tiny root hair follicles are extremely delicate and must remain moist. Root hairs must be protected from abrasions, drying out, extreme temperature fluctuations, and harsh chemical concentrations. Plant health and well-being is contingent upon strong, healthy roots.

The nutrient absorption begins at the root hairs, and the flow continues throughout the plant via the vascular system. Absorption is sustained by diffusion. In the process of diffusion, water and nutrient ions are uniformly distributed throughout the plant. The intercellular spaces – apoplasts and connecting protoplasm, symplast – are the pathways that allow the water and nutrient ins and molecules to pass thorough the epidermis and the cortex to the xylem and phloem’s vascular bundles. The xylem channels the solution through the plant while phloem tissues distribute the food manufactured by the plant. Once the nutrients are transferred to the plant cells, each cell accumulates the nutrients it requires to perform its specific function.

The solution that is transported through the vascular bundles or veins of a plant has many functions. This solution delivers nutrients and carries away the waste products. It provides pressure to help keep the plant structurally sound. The solution also cools the plant by evaporating the water via the leaves’ stomata.