Cannabis Nutrients
Many growers find it difficult to identify and choose the best cannabis nutrients. The right nutrients help plants grow faster and produce better yields. Cannabis fertilizers vary in nutrient ratio, ingredients, supplements, and the cannabis growing medium, whether hydro or soil.
Cannabis Macro and Micronutrients
Macronutrients required by cannabis plants are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Cannabis plants need them in large quantities. These nutrients typically appear on the front of fertilizer packaging in the form of an NPK ratio. The number of values in the ratio represents the concentration of the nutrient. Secondary nutrients such as magnesium, sulfur, and calcium are also needed by the plants to survive and flourish.
Nitrogen is essential for cannabis development during its vegetative state. As part of chlorophyll, it helps a plant turn sunlight into energy. It also aids plant cells to control their energy use. Nitrogen creates nucleic acid necessary for plant growth and amino acids that work as building blocks for proteins in a plant.
The crucial role of phosphorus in cannabis plants is to help make nutrients accessible for the plants to absorb. The absorbed nutrients help build the plant from the roots to the leaves. With adequate levels of phosphorus, the plants will produce large and healthy buds.
Potassium is one of the cannabis nutrients that keep a plant healthy. It regulates salt and water concentrations in the cannabis plant. Potassium also initiates the production of ATP, which stores energy produced in photosynthesis by creating glucose. Glucose provides energy to the plant during the growth process.
Calcium is responsible for cell wall development and increases water penetration when used as a soil amendment. Calcium promotes the proper functioning of cannabis plants. It also reduces soil salinity.
Magnesium is vital in carbohydrate metabolism and photosynthesis. It converts sunlight to energy. Magnesium helps metabolize glucose created to make it available for the plant during the growth process. It also stabilizes the plant cell walls.
Sulfur protects cannabis plants against diseases and is vital in the formation of chlorophyll. Sulfur is also necessary for the production of amino acids, proteins, vitamins, and enzymes.
Cannabis plants need micronutrients in small quantities but are essential in the growth and development of the plants. They include chlorine, copper, boron, iron, zinc, manganese, and molybdenum.
Hydroponic Cannabis Nutrients
Hydroponic cannabis growing involves growing plants without soil. Instead, other growing mediums such as Rockwool, coco coir, or clay pebbles are put in use. Most nutrients explicitly sold for cannabis cultivation are hydroponic nutrients because most indoor cannabis growers use soilless means to grow cannabis.
Hydroponic cannabis nutrients are mostly in liquid form. They can sometimes be found in powder, easily diluted to a water level suitable to the plants. Liquid products are usually sold in two parts as they comprise elements that precipitate if mixed at a high concentration, making them unavailable. Cannabis plants have different nutritional needs throughout the various stages of growth. During the vegetative stage, solutions high in nitrogen are needed for growth. During the flowering stage, solutions high in phosphorus should be used for flower development.
Soil Nutrients and Organics
Unlike hydroponic media, the soil has organic matter such as compost, humus, and worm castings. These non-inert organic matters contain macro and micronutrients in an insoluble form. To be accessible to the plant, they must be acted on by soil-dwelling microbes and fungi. Organic fertilizers and nutrients have nutrients that are not immediately soluble, and elements which are more beneficial to soil organisms. Non-organic cannabis nutrients quickly and easily increase soil fertility but can build up in the soil and inhibit the plants’ uptake of nutrients and water.
One of the cheapest ways to source organic fertilizers and nutrients is to use readily available materials like fish meals and blood meals, which are high in nitrogen. Growers can use bone meal and bat guano for phosphorus. Wood ash and kelp meal are high in potassium. Dolomite lime is high in magnesium and calcium. Epsom salt is a source of sulfur and magnesium.
If done correctly, growers will only need to water the plants and occasionally add carbohydrates to the soil. Commercial soil blends that contain the proper mix of these ingredients are also available. There are pre-mixed organic nutrients that are expensive but reliable and give good results. The organic growing of marijuana requires the presence of healthy levels of soil microorganisms and mycorrhizae in the soil.
Premium soil blends are pre-inoculated with these organisms and other additives. The downside of these soil blends is that they are expensive. Inoculating soil through actively aerated compost tea (AACT) is the best and cheapest method. This method enriches the best microbes and improves the ability of soils to retain nutrients. The plants can absorb the readily available nutrients. Organic growing is ideal for outdoor cannabis growing. Apart from the immense cannabis nutrients, it reduces the impact the cultivation has on the environment.
Bottom Line
It is essential to make sure cannabis plants get the right nutrients in the right amount and at the right time. Applying too much cannabis nutrients can cause chemical interaction and nutrient burn resulting in reduced yields or even death of the plants.
To learn more about cannabis nutrients, contact us or visit us at Greenpoint Seeds, Colorado. Buy our premium quality seeds and get the best feminized, regular, and autoflower seeds. Shop with us now to see why we are the best seedbank. Tell us about your experience with our seeds in the comment section below.