Growing Tips ►
Cannabis Nutrients ,
An Elemental Guide
by Jason Mispagel , contributing writer
Jason Mispagel is the co-owner and operator of Year-Round Garden , a grower ’ s supply center serving both home and commercial customers since 2016 . His extensive growing experience in hydroponics and soil dates to the early days of legalization in Colorado , where he served as one of the state ’ s early caregivers . Year-Round Garden . 1225 W 103rd St , Kansas City , MO . 816.216.6917 – FB : yrroundgarden ● IG : @ yrroundgarden
Regardless of your experience level , you likely know that growing quality cannabis requires a handful of key nutrients . These elements are the building blocks of healthy plants , whether present in nutrient-rich soil or added by dry or liquid amendments . You ’ re also probably familiar with the concept that too much or too little of any given nutrient can damage a plant . For the most part , though , commercially available soils and fertilizers remove the need to calculate the quantity of each element by including all-or-most nutrients in pre-determined ratios based on the plant ’ s requirements at each stage of growth ( i . e ., vegetative versus flowering ). When they ’ re mixed into soil or water in proper proportions and adjusted to the appropriate pH level , feeding your plants becomes a breeze .
Rather than blindly trusting the slick packaging and marketing lingo from an ever-expanding lineup of fertilizers , it can be extremely helpful to understand what type of alchemy is occurring inside the bottle or bag , especially when attempting to resolve problems in your garden . Sometimes the answer isn ’ t simply to add more or less pre-mixed fertilizer . Sometimes it ’ s to identify a particular nutrient that isn ’ t reaching its destination within the plant and correct it for that specific item .
At its core , each nutrient is an element — the same type you ’ d find on a Periodic Table of Elements in your old high school textbooks . In total , 21 elements are needed for cannabis to truly flourish , the most vital three of which are non-mineral elements — Carbon ( C ), Hydrogen ( H ), and Oxygen ( O ), representing up to 96 % of each plant ’ s mass . These are derived from two familiar chemical compounds , H20 ( water ) and CO2 ( carbon dioxide ). CO2 , present in ambient air , makes its way into the plant through tiny pores on each leaf called stomata . H2O is absorbed as water through the roots .
The remaining 4 % of the plant is comprised of mineral elements , also referred to as nutrients , and are generally broken into two overarching categories , macronutrients and micronutrients — macro , indicating those elements required in the largest quantities , and micro , those needed in smaller amounts . Six of the 18 mineral nutrients are considered macronutrients , and 12 are micronutrients .
Each nutrient can also be assigned a category based on its ability to move throughout the plant .
• Mobile nutrients can be transported from one location to another , depending on which portion of the plant needs them most .
• Immobile nutrients , with a few exceptions , remain in one location once they ’ ve been absorbed through the roots and cannot translocate within the plant .
When evaluating nutrient deficiencies in the leaves of your plant , this can be valuable knowledge . Plants deficient in mobile nutrients typically show discoloration and damage to lower , older leaves first . That ’ s because the deficient nutrients will be transported from