When learning to grow it’s important to first understand the basics. When it comes to nutrients and mixing them it can become quiet challenging if you don’t understand the basics.
So lets start this off with a list of the 16 main elements needed for healthy marijuana plant to grow to its fullest potential:
Non Mineral and Mineral Nutrients
The non-mineral nutrients are: hydrogen (H) Oxygen (O) and Carbon (C) – in other words air and water. Then photosynthesis takes place where the sun turns the elements into plant food (starches and sugars)
The mineral nutrients are found in the soil around the plant. Thanks to the water you give your plant these nutrients are sucked up by your roots, feeding your plant and giving it the goods it needs to grow. Just as we all need an extra hand sometimes soil does to. Think of mineral nutrients as a multivitamin for your plant.
Macro nutrients
Mineral nutrients are split into two groups, Macro -Nutrients and Micro – nutrients. Macronutrients is then split again into two groups, these are Primary Nutrients (NPK) and Secondary Nutrients.
Primary nutrients, (NPK) are Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium these are the main elements your plant uses to grow. Now on your nutrient bottle you will see – (NPK -2-5-5), this is the value of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium in your chosen nutrient. This is the starting point for all growers on nutrient levels and mixes, next its important to understand what these nutrients do for your plant so that you can know better at what stages you should be administering your various nutrients.
Secondary nutrients are calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and sulfur (S) these nutrients are just as important as primary nutrients, your plant just needs less quantities of the secondary nutrients.
Micro Nutrients
These are also only necessary in small doses but go a long way in helping the overall growth of your plant, these nutrients are boron (B), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), chloride (Cl), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo) and zinc (Zn). Micronutrients mobilize all the elements in your plant. So even though you are using a lot less of these nutrients they are just as important as macronutrients.
Mixing your nutrients effectively
When you begin growing, figuring out nutrients can be rather daunting.
Like hello.. Do I look like a chemist.
Lets simplify this. Plants need different levels of nutrients at different stages. For instance in vegetative stage they need more nitrogen (N) and in the flowering stage they need more phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). Make use of the nutrient guide on your nutrient bottles. Currently in SA finding nutrients made specifically for marijuana is difficult. There is a very limited supply. BioBizz is a favorite but even there the range is limited. So getting a nutrient chart for your specific crop is hard.
This makes it easier to start off. Remember there are so many different factors when growing and feeding your plants that need to be considered, so use the chart as a guideline and make use of EC testing and pH testing to ensure its working effectively for your setup.