Why Ferts only every other watering?

[CantBe2High]

I am on my second grow, in soil (hardware store no name organics soil+perlite+vermiculite). Vegging, I used Alaska fish fertilizer about every other watering. Once I switched to 12/12 1 of 3 girls flowered right away, and the other 2 flowered right after their first dose of Fox Farm Big Bloom+Tiger Bloom, mixed to instructions (2tsp per Gal).

The plants are doing wonderful under 400 watts hps and 200 watts vertical T5s (in a negative pressure 4x5 cab venting to a carbon scrubber of course). Much better than my first grow I think mostly due to cooler winter temps. Its about 3 weeks into flower, and I have pretty much used the Big Bloom+Tiger Bloom with every watering so far.

The instructions with the Fox Farm, and general belief on the forum says to only use ferts every other watering. Why? Are there any studies behind this? I don't have the time and room to do my own scientific study.

I found it interesting the Fox Farm recommended schedule suggested a couple weeks of adding a nitrogen heavy fert (Grow Big+Big Bloom+Tiger Bloom) for 2 weeks mid flowering. I know the plants start stealing nitrogen from leaves, and it makes sense to me to give it one last nitrogen kick, but once again, how necessary is this?

I am a scientist at heart and by trade, and I would gladly do my controlled studies with clones. I maybe will next grow, just wondering what people have experienced in their own grows and the logic (or pseudo logic) behind only fertilizing every other time.

For now, I am just fertilizing exactly what the bottle says, I know many people kick it up gradually, which is fine, but why kick it up, and then water with straight water??

I have 1 White Label Doublegum, 1 peakseedsbc Northernberry, and 1 peakseedsbc Skunkberry. The Northernberry is definitely the heartiest, bushiest, easiest to clone of the lot, but the doublegum is more sativa oriented and looks really good. The Skunkberry has been the weakest, hardest to clone, but just could have been the phenom (also it got a little later start so had a bit less veg time but the mum looks way better than its clone). I have clones of all 3 and plan to at least keep the doublegum and northernberry around as banzai mums -- assuming they smoke as good as the look! I got lucky, got two sprouts of each type, and each type got me one male and one female.

As you can tell, this is my fruity/berry grow! I am practicing my cloning as well, and so far, just shoving the cuttings into hormones then perlite and keeping it wet for a week under a humidity dome, then putting in soil has worked better than my newly purchased daisy cloner. But I just learned from other postings I may have been giving the cuttings too much light second time around. Still experimenting on my cloning techniques, but at least have healthy clones of the 2 best mums.

Oh, and due to my size constraints as soon as I was sure which ones were girls I carefully transplanted into big Rubbermaid style tubs to fill up my cab. No ill effects whatsover of transplanting early into flowering. When its done, I will see how much the roots expanded during flowering. No idea if transplanting helped (the original containers were just a gallon), but it did not hurt.

 

[Mackawber]

Because You Will Nute BURN Them is WHY

Because You Will Nute BURN Them is WHY

Most of us discovered that "less is better"---I don't like using the recommended amouts. If you feed them with every watering, you had better reduce the amount you're feeding. If you start to see evidence of nute burn then back off and start flushing with water (depending on how severe the burn is)

I do like Alaska fish fertilizer. About 7 bucks a quart at the "casa de' pot".

Go easy on the ferts!

 

[WaywardBob]

heres a post i dug up from awhile ago.

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showpost.php?p=1480345&postcount=47

im pretty sure i was able to feed them every watering because they were vegged for 5-6 weeks and because they were so big im sure i was underfeeding if i were to feed every other watering like the chart says.

i dont have much experience with this, this is a guess, but i think feeding with every watering makes the salt/acidity buildup much greater. just a guess

 

[facelift]

I feed my plants my way to help prevent overdosing them.

 

[Hill]

I don't feed my plants according to a label. I also don't try to make them conform to some schedule that I made. Instead, I read the plants. They tell me what they need and when they need it, and that's the best way to keep your girls healthy and happy.

 

[CantBe2High]

Seems Reasonable

Seems Reasonable

I don't feed my plants according to a label. I also don't try to make them conform to some schedule that I made. Instead, I read the plants. They tell me what they need and when they need it, and that's the best way to keep your girls healthy and happy.

Since I am only on grow #2, so far I am not so good at reading weed But I agree with your approach -- if Only I was as "zen" as you! Generally less is more, and just feed the girls what they crave, don't cram stuff down their throats to make morbidly obese but fert full weed. Since I grow just for me, its about quality, not quantity (well need some quantity, but not that much).

I am guessing that using plain water every other time helps distribute the nutes better and prevent buildup or pockets in some part of the soil. But I think there is much pseudo science in this whole area of pot growing being as nobody will fund real science, so many peoples experience may have worked for them, but not always for the reasons said.

I just want my girls to be healthy and happy, and gladly give themselves on the alter of my pipe and vape ...

 

[C21H30O2]

Since I am only on grow #2, so far I am not so good at reading weed But I agree with your approach -- if Only I was as "zen" as you! Generally less is more, and just feed the girls what they crave, don't cram stuff down their throats to make morbidly obese but fert full weed. Since I grow just for me, its about quality, not quantity (well need some quantity, but not that much).

I am guessing that using plain water every other time helps distribute the nutes better and prevent buildup or pockets in some part of the soil. But I think there is much pseudo science in this whole area of pot growing being as nobody will fund real science, so many peoples experience may have worked for them, but not always for the reasons said.

I just want my girls to be healthy and happy, and gladly give themselves on the alter of my pipe and vape ...

grow organic and you can give them a nutrient tea every time you water if you like. Its cheaper and your smoke will burn smooth and taste great without a flush or cure (though a cure will always be better).

 

[uninformed]

I'm beginning my 3rd grow and the experience based knowledge I've acquired feels dramatic.

For example: I had many similar questions to the ones you are posing here. Feeding the plants in hopes of creating a peak specimen is well... an art more than a science. At least, that is the impression I'm getting.

As for the reasoning behind the "less is more philosophy" my speculation is that all ferts come with a large amount of salt and other ingredients that deposit in the soil which invariably leads to soil toxicity that clogs/rots root systems and will greatly affect the soils PH eventually leading to nute lockout which in turn will stunt your plants growth.

Every brand of fert comes with a recommended useage chart but remember, they are trying to sell a product.

This is something I know from experience - first hand.

Ultimately the concept has evolved from feeding the plants to feeding the soil. If the soil has a the proper concoction of Nitrogen/Phosphorus/Potasium/Magnesium all that is left to do is water using a properly PH'd water.

Consider feeding using a moving average and a bit of logic. There is a range with which you can operate without fearing the loss of your plants.


My first 2 grows were tests. Since I was new to this I simply wanted to see what would happen if I tried everything. That meant each plant had different feeding times, different feeding charts, different nutes, different grow mediums. After tinkering with 15 total plants my conclusion is as follows:

1. Mixing 3 large tablespoons of vegging Guano in a half gallon container of Organic Soil will pull you through vegging.

2. 2 large tablespoons of Blooming guano in the same half gallon container and watering with a properly PH'd water along with 2 teaspoons of molasses per gallon of water will pull you through to harvest.

That's as simplified as I've been able to make it. For comparisons other plants were fed each time with 4 plants getting different doseages of the same ferts while others were given full doses then half doses and still otheres were given full or half dose every other watering and some received no fert at all.

My results were surprising:

1. Weed will grow through anything. You can burn that plant, overfeed, overwater it, underwater it and it will still bud - almost every leaf can fall off upwards of 3 weeks before harvest and the plant will still produce.

2. Overwatering is as problematic as overfeeding and overwatering will lead to nute lockout as well.

3. Flush less. I've got it down to 3. Once before blooming twice before harvest. This will prevent overwatering.

4. The most shocking thing of all - These plants will bud fine with no ferts at all!! (given you're using organic soil) but that truly shocked me.

4 plants were simply given a mix of Vegging and Blooming guano in their soil at the beginning of vegging. These plants became huge bushes (as I had trained them). During Blooming the leaves turned yellow and fell off through most of the grow but it never affected the size or quality of the buds. The plants were fed TAP WATER mixed with molasses I kid you not, that was it, and they were in profoundly better condition than the plants that were overfed and overhydrated.

Given that the plants came out in better condition simply being watered without nutrients than they did being watered and overnuted I'm convinced that Less is More with MJ.


Thats my 2cent.

 

[smokadepep]

when using synthetic ferts there is a high build up of salts in your medium, the every other plain watering is used to try and flush and release the excess salts, thats atleast my knowledge of why not to fert every watering

 

[Hank Hemp]

2hi, Don`t use synthetic ferts, even at a reduced level, every watering. Plants can only use so much so fast. You don`t want salt build up or pH problems while flowering. pH to high or low will cause certain nutes to get locked out and will cause problems. Look at the sick plant guide for particulars. Also read JJ Sporiccio(?) clone guide at begening of this furum. Don`t forget to flush your grow of the synthenic ferts a week or so before taking. It will improve taste. Good luck, hope I helped some.