Introduction
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If you want to grow weed instead of buying it from other sources, you will need to learn about what you need to develop some large and healthy buds. First, you will need to test your soil and ensure that you can grow cannabis in your yard. Additionally, you will need to learn about the best fertilizers you can use for growing your buds. The one fertilizer to focus on now is the 10-10-10 fertilizer. That is because one of the components you need to grow any plant, whether marijuana, fruits, vegetables, or flower plants, is critical.
What Is 10-10-10 Fertilizer?
You may have heard of the term “10-10-10 fertilizer”, but what does that mean? First, if you want to begin growing your weed, you must learn about what you need. That is because fertilizers play an essential role when it comes to keeping your garden and crops healthy. Not only does fertilizer help to keep your crops healthy the same way as nutritious food keeps you fit, but it also helps to fight off pests and diseases.
You may have seen other types of fertilizers such as “10-5-5 fertilizer” or “20-20-20 fertilizer”. The numbers listed on any fertilizer represent the ratio of ingredients in it. The first number represents the nitrogen count or N. The second number represents the phosphorous count or P. The last number means how much potassium is in the fertilizer or K. Therefore, you can call it the NPK fertilizer. That means this fertilizer contains ten percent nitrogen, ten percent phosphorous, and ten percent potassium.
Those ingredients are essential for all crops to grow, and some crops require more nutrients than others, which is why various fertilizers have different ratios of ingredients. You may be thinking right now that you don’t care about growing other crops, and you only care about growing marijuana. Does the 10-10-10-fertilizer work on growing marijuana? Let’s talk about that now.
Does The 10-10-10 Fertilizer Work For Growing Weed?
In a nutshell, the answer is yes; you can use 10-10-10-fertilizer to grow your buds. First, however, you need to know how to grow them properly and what you are doing. The 10-10-10 fertilizer does help to create a balance when you are growing your weed, as the right amount of nitrogen helps the plant develop the chlorophyll you want. However, too much nitrogen can cause your cannabis plant to grow more leaves and stems instead of flowers, defeating the purpose.
The phosphorous helps to energize the plant by producing more extensive roots, larger seeds, and buds. Potassium is essential for growing buds as it can help the plant fight off any disease better. Therefore, that is a good ratio for developing your weed, but you need to know how to use it again. You also have to keep in mind that there are other components that your weed needs to grow well, as nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium are not the only minerals your buds need to develop.
What Other Components Do Your Cannabis Plants Need To Grow?
The 10-10-10-fertilizer is excellent to use to nourish your cannabis plants. However, you also need to feed your plants sulfur, magnesium, and calcium. Sulfur is essential to your bud as it will help the plants absorb the other nutrients and water efficiently. Calcium is vital for plants because it helps them absorb nitrogen, and you also need magnesium to promote the growth of more buds and flowers in each plant.
You will want to add manganese and iron as these minerals help the plants produce more chlorophyll to have the energy to develop larger buds. However, before you plant your weed, you must ensure that your soil can grow the plant efficiently. If the earth cannot support cannabis plant growth, nothing will help promote the plant’s successful development.
What Is The Best Soil Type To Grow Cannabis?
You can have your soil tested, and it may not be the correct type and have the proper pH balance. There are soil testing kits you can buy, or you can contact your local greenhouse to have someone come out and analyze your soil. Of course, if you don’t have suitable soil, you can always add it to your garden. The ideal soil type for growing weed is loamy soil. Loamy soil consists of clay, silt, and sand in addition to organic compounds. That is the best soil type because it is rich in oxygen and nutrients and offers ideal drainage and water retention. Therefore, you will want to use this soil to grow your weed.
What Are The Cannabis Growth Stages?
If you have been storing your seeds in the fridge for up to a year and plant them, that is the germination stage. That is when the seeds begin to sprout when exposed to water and light. They grow the first root and then grow small leaves and a tiny stem, which takes about three to seven days. That is when it becomes a seedling or a baby plant with roots, a couple of leaves, and a tiny stalk. Seedlings look like miniature adult plants, and this stage lasts anywhere from three to six weeks, depending on the surrounding conditions.
When the seedling matures, it goes into the vegetative stage as rapid growth happens at this point. Again, you will see a more advanced root system in addition to seeing those distinctive cannabis leaves. At this stage, a healthy plant will grow two inches per day, and it goes on for one to two months.
The final stage of the cannabis plant growth is the flowering stage when the buds develop. In addition to that, the plant begins to produce resin with a sticky feel. That has the highest concentration of THC. For that reason, the flowering stage consists of the essential parts of cannabis maturation for recreational and medical users.
You can give the plant 10-10-10 fertilizer during the entire stage of its growth. However, some cannabis producers use fertilizers with more phosphorous than the other elements to help them develop robust root systems. That is not necessary to do, though.
Some cannabis growers may give fertilizers with higher concentrations of the NPK fertilizer in the vegetative stage to promote more considerable bud growth. However, the cannabis plant will still do well when fed the 10-10-10 fertilizer during the entire cycle. You will want to taper down the fertilizer about three weeks before harvesting, and you will want to stop fertilizing two weeks before that time.
To provide recent insights on this topic, here are the latest data related to growing cannabis:
- Nutrient Requirements for Cannabis Plants:
- Cannabis plants need macronutrients (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium), secondary nutrients (sulfur, magnesium, calcium), and micronutrients (iron, manganese, zinc, etc.).
- These nutrients are crucial for plant functions like photosynthesis, cell division, and enhancing yields and crop quality.
- Fertilizer Types:
- There are both synthetic and organic fertilizers available.
- Organic fertilizers, made from natural materials like worm castings and bat guano, release nutrients slowly and are environmentally friendly.
- Synthetic fertilizers provide immediate nourishment and are more straightforward to use.
- Advanced Formulations:
- New fertilizers designed specifically for cannabis include Big Boom PK 52-34 and Bloombastic, focusing on enhancing cannabis flowers.
- The Canna Fertilizer Kit provides a comprehensive solution for both growth and flowering stages.
- Fertilization Timing:
- The timing of fertilizer application is crucial for cannabis health and productivity.
- Different nutrient profiles are required during the vegetative and flowering stages, with higher Nitrogen needed in the vegetative phase and more Phosphorus and Potassium during flowering.
- Product Innovations:
- Bergman’s Plant Food offers a complete nutritional cycle, from seedling to harvest, and is suitable for various growing mediums.
- Fox Farm is known for its versatile line of products that cater to different strains and growing methods.
Conclusion
If you want to begin growing your cannabis plants, you have plenty to learn if you do not know what you are doing. You will want to ensure that you have loamy soil to plant the seeds, and you can feed your plants 10-10-10 fertilizer in addition to other minerals, so it has the best chance of maturing into large buds. Then you will want to stop fertilizing two weeks before harvesting the plants and taper down the fertilizer three weeks before harvesting. Finally, you will need to speak to experienced cannabis plant growers to learn and utilize their tips and tricks to grow the best weed‘.
