Calling all experts

Hi Everyone,

My first post on a Cannagraphic thanks for taking a look, I was wondering something. Is the Cannabis plant an absorbent plant? When I say absorbent, I mean does it soak up and retain pesticides to a certain degree if sprays are used? I've been looking on-line about the absorbency of the plant but could not find any info. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Cannabis can take up minerals through the stomata(pores in the leaf tissue).
I don't know if it can take up more complicated chemical chains through the leaf surface, but does it matter?

If it can't, then the pesticides will leave residues on the outside.
I can see why it would matter on a food crop like tomatoes.
Tomatatoes don't take in the poison, but it the pesticide residue will stay on the tomatoes all the way to the super market and in your kitchen..
This is why we rinse the sprayed tomatoes, in water, we before we eat them..

If cannabis take in the crap then you shouldn't spray them right?
Well if it doesn't you'd need to rinse it off right?
How are you gonna rinse toxic chemicals off a cannabis bud, without losing THC, CBD, CBN and terpenes?
If you manage to do it, then the drying/curing stages will take longer..

Also, if you spray them, you have to inform anyone buying it, in order to not be a humungous douche..
And if you tell people that your dank is sprayed with pesticides, then they're either not gonna buy it, or pay poorly for it..

Another reason not to use it is:
The ecology of the environment you're growing in will take damage.
And the bio-diversity provided by the cannabis will have little to no positive effect..

Can I ask why you'd want to use pesticides?
How are you growing?

Hi Mr Mist, thanks for the message back.

I should clarify I'm not actually a grower Im a med user. Here in Canada (country wide) we have a program where you get a medical marijuana card if you qualify from a doctor. I just didn't want to smoke pesticides with my pot if the plant itself was very absorbent ( here in Canada some medical suppliers still use sprays.) I eat a lot of Organic foods and some foods are safe for consumption because of their thick skin and others are not because they have absorbent skins. I just figured the plant might be absorbent...so for me cuz i still know very little about the Cannabis plant (newbie) will go with Organic just to be safe... I also use oils and edibles and would want to eat pesticides because who knows what everyone is growing with. Here is a neat article.

http://waterworksvalley.com/food-thats-safe-to-eat/

Wouldn't want to eat*

What an interesting topic though i must say....Its hard to find any info on this stuff. I would imagine the pesticides would effect you greatly overtime if it were to be constantly consumed. Especially med users with compromised immune systems and who are suffering. Also now that children are using the CBD oils here in North America I think some kind of law should be put in place that Organics would be the way to go....just my opinion though.

I personally wouldn't use cannabis sprayed with pesticides, and I wouldn't recommend anyone to do so.

I primarily buy ecological food, not only because I want my body free from crap, but also because I'm against ruining the environment/ecology aswell as animal cruelty.

In Denmark/Europe ecology is the equivalent to "organics", except that the regulations make a bit more sense..

Even if it was safe to use cannabis sprayed with poison, I still wouldn't use it.
I think it's important to support the morally superior methods!

There's a danish politcal party wanting to make it illegal to grow nonecologically(inorganically), but they meet a lot of resistance from farmers claiming that food couldn't be provided in large enough amounts to feed the humanity if noone grew inorganically and maltreated animals..
What a load of crap..

The worst part is the fact that, there is an alternative to pesticides, called insects..
That's right!
People are now using insects to dominate their crop fields/green houses, so that harmful organisms can't manifest..

In Holland fungicides have been illegal since 2000(or right around that time).
Instead they use organic acids in the growing medium, that alters some functions of the plants, making them immune to powdery mildew, grey mold and the like.

These organic acids also increased yields and quality, even though it wasn't the goal..

sativaking said:

What an interesting topic though i must say....Its hard to find any info on this stuff. I would imagine the pesticides would effect you greatly overtime if it were to be constantly consumed. Especially med users with compromised immune systems and who are suffering. Also now that children are using the CBD oils here in North America I think some kind of law should be put in place that Organics would be the way to go....just my opinion though.

Click to expand...

I think the consumption could make some diseases worse, thus counteracting the consumption of cannabis..
In addition I think these poisons could be the reason for many people's diseases, since breaking down poison necessarily lowers the immune system..

My sister often mentions a story about her former classmate.
He was raised at a biodynamic farm, and everything he ate was biodynamically grown, either at his own farm, or at nearby ones.

He was 23 years old and had had unprotected sex 3 times.
Everyone of those times he had gotten his partners pregnant.
That is very unusual, and I can't help but thinking it must have been due to his diet..

I will say for sure I have seen quite a few poisons/pesticides in different herb growers toolboxes... Almost none of which I'd want to smoke and or ingest.
There are organic pesticides I wouldn't want to ingest... So I don't think it comes down to an easy (if it's organic, I'd ingest it) type choice.
At least for me. To each their own...

I think i should visit Denmark if my health gets better! Thanks again for the reply, I didn't realize that ecology was what it was called in Europe. I find it odd that Organic/Ecologic growing isn't more popular...I hear about using teas instead of nutrients is the way to go and among other methods Organic actually gives great yields and really safe/tasty buds. It makes sense cuz anytime eat Organic foods it usually does taste better. Here is another cool article.

http://sensiseeds.com/en/blog/top-5-reasons-grow-organic-cannabis/

Hi Mo and Waxy thanks for responding. Now Biodynamic that would be a truly interesting smoke...I know it depends on a few more complicated things than just Not using synthetic pesticides and nutes... but i would definitely be interested in trying biodynamic buds...

Concur with Mr. Mist regarding countries employing safe/no pesticides.

Read this:

http://www.beyondpesticides.org/watchdog/documents/PesticideUseCannabisProduction.pdf

Pesticides sprayed as foliar spray or watered into soil, all plant systemically uptakes it.

Why smoke/eat toxins from pesticides or fertilizers when it will stay in your body (at a cellular level) for an indeterminate time?

Find out from whomever grow the product that they are using organic matter to grow.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/24/marijuana-pesticides-contamination_n_3328122.html

"There is no way they could detect pesticide molecules inside of the plant that were put there through the roots," he said. "Nor could they smell the tens to hundreds of compounds you'd like to look for that could potentially be put on there by a cultivator."

Pesticides can be dangerous even at levels far lower than someone would be able to see with a microscope, he added. But he also emphasized that most dispensaries and cultivators want to provide a clean, safe product. In many cases, both seller and grower are unaware that a crop has become contaminated.

"Cannabis is well known to pull up a lot of crap out of the ground," he said.

Evan Mascagni stumbled across the issue of contaminated cannabis while filming his upcoming documentary, "Toxic Profits," which highlights the global sale of pesticides banned in the U.S. He noted concern among many in California that because marijuana remains illegal under federal law, the U.S. Department of Agriculture doesn't allow any organic certification for its products. "

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com...101-organic-farming-conventional-agriculture/

Now here is something very interesting.....after the article read the comments. The article tends to put Organics down but at the same time an argument is made afterwards. Im sure there are a number of safer methods using non harmful Organic pesticides that would be a better option than using the majority of synthetic pesticides that humans haven't really evolved to consume...Im just guessing though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MESZh-_uyUQ

Also here is a very interesting doc from Canada check it at 1:24:05...humans are not synthetic right we respond better to natural biolgical things....like he says you can make synthetic THC but you can't put together the electron spins etc the same way a biological enzyme system will put it together, so the human body would respond better to it would it not? Which would be an interesting argument if applied to the way we respond to synthetic pharmaceuticals and pesticides...im going off on a rant but it just made me think.

Thank you for that aridbud

Meant to say Wouldn't respond better*

http://defence.pk/threads/sunflowers-and-marijuana-plants-absorb-nuclear-radiation.259171/

Here is something i stumbled across....if the marijuana plant is used to absorb radiation than I'm guessing it would be a good possibility that it would be absorbent to other things? I wonder if it absorbs and retains radioactivity.

Now I'm researching that Waxy thanks...haha this has turned into a mild obsession.

Yah i live in a 1 bedroom apartment right now in a rather conservative area...can't do it. As soon as i can get a safe place I probably would.

I'm just posting this message in a hurry, and I haven't read all the articles posted yet.
It's awesome ppl are providing links to the thread though..

WaxyTaxi said:

I have wondered this myself...I personally don't foliar nor see the need to..

There is a product called "Foliar" by Heavy 16 that contains:

Potassium nitrate, Calcium nitrate, Magnesium nitrate, Calcium chloride, Calcium gluconate, Calcium acetate, & Magnesium chloride...

sounds like a great cocktail for the plants, but not so great for our lungs and hash oils....think if any of this stuff is left behind, its probably ending up in your edibles and buds... if its absorbed....like your saying....

Click to expand...

There's absolutely no "need" to foliar feed, just major benefits, but I think you're confusing foliar feeding with pesticides/fungicides..

Pesticides are poison recipes created and manufactured to kill off pests(mites/insects).
Fungides are poison recipes created and manufactured to kill off fungi(mold/mildew).

Foliar feeding is a technique of feeding plants by applying liquid fertilizer directly to their leaves.
Plants are able to absorb essential elements through their leaves.
The absorption takes place through their stomata and also through their epidermis.

The problem with pesticides is partly the fact that they're leaving toxic residue on the leaves/fruits/buds.
And partly the fact that if they're absorbed, the plants won't be able to convert it into plant matter, since it's neither organic acids nor mineral ions..

Anything used for foliar feeding is usable in the root zone, and it works the same way no matter if it's absorbed through the vascular system or the stomata..

Let's take a look at the product composition:
Potassium nitrate
Calcium nitrate
Magnesium nitrate
Magnesium chloride
Calcium chloride
Calcium gluconate
Calcium acetate

Nitrogen
Nitrates is one of two plant available forms of nitrogen.
Nitrogen is an essential building block of amino and nucleic acids, essential to life on Earth.
The element forms about 78% of Earth's atmosphere and as such is the most abundant uncombined element.

Potassium is responsible for metabolism, and is necessary in the process of forming sugars..
Potassium ions are therefore required for the function of all living cells.

Calcium
Calcium regulates transport of other nutrients into the plant and is also involved in the activation of certain plant enzymes.
This nutrient is involved in photosynthesis and plant structure.
A main function is as a constituent of cell walls.
It is also intimately involved in meristems, and is particularly important in root development, with roles in cell division, cell elongation, and the detoxification of hydrogen ions.
Other functions attributed to calcium are: the neutralization of organic acids; inhibition of some potassium-activated ions; and a role in nitrogen absorption.

Magnesium
The outstanding role of magnesium in plant nutrition is as a constituent of the chlorophyll molecule.
As a carrier, it is also concerned in numerous enzyme reactions as an effective activator, in which it is closely associated with energy-supplying phosphorus compounds.

Chloride
Chlorine, as compounded chloride, is necessary for osmosis and ionic balance; it also plays a role in photosynthesis.

Gluconate
Gluconate esters arise from the oxidation of glucose(the kind of sugar found in our blood, also known as blood sugar).


All these elements are essential to plant life as well as human life.
I'm off to work now, but I'll get back on the subject when I get home.
Peace!

Yah I have to say love the links everyone is posting. Thank you to everyone for the help, I really appreciate it.