Whether you’re a beginner in growing cannabis or you’ve been growing for a long time, you will want to find the best nutrients for your plants. Certain nutrients are made for soil while others are made for hydroponic growing. Make sure you’re selecting the right kind. Also, be aware that giving your plant the right nutrients at each growing stage results in a yield of healthy buds. Each stage has specific nutrient requirements, which can be confusing for beginners. Luckily, we have broken down the nutrient requirements below.
To help you out, here are the seed banks that work in any country.
Table of Contents
What is NPK (Best Soil Nutrients)
Before going ahead, it’s important to understand what the labels on the nutrient bottles say. Almost all nutrient bottles show 3 numbers on them. The numbers come in the order of NPK, or Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium.
If a bottle shows 3-2-4: 3 indicates the level of Nitrogen, 2 indicates the level of Phosphorus and 4 indicates the level of Potassium.
1 is the lowest level of nutrient, while 15 is the highest.
Best NPK ratio for growing cannabis
See also:
There is not one best ratio for growing cannabis because large scale testing is not yet legal. However, there is a general ratio that has worked for many that we will show below. Remember that you are growing cannabis in particular conditions, meaning if you’re growing hydroponically the calcium levels in the water can vary depending on where you live. The kind of soil you use, lighting you have, room temperature, all play a factor as well. To get the best nutrient ratio for your particular strain and growing conditions, we recommend keeping a grow journal or asking a grower you admire for theirs.
Generally, the following NPK levels have been optimal for many growers:
Vegetative Stage / Early Flowering Stage :
- High nitrogen
- Medium phosphorus
- High potassium
Flowering Stage:
- Low nitrogen
- Medium to high phosphorus
- High potassium
During the vegetative stage, you want to use high nitrogen. You can also opt for a general purpose plant nutrient as they tend to have high nitrogen levels.
During the flowering or bloom stage, you want to be using low nitrogen with a good amount of phosphorus and potassium. Having low nitrogen is important in this stage! Don’t use a general purpose nutrients, they have higher levels of nitrogen which discourages weed growth. Both phosphorus and potassium are important for your bud’s growth in the flowering stage. Phosphorus helps your plant grow more flowers and potassium helps with the weight of the flowers. Remember to keep the ratios balanced, having too much of either results in dead plants.
Organic Nutrient: Should you go organic?
Many people wonder if organic nutrients are better for their cannabis. Organic nutrients do have their benefits. Some people believe they get more fragrant buds from using organic nutrients. It’s natural, which could be important if you’re growing inside your home. But make sure you don’t use organic nutrients for a hydroponic set up. Organic nutrients can can spoil the water in your reservoir with bacteria or overgrowth of organisms. Chemical nutrients are the way to go for a hydroponic setup. Chemical nutrients also ensure faster growth and increase the potency of your buds.
Nutrients for hydroponic setup
Hydroponic setups grow plants without soil and is used by almost all indoor growers. Most people have reservoirs, or buckets that they fill with water and nutrients for their plants to soak up. Most cannabis nutrients on the market are sold specifically for hydroponic setups.
Now that you know more about nutrients, let’s dive into the best nutrients for growing cannabis.
High Times voted Best Nutrients
| Name of Fertilizer | Rating |
|---|---|
| #1 TechnaFlora Recipe For Success Nutrient Bundle(Best Soil Nutrients) | 4.5/5 |
| #2 Fox Farm FX14049 Liquid: Big Bloom, Grow Big, Tiger Bloom(Best Soil Nutrients) | 4.5/5 |
| #3 General Hydroponics General Organics Go Box(Best Soil Nutrients) | 4.4/5 |
| #4 Botanicare PURE BLEND PRO Grow + PURE BLEND PRO Bloom(Best Soil Nutrients) | 4.4/5 |
| #5 General Hydroponics Flora Grow, Bloom, Micro Combo Fertilizer set(Hydroponic Nutrients) | 4.4/5 |
| #6 FoxFarm FX14050 Big Bloom, Grow Big & Tiger Bloom Fertilizer set(Hydroponic Nutrients) | 4.3/5 |
| #7 Botanicare 3 Pack Bundle: Grow, Bloom, Base + Twin Canaries Chart & Pipette(Hydroponic Nutrients) | 4.3/5 |
Best Soil Nutrients for Weed on 2020
These nutrients are optimal for a soil growing setup.
#1 TechnaFlora Recipe For Success Nutrient Bundle
The great thing about this package is that it comes with more than just optimal nutrients for your growing needs. This bundle includes the following:
- 1 – 500 ml B.C. Grow
- 1 – 500 ml B.C. Boost
- 1 – 500 ml B.C. Bloom
- 1 – 125 ml Thrive Alive B-1 Red
- 1 – 125 ml Thrive Alive B-1 Green
- 1 – 7 g Rootech Cloning Ge
- 1 – 125 ml Awesome Blossoms
- 1 – 125 ml MagiCal
- 1 – 250 ml Root 66
- 1 – 250 ml Sugar Daddy
The nutrient are for the grow, boost and bloom stage. It includes Thrive Alive B-1 Red and Thrive Alive B-1 Red Green, both promoting growth during the flowering stage. The Rootech Cloning Ge promotes healthy root growth during the vegetative stage. The Awesome Blossoms, is a flower stimulant, perfect for the flowering stage. MagiCal improves the nutritional quality of plants and contains magnesium, calcium and iron. Root 66 is an organic blend plant nutrient that can be used with the fertilizers in this package. Sugar Daddy has essential carbohydrates and amino acids that makes your plant more fragrant.
#2 Fox Farm FX14049 Liquid Nutrient Trio Soil Formula: Big Bloom, Grow Big, Tiger Bloom
Fox Farm is a well known nutrient brand and beloved by many gardeners and cannabis cultivators.
This trio package includes the Grow Big Hydro, Tiger Bloom and Big Bloom. The Grow Big Hydro has a 6-4-4 NPK and should be used in the first stage of growing. Switch over to Tiger Bloom, with 2-8-4 NPK at the first sign of budding. Use the Big Bloom, .01-.3-.7 NPK, through all growing cycles to increase nutrient cycling.
#3 General Hydroponics General Organics Go Box
These organic nutrients are ideal for beginner growers using soil. The bundle contains a BioThrive Grow and Bloom bottle, and samples of every GO liquid supplement
The 16 oz. bottle of BioThrive Grow has a 4-3-3 NPK, perfect for the vegetative stage. Meanwhile, the 16 oz. bottle of Bloom has a 2-4-4 NPK, which you can begin using when you see the first sign of budding. Supplements include 8 oz. samples of CaMg+, BioRoot, BioWeed, BioBud , BioMarine & Diamond Black.
#4 Botanicare PURE BLEND PRO Grow + PURE BLEND PRO Bloom
Botanicare gives us two separate products: the grow blend is ideal during vegetative stage and the bloom blend should be used during the flowering stage. Both are made from organic, natural ingredients.
The PURE BLEND PRO Grow has an NPK of 3-2-4, which should be used during the vegetative stage and during the early stages of flowering.
The PURE BLEND PRO Bloom has a 2-3-5 NPK, giving optimally low nitrogen but high potassium during the flowering stage.
Hydroponic nutrients
The following nutrients are ideal for growers using a hydroponic system. None are organic, meaning they protect your water from overgrowth of bacteria or organisms which can disrupt your plant’s growth.
General Hydroponics Flora Grow, Bloom, Micro Combo Fertilizer set
This set by General Hydroponics is deal for beginner growers using a hydroponic system and is the most popular brand for growers, for good reason. It works really well! This bundle includes 1 quart bottles of the Flora Grow, Flora Micro and Flora Bloom formulas.
The Flora Micro formula has a 5-0-1 NPK , and should be used during the vegetative stage. The Flora Grow formula has a 2-1-6 NPK, making it ideal for when your plants begin flowering. The Flora Bloom formula has a 0-5-4 NPK, so use this formula a few weeks after your plants have already begun flowering.
FoxFarm FX14050 Big Bloom, Grow Big & Tiger Bloom Liquid Fertilizer Nutrient Trio Hydro-Formula
This Hydro formula from the popular nutrient brand, FoxFarm, takes your plants from the vegetative to flowering stage.
Start off with the Grow Big Hydro, with a NPK of 3-2-6. Switch to the Tiger Bloom at the first signs of flowering, as it has the ideal NPK of 2-8-4. To ensure nutrient cycling throughout, use the Big Bloom concentrate, with an NPK of 0.01-0.3-0.7, through all growing stages.
Botanicare Kind 3 Pack Bundle: Grow, Bloom, Base + Twin Canaries Chart & Pipette
This 3 pack bundle from Botanicare includes 1 quart of their Grow, Bloom and Base formulas. During your plant’s vegetative and transitioning stage, use the Grow formula, with a 2-2-4 NPK. At the tail end of the vegetative stage and while your plant is transitioning into bloom, the Base formula is ideal, with a 4-0-0 NPK. This is high in nitrogen, so make sure you don’t use it if your plants are starting to flower. For the flowering stage, use the Bloom formula, with a 0-6-6 NPK.
In Conclusion
We hope this list helped you pick the right nutrients for your growing needs, whether you’re using soil or a hydroponic grow system. Remember that during the vegetative stage, your plants will need more Nitrogen (the first number displayed on the bottle). During the flowering stage, to promote bud growth look for higher levels of phosphorus and potassium (the 2nd and 3rd number displayed on the bottle).