Dietary guidelines always seem to be in flux. The food pyramid, once accepted as the gold standard for human health and wellness, has now been replaced with the very literal “MyPlate.” The dish is divided with serving size suggestions for each food group, with an emphasis on vegetables instead of cereal and grains, once the foundational base of the ubiquitous pyramid.
Updating dietary guidelines is important because nutrients are fundamental to human health and development—so essential that the U.S. government reviews, modifies and publishes nutritional recommendations every five years. As cultivators know, nutrients are also an essential component not only to grow and maintain strong and healthy cannabis, but also to help fight disease. And, as they do with human nutrition, researchers continue to study and discover new findings about the best balance of essential nutrients for cannabis.
That’s why for the past year, Cannabis Business Times has published findings from North Carolina State University researchers in a regular series called “Nutrient Matters,” which covers everything from troubleshooting nutrient problems to balancing pH levels in a grow. Scientists are re-examining previous nutrient best practices as the cannabis industry continues to evolve.
Thanks to the generous support of Emerald Harvest, CBT has conducted new research among cannabis cultivators to find out how they manage nutrients in their cultivation facilities in CBT’s first-ever “State of the Cannabis Nutrients Market” report. Participants responded to questions to shed light on their ideal pH level for nutrient solutions, the most popular supplements and growing media used and what factors they find most important when selecting nutrients.
Findings from the study are published on the following pages, along with comparisons to an Emerald Harvest-supported 2017 research project conducted by CBT, which shows how cultivators’ practices and priorities have changed in just two years. This exclusive report also includes insight from a cultivation director, who provides a detailed glimpse of the day-to-day challenges of operating a nutrient program and shares top tips for success.
As the industry continues to evolve, CBT will continue to evolve, and learn, with you.
