Cannabis Nutrients: Why, How, And When To Feed Your Plants

Cannabis plants are sensitive to nutrients, and there’s a fine line between properly feeding your plants and burning them with chemicals. Find out everything you need to know about properly feeding cannabis plants in our guide!

All the nutrients needed for best cannabis nutrients plant development are naturally present in the environment. However, to help your plants develop even faster and produce a better end product, you’ll want to feed them with fertiliser—concentrated nutrients.

Below, you’ll find all the information you need to know about when, how, and how much to feed your cannabis plants.

UNDERSTANDING CANNABIS MACRO AND MICRONUTRIENTS

Cannabis plants require three nutrients in large quantities. These macronutrients are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), and they form the cornerstone of cannabis plant health. As such, these three nutrients usually feature front and centre on fertiliser products in the form of an NPK ratio. The higher the number for each value, the higher the concentration of that particular nutrient.

However, cannabis needs more than just three nutrients to survive and thrive. It also counts on secondary nutrients like calcium, magnesium, and sulfur to play vital roles in plant growth:

Calcium is important for cell wall development, can help reduce soil salinity, and improves water penetration when used as a soil amendment. Magnesium plays a key role in photosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism, and also helps with the stabilisation of plant cell walls. Sulfur is necessary for the formation of chlorophyll and the production of proteins, amino acids, enzymes and vitamins, and protects plants against disease.

Beyond this, plants also make use of several other nutrients in small quantities (micronutrients) that are nevertheless extremely important. These include boron, chlorine, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, and zinc. While these aren’t the main nutrients plants use for food, they still play very important roles in various aspects of plant health.