Npk 101, Nutes And Ferts.

[Indicaderek]

NPK/NUTES 101, Nutes and Ferts.

Going to start this with new growers in mind assuming they know nothing about ferts or NPK, this is by no means a comprehensive guide but a rough all round introduction that will help new and aspiring growers to understand them a little better with links to the knowledge base etc to further understanding and information as to your own requirements.

What is NPK? Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium are the three main elements most needed by any plant in varying amounts at any given stage of growth.

Broadly speaking Nitrogen is for vegging plants (leaf/stem) growth, Phosphorous for roots in veg with more being required in flowering, Potassium is once again mostly required in flower and much less so in veg growth. This can be roughly summarised as N for Veg and P-K for Flowering and is one thing you should be looking to achieve regardless of the ferts you use. See the link/pic below for a few popular brand's nutrient/fert schedules which will give you an idea of what we are trying to achieve when fertilising our plants soil/media:

http://www.uk420.com/boards/index.php?showtopic=17097

Another schedule for Coco.

GENERAL USE OF FERTS/NUTES

A good standard veg/grow fert usually being around NPK 6-6-6 where the numbers represent the relative % amount of these elements. There are other nutrients required by plants and a lack of any them AKA deficiencies (see section below) will cause problems, for a more in-depth explanation see the fertiliser and nutrient pages in the knowledge base here: http://www.uk420.com/boards/index.php?auto...o&showcat=2

A good flowering/bloom fert usually being around 5-20-20 NPK or so.

The next thing you may wonder is how do we get these elements in our soil and into our plants. The easiest thing to do would be to get a bottle of hydro or chemical feed and mix with water as stated on the bottle then apply to the soil/plants, miracle grow will work along with tomato feed as tomatoes and canna have very similar nutrient requirements. I would not however recommend any chemical fertiliser to anyone even though they do work very well when applied properly and are easy to use for various reasons being the cheap and lazy option in some cases but they just aren’t for me anymore.

Organic or chemical is a personal choice with my preference now being to use organic fertilisers for the following reasons:

Organic fertilisers can be cheap and easily purchased on the high street from most Diy or gardening stores.

They are less likely to 'Taint' the flavour where some cheap ferts like miracle grow can even after a good 'flush' with water to wash away the chemicals from the soil/plant ime.

Organic ferts also feed the soil and micro organisms which are beneficial to plants and present in good soil where regular use of chemical ferts can reduce them.

Chemical nutes can be carcinogenic-poisonous in some cases IF they are present in the final product and may build up in your body.

Chemical nutes are sometimes obtained from mass manufacturing by-products which aren’t always environmentally friendly and the processing of them can cause other nasty by-products too.

Down sides of organic ferts:

They can be slow release and not immediately available as they feed the soil instead of the plants directly, this is usually because organics must be rotted/digested, often over several weeks-months by the micro-organisms to make the NPK elements available to the plant, they aren’t however pure elements before or after being rotted but complex oxide, nitrate and phosphate compounds along with various other naturally created chemical types that plants readily absorb.

They can be hard work to apply sometimes when digging them in at the start of the season though outdoors requires some digging at some stage anyway, they can also be bulky compared to chemical nutes.

See the below charts for approx NPK values of many and various organic ferts you may come across, all of them aren’t available on the high street but you may be able to source them cheap locally or even free in some cases. The NPK of any organic fert will vary somewhat due to the different sources, retail brands and methods of preparation etc.

Two common ferts that are missing from that list are comfrey and rockdust, the latter is cheap and used for trace elements such as Iron, Manganese, Zinc and Sulphur along with many others, these are required in much smaller amounts than NPK but are essential to maintain a nice healthy plant. Rockdust breaks down over several years so it lasts too. Seaweed meal is also used to supply these trace elements and micro nutes.

Comfrey tea is a 'Homemade' fert that is roughly 4-1-6 NPK, this will vary depending on how its brewed and googling will find you many methods, Bocking 14 is the particular variety of the comfrey plant (clone only) you need but it does spread vigorously given the chance despite being a sterile plant that does not produce seed, a large pot/planter is preferred to stop it spreading all over. Take roughly a pound of comfrey leaves-stems and drop it in a gallon of water for 4-6 weeks, it will then begin to smell foul but that’s exactly what you need, dilute to 1/10-1/20 and apply to plants/soil, you can make it stronger by allowing a pile of leaves to rot in minimal water but this may need diluting more.

Bat Guano

Comes in two varieties, Rock guano and Fresh with a different NPK for each which can also vary depending on the supplier. Roughly speaking Rock/Vintage guano is high in Potassium and good for flower/roots with Fresh guano having a good Nitrogen content being applicable for Vegging.

The following is not the only way to go but my general theory for comprehensive feeding with readily available, cheap organic ferts for my plants and is as follows:

Fish Blood and Bone, around 6-6-6 npk, this will be used as per packet instructions and I will be digging in plenty around Feb-Mar to get a good base for Vegetative growth.

Nitrogen will be supplemented at veg stage with Chicken manure pellets and plain/pure blood meal as both are a good source of Nitrogen and some trace elements, care must be taken to keep them away from direct contact from stems/roots as they can 'Burn' (see last section below) them as they rot, digging them in well before planting is usually preferred because of this but topdressing also works. Both of these are sometimes called 'Hot' fertilisers due to the possibility of burning the plants and many other ferts can do the same so check if unsure.

Plain/pure bone meal, 5-20-0.5 NPK approx, will be top dressed and/or added to the water a month or so before flowering around Jul/Aug continuing this application throughout flowering until the last 2-3wks.

Sulphate of potash (naturally sourced), 0-0-40 approx NPK will also be applied as above.

Dead fish, fish offal etc breaks down quickly and can be dumped in the bottom of holes or beds but must be kept away from roots if applied at planting ime, it can also be applied several months in advance and allowed to break down a little as this is another hot fert. Last year I used half a chopped fish well below the roots at planting, I believe this gave various nutes all through the grow as this broke down and no deficiencies were apparent, even well into flower the plants had very few of the yellow dead leaves that can plague plants well into flower. THIS WILL NOT MAKE FISHY BUDS!!!!

BENEFICIAL MICROFLORA, BACTERIA, FUNGI AND MYCORIZZAE.

Compost/Worm tea aka AACT is another little booster that really helps plants in many and various ways, understanding what they actually do is quiet complex and in short it is basically an aerated/aerobic brew containing DE-CHLORINATED water, Worm casts/compost, Molasses/treacle and Seaweed/Kelp liquid to which you can add almost any organic fertiliser. De-chlorinated water is essential as chlorine kills the bacteria etc so I collect and use rainwater for this purpose though you can use tap water that has been stood/bubbled to dissipate the chlorine which evaporates given long enough (couple of days). This mix is usually bubbled with an air stone for between 1-4days, I prefer to use a cheap fish tank pump with no stone though you can make a brew in an open container and just shake it vigorously on a twice daily basis and it will brew but takes a little longer ime. What you include in a brew is your choice but adding blood or bone meal will make a very smelly brew that is unpleasant and I have never added these two for that reason.

One thing I will say is the quality of your worm casts/compost is key with AACT's, worm casts should be a dark shade of black and preferably have live worms still in it when purchased/delivered, this is a long way from some of the 'poor quality-grey coloured' worm cast sold in some hydro shops which I guess is lacking in the micro flora and bacterial aspects which we are actually trying to increase/breed in this case. Applying an AACT will accelerate the breakdown of slow release nutes due to the active bacteria and fungi it contains.

Check the links below for more info on AACT's and save me yet more typing!!!

http://www.uk420.com/boards/index.php?showtopic=101822

http://www.uk420.com/boards/index.php?showtopic=140530

MAGICAL MOLASSES (aka Black Treacle)

Molasses is very handy stuff and is somtimes Marketed to hydro growers as a booster for flowering to meet the plants needs for Energy and Sugars, it does also contain various trace elements and feeds the many and various Bacteria along with other beneficials present in good active soil. I use a tablespoon per gallon all way through flower alongside the usual flowering ferts etc.

http://www.uk420.com/boards/index.php?show...p;#entry2109365

NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES, NUTRIENT BURN AND ASSOCIATED PROBLEMS.

Nutrient Deficiency is a lack of particular elements or trace elements with Nitrogen, Calcium and Magnesium being some of the most common deficiencies we meet regularly here on 420, the reasons for this happening aren’t always easily identifiable due to the many and various causes. Nutrient or 'nute burn' is when you have too much of a particular element/s etc causing leaves to become yellow and die in advanced cases. Deficiencies are a problem you may come across with any type of fert; usually yellowing/dying leaves etc. Should you come across nutrient deficiencies or any problem with your plants identifying the particular problem, nutrient or deficiency is essential in order to correct the problem, photos identifying most of these particular problems are here:

Epsom salts (look for naturally sourced if poss.) will address a Calcium or Magnesium deficiency quickly with a root drench or foliar spray, use a level desert spoon per gallon of feed when you have positively identified this issue:

http://www.uk420.com/boards/index.php?showtopic=65242

Here:

http://www.uk420.com/boards/index.php?auto...&showcat=77

And here with pics:

http://www.uk420.com/boards/index.php?auto...showarticle=440

What appear to be nutrient/fertiliser problems initially may also be caused by diseases, pests or possible PH problems and once again identifying the exact problem is essential. Should your plants look sick I would recommend looking in the knowledge base for PH, pest/infection issues as well.

Pests etc: http://www.uk420.com/boards/index.php?auto...&showcat=83

Ph problems: http://www.uk420.com/boards/index.php?auto...showarticle=224

Sick plants: http://www.uk420.com/boards/index.php?auto...&showcat=18

The links above are just a sample of the information available here in relation to the problems specifically mentioned, there is a lot more info on the above and other problems/solutions and general growing info, the knowledge base is there to help you and people have spent a great deal of time and effort to make it for all our benefit. Should you have problems growing your plants or need some info then do a search or look in the knowledge base first, take pics of the problems in good detail and then post asking for help in positive identification of the problem and possible remedy.

Most of all enjoy your gardening

[oldtobybud]

Thanks from a Newbie. How would you treat a sandy loamy type of soil? (coastal northwest england), raised beds with new soil, or is mytype of soil going to be okay ya think?

[Brobig]

Hi, just wondering if anyone has tried this product outdoors

http://www.angus-horticulture.co.uk/online-shop/organic-fertiliser/organic-fertilisers/osmo-organic-plant-food

I have a bag i never used from last year.

Also would it have to be let set into the soil for a period first before the plants?

Edited April 14, 2013 by Brobig

[g_allan88]

Again thanks from another newbie. This has cleared up many questions and grey areas I had. Very useful post!

[scouserpoker]

Again thanks from another newbie. Very useful post. just about to start my 1st auto grow outdoors!!

[paradise]

great thread but Vintage bat guano is high in PHOSPHOROUS not potassium mate

[Mjinfo]

Hi everyone! Newbie to the site here, hope I'm welcome not a beginner but no pro grow!

I was looking for some info on, Plant Magic, Veg Boost.

I wanted to know if anyone uses this and is so, do you use every 10-14 days through veg and only use this nutrient until flower?

I'm doing some experiments, can I use other nuts like Biobiz Bio-grow within the 10-14 day in every other watering, or is this to much, it says don't used any other nuts or addictives but I'm not clear weather this means at the same time or at al?

Many thanks Mjinfo 🍁

[BluntmanAndCroppin]

Love this thread! Very informative!

[flick8]

I was just going to use bat guano for my plants as I want it organic good idea or not

[80085]

Quick question guys.. When applying a top dressing of fertilisers like FBB and you've got chicken wire around your plant, is it fine just to scatter it around the outside of the chicken wire instead of trying to move the chicken wire to get it close to the main root ball?? If you get me haha. Cheers

Edited June 29, 2015 by 80085

[flighty]

I throw it in, most of it goes in roughly the right place haha

[80085]

Nice one cheers! So it's best to try and get some inside if you can then and not worry about working it into the soil..

[flighty]

It's always better to try and work it in, but it will still work if you don't

[80085]

Cool thanks breezee and slim 👍

[Chris1977]

thanks for all the info. very useful.