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Home Growers Corner
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Choosing Nutrients for Your Cannabis Plants
It’ s Not That Complicated New Growers Need Not Worry!
by Gerry Donovan, contributing writer
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Selecting nutrients for the first time can be a daunting task, with so many companies and different varieties. There’ s organic and salt-based, hydroponic and top-dressing, liquids, powders, foliar sprays, 1-part, 2-part, 3-part, hot, inert, and living soils, compost teas, and supplements— where does it end? Which is best? What brand is paying the guy on YouTube for low-key advertising? And ultimately, do my plants even need added nutrients?
If you try to unravel the“ Nutrient Mystery” online, well, Good Luck! First, let’ s tackle that last question: Yes, your plants need nutrients! The easiest and most common way to introduce nutrients to your plants is by mixing nutrients or nutrient concentrates into your water before watering your plants. For an easy comparison to humans, think of a plant’ s water like our water and its nutrients like our food.
Ideally, we provide our plants with a constant supply of nutrients throughout their entire life. I start my seedlings and clones with a cloning and seedling solution that promotes strong and healthy root zone development. Next, I move onto a light and then a heavy“ Vegetative Nutrient” regimen, promoting foliar and stalk development. After that, I transition to a light and then a heavy“ Bloom Nutrient” regimen focused on bud and sugar— referring to a combination of the trichomes, cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids.
I want to keep this simple; when you deep dive into the world of plant science and nutrients, usage and uptake, etc., the well goes rather deep. Let’ s leave that science to the scientists and know that companies have done their research and formulated their nutrient lines with hearty cannabis plants in mind. There are base nutrients, supplemental nutrients, and additive nutrients. Many base nutrients are formulated with all the components your plants need, but just as humans are all different, so are the varieties of cannabis— some might need or benefit from an extra boost of this or that compound. I am going to focus on the most common base nutrients in the cannabis world.( Note: I generally use: Base Nutrients + Cal-Mag + Bloom Boost + Sugar Boost.
Let’ s talk Base Nutrients: What they are and in what forms are they available.
N-P-K Nitrogen- Phosphorus- Potassium N-P-K is shown on a bottle, for example, as“ 3-6-4,” which indicates the amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in that nutrient product. Every nutrient bottle will have these numbers and their respective ratios listed. These nutrients are integral to a healthy plant’ s maximized development. All reputable nutrient brands will encompass the“ correct” amount of N-P-K for good cannabis plant growth. I have the word“ correct” in quotations because every cannabis plant is a little bit different than the next and may have varying nutritional needs. Nutrient companies have feeding charts( see the four sample feeding charts shown on the next page), and they tend to be fairly accurate to provide for hearty plants.
Cannabis plants like heavy nitrogen( N) during vegetation and high PK during flower. With that said, companies have addressed this by designating vegetative nutrients and flowering nutrients— you can’ t use a single nutrient throughout the entire plant’ s life and expect highquality cannabis to grow.
Nutrients are most commonly“ Organically Derived” or“ Lab Formulated”( you will encounter the terms“ Organic” and“ Salt- Based”), liquid or powder, and come in parts: 1-Part, 2-Part, and 3-Part.
Why Choose Organic vs Salt-Based?
Powder vs Liquid
● Powder = more bang for your buck
● Liquid = easier to mix
Organic vs Salt-Based
Organic
● If you are into the whole organic worldview – go for it!
● Chunky, STINKY, separation
● Not recommended for hydro systems – lends to clogging
Salt Based
● Exacting formulas
● Very shelf stable
● Clean and easy to use across all media
Nutrients are generally designated into three categories: 1-Part, 2-Part, or 3-Part
1-Part
● Just add water and go
● Two bottles – one bottle for veg, one bottle for flower
● Only use one at a time
22 September 2025