7/1/10

E-Mail -- Fertilzer and Flowering

Hello Dr. Myers,
    My plants are now ready to be switched to the flowering stage. With so many products on the market, I don't know which flowering formula to use. According to the grow guidelines on htgsupply.com’s website I should use a 10-30-10 ratio? I am growing in soil and using a 400w HPS.

Could you please inform me as to which products (by name) I should use now. Thankx for all your help.


Hello,
Growing in good soil means the fertilizer you use is less important since soil has nutrients in it your plants can use.  I know some growers that only use soil and compost and have excellent results. I have not used all the products from HTGSuppy.com so I don't like to recommend specifics.  However, I personally use a lot of Fox Farm products, and Hammer Head when my plants are flowering and have no complaints. The ratio from HTGSupply.com is correct, basically, you want to have more phosphorus (middle number) than nitrogen (first number) Some people say to give plants NO nitrogen when flowering but I disagree, plants need nitrogen through all stages of life.  You will be fine as long as you give them small amounts of nitrogen and never more as a percentage than P or K.  The reason you should not use too much nitrogen during flowering is it tends to promote vegetative growth and in excess will inhibit flowering while phosphorus promotes fruit/flowers. The last number (K) potassium is good for all around plant health and should be given at all stages of plant growth. Sorry I can’t be more specific, but it would be best for you to find what works best for your grow area and your plants. I know Fox Farm products have a good reputation and I have used them for years but there may be other brands that work better for you. If you can, get two fertilizers and use each on 1/2 your plants and see if it makes a difference.

I have shown that too much fertilizer is bad for plants(at bottom of LINK) so do not over do any fertilizer!
Good Growing,
Dr.E.R. Myers



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