Our Guide On Weed Fertilizers

A lot of auto flower seed growers and other seed growers who want large plant yield do not look forward to the task of choosing a fertilizer to provide extra nutrients for their plants because try as they might, making a suitable choice among the tons of options presented to them has proven to be a herculean task even on different occasions. Our article will go over everything you need to know about Weed Fertilizers.

A lot of them have resolved to make what they deem to be the ideal growing environment using the right composition of plant genetics and most times, they do a good job at it, but just like man, a plant knows what it wants and will insist that it should be accorded to it in due time.

It has been proven that one of the ways to make a difficult task easy is to avail yourself of the right information that points you towards the right path when confronted with the task. In other words, cannabis growers have to be armed with knowledge on what constitutes the right fertilizer ingredients and other things to look out for when buying the best fertilizer for the marijuana plant to make it grow healthy with a large yield.

 

What is your preferred weed fertilizer?

The secret to growing cannabis plants both in quantity and quality with strong roots are tied to three important ingredients – potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen and they are mostly depicted as NPK on the packs of fertilizers to indicate that they are included in the nutritional composition of the fertilizer.

 

How important are these three ingredients and what do they do?

Nitrogen: Nitrogen is important for the healthy growth of leaves

Phosphorous: It is important for the healthy growth of buds

There is numerous potting soil that is mixed with these two ingredients to aid the growth of the plant for three weeks after it has been planted. In due time, these two ingredients will not be enough to support the full growth of the plant to maturity and so, it will require additional ingredients to facilitate a healthier growth. This will lead to the introduction of potassium and 20% nitrogen and phosphorous as the plant begin to grow more leaves.

NB: If you practice indoor cultivation of cannabis plants, your plants might have a hard time responding fully to the complete portion of these chemical elements and so, it may result in them shedding their leaves or their leaves falling off.

If you practice outdoor cultivation,  you might be tempted to administer these nutrients every time you water your plant, however, you should do this only twice a week because of the amount of air received by the plants and the outdoor space that makes the root grow wide.

 

Professional fertilizers or home-made weed fertilizers- which is better?

One of the important factors that influence the choice of fertilizer for cannabis plants is either if the cannabis grower prefers to use Industrial refined fertilizers or he wants to administer natural organic nutrients to the plant.

Of course, you’re at liberty to make homemade nutrients by mixing the nutrients that you prefer but that can be stressful and so, a lot of growers opt for already prepared nutrients solely to ensure that the nutrients are mixed in the right proportions to avoid causing damage to the plant if the nutrients are not mixed correctly.

This is especially true because of the vast nutritional requirements that plants need which can be difficult for inexperienced growers to figure out, especially as it deals with the right proportion to give to the plant.

With all these benefits attached to using professional or industrial marijuana fertilizers, using homemade nutrient mix comes at a cost that you might not be willing to gladly pay when it is harvest time, plus there are several high-end professional Weed Fertilizers owned by different trusted brands that you can easily pick from.

 

NB: Some fertilizers are advertised as being extended or slow release and in some situations, they are good for regular plants but they end up causing serious damages to marijuana plants and so, it is not advisable to use them because they’re not suitable for marijuana plants.

 

 

What other nutritional element do plants need?

Buying the best fertilizer as a result of the best intentions and large yield that you want for your plants is not enough. You have to put in the additional effort because using just fertilizers won’t do the trick. What else do you need?- water!

Providing water for your plants isn’t just enough, you owe them a duty of care to use the right watering technique so that they can grow well and the nutrients can be easily transported from the root to the leaves. The preferred watering method and how often it is done should be considered before buying any fertilizer as this will help to prevent you from excessive watering and hence wasting your efforts at getting a fertilizer.

 

How to water your plants

 

• Ensure that the top layer of the soil feels dry
• Apply water to the fertilizer mix
• Flush the plants using clean water once every two weeks.
• Drain out about 20% of excess water from the bottom of the plant
• Carefully measure a suitable amount of choice fertilizer that suits the present stage of the plant’s growth

 

Growing medium and fertilizers

The growth stage of the plant is an important factor to consider when picking out fertilizer for the cannabis plant.

Carefully choose a preferred growing medium such as Coco coir, hydroponics, or soil and choose a fertilizer that is compatible with that growing medium. This is because some fertilizers thrive better regardless of the growing medium while others thrive better in a particular growing medium.

 

Our top picks for the best weed fertilizers

 

Vermiculite and Perlite marijuana fertilizers

If you prefer to use soil as a growing medium for your cannabis plant, you can improve the growing conditions in the soil by combining it with a high nutrient mix such as Humbolt soil, or Fox farm happy frog soil together with about 30% of perlite.

 

If you prefer to use hydroponic as your chosen growing medium, you can include either perlite or vermiculite with a combination of pear moss, water, and about 50% fertilizer.

 

If you’re not a fan of patronizing brands and prefer to make your growing medium for your sour diesel strain plants or gorilla glue seeds, endeavor to use vermiculite or perlite after heating the nutrients to get a nice mixture. In the process of heating the nutrients, they become larger and porous resulting in white pellets that retain air.

 

The created pellets are highly effective in retaining more than thrice their original weight while in water and this is the reason why several industrial potting soils does not become hard and lumpy  after they become dry as a result of the potassium, calcium, and magnesium that are naturally created and infused into the soil

 

Fox farms trio

If you’re an inexperienced grower, this marijuana fertilizer would be very helpful in your growing process because it is highly suitable for diverse marijuana strains without the need of adding additives. This product can be combined with coco coir growing techniques and it is available in hydroponic and soil forms to help you pick the one that works best for you.

 

Unsuitable fertilizer options for marijuana plants

If anybody has tried their hands at farming, either commercial or substantive, there is a high chance that they will have heard of the fertilizer that makes miracles happens with plant growth and yield – Miracle-Gro. While this is a popular fertilizer that is popular among many people, it is sadly not the best option for Indica or Sativa cannabis plants.

This is because this fertilizer does not have the right balance of nutrients which results in an excess component of nitrogen that is not needed during the flowering stage of the plant.

Another reason why Miracle-Gro fertilizer is not suitable for marijuana plants is that the composition of its nutrients are more suitable for the plant at its later stage and not the initial growing stage of the plant because the nutritional requirement of the plant changes as the plant transitions between different stages of growth.

 

 

Home-made weed fertilizers

If you prefer a natural organic mix to an industrial branded mix, there are viable options that you can use to create yours and this includes:

 

Plain wood ashes

If your soil option has a high acidic composition, you can use ashes gotten from burning plain wood to rejuvenate the pH level of the soil so that marijuana plants can grow well. The corrective feature of wood ashes can be utilized by mixing it with five gallons of water or lime before using it on the soil.

 

Urine

Human urine is highly composed of nitrogen which is an important requirement for the healthy growth of cannabis plants and this makes it a viable fertilizer option for marijuana plants. While using urine, do not apply it directly to the plant, or the soil around the plant as this could cause harm to the plant. A preferred way to use urine on marijuana plants is by mixing it with industrial plant food and a gallon of water to prevent the toxic ammonia from being created

 

Composting

Just like industrial fertilizers, compost is also an ideal organic fertilizing option for marijuana plants. It is mostly a composition of scraps of food, vegetables, fruits, and animal manure and although most people might not find the mixture appealing, it is also a good quality fertilizer with a high composition of nutrients for cannabis plants that can be used on any growing medium including subpar soil that is lacking in nutrients.

For more effectiveness, ensure to mix the compost daily with a pitchfork to ensure that it is well blended and takes a while longer before it becomes unusable, as a result of oxidation

 

Chicken manure

Instead of disposing of that chicken manure, you can add it to your marijuana plants as it has proven to have slow-release formulas that make it a quality fertilizer for improving plant growth.

 

Hydroponics fertilizer

If you do not have access to your preferred growing medium, you can grow your plant in water. Marijuana variants that thrive well in water include the white widow strain seeds. This technique is mainly designed for hydroponic growing because it prevents debris or particles that may clog the equipment that is being used.

Other viable options that can be used as fertilizers for growing weeds using a hydroponic medium includes:

 

Coco fertilizers

Coco coir growing medium has a similar growing technique with the hydroponic growing system. It is an end product of coconut husk and can be used in diverse products. If you prefer to use this growing medium, ensure that the pH level is kept over 5.5 but not above 6.5 and additional magnesium and calcium nutrients should be added along with a regular watering method. However, a downside of using coco fertilizers is that it does not have a high composition of magnesium and calcium and so, the plants have to be given extra magnesium or calcium.

 

General hydroponics flora series

This option is suitable for both experienced and inexperienced growers who prefer to use growing mediums such as soil and coco coir as it contains a pH balance test kit

 

General hydroponics flora duo

If you’re hoping to use little fertilizer, this product is ideal for various stages of plant growth because it delivers the required nutrients at all stages of plant growth

 

Conclusion

It takes time, and calculated effort among other resources to find the best weed fertilizers that is suitable for your marijuana plants. This is because nutrients are important in the growth of plants and using the right one will ensure the healthy growth of marijuana plants.

If you prefer to use soil as your growing medium, attention should be paid to the type of strain because marijuana plants such as the AK-47 strain have a different nutritional requirement as opposed to when they are grown on a hydroponic medium.

Now that weed fertilizers have been established as an important element to have healthy plant growth, it is not the only available option, especially for inexperienced growers. Feel free to browse our other options.