How much nitrogen does a plant need during flower?

bobj1598

Well-Known Member
You’re over complicating it. Use your base dry amendments and water in some some fish/seaweed fertilizer with some molasses a couple times. The weed will grow and it will grow dank. I’m basically an idiot and my shit comes danker than any loud pack I’ve ever bought save for that fuckup when I decided to switch to bud and bloom and my Durban diamonds didn’t like that shit. I’ve got a different Durban cross (x tk) going now and they’re loving the 4-6-3, ain’t even gotta keep topdressing cause they’re in 10gals, just a weekly hit of the fish/kelp and molasses.
What you're proposing is essentially an aerated compost tea. Not only do I lack an air pump to concoct such a solution, but I also lack the ingredients necessary to make such a fertilizer (molasses/fish/seaweed).

I have three different fertilizers that can be combined to create different NPK values ( [7 3 3] [3 7 3] [4 4 8] ). It's very simple math, adding and then dividing by two. Not complicated. I am trying to do as simple of a grow as imaginable. I bought the seed starting mix as well as the herb and veg. mix solely because the package said it'd feed for a total of SIX months between the two mediums, that was false. I began experiencing nutrient deficiencies before week 3. I did NOT plan to add ANY nutrients whatsoever, but the soil medium(s) have forced my hand.
 

zebracake

Member
What you're proposing is essentially an aerated compost tea. Not only do I lack an air pump to concoct such a solution, but I also lack the ingredients necessary to make such a fertilizer (molasses/fish/seaweed).

I have three different fertilizers that can be combined to create different NPK values ( [7 3 3] [3 7 3] [4 4 8] ). It's very simple math, adding and then dividing by two. Not complicated. I am trying to do as simple of a grow as imaginable. I bought the seed starting mix as well as the herb and veg. mix solely because the package said it'd feed for a total of SIX months between the two mediums, that was false. I began experiencing nutrient deficiencies before week 3. I did NOT plan to add ANY nutrients whatsoever, but the soil medium(s) have forced my hand.
4-4-8 is your best bet for flowering. You don't want to neglect calcium, magnesium, sulfur, and micronutrients either but there should still be some in the soil. I only have experience with coco coir hydro and the one time that I grew in soil I never used inorganic fertilizers. You want to have some water runoff the bottom and test it so you can get an idea of how much ppm is in your soil and the ph. If it's higher than what you're putting in then you're overfeeding. Being in soil you're better off adding a top dressing of organic nutrients but if all you got is inorganic that should be fine but you shouldn't have to fertilize every time you water idk how often you should but you'll get an idea thru trial and error by testing the ppm of the runoff water.
 

bobj1598

Well-Known Member
4-4-8 is your best bet for flowering. You don't want to neglect calcium, magnesium, sulfur, and micronutrients either but there should still be some in the soil. I only have experience with coco coir hydro and the one time that I grew in soil I never used inorganic fertilizers. You want to have some water runoff the bottom and test it so you can get an idea of how much ppm is in your soil and the ph. If it's higher than what you're putting in then you're overfeeding.
The one thing I've gathered from reading several different guidelines over the interwebs is that 'P' is great for root development whereas 'K' is great for stomata function. As a very ignorant grower who has never done this before, I would argue that the 3 7 3 fertilizer is best for flowering, as it states on the package that it is for flowering. Gaia Green (a very revered and recognized fertilizer company) has a product called 'Power Bloom' where the phosphorus is higher than that of the potassium as well. Am I wrong to assume this? Why or why not?

Because I'm using pure 100% organic compounds in my grow (all materials carry the OMRI label), I've been told that I do not need to worry about pH issues. I may need to in fact worry about macronutrient issues like the ones you've listed. But for right now I'm solely focused on my flowering nutrients and figuring out how to train my plants (they're almost in veg).
 

zebracake

Member
Yes high phosphorus is good for flowering but you don't want it to be too high as too much of it can make your smoke harsh and ruin the flavor. I use athena nutrients which is what the jungle boys use they grow stupid fire weed and this formula has worked best for me compared to other brands. The npk ratios for flower are 2.79–4-8.04 cal 3.4 mag 1 sulfur 3. I've never got a phosphorus deficiency with those ratios. You can fine tune your ratios with fertilizer salts which is the cheapest way to feed in hydro you just gotta mix it yourself it's not premixed. Calcium nitrate, potassium nitrate, monopotassium phosphate, potassium sulfate, magnesium sulfate (bath salts), chelated micronutrient mix.
 

Roger A. Shrubber

Well-Known Member
how have you liked using the bloom? I have some and am approaching flower but was unsure about it
i'll be honest with you, i don't use the bloom, but not because i don't think it's a good product, just when i switched to Jack's, i already had a big bag of both monopotassium phosphate, and sul-po-mag. i may try it when i run out of these, but a little goes a long way.
they're the equivalent though, bloom is pretty much MKP and the finish product is sul-po-mag with maybe a few trace elements.
but as to how i like both of them? i do like them, i just caution against using too much, or using for too long. i make a 200 ppm solution of both, and add 200 ml of MPK per feeding as soon as i see significant bud formation starting. i add the MKP to regular feeding for about ten days, then just regular feed till i see them begin their swell. then i do pretty much the same thing with sul-po-mag for ten days.
i feed regular strength for the 2 to 3 weeks they usually take to get ripe after that, i used to taper off feedings, but it seemed pointless, and was a pain in the butt.
but it does seem to make a pretty noticeable difference, in strength, size, density, and terpene/resin formation.
 
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i'll be honest with you, i don't use the bloom, but not because i don't think it's a good product, just when i switched to Jack's, i already had a big bag of both monopotassium phosphate, and sul-po-mag. i may try it when i run out of these, but a little goes a long way.
they're the equivalent though, bloom is pretty much MKP and the finish product is sul-po-mag with maybe a few trace elements.
but as to how i like both of them? i do like them, i just caution against using too much, or using for too long. i make a 200 ppm solution of both, and add 200 ml of MPK per feeding as soon as i see significant bud formation starting. i add the MKP to regular feeding for about ten days, then just regular feed till i see them begin their swell. then i do pretty much the same thing with sul-po-mag for ten days.
i feed regular strength for the 2 to 3 weeks they usually take to get ripe after that, i used to taper off feedings, but it seemed pointless, and was a pain in the butt.
but it does seem to make a pretty noticeable difference, in strength, size, density, and terpene/resin formation.
thank you! I will probably skip it this time since I am still learning the basics.
 

yobdub

Well-Known Member
After speaking with a buddy of mine who’s been doing this for years. Jack’s or JR peters Is what he uses Whatever you wanna call it.
Is what he uses with success. It’s basic good stuff. One forth teaspoon per gallon every water most of the time. Skip some at early flower and transplanting. Add some lite cal/mag every now and then when I remember to. If concerned about too much about too much K. They have 20-10-20 for citrus.
Trying terpinator now for flower. And leaving them slightly starved in transition.Try fish shit when transplanting. Seems to be working. Terminator seem to do a little better with some of The last grow. Too many variables where I live. Some outside, some in the grow tent in the garage, sone in a room that I semi converted Upstairs.
Between me and environmental conditions . We can fuck this up. And we do!!!
Fox farm OF cut with vermiculite and perlite and Happy frog.
Be patient and just grow your weed. Slower is better U.less you are trying to too much out. Sometimes less is better.
Careful what you read on the internet This is all in my opinion. I’m an old dude just try to grow some weed. Enjoy everybody. Thanks roll it up people who have helped me over the years.
..
 

GreezzyGuy

Active Member
Or rather, how much n. is too much?
First you need to decide if you believe you need to flush to have better tasting flowers,Or dont need to flush to have best tasting flowers.
There is a massive conflict between both camps.

For plant tissue to be at maximum for the plant species in question ,they need enough N through the plants life cycle to reach 2.5 to 5% N in the dry plant matter.

So the same NPK ratio start to finish is ideal if all elements are in the correct ratio of each other. From a dry matter end result.That is not a matter of opinion,that is a matter of plant biology fact.
 

GreezzyGuy

Active Member
forgot to give correlation

100 pounds of plant matter dried
10 pounds of dried plant matter.
1 pound of that dried plant matter is the fertilizer the plant took up.
Of that 2.5% to 5% is the nitrogen.

Fertilizer is the use of a good micro gram resolution scale, and a periodic table. in its simplest form
,without getting into balancing chemical equations
 

GreezzyGuy

Active Member
Plants dont have egos.
Only fertilizer companies and growers do. Plants dont give a rats ass who made the fertilizer ,what name is on that fertilizer,and what hand gives it to them.

Our only job is to supply the plant in whatever way,what ever means allow, in the right ratios, supplement water when needed. step back and let mother nature do her thing. as long as you do what you need to do ,plants will do what they need to do.
It is no more complicated then that.Egos aside.
 

bobj1598

Well-Known Member
First you need to decide if you believe you need to flush to have better tasting flowers,Or dont need to flush to have best tasting flowers.
There is a massive conflict between both camps.

For plant tissue to be at maximum for the plant species in question ,they need enough N through the plants life cycle to reach 2.5 to 5% N in the dry plant matter.

So the same NPK ratio start to finish is ideal if all elements are in the correct ratio of each other. From a dry matter end result.That is not a matter of opinion,that is a matter of plant biology fact.
For the flushing aspect. As a new grower, I really cannot offer an opinion because I've never grown a plant before. I've seen the science that purports flushing as being useless. And I'm willing to accept that. This grow, I plan feed right through until these things get chopped down lol. I'm using natural granular, no worries about excess salts/metals with this stuff
 

RonnieB2

Well-Known Member
I personally disagree with the same amount of nitrogen during flower unless you love a lot of leaves. My nitrogen goes from 34npk down to 14 during flower. During flower you need to concentrate on last root development and bud development. That is phosphorus and potassium along with alage, amino, bloom microbes and enzymes. This will give the plant enough nitrogen to stay healthy and boost your roots and buds with the extra npk you've freed up
 

Tyblizzy

Member
For the flushing aspect. As a new grower, I really cannot offer an opinion because I've never grown a plant before. I've seen the science that purports flushing as being useless. And I'm willing to accept that. This grow, I plan feed right through until these things get chopped down lol. I'm using natural granular, no worries about excess salts/metals with this stuff
How’s it growin?
 
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