Best Nutrients & Fertilizers for Marijuana Flowering Stage [2023 Updated!]

Want your Cannabis plants to yield better? It’s not rocket science, but the research involved in finding the right nutrients certainly is.

That’s why we’ve done the nutrient research for you! In this article, we’ll take you through a comprehensive list of the best nutrients for the Marijuana flowering stage and some of the best fertilizers that feature them. Read on for more.

Best Nutrient Fertilizers of Marijuana Flowering Stage

Organic Fertilizers

Organic fertilizers are made with plant-derived substances, animal waste, or mineral sources. These are more eco-friendly and might work slower than chemical fertilizers.

Synthetic Fertilizers

Synthetic or Chemical fertilizers are made for a simple application in precise amounts. Chemical fertilizers are made to give you immediate results - at the cost of environmental degradation over time.

Best Nutrients for Marijuana Flowering Stage

Now that we’ve taken a look at the actual products, let’s talk about some basic elements that pretty much any grower needs to keep in mind.

These are carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. Since these elements are easily available through the air and water, there is no need to add them separately.

However, care should be taken to ensure your plants get plenty of air and water and in the right quantity and quality. If you grow your plants in indoor tents, then you need to aerate them well. Check if the water being fed is safe. Use a filter if you need one or store the water for 24 hours to allow the chlorine to evaporate before you use the water.

You can also check out our guides to find the perfect indoor tent or carbon filters for your plants.

Now, let’s check out the nutrients that you need to add to your plants’ diet for better flowering.

Primary Macronutrients

Phosphorus

Phosphorus is a key nutrient responsible for energy transfer in plant cells. In marijuana, it helps with the development of the root, flower, and seed. Therefore, it is the most important nutrient during the initial stages of the flowering stage.

When used in the right amount phosphorus can help you grow large healthy buds on your marijuana plant.

Another task of phosphorus is to make other nutrients available for the plant to absorb.

Nitrogen

Nitrogen is essential for plants to carry out the process of photosynthesis properly. This helps the plant develop its green foliage.

It also helps in the production of proteins that are building blocks in the plant. Therefore, nitrogen is required throughout the life cycle of the plant. The stage it is needed the most is the vegetative and bud forming stages.

Potassium

Potassium helps regulate the salt and water concentrations in plants. It does this by controlling the uptake of water, carbon dioxide, and oxygen. This role makes potassium an essential macronutrient for your plants’ overall health.

What is NPK?

NPK is not a nutrient but an acronym for the combination of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. These are the essential macronutrients.

Many fertilizer products will have an NPK rating. This is used to determine how much the quantity of each nutrient is in the mix.

The requirement quantities of these nutrients change during various stages of marijuana growth and hence must be adjusted accordingly.

Secondary Macronutrients

Calcium

Calcium helps in the transport of nutrients by keeping the structure of cell walls together. It also helps in the production of plant tissues and the absorption of other nutrients. Thus, allowing the plant to grow and develop normally.

Magnesium

Magnesium is an essential component of the chlorophyll molecule. It helps with the growth of the plant. Thus, a lack of magnesium results in stunted plants. However, excess magnesium is just as harmful to plants.

Sulfur

Like magnesium, sulfur also aids in the growth and development of the plant. It aids in the plant metabolism, transpiration, and transportation of chlorophyll. Thus, a sulfur deficiency results in the yellowing of new leaves.

Secondary Micronutrients

Zinc

Zinc helps metabolic reactions in plants and is a key component in various enzymes. Zinc helps in the development of stems, leaves, and branches. The presence and requirement of zinc increases as the plant grows.

Zinc also helps plants withstand colder temperatures.

Boron

Boron helps in the absorption of calcium. It is also used in the synthesis of the cell wall. Boron requirement particularly increases during the reproductive stages. It also helps in the development and growth of root tips and the transfer of sugars in the plant cells.

Manganese

Manganese is vital during the chlorophyll production and photosynthesis processes. It also activates enzyme interactions.

Molybdenum

Molybdenum helps process nitrogen by aiding the conversion of nitrate into nitrite and then into ammonia and amino acids. Without molybdenum, your plant can become nitrogen deficient.

Iron

Iron is needed by plants for a variety of biological functions. These include chlorophyll production, enzyme production, nitrogen-fixing, metabolism, and development.

Copper

Copper helps with the development of plant proteins. It activates enzymes and also catalyzes reactions that promote plant growth. Thus, helping strengthen the branches and stems of the plants.

The Flowering Stage of Marijuana Plants

The flowering stage of a marijuana plant is generally eight weeks long, but different variants may have shorter periods as well.

Plants grown indoors are easy to control. Here’s a guide for growing marijuana plants indoors in soil.

With indoor plants, you can start the flowering process after 4 weeks of vegetative growth. However, plants grown outdoors will only start flowering at the end of summer.

Since the flowering process starts when the plants receive less light than normal. This helps the plant to grow buds. Along with lighting, other factors also influence the flowering process in Marijuana plants. These factors are the availability of nutrients,  environmental conditioning, and pH balance of the medium.

pH for Marijuana Flowering

pH is the measure that tells you how alkaline/acidic a solution is. In this case, the solution is the soil you are growing your marijuana in - and it can have a major effect on the health of your crops.

Maintaining optimum pH levels is as important as supplying essential nutrients. Without the right pH levels, the marijuana plant is unable to absorb nutrients from the soil or water.

The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. Solutions with a measure below 7 are all acidic whereas, solutions above 7 are basic/alkaline.

The ideal pH range for growing a marijuana plant is between 6.0 and 6.5.

You should also do an analysis of the soil/medium your Cannabis grows in and the water you’re feeding it. Especially if you plan on growing a large output of marijuana.

You can also buy some supplements to help the absorption of nutrients and increase the natural resistance of the plant against diseases.

The Cal-Mag Plus is one supplement that helps you fix deficiencies in plants. It contains fortified calcium, magnesium, and iron. You can use it as a foliar spray, with coco coir, container plants, or soil plants.

The Big Bud is another advanced liquid fertilizer containing L-amino acids and phosphorus potassium. It is a reliable solution that can be used when you want to increase the harvest size and quality.

Stats Table

Check out our table below for the nutrient ratios of the organic fertilizers.

Note: The nutrient ratio indicates the proportion of three macronutrients; nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in every pack of fertilizer mix.

Final Thoughts

Growing marijuana is something of a combined art and science that takes lots of effort. However, having the right knowledge and applying it properly can certainly help - especially when it comes to nurturing your beloved buds.

We hope our guide to the best nutrients for the marijuana flowering stage helps you grow a great output.

FAQs

1. What fertilizer is used for Marijuanas?

Organic growers use compost, mulch, or green manures to add nutrients to the soil. Synthetic fertilizers are not recommended for organic cannabis production, as they can leave residues that can be harmful to users.

2. What is the best fertilizer for big buds?

The best fertilizer for big buds will vary depending on the specific needs of the plant. However, a good general rule of thumb is to use a high-nitrogen fertilizer to help promote vegetative growth, and then switch to a high-phosphorus fertilizer once the buds start to form.

3. What is the best fertilizer for flowering stage?

For the flowering stage: Fertilizers that have a lower % of nitrogen (nitrogen), but a higher % of phosphorus (phosphorus) and potassium (potassium). An example would be NPK 5-9-9. All fertilizers contain different amounts of nutrients.

4. How much nitrogen is needed for flowering?

Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plants and is necessary for flowering. The amount of nitrogen needed varies depending on the plant, but typically a moderate amount is sufficient. Too much nitrogen can actually inhibit flowering, so it's important to be mindful of how much you're adding to your garden.

5. Which NPK ratio is best for flowering plants?

According to studies, the ideal NPK fertilizer ratio for flowering plants is 3-1-2. (That's 3% Nitrogen, 1% Phosphorus, and 2% Potassium.) So look for that ratio on the label of packaged fertilizers; anything close to a 3-1-2, a 6-2-4, or a 9-3-6 should be ideal.