The never ending abuse of Phosphorous to enhance flowering
Contributed by: Uncle Ben
A common mistake for growers when they reach the flowering stage isto start hitting the plants with a high P fert like 10-60-10,continuing to use this blend exclusively, and when their plants startexperiencing a deficit of N or micros as reflected by the dropping oflower leaves and chlorosis, they wonder why. Plants flower as aresponse to long nights, not because of fert blends high in P. A ratioof 10-60-10 is WAY to high in P. The plant will only take what it needsand compete for other elements that may be more important at the time.
You may have heard that too much N can inhibit flowering. Noquestion about it, exclusive use of a plant food that is rich in N suchas blood meal, a 5-1-1 blend, or ammonium nitrate may inhibit floweringespecially if the phosphorous level is low, but most balanced blendshave sufficient amount of P to do the job.Manufacturers/horticulturists will give you element analysis and whateffect the elements have on plant growth, but remember this does notnecessarily mean you will get better yields. Using a high P fertexclusively during flowering can actually work against you. It's anabundant amount of healthy leaves going into 12/12 that produce a lotof bud, not high P ferts.
I rotate fert blends as the plant *requires* them, not because itis "the thing to do." For example, when your plants are going thru thestretch phase during early flowering, they may need more N, especiallyif you're getting some yellowing in the lower/mid leaves. Give up thecannabis paradigms, and give them what they need. Go back to mild highP fert when the stretch ends, maintaining the foliage in a healthystate of growth until harvest for maximum yields. A 1-3-2 blend such asPeter's Pro Blossom Booster, 10-30-20, is one of the best floweringblends on the market because of several factors - it is higher innitrate N and Mg. It is sold under the Jack's Classic label. An addedbenefit of Peter's blends is their use of high quality, very pure saltsthat will cut down on root burn. |
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