Trouble reading today's article? Click
here: Issue
#223 - Sunday, July 24, 2016 Dear Fellow Grower,
In today's issue... - Learn what you need to look for when choosing cannabis nutrients for the first time!
- What about supplements? Discover cannabis supplements that increase quality and yields, as well as different supplements that can help protect your plant from heat
damage.
- Learn how to mix up your own nutrients if you want to use a custom formula.
- This week's trophy pic features the successful grow of a
first-time grower!
Nebula Haze & Sirius Fourside (founders of GrowWeedEasy.com) "Any fool can know. The point is to understand."
~Albert Einstein
What Nutrients Should You Be Using? by Nebula Haze |
What's the Best NPK Ratio for Cannabis Nutrients?
If you've decided to start
growing for the first time, it can be confusing trying to figure out the best nutrients for growing cannabis in your setup. There are lots of nutrient companies, and each one creates multiple types of nutrients with different purposes.
What makes a nutrient system good or bad for growing cannabis in the first place? The most important thing is to make sure you give your plants the
right amounts of nutrients at the right time. There are two main life stages for cannabis plants, and each one has different nutrient requirements.
For the best results, your cannabis needs the following nutrient ratios.... |
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Where is this information? Most nutrient bottles display 3 numbers, often called N-P-K, which stands for Nitrogen, Phosphorus
and Potassium Why "K" for Potassium? The atomic symbol of Potassium is "K" from Neo-Latin kalium.
In other words, you want to use a “Vegetative” (high Nitrogen) or "general purpose" nutrient formula for the first stage of life known as the vegetative stage. If using high-quality soil, you can skip vegetative nutrients for the first 3-4 weeks while your plant uses up the nutrients in the soil, otherwise you should start with vegetative nutrients around the time your plant opens its first leaves. Use a “Bloom” (low Nitrogen) nutrient formula with plenty of P & K for the flowering stage. Start using bloom nutrients when buds start forming to make sure your plant gets plenty of
Phosphorus & Potassium, which are crucial to bud development.
Phosphorus tends to increase the number of flowers, while Potassium helps increase the bulk/weight of flowers. Be careful, though because going overboard with either one can burn your plants!
The main thing is to avoid giving too much Nitrogen in
the flowering stage, as it can discourage bud development in the flowering stage and add an unpleasant taste to buds, which is why a general purpose plant nutrient isn't a good choice in the flowering stage.
In a pinch, nutrients for "cactus" or "succulents" can be used in the flowering stage until you get better nutrients because they usually have low amounts of N and plenty of P &
K.
Note: Don’t use any type of time-released nutrients (like fertilizer spikes, or "slow release" Miracle-Gro soil) because they deliver too much N in the flowering stage and may reduce bud growth.
Cannabis needs plenty of P & K to make buds in the flowering
stage!
It may surprise you that the most common reason growers get nutrient deficiencies is because the pH is too high or too low. This
happens even if the right amounts of nutrients are present, because your weed simply cannot absorb the nutrients if the pH isn't in the correct range.
Optimum cannabis pH for...
Soil: 6.0 - 7.0
Coco Coir: 5.5 - 6.5
Hydroponics: 5.5 - 6.5
Checking the pH will make a huge difference to your grow by keeping plants vibrant and healthy. It only takes a few minutes each time you water
your plants! If you get a digital pH pen, it only takes seconds to test your pH!
Organic vs Chemical Nutrients
This is a
common question we get at Grow Weed Easy: What are the major differences between organic and chemical nutrients? It's not a matter of which one is better, because they're good at different things.
Organic Nutrients - Better Smell & Taste to Buds - Many growers believe organic-based nutrient systems will create the most fragrant and "smoothest" buds. Some of the best benefits to smell and taste seem to come from using composted soil that's been amended
with nutrients from natural sources. This creates a living soil with colonies of beneficial microorganisms, and is often associated with a bolder taste and smell in buds. However, watering your plants with liquid nutrients that just happen to be organic will likely not get the same level of results.
- More Natural - Especially when growing in a
living soil, you're creating a home for your roots that is as close to nature as possible (only better because you're making sure your plant gets everything it needs!)
- Not for Hydro - Organic nutrients are not a good choice for hydroponic systems because any organic matter can cause unwanted stuff to grow in your reservoir. Let me just say
this, as of yet, I've never seen organic hydroponics go well for someone though I wouldn't mind being proven wrong ;)
General Organics offers a "GO Box" with their famous organic base nutrients plus their best organic supplements
Chemical Nutrients
- Increased Potency -
While organic nutrients may increase the smell and taste of buds, chemical nutrients may increase the potency.
- Faster Growth - Chemical nutrients provide nutrients to plants in the most easy-to-absorb forms possible. This results in somewhat faster growth than if the nutrients have to be broken down in the soil by a colony of microorganisms before they
become available to your plant.
- Only Choice for Hydro - These are the best cannabis nutrients for hydroponic systems because they are less likely to cause stuff to grow in the water reservoir. However, chemical nutrients can also be a great choice for soil or coco because of the increased potency and faster growth!
The General Hydroponics Flora trio is a chemical-based nutrient that's so popular it's even been used by NASA to grow plants in space! Don't want to use nutrients at all? Learn how to compost your own super soil (or buy pre-made super soil online)! Super soil compost contains all the nutrients your plant will need from seed to harvest so you just need to add water, and as an added bonus, with composted super soil you don't need to worry about
maintaining your pH! Instead, the composting process develops a colony of microorganisms in your soil that will automatically take care of the pH for your plants (like in nature), while slowly providing nutrients on demand.
Super soil compost has been amended so no additional nutrients are needed. Just add water! What Are the Difference Between Brands?
- Nutrient Ratios - different brands have come up with different ratios between nutrients that they believe is optimal for each stage of growth
- Ingredients - there are many different combinations of chemical and organic compounds that can add up to same nutrient ratios, and each
compound reacts differently with each other. This means you can see two nutrient bottles with the exact same NPK ratios on the bottle, but each will actually provide somewhat different levels of nutrients to your plants.
- Soil or Hydro - it's really important to match your growing medium with your nutrients. "Soil" nutrients are different from
"Hydroponic" nutrients so make sure you're getting the right kind! Coco coir is generally considered a type of hydroponics when it comes to nutrients, and there are also nutrients specifically designed for coco coir.
- Don't confuse supplements for nutrients. If the NPK ratios are really low (like 0.2-0.2-0.1) it means that this product is some type of
supplement, not a base nutrient. As long as you provide the right NPK and micronutrients by using base nutrients, you are already giving your plant everything it needs to grow. Supplements can be nice, but sometimes going overboard with supplements can cause unwanted reactions between nutrients or possibly burn your plant. Just to be safe, for your first grow only use supplements from the same company as your base nutrients (to minimize reactions), and try to pick just the one or two supplements
that appeal to you the most (to minimize the chance of burn by going overboard). Nutrient companies will happily sell you supplements you don't actually need so it's up to you to narrow it down to just a few!
Now that you understand the basics, are you ready to learn how to figure out the
best marijuana nutrients for your setup? Examples of Good Cannabis Nutrients
Here are several examples of trustworthy nutrient brands that work
well for growing cannabis. These nutrients have been extensively tested by growers and are known to produce great results!
One Last Tip....
When using a complete nutrient system like the ones listed above, always start at
half the recommended strength by the manufacturer, and only increase nutrient levels if your plant is getting pale. If you're giving too low levels of nutrients, the entire plant will start to appear overall pale or lime green. If you have a different nutrient deficiency (diagnose your plant here), chances are it's caused by
incorrect pH, not by too low levels of nutrients.
Always start at half the manufacturer's recommendation! Most nutrient companies recommend way too much
for growing cannabis!
Why not keep adding more and more nutrients? Doesn't more equal better? No, nutrients are more like a multivitamin than food. After your plant has enough nutrients, adding more gives you diminishing returns, and too much starts causing the following problems.
Too
high levels of nutrients causes... - Nutrient burn - nutrient burn causes tips of leaves and edges of buds to appear burned. It isn't a huge deal but doesn't look as pretty, especially if it gets bad enough to
spread to your buds.
- Random nutrient deficiencies and lockout
- Buds don't grow as big as they could have in the flowering stage
- Too high levels of nutrients may cause buds to have an unpleasant "chemical" taste
Now that you understand everything you need to know about picking the right
nutrient system, keep reading to learn about supplements as well as how to make your own nutrients!
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You only need base nutrients to grow a healthy plant from seed to harvest, but what about supplements?
Some supplements are made to increase the size and smell of your buds directly, while others work to improve plant processes through a variety of natural ingredients including enzymes and amino acids. Learn
About Supplements...
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Rather Mix Up Your Own Nutrients? |
When it comes to mixing up your own cannabis nutrients from scratch, it can get a little confusing!
There are lots of different types of ingredients, and each one can interact with each other. Plus there's lots of things to account for when it comes to picking the right ratios. It can get complicated when mixing nutrients from scratch - not only do you have to think about NPK, you also have to add all the micronutrients in the right ratios!
Want to learn more?
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I am indebted to everyone at the website and forever thankful for the information I have learned. Thanks to you all I was able to live breathe and build a dream into a reality, and it has changed my life, thank you very much.
-Ken |
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65 days old Amnesia Haze Fem. the clones from her rooted in 3 days. My first grow in a tent with 600 watt light. Started from seeds from Amsterdam. It's been fun learning and I was able to compare plants in dirt started at the same time as mine ....Mine
hydroponic has a bigger stalk and fat branches, the strain isn't the same though. I'd recommend going hydro - to anyone it's clean and no dirt under my nails!
I'm hoping harvest in a week
into Aug.
Thanks for the help!
~Karlee
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Who Runs This
Newsletter? |
Nebula Haze:
I'll be honest with you, when I first started growing, I struggled. Now, it is my mission to make it easier for new growers to
get started as well as help advanced growers get bigger, better yields with less time and money. We are updating and adding articles every single week and our goal is to eventually build a comprehensive growing resource so anyone and everyone can grow if they want to! If we all share the knowledge there's more buds in the world for everyone :) |
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Learn which seed sources are personally recommended by Nebula Haze |
Sirius Fourside:
Sirius Fourside is a hobbyist grower who has gained the bulk of his experience growing in water as a medium (deep water culture,
bubbleponics).
"Growing cannabis is a relaxing hobby in and of itself, but it also saves you money and keeps you from having to deal with shady characters. Cannabis is much
easier to grow than people give it credit for, and growing in water doesn't increase the difficulty much, if any. But whether you want to grow in water, coco, or a different medium, we'll show you how easy it can be!"
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be made after consulting with an experienced lawyer or other legal adviser. Any medical decisions should only be made after speaking with a doctor or other medical professional. Be safe!
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