Top Hydroponic Nutrients For Cannabis

When talking about growing hydroponically, nutrients are the most important part of the whole setup. Overfeeding or underfeeding can ultimately kill your plants but feeding in just the right quantities will result in an excellent harvest. So if you’re looking to adventure into the world of hydroponics, here are the basics. 

Just remember that the specific setup, budget, experience, substrate, and basically everything else will affect how and what you feed, so keep in mind this is just a guider and may not be the best option in all cases.

1. Nutrient Requirements For Cannabis

need to know. What you need to have in mind when buying nutrients is to make sure you get the right NPK ratio, that you’re getting a product designed for hydroponics and that the product or products contain the right amount of micro and macronutrients. In addition, it’s essential you look for chelated nutrients or nutrients that are combined with an organic molecule that helps make the nutrients more readily absorbable by the roots. 

NPK refers to Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K), these nutrients are the three macronutrients cannabis needs to survive and are essential for plant life. This means that when looking for cannabis nutrients, you need to get products that can provide the right balance of these three elements during the different stages of plant growth.

Cannabis plants need basically two different NPK ratios, they are:

Plant Stage	NPK Ratio	Nitrogen Levels	Phosphorus Levels	Potassium Levels
Vegetative stage	3-1-2	High	Medium	High
Flowering stage	1-3-2	Low	High	High

Now, these are the macronutrients that are essential for plant life but hydroponic nutrients should also include micronutrients that are also essential for plant life but are needed in much lower concentrations, they are: Zinc, Manganese, Molybdenum, Copper, Cobalt, Boron, Iron, Calcium and Magnesium among others. Make sure the products you choose contain at a good amount of micronutrients because despite being needed in low quantities, they’re essential for a good harvest.

2. PH In Cannabis Hydroponics

Now that you know what to look for when shopping for hydro nutrients, it’s time to learn what you need to have in mind when mixing said nutrients. When growing hydroponically you need to check and adjust the pH and EC levels of the nutrient solution.

The pH is extremely important because the wrong pH levels can limit nutrient absorption, meaning that even if you are providing enough nutrients, your plants will not be able to absorb them and will end up affecting yields if not corrected.

Cannabis plants need a pH ranging from 5.5 – 6.5, in order to maintain these levels you first have to check the pH with a pH pen, for example, and then use a pH Up or pH Down solution to adjust the pH levels. Remember to check the pH of the water first, then mix the nutrients one by one and only check and adjust the pH levels once the nutrient solution is thoroughly mixed because the fertilizers can affect pH levels, so there’s no point in checking the pH before mixing in all the nutrients.

3. Top Cannabis Nutrients For Hydroponics

The moment you’ve all been waiting for, here are the most popular nutrients for hydroponic weed! 

3.1 General Hydroponics Flora Line

General Hydroponics’ Micro, Gro, and Bloom is amongst the most popular nutrients for hydroponic weed. The Flora line is the original 3-part system and allows you to customize your feeding for the best plant growth.

FloraMicro provides the base nutrients and it’s used throughout the whole grow cycle while Gro and Bloom are added during the vegetative and flowering stage respectively. 

It may seem hard at first but due General hydroponics offers a simple feeding chart for all types of setups, so it’s just a matter of following their chart.

The Flora line offers great products for growers of any level and are relatively cheap; You can find the complete line for as cheap as $30.

Pros

• Allows for better customization of nutrient solution
• Not expensive

Cons

• Not organic
• Only lasts up to 1 year after opening

3.2 General Hydroponics Powdered MaxiGro and MaxiBloom

General Hydroponics also offers a powdered nutrient line that it’s slightly more expensive than the Flora line but it’s even easier to use. Instead of being a 3-part line, the Maxi line is composed of only 2 products, MaxiGro and MaxiBloom. MaxiGro is used during the vegetative stage while MaxiBloom is used during the flowering stage to encourage big, dense buds.

The main difference between liquid and powdered nutrients is that powdered nutrients are easier to transport and store, allowing you to feed the same number of plants  or even more without havin to carry big 5-liter bottles.

Despite being just 2 products, the Maxi line is a bit more expensive. You can find 1 kg bags of MaxiGro and MaxiBloom for around $30 each, resulting in a total of $60 but it’s totally worth it, especially if you are a beginner.

Pros

• Super easy to use
• Takes less space than bottles nutrients

Cons

• Less customization of the nutrient solution
• Slightly harder to dissolve than liquid nutrients

3.3 Advanced Nutrients Bloom, Micro and Grow Base Nutrients

Advanced Nutrients has been known for a long time and it offers a 3-part line for growing cannabis in hydroponics. These products offer a pH-perfect formula that claims you don’t need to check and adjust the pH, and it’s quite good but it’s recommended to still check the pH of the nutrient solution before feeding your plants to avoid any issues and get the best results.

This product line provides a huge variety of fulvic and amino acids that work together to help your plant absorb all the food it needs. All of this for as little as $40 for a 1-liter bottle of each, super worth it!

Pros

• The pH-perfect formula helps maintain correct pH levels
• Allows for better customization of nutrient solution

Cons

• Slightly more expensive than other brands
• Despite being pH perfect you still have to check the pH to avoid problems

3.4 Fox Farms Tiger Bloom, Grow Big and Big Bloom

Fox Farms probably offers the best marijuana hydroponic nutrients with their trio of bottled nutrients specifically designed for growing cannabis hydroponically. The hydroponic line consists of three different products: Grow Big, Tiger Bloom, and Big Bloom. 

Big Bloom is similar to a “Micro” fertilizer because it provides the basics for all stages of plant growth. Grow Big is designed for the vegetative stage and promotes healthy green growth while Tiger Bloom is designed for the flowering stage, promoting frosty and dense buds.

Pros

• Better customization of the nutrient solution
• Easy to use and amongst the most popular brands

Cons

• May be complicated to use for beginners
• Can cause nutrient build-up if not used correctly

4. EC and PPM Chart for Hydroponic Cannabis

In case you’re excited to start but don’t want to get confused with the different feeding charts available online, here’s the table you need to grow excellent weed without much hassle

Growth Stage	EC	PPM
Seedlings	0.7 – 0.9	350 – 450
Early Vegetative Stage	1.5 – 1.7	750 – 800
Late Vegetative Stage	1.7 – 1.8	850 – 900
Pre-Flower	1.8 – 1.9	900 – 950
Early Flower	1.9 – 2.2	950 – 1100
Mid Flower	2.2 – 2.8	1100 – 1400
Late Flower	2.4 – 2.0	1200 – 1000
Ripening	1.5 – 0.8	750 – 400
Flushing	0.8 – 0.0	400 – 0

Keep in mind that this is just a guideline and may vary according to your growing conditions. For those of you who prefer growing autoflowers, here’s a PPM and EC chart for autoflowering cannabis strains.

Growth Stage	EC	PPM
Seedlings	0.2 – 0.5	100 – 250
Early Vegetative Stage	0.6 – 0.8	300 – 400
Late Vegetative Stage / Pre-Flower	0.9 – 1.5	450 – 750
Early Flower / Mid Flower	1.5 – 1.9	800 – 950
Late Flower	2.0 – 2.8	1000 – 1400
Ripening	2.7 – 1.0	1350 – 500
Flushing	0.8 – 0.0	400 – 0

We hope this article provides gives you that extra push you needed to start your next grow cycle in a hydro setup. So now that you know everything you need, make sure to put your knowledge to practice and get growing!