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If you’re growing cannabis, you might be wondering how often you need to give your plants nutrients. The answer depends on a few factors, but here are some general guidelines to help you out.
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The Importance of Feeding Your Cannabis Plants
Your cannabis plants need nutrients just like any other plant. The difference is, cannabis plants need more nutrients than other plants. This is because cannabis plants go through more growth cycles than other plants. Because of this, you need to be extra careful when feeding your cannabis plants. You don’t want to overfeed them, but you also don’t want to underfeed them.
The Purpose of Nutrients
Cannabis plants need nutrients just like any other plant in order to grow healthy and produce some dank buds. The three main macronutrients that your plant needs are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). These are typically found in all-purpose fertilizers and are denoted by their initials on the fertilizer label, such as 10-10-10 or 5-10-5.
The secondary macronutrients that your cannabis plant needs are calcium, magnesium, and sulfur. These nutrients can usually be found in fertilizers made specifically for cannabis, such as FoxFarm Happy Frog or General Hydroponics Flora Series.
Cannabis plants also need micronutrients, which are important but needed in smaller amounts. The main micronutrients that your plant needs are iron, manganese, boron, zinc, copper, molybdenum, and chlorine. These nutrients can usually be found in fertilizers made specifically for cannabis or other all-purpose fertilizers.
Now that you know what nutrients your plant needs, it is important to know how often to feed them to your plants and how much to give them. It is best to start slow and then increase the amount of nutrients as your plants grow. For example, if you are using an all-purpose fertilizer that is 10-10-10, you would start by giving your plants 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of water once a week. As your plants grow bigger, you can increase the amount of fertilizer you give them up to 1 tablespoon per gallon of water once a week.
If you are using a cannabis specific fertilizer, such as FoxFarm Big Bloom or General Hydroponics FloraNova Grow, you would start by giving your plants 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of water once a week. As your plants grow bigger, you could increase the amount of fertilizer you give them up to 1 tablespoon per gallon of water once a week.
It is important not to over fertilize your plants because this can lead to nutrient burn which will damage your plants. If you see the leaves on your plant turning yellow or brown around the edges, this is a sign that you are over fertilizing your plant and you should cut back on the amount of fertilizer you are giving them.
The Different Types of Nutrients
Cannabis plants need three primary nutrients to survive: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). These are often referred to as macronutrients. In addition to these three main nutrients, cannabis plants also need a number of micronutrients, which include calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, manganese, copper, zinc, and molybdenum.
While macronutrients are required in large quantities, micronutrients are only needed in small amounts. However, that does not mean that they are any less important – deficiencies in micronutrients can severely stunt the growth of your plants and even cause them to die.
The best way to ensure that your plants are getting all the nutrients they need is to use a high-quality commercial cannabis nutrient solution. These solutions are designed to provide your plants with the perfect balance of all the nutrients they need.
If you cannot use a commercial nutrient solution for some reason, you can also create your own homemade nutrient solution using organic materials such as bat guano, worm castings, or compost. However, it is important to note that it can be difficult to get the ratios of nutrients correct when using organic materials. This is why most growers prefer to use commercial solutions.
How Often to Feed Your Cannabis Plants
Giving your cannabis plants nutrients is important to their health and growth, but how often should you be doing it? It’s a common question with a not-so-straightforward answer. The frequency of feeding will depend on a few factors, including the stage of growth, the type of nutrients, and the type of media. Let’s take a closer look.
The vegetative stage
During the vegetative stage, your cannabis plants will grow rapidly and will develop most of their leaves. The vegetative stage starts when your cannabis plants germinate from seed and ends when you induce flowering (see “The flowering stage”).
How often to feed your plants during the vegetative stage:
Feed your plants once a week or once every 5-7 days. If you’re using a soil-less mix (like coco coir), you can feed your plants more frequently if you want, but be careful not to overdo it. Once a week is usually sufficient.
What type of nutrients do I need to use during the vegetative stage?
During the vegetative stage, your plants will need mostly nitrogen (N) and some phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). For example, a common fertilizer for the vegetative stage is called “12-6-6” which means it contains 12% nitrogen, 6% phosphorus, and 6% potassium.
The flowering stage
Cannabis plants go through different stages of life, from seedling to vegetative to flowering. Each stage has different cannabis nutrient needs.
The flowering stage is when your cannabis plant grows its buds. To encourage lots of big, healthy buds, you need to give your plant the right amount of nutrients and light.
The amount of nutrients your plant needs depends on the size of your plant, the kind of soil you’re using, the kind of lights you’re using, and how often you’re watering your plant.
Conclusion
As a general rule of thumb, you should always start feeding your plants nutrients once they’ve reached the third week of their vegetative stage .
If you want to give your plants a little extra boost, you can start feeding them nutrients earlier on in their growth cycle. However, it’s important to keep in mind that cannabis plants are very sensitive to overfeeding, so it’s important to start off slow and gradually increase the amount of nutrients you’re giving them.
When it comes to how often you should feed your plants nutrients, it really depends on what stage of growth they’re in. For example, during the vegetative stage, you should be feeding your plants nutrients every other day. However, during the flowering stage, you should only be feeding them nutrients once a week.
It’s also important to keep in mind that different cannabis strains have different nutrient requirements. So, make sure to do some research on your specific strain to see what sort of nutrient schedule they need.
