We have put together this guide to provide growers with a deeper insight into how our nutrients work and also to answer some of the many questions we have been asked in recent years and experiences we have shared with people growing cannabis legally, both privately at home and in licensed facilities. It is not intended as a complete guide to cannabis growing, but we have noticed that generally many of the same questions are asked and many of the same mistakes are made.We thought it would be useful to put out something more comprehensive than we have previously,and make it generally available to our many loyal followers. We will deal with the nutrient program generally and touch on problem areas along the way.Although there are some good sources on the internet there is also a lot of misinformation and for anew grower it can often be very difficult to tell fiction from fact regarding proper feeding and care of cannabis. It is generally a good idea to be very wary of posts on cannabis forums.
In this guide we will look at proper feeding of cannabis and cover these topics which growers may find useful:
● What is EHG?
● The Basic EHG Nutrient program
● The expert grow schedule
● Taking cannabis into flower and finishing off - looking at problem areas along the way and different grow techniques, including auto-flowering plants.
WHAT IS EHG?
EHG is a multi-part liquid nutrient primarily designed for hydroponic growing but which also works extremely well in soil. It is highly effective in every kind of hydroponic system whether flood and drain, NFT, drip-fed, Dutch-buckets, auto-pots, deep-water culture, bubble-ponics, aeroponics or any of the many excellent commercially available or DIY hydroponic systems around. The base nutrients are formulated from pure mineral salts without any additives or synthetic hormones and our bio-stimulant range consists of organic kelp, fulvic acid and humates, with added micro-nutrients and calmag in the foliar spray. This guide will demonstrate how to successfully combine the science of hydroponics with the art of organics for top harvests of world-class bud.
THE BASIC NUTRIENT PROGRAM
The basic nutrient table for cannabis (Also on the label of the Micro (or Coco Micro) bottle and on our website) sets out the simple parameters of the base-nutrient program, combining the various components according to the stage of your plant’s growth. The table is premised on a controlled grow with a switch from 18 hours of light and 6 of darkness to 12 hours of light/darkness when the plants have reached a sufficient size for the grower’s objective and it is time to induce flowering.
(The basic idea of indoor cannabis growing.)
The ideal plant size at the change to flower will vary according to various parameters, whether growing one or two plants, or a number of plants in a “sea of green” (SOG). Outdoor growing is slightly different as we will explain below. As one gains confidence in the use of our products, increasing the nutrient strength is possible, however we advise that this is done gradually, under the correct conditions and within the correct parameters of the plant strain. When increasing the nutrient strength, it is important to maintain the feeding ratios recommended in the basic guide table. We discuss this in more detail below.
When preparing your feeding solution, add each component separately into the same well of water and stir well. Before going ahead with feeding, make sure the pH is correct and you are happy with any other levels you may be monitoring.
THE COMPONENTS
There are 3 major elements required for plant growth. (N-Nitrogen, P-Phosphate, and K-Potassium), the primary elements. Plants also require Calcium (Ca) Magnesium (Mg) and Sulphur (S) in smaller amounts, the secondary elements. In soil, micro-nutrients (iron, boron, zinc, copper, manganese and molybdenum) are normally available but in any hydroponic system they must be supplied to the plants.
A properly and scientifically formulated hydroponic nutrient is absolutely essential for optimum performance in any hydroponic system.
The EHG base nutrients are MICRO or COCO MICRO, GROW, BLOOM and RIPENER.
MICRO is formulated with N, Ca, some K and the full range of micronutrients and is used throughout the feeding cycle.
COCO MICRO is similar but is designed for use with coco coir. It has added Ca and Mg and no K, to counteract the tendency of coco coir to absorb Ca and Mg and release K. If growing in coco coir simply replace MICRO with COCO MICRO in the formulations.
GROW and BLOOM have N, P, K and Mg in different combinations to be utilised together with MICRO at different stages of your plants growth to provide the optimum nutrient levels. Grow has a higher emphasis on N and K, while BLOOM increases P and Mg while maintaining high levels of K and reducing N. RIPENER is a finishing product with no N, high P and K as well as S and Mg.