FlashBabylon
Active Member
I can't seem to find any definitive feed schedule for autos. I am growing a couple in coco and flowers started showing 1-2 weeks ago.
When should I add PK boost please?
When should I add PK boost please?
When to add PK boost?
- Thread starter FlashBabylon
- Start date
polo the don
Well-Known Member
When I grow autos I usually don't start bloom nutes until vertical growth has stopped.
FlashBabylon
Active Member
Thanks. I'm using meta boost and a flowering stimulator at the moment but they are still growing (I hope they stop soon or I will run out of room!). The meta boost states to use in week 1 then again from week 4 til the end. Given the autos have a short flowering period I guess I should only bother for the first week.
From what you say I guess I shall start PK from when they have stopped growing.
From what you say I guess I shall start PK from when they have stopped growing.
Sativied
Well-Known Member
PK boost, as in the PK 13/14 started by Canna, is meant to be used when it starts turning flowers into swollen buds, usually around week 6. It's an additive not regular bloom nutes.
If it's not regular PK13/14 (some manufacturers call it differently, i.e. House and Garden Top Booster is PK13/14+iron) perhaps read the instructions on the bottle or the website?
That said, at no point in the life cycle does cannabis need a PK overdose. So my answer to your question is: only when you know there is an actually shortage of PK - it won't get you bigger buds....
If it's not regular PK13/14 (some manufacturers call it differently, i.e. House and Garden Top Booster is PK13/14+iron) perhaps read the instructions on the bottle or the website?
That said, at no point in the life cycle does cannabis need a PK overdose. So my answer to your question is: only when you know there is an actually shortage of PK - it won't get you bigger buds....
FlashBabylon
Active Member
I'm using Canna Coco base nutes so there is no bloom feed as such, just boosters to be added. I am (or rather, will be,) using Buddha's Tree PK 9/18 and Buddha's Tree Meta Boost.
So you are saying watch for signs of P / K deficiency and add the PK booster then?
So you are saying watch for signs of P / K deficiency and add the PK booster then?
Sativied
Well-Known Member
No certainly not. I meant shortage on the nutrient menu or line you are using. Which is not the case with quality base nutes including Canna.
Don't take this the wrong way but if you bought that Buddha PK boost (like $100 or so for a liter?) you got ripped off. Plenty of the same PKs in the base nutes but much cheaper. Using it will not give you the 40% extra they claim, more like 20% less than if you were to keep your plants healthy with a proper NPK ratio.
That said, since you got it already, here's a page with instructions: http://www.onestopgrowshop.co.uk/nutrients-boosters-and-ph-ec-control/buddhas-tree-en-2/buddhas-tree-pk-9-18-1-litre.html
FlashBabylon
Active Member
My goodness! No, I paid nowhere *near* that amount. Less than half that, and got a bottle of their Flower Burst thrown in for free. So, no, I wasn't ripped off, but if you are buying yours from that hydro shop then it seems you are!
I figure it does the same job as the Canna PK 13/14 and is a hell of a lot cheaper, as is the Buddhas Tree Meta Boost. If I grew using Canna Boost I would be paying almost as much to grow my meds as they cost on the market!
However, that guide didn't really help much.... I have a standard feed schedule as provided with the nutes. However, my question is pertaining to when to add PK boost to an autoflower grow, which is very different to an 8 week flowering period on a photo grow.
FlashBabylon
Active Member
Also, are you suggesting that I should *just* use base nutes during flowering, canna a&b, no boost, no PK?
Maine Buds
Well-Known Member
Lots of people say you don't need p/ k boost if you have a complete nute . I use the booster cause I don't get crap if I don't . I use bloom blood in the first 3 weeks and will again at week 6+ 7 I also use soluable potash. Week 1,4,7.
https://www.kelp4less.com/shop/sop-powder/
https://www.kelp4less.com/shop/sop-powder/
Maine Buds
Well-Known Member
This is 30 day after the flip. They are pretty thick !
Attachments
FlashBabylon
Active Member
Lovely looking buds but again...."after the flip".....!!!
I thought that posting in the autoflowering strains section meant I would avoid the problem of people not bothering to read the post properly before posting and giving advice that pertains solely to photoperiod strains....
/edit sorry dont mean to be rude, I see your point...
I thought that posting in the autoflowering strains section meant I would avoid the problem of people not bothering to read the post properly before posting and giving advice that pertains solely to photoperiod strains....
/edit sorry dont mean to be rude, I see your point...
Last edited:
Sativied
Well-Known Member
Like I said, don't take it the wrong way... I don't waste money on boosters so hydro shops don't get to rip me off, I spend about $20 in nutes per grow. At a quarter of that price the Buddha PK boost is still a rip-off. You pay for the bottle, the label, and the marketing. The contents is worth 'cents' and is already in your base nutes.During flowering cannabis uses less N and slightly more P and K than during flowering but never in a NPK ratio the boosters result in. It (cannabis plant) simply doesn't work that way. P is necessary for big buds, but that doesn't mean more P means to more bud like PK booster manufacturers would like you to believe.
Bingo! Again, unless you actually have reasons to believe your base nutrients do not offer the proper ratio (which differs per strain).
Do not use it at the recommended doses as that will likely cause premature yellowing. Start with 1/4 of the recommended doses and try to build that up each week till 1/2 or so, while keeping a close eye on your plants. If you have multiple plants in separate pots you could try different amounts to see what works best.
FlashBabylon
Active Member
During flowering cannabis uses less N and slightly more P and K than during flowering but never in a NPK ratio the boosters result in. It (cannabis plant) simply doesn't work that way. P is necessary for big buds, but that doesn't mean more P means to more bud like PK booster manufacturers would like you to believe.
Bingo! Again, unless you actually have reasons to believe your base nutrients do not offer the proper ratio (which differs per strain).
Do not use it at the recommended doses as that will likely cause premature yellowing. Start with 1/4 of the recommended doses and try to build that up each week till 1/2 or so, while keeping a close eye on your plants. If you have multiple plants in separate pots you could try different amounts to see what works best.
OK, thanks, that's a good concise answer
You live you learn, I have all the boosters now, I spose I might as well use them. I just have to figure out the best way for my autos (the photos I know what I'm doing with).
Next time I will know better and will stick with my a&b. I'm thinking of moving to hydro to try and automate the process and save money on nutrients (the water until runoff method leaves me with gallons of runoff which is essentially money down the drain!). Unsure which method to use as yet. What do you use?
Sativied
Well-Known Member
I've been there, and I used up all the bottles too.
I use a bottle of GHE Bloom (floraduo base nutes with very little N) on top of my House&Garden AB base nutes to skew the NPK ratio a little during flower (little less N, little more P and K). So not as an additive, but to replace part of the base nutes.https://www.rollitup.org/t/ti-o-te-y.831714/page-20#post-10567192
I'm currently running 350-380ppm (nearly half is from tap, rest is nutes I add), see photo journal link in signature below.
Last edited:
Tim Brittain
Member
Hi I am using gh flora range do i use pk boost in tandem with that or does it affect my cf ec .thanks
FADING-SILHOUETTE
Well-Known Member
I know this is an old thread but most of whats written here is still applicable.. According to the Canna grow guide I should be adding 13 14 now...however I think I should hold off a while longer until I start to see some actual bud growth...Ill add a pic shortly...plenty of pre flowers and bud leafs..but my gut says wait another week let me know your thoughts.....? - STELTHY 
Last edited:
wil2279
Well-Known Member
I am planning on using a guano mix for my pk boost this next grow. I'm going to have to read up on the seabird guano but bat guano pretty much gets used up in 3-4 weeks... So for now my plants should be about 10 week plants. I'm planning on applying my last dressing of guano mix on week 6