It’s essential to know when to start feeding your cannabis plants. Get tips and advice on the best time to start feeding your plants to ensure a successful harvest.
Checkout this video:
The vegetative stage
One of the most important things to know when growing your own cannabis is when to start feeding your plants. Just like any other living thing, cannabis plants need food – in the form of nutrients – to grow. These nutrients are typically derived from either soil or hydroponic systems, and are essential to the proper development of your plants.
The vegetative stage is the period of a plant’s life cycle during which it grows and develops its leaves and stem. For cannabis plants, this stage typically lasts 4-8 weeks, though it can be shorter or longer depending on the variety of plant and the growing conditions. During this time, your plants will be focused on developing a strong root system and robust foliage, so they will need plenty of nitrogen-rich nutrients to support these processes.
You can start feeding your cannabis plants during the vegetative stage as soon as they have developed their first set of true leaves. At this point, you can begin giving them a diluted nutrient solution (usually about half strength) every 2-3 weeks. As your plants continue to grow, you can gradually increase the strength and frequency of their feedings until they are receiving a full-strength solution every week or two.
It’s important to keep an eye on your plants during this stage and make sure that they are not showing any signs of nutrient deficiency (such as yellowing leaves or stunted growth). If you see any problems developing, you may need to adjust your feeding schedule or switch to a different type of nutrient solution.
The flowering stage
The flowering stage is when your cannabis plants produce buds. In the vegetative stage, your plants were focused on growing leaves and stems. But now that they’re in the flowering stage, they’re going to put all their energy into creating big, beautiful buds.
You’ll know your plants are in the flowering stage when you see flowers (also called “buds”) beginning to form on the tips of the stems and branches. The buds will keep getting bigger and denser as the flowering stage continues.
How long the flowering stage lasts depends on the type of cannabis plant you’re growing. Most cannabis strains will finish flowering within 8-12 weeks, but there are some that can take longer.
You can start feeding your plants nutrients as soon as you see flowers beginning to form. But if you want to maximize bud growth, it’s best to wait until at least week 2 or 3 of the flowering stage before you start feeding them nutrients. This gives your plants time to adjust to their new environment and settle into the flowering stage.
The ripening stage
The ripening stage is when your cannabis plants will start to mature and produce buds. This is the final stage of the plant’s life cycle, and it’s when you’ll want to start feeding them more heavily. The ripening stage generally lasts for about 6 weeks, during which time the plants will produce more flowers (buds) and less leaves. You can begin feeding your plants more nutrients during this stage, but be sure not to overdo it. Too much nitrogen at this stage can actually delay maturity, so it’s important to find a balance.
