Cannabis has prospered and thrived in nature, untreated by human hands, since 2800 BC when its first documented cultivation cases can be traced back to Western China. In the intervening years, since the popularization of cannabis on a widespread scale, cultivation has become both familiar and common with home growers popping up worldwide.
The current cannabis revolution has led many growers to try their hands at crafting beautiful plants from the comfort of home. For individuals looking to enjoy healthy cannabis growth at home, they’ll need to pay close attention to the proper nutritional needs of their plants.
Today, we are going to take a close look at the most important nutrients for proper, healthy, and expedient cannabis cultivation.
Plant Health and You: Understanding Your NPK.
When it comes to the cultivation of cannabis, the plant thrives best when its nutritional needs are met at every level. Many different elements can come into the equation when cultivating a plant, but for our purposes, we are going to be focusing on the primary nutrients and compounds that will make your plant thrive.
Aside from water and sunlight, you’ll want to make sure that you are properly supplying your plant with the following nutrients. These nutrients can be mixed into a water-soluble mixture, they can be added to your soil, or they can be added directly to the reservoir of a hydroponic-based cultivation system.
Nitrogen
One of the leading nutrients in successful cannabis cultivation is that of nitrogen. Nitrogen is crucial to cannabis growth because it directly impacts the production of chlorophyll and the process of photosynthesis, two incredibly important actions for the health and vitality of your plant.
The body of your plant itself is made up of nitrogen, so this will be one of the easiest nutrient deficiencies to identify should it become an issue. Regularly amending your soil or water-based growing system with nitrogen can help your plant to both feed and grow itself.
Signs of Deficiency
- Mature leaves begin to brighten in color, turning yellow.
- Yellowing throughout the plant coupled with brown spots on leaves.
- Leaves begin to curl and fall from the plant.
Pro Tip: Growers can find natural sources of nitrogen by opting for supplements like bat guano, worm castings, and even fish meal.
Phosphorus
Found within every living plant cell, phosphorus is incredibly vital to the growth of your cannabis and the functionality of its biological response systems. Phosphorus is essential to photosynthesis, nutritional uptake, and a healthy metabolism.
Despite the importance of phosphorus to your plant’s health and vitality, this nutrient isn’t always so readily available. Phosphorus is mined and acquired through phosphate mines limited to just a few countries in the world. With increasing demand and decreasing yield, phosphorus can be difficult to acquire in some instances.
Signs of Deficiency
- Darkened leaf colors.
- Slower than normal growth rates.
- In extreme instances, a lack of phosphorus can put a halt to upward and outward plant growth.
- Leaves can end up a darkened bronze color.
Pro Tip: Growers can acquire natural phosphorus through bone meal, high phosphorus bat guano, and fish bone meal.
Potassium
Potassium is the third important macronutrient that we wanted to underscore today, right alongside Nitrogen and Phosphorus for the formulation of your NPK. Potassium is limited within the plant tissue but it does interact with proteins and amino acids, particularly during times of stress and even drought.
Potassium works by improving the structure and strength of the root system while increasing the density and volume of your plant’s buds. With proper levels of potassium during the flowering stage, growers can enjoy a large and vibrant yield.
Signs of Deficiency
- Dark green leaves with brown and rusty tips.
- Leaf burn is caused by dehydration and the curling of young leaves.
- Weakened plants become more at risk of pests and disease.
- The bottom layer of leaves could be dying.
Pro Tip: Growers looking to supply their plants with additional potassium can do so by amending their systems with greensand, wood ash, sulfate of potash, or compost.
Calcium
Considered one of the essential macronutrients for the cannabis plant, calcium is required for every phase of growth as it aids nutritional processing, allowing other nutrients to become absorbed easily. Calcium will additionally strengthen the cell walls of the plant while benefiting its overall health, allowing the plant to bounce back from potential diseases, pests, and stresses.
Signs of Deficiency
- Slow plant growth.
- Flowering production slows down.
- Root tips begin to wither and die.
- Necrotic blotches on leaves become a dark green color.
Pro Tip: While it is easy to find calcium in your soil, you can amend your hydroponic grow set-ups with eggshells, gypsum, and lime to improve your calcium levels.
Magnesium
The second most important macronutrient we will highlight today is magnesium. Magnesium directly impacts the leaves and the ability of your plant to absorb light. If your cannabis plant cannot properly absorb light while creating sugars and carbohydrates, the plant itself will begin to fail.
Signs of Deficiency
- Only notable after 3 to 6 weeks.
- Yellow leaves feature brown rust spots.
- Diminished harvest after a slowed flowering period.
- Plants will look sick and leaves will begin to curl up before dying and falling.
Pro Tip: You can amend your soil or hydroponic growing systems with dolomite lime and Epsom salt to improve the levels of magnesium in your soil.
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