Best Nutrients for Growing Weed?

Last updated Jan 22, 2026

Table of Contents

What Nutrients Grow the Best Weed?
Best NPK Ratios to Grow Cannabis
7 Proven Cannabis Nutrient Brands
Organic vs “Chemical” Nutrients

Cannabis Plants Need Great Nutrients to Thrive

by Nebula Haze

Once you start growing cannabis, figuring out the best nutrients for your setup can be confusing. Let’s start with a few proven cannabis nutrient systems. Dyna-Gro Superthrive Grow & Bloom are probably the cheapest professional cannabis liquid nutrients.

Mini cannabis plant I grew with Dyna-Gro nutrients (see the grow journal).

My favorite nutrient system I personally use to grow cannabis is the General Hydroponics Flora trio. Plants grow ultra-fast, buds get huge, and potency is always top-tier.

Cannabis I grew from seed to weed in under 90 days with the General Hydroponics Flora trio (see the grow journal).

The most popular cannabis nutrients for home growers (based on multiple GrowWeedEasy.com home grower surveys) is the Fox Farm cannabis nutrient trio.

A recent harvest. These cannabis plants grown with the Fox Farm trio in auto-watering pots (see the grow journal). The plants clearly loved this combo!

There are many nutrient companies aimed at growing marijuana and each company creates multiple lines of nutrients, fertilizers, and supplements for different purposes. Which specific fertilization requirements do cannabis plants have, and what should you look for when buying nutrients?

So many choices, yet so little information on each bottle! The best way to pick cannabis nutrients is to choose a brand already proven to work great for growing weed.

Don’t worry, I’m going to break it all down so it’s easy for you to pick the best nutrients for your cannabis growing setup.

Life Stages and Cannabis Nutrient Needs

As a cannabis grower, your goal is to give your plants the nutrients they need, when they need it. There are two main life stages for cannabis plants (vegetative stage and flowering stage), and each stage has different nutrient requirements. The good news? Lots of nutrient companies make great products that work excellently for growing weed; they just use different formulas and blends.

One thing to keep in mind is there are no perfect or “best” cannabis nutrients, because every environment is different, there are some differences between grow mediums, and not all cannabis plants are exactly the same. That’s why you’ll see no two sets of nutrients are exactly the same. That being said, if you get any of the recommended nutrient brands in this article and follow the instructions on how much to give to your cannabis, it will work great for 100% of plants.

If you choose not to use the recommended nutrients below, or are shopping around for nutrients, here’s what to keep in mind.

What Makes Nutrients Different From Each Other?

What’s the difference between cannabis nutrients?

Nutrient Ratios – Each brand has different nutrient ratios they believe are optimal for each stage of growth. Essentially, they each have their own “secret sauce” or recipe that they think works best. Note: The 3 numbers on the front of every nutrient bottle are known as “NPK”, which stands for Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K). These are the 3 nutrients your cannabis plants need the most.
Ingredients – Companies use many different combinations of chemical and organic compounds to create cannabis nutrients, and these affect how your plant absorbs nutrients. For example, two nutrient bottles with the exact same nutrient ratios on the label may have somewhat different effects on plants because they use different nutrient compounds. The ingredients also determine whether a particular set of nutrients are considered organic (come from living sources) or synthetic (come from processed minerals).
Soil, Coco, or Hydro? – It’s really important to match your growing medium with your nutrients. “Soil” nutrients are different from “Hydroponic” nutrients. Typically, hydroponic nutrients contain everything a plant needs to grow and can be used in any grow medium, while soil nutrients only provide some nutrients and expect your plant to be able to get some trace nutrients from the soil. Coco coir does not contain any nutrients so it is generally considered a type of hydroponics when it comes to making sure you provide complete nutrition through the nutrients. If growing in coco, either choose hydroponic nutrients or nutrients made specifically for coco coir.

What’s the Best NPK Ratio for Cannabis Nutrients?

For the best results, your cannabis needs the following nutrient ratios…

Where is the NPK information? Most nutrient bottles display 3 numbers, often called N-P-K, which stands for Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium

Why “K” for Potassium? The atomic symbol of Potassium is “K” from Neo-Latin kalium.

Vegetative Stage (First Phase of Life)

In other words, you want to use a “Vegetative” (high Nitrogen) nutrient formula for the first stage of life known as the vegetative stage. Vegetative nutrients are also sometimes called “General Purpose”, “All Purpose” or “Grow” nutrients. These nutrients contain everything crucial to help cannabis plants grow healthy new green leaves and stems.

What to start giving vegetative nutrients: If using high-quality soil, you can skip vegetative nutrients for the first 3-4 weeks while your plant uses up the nutrients in the soil. Otherwise, you should start with vegetative nutrients around the time your plant opens its first leaves. Give good nutrition from the beginning!

Flowering Stage (Second Phase of Life)

Use a “Bloom” (low Nitrogen) nutrient formula with plenty of P & K for the flowering stage. Phosphorus tends to increase the number of flowers, while Potassium helps increase the bulk/weight of flowers. Be careful, though because going overboard with either one can burn your plants.

The main thing is to avoid giving too much Nitrogen in the flowering stage after buds have formed. High levels of Nitrogen can discourage bud development and add an unpleasant taste to buds. The too-high levels of Nitrogen is why a general-purpose plant nutrient isn’t a good choice in the flowering stage.

When to start giving flowering nutrients: Start using bloom nutrients after buds start forming. This ensures your plant gets lower levels of Nitrogen and plenty of Phosphorus & Potassium. This combo is crucial to the best cannabis bud development.

Cannabis needs lower N, but plenty of P & K to make big buds in the flowering stage.

In a pinch, nutrients for Shultz “cactus” (often found at Home Depot, Walmart, or gardening centers) or “succulents” can be used in the flowering stage until you get better nutrients, because it contains low amounts of N and plenty of P & K.

Dyna-Gro Superthrive Grow & Bloom are probably the cheapest professional cannabis liquid nutrient option.

Note: Don’t use any type of chemical “some-release” nutrients (like fertilizer spikes, or “time-release” Miracle-Gro soil or “slow-release crystals”). They deliver too much N in the flowering stage and buds may not get as big as they could, even if you’re doing everything else right.

Important Tips on Cannabis Supplements

Do your cannabis plants need special supplements to grow great weed? Nope. When I first started growing I thought you needed some kind of magic supplements to grow the best buds. That’s a myth. Base nutrients are all you need to grow great cannabis buds. But supplements do have some uses. For example, supplements can do things like help make cannabis plants more resistant to heat, help their roots thrive in a hydroponic reservoir, and other helpful uses specific to your particular setup.

Supplements vs Base Nutrients: Know the Difference. Base nutrients provide all the necessary NPK and micronutrients for healthy growth, which means that supplements are not necessary for cannabis plants to thrive and produce an amazing harvest as long as you use good base nutrients. If you see that the NPK ratios printed on the front of a bottle are really low (like 0.2-0.2-0.1), that is one sign that this product is some type of supplement. Some supplements are helpful for growing weed, but going overboard may cause unwanted reactions or burn your plant. Do you need supplements to grow great weed?
Stick to One Nutrient Brand: Use nutrients and supplements from the same company or brand to minimize unexpected interactions. Combining nutrients and supplements from different companies greatly increases the chance of unhappy cannabis plants. It’s also a good idea when changing up your routine to only add one new supplement at a time and watch how plants react before adding anything else new or different. If this is your first grow, try to pick just one or two supplements that appeal to you, or even stick to just base nutrients to simplify things. Talking from experience, it’s easy to go overboard and waste a bunch of money while actually making things worse for plants. Nutrient companies will happily sell you supplements you don’t actually need.

Do you need special cannabis supplements?

Now that you’ve got the basics, let me share some proven examples of cannabis nutrients. After that, if you want to dig deeper, I’ll teach you more about how to pick the best marijuana nutrients for your setup. Let’s go!

7 Examples of Great Cannabis Nutrients

I handpicked this list of nutrients for growing cannabis. Not only have I had great results with them, they have also been extensively tested by real marijuana growers. These nutrient systems are guaranteed to work well for growing cannabis when used properly.

Click on the name of the cannabis nutrient brand to learn more, or just keep scrolling down to learn about them all.

General Hydroponics – Soil, Coco Coir & Hydroponics
Fox Farm – Soil & Coco Coir
Botanicare – Soil & Hydroponics
House & Garden – Soil, Coco Coir & Hydroponics (lately it’s been difficult to find certain H&G products online)
Canna Coco – Coco Coir
Dyna-Gro – Soil, Coco Coir & Hydroponics

Check out 5 Honorable Mentions

Many nutrient brands work great for growing cannabis from seedling to harvest

General Hydroponics Flora Trio

General Hydroponics offers a simple duo with one bottle for the vegetative stage, and one bottle for the flowering stage called FloraNova Grow + Bloom. This nutrient system is cheap, simple, and easy with excellent results in soil/coco/hydro. The biggest issue I have with the duo is the liquid is so thick it can be annoying to measure out.

However, their Flora trio is a winner. A tried and true favorite of mine, the Flora trio works very well for growing cannabis. I’ve had great success with it in every grow medium including soil, coco coir, and hydroponics. I used this nutrient system for almost a decade and have always been thrilled with the results. I’ve been testing new nutrient systems so I can report back to our readers like you, but based on my years of success I know you’ll be happy with the Flora trio. Best for…

Soil
Coco Coir
Hydroponics

·Soil, Coco Coir, or Hydroponics (DWC, Bubbleponics, etc)

General Hydroponics Flora Series Nutrient Trio + (Optional) CaliMagic (add 1 tsp/gallon Hydroguard in hydroponics)

This is personally my favorite nutrients for growing cannabis because it just works. Plants grow fast. Buds come out big and potent. Follow the instructions on the side of the bottle at half-strength for great results in soil or coco. If growing in hydroponics with roots directly in water, use similarly to soil or coco, just make sure to also get Hydroguard to protect your hydroponic roots from root rot.

If you’re using filtered water, it’s also a good idea to use a Cal-Mag supplement to replace some of the minerals that are normally found in water. A Cal-Mag supplement also also adds extra “stuff” to help stabilize the pH of your water, which tends to fluctuate in filtered water since there is not a lot of buffer. Some cannabis growers also add a Cal-Mag supplement as a preventative when growing in coco or using an LED grow light, since both tend to increase the Cal-Mag needs of your plant. However, I’ve found the base nutrients seem to work great by themselves even in coco under LEDs. Ultimately, CaliMagic is optional and many growers get excellent results without it. I used to use it consistently, but I stopped using it once I started using tap water and haven’t noticed any difference. If you do choose to include CaliMagic, it’s used at 1 tsp/gallon.

Here is my full tutorial on using General Hydroponics Flora nutrients for growing cannabis.

General Hydroponics Flora Trio – Base Nutrients (All You Need)

(Optional) General Hydroponics CaliMagic – Use this if you’re growing with filtered or purified water. It helps replace some of the minerals found in regular water.

(For Hydroponics) Hydroguard – Add 1 tsp/gallon to prevent root rot if growing cannabis in a hydroponic setup like DWC or Bubbleponics.

Check out a few different grow journals featuring the GH Flora trio

600W Hydroponic Grow Journal – 23.09 oz Harvest
Kind K5 XL1000 LED Grow Journal – 1.2 lb Harvest
250W HPS Cannabis Grow Journal – 6.2 oz Yield
Nebula’s 315W LEC Grow Journal – 1.1 lb Harvest
Super Soil (“Just Add Water” Soil) vs Coco Coir (used General Hydroponics Flora Trio with the coco coir plants)
LECs vs HLG 300 LEDs

The General Hydroponics Flora trio is my personal favorite nutrient system for growing weed in soil, coco, or hydroponics. I’ve used it for all grow media and consistently get fast growth and big, dense, clean-tasting buds.

Examples of cannabis I’ve grown with General Hydroponics Flora trio:

General Hydroponics Flora trio using a 315 LEC grow light

General Hydroponics Flora trio using an Electric Sky 300 LED grow light

Fox Farm Nutrient Trio

The Fox Farm trio is a popular nutrient system for cannabis growers that contains a variety of natural sources for nutrients like earthworm castings and bat guano, which cannabis plants thrive on. Fox Farm’s original nutrients contain too much organic matter for DWC/hydro, which increases the chance of root problems, but all that organic matter is great for plants in a hand-watered environment to enhance smell and flavor of your finished product. Fox Farm offer hydroponics-specific nutrients that don’t contain any organic matter called the “Cultivation Nation trio”, but this trio is not as good as the General Hydroponics Flora trio for growing cannabis, in my experience.

Best for…

Soil
Coco Coir

·Soil version

Fox Farms Nutrient Trio for Soil

Very concentrated, less is more. “Grow Big” & “Tiger Bloom” provide most of the major nutrients your cannabis needs, while “Big Bloom” has many micronutrients and beneficial compounds that help nutrient uptake and root health. This trio works extremely well by itself, just follow the feeding schedule (here’s a PDF, here’s a JPG) from Fox Farms at half-strength to start.

Check out a grow journal using the FF trio for Soil!

Fox Farms Nutrient Trio for Soil

·Coco version

Fox Farms Nutrient Trio for Hydroponics & Bushdoctor Cal-Mag (Fox Farm’s version of Cal-Mag)

Use the “hydro” version of Fox Farms nutrients when growing in coco coir. Two bottles are the same as the soil trio, but the “Grow Big” bottle is formulated slightly differently for a soilless grow. For example, it contains extra levels of micronutrients that are normally found in the soil. Follow the feeding schedule (here’s a PDF, here’s a JPG) from Fox Farms at half-strength to start. Generally, the Fox Farms nutrient system will prevent Cal-Mag deficiencies, but it’s good to have extra Cal-Mag on hand just in case whenever growing cannabis in coco coir, if using filtered water, or if growing with LED grow lights.

Fox Farms Nutrient Trio for Hydroponics & Bushdoctor Cal-Mag

·Hydroponic version

Fox Farms Cultivation Nation Trio (Micro, Grow, Bloom) & Cal-Mag

This is a Fox Farm copy of the General Hydroponics Flora Trio. It has the exact same nutrient ratios and the exact same ingredients as the General Hydroponics Flora trio. I’ve used it with good results over 2 different grows, though I personally prefer the Flora trio because the Cultivation Nation bottles tended to leak if the bottle was tipped over. A leaking bottle means that air is getting in, which will cause your nutrients to go back more quickly. I also noticed these nutrients tend to crystalize, while the Flora trio nutrients always are fully liquid.

I recommend getting General Hydroponics Flora trio instead of the Cultivation Nation trio. The Flora trio is cheaper and the nutrients are better.

Botanicare

Botanicare is a great company that’s been around for as long as I’ve been growing, and whose supplements I’ve been using for years (specifically, their Hydroguard supplement is the most effective thing I’ve used to prevent root rot in a hydroponic setup). Best for…

Soil
Coco
Hydroponics

·Soil version

Get the duo: Grow, Bloom

Use “Grow” in the vegetative stage, and “Bloom” in the flowering stage. Simple! I wish there were more nutrient systems formulated to be used that way. This duo is listed as “Premium natural and organic based plant food”. That means there are both organic ingredients and non-organic ingredients.

The company claims this duo is usable in coco, but I’ve only seen growers use it in soil. The name is “Soil Formula” after all. It it is missing a lot of extra micronutrients that would be found in soil but are not found in coco coir. Botanicare recommends adding their Cal-Mag Plus if growing in coco, as it adds extra Nitrogen, Calcium, Magnesium, and Iron, but it is still missing some micronutrients like copper and manganese. If you’re looking for a one-part nutrient system that works well in coco coir, I recommend getting Dyna-Gro Foliage Pro + Bloom (more info below).

Note: As of April 2024, growers are reporting new bottles of the Bloom Soil formula have different ingredients than before. Check out this picture of the new label Botanicare Pure Blend Pro Bloom Soil Formula label with ingredients (front label for reference) by grower Ben in April 2024, which shows most ingredients are minerals with kelp as the only organic ingredient. Here’s the old label that used to have the main ingredients of fish meal, composted seabird guano, kelp, and then mineral ingredients. This doesn’t mean the new formula is necessarily better or worse, but it seems to be different. Check back for updates as we learn more.

Get the duo: Pure Blend Pro Grow (Vegetative Stage) & Bloom (Flowering Stage)

·Coco or Hydroponic version

Get the trio: Base, Grow, Bloom (need all 3 bottles for all phases of growth)

The three bottles are all that’s needed to get your plants successfully to harvest time, just follow the feeding schedule from Botanicare [PDF], starting at half the recommended strength. If growing in hydroponics, Hydroguard is an important root supplement that will help prevent your plant from getting root rot in a hydroponic reservoir. The KIND series has been highly recommended by several hydro growers I know in real life and Botanicare makes the best root supplement I know of for hydroponics.

Base, Grow, Bloom (need all 3 bottles for all phases of growth)

Hydroponic Root Supplement: Add 1 tsp/gallon of Hydroguard to prevent root rot if growing cannabis in a hydroponic setup like DWC or Bubbleponics.

From a grower: “Botanicare KIND is like the opposite spectrum [of the Botanicare Pure Blend series]. The Base is just Nitrogen and Calcium. Grow and Bloom both have most of the minerals in them, along with things like sea kelp. The Bloom is also 0-6-6. Grow at 2-2-4. So quite literally you can call the shots on Nitrogen and Calcium. That level of control hasn’t been around a great deal in our market. For the savvy grower, this is a pretty nice tool.”

House & Garden – Often difficult to find online!

The House & Garden lineup is an expensive but effective line-up. From a grower: “H&G was started by a top researcher from Canna. They are right outside of Amsterdam and because cannabis is legal there, so both Canna and H&G are able to do R&D using cannabis. I don’t know about Canna, but I know that House and Garden makes all their own nutrients in-house and they work great.”

The biggest downside of House and Garden (besides price) is it’s getting harder to find online. This brand is often best purchased in person at a hydro store. Get a custom nutrient schedule directly from the people at House & Garden via their free online nutrient calculator.

Name of base nutrients for…

Soil – Soil A + B
Coco Coir – Coco A + B
Hydroponics (Recirculating) – Aqua Flakes A + B
Hydroponics (Drain-to-Waste) – Hydro A + B

Some of the most popular House & Garden supplements for growing cannabis: Roots Excelurator, Algen Extract, Bud XL, and Shooting Powder.

Learn about the full House & Garden nutrient and supplement for growing cannabis.

This plant was grown using the House & Garden Line-up (A+B as base nutrients, plus the supplements Roots Excelurator, Algen Extract, Bud-XL, and shooting powder)

Canna Coco

Canna Coco is a very popular nutrient company for pot growers who use coco coir. Their nutrients have been specifically designed to grow cannabis in coco(as you may be able to tell from the name).

Best for Coco Coir

Canna Coco A + B & Cal-Mag

This combo is a crowd favorite – many coco coir growers write in to tell us this is their favorite cannabis nutrient for growing in coco coir. Get a custom nutrient schedule from Canna or use this pre-made one [JPG].

From a grower: “Canna is a Dutch company and one of the best IMO. They make a great product line for growing in coco coir and test their products on real cannabis plants.”

Another grower said, “Canna products are one of the only nutrient lines to be developed primarily for cannabis (and tested on live plants). They’ve been doing so for almost 30 years. Cost is a little higher than competitors but worth every penny.”

A different grower added, “Canna – I have only used their coco line, but it is the highest quality you will find.”

Dyna-Gro

Originally designed for orchids, Dyna-Gro nutrients have proven to work exceptionally well for cannabis plants. If you want professional results without spending a ton of money or having to mix multiple bottles together, this combo gives your plants everything they need from seed to harvest. Dyna-Gro nutrients are suitable for any growing medium including soil, coco, or hydro.

Works great in Soil, Coco or Hydroponics

-Dyna-Gro / Superthrive (Foliage Pro + Bloom) – Use “Foliage Pro” in the vegetative stage and “Bloom” in the flowering stage.

Note: Dyna-Gro was recently purchased by a company called Superthrive. As a result, some nutrient bottles say “Dyna-Gro” and some say “Superthrive”. Confusing, but as long as they’re called “Foliage Pro” and “Bloom” they are the exact same nutrients and work just as well for growing cannabis.

Dyna-Gro Foliage Pro + Bloom is my recommended nutrient system for newbies. One bottle for the vegetative stage, one for the flowering stage. Super simple!

Grow Journals featuring Foliage Pro + Bloom

Cannabis I’ve grown using Foliage Pro + Bloom

Dyna-Gro Foliage Pro + Bloom worked great under a tiny 65W LED grow light

5 Honorable Mentions for Cannabis Nutrients

I don’t have personal experience with these nutrient brands, but they are popular for growing cannabis.

Advanced Nutrients

One of the more expensive cannabis nutrient brands. Their 3-part base nutrients are all you need to produce great yields and excellent buds, and this part is reasonably priced. However, Advanced Nutrients offers a ton of additional supplements to choose from. Here is an eye-popping $600 starter pack that includes multiple items from their lineup. Just remember, supplements are not necessary to produce great weed (and the truth is, they’re mostly water).

My friend Santacabrera swears by the Advanced Nutrients lineup for his autoflowering plants.

Jack’s Nutrients

Their main sell is they offer cheap dry nutrients that last forever. You get a lot for a little money. Supposedly their nutrients can be used in any grow medium but I’ve mostly seen it used for growing cannabis in soil. I know several cannabis growers that swear by Jacks. The cannabis growers I’ve spoken to use Classic 20-20-20 ($14) in the vegetative stage, and Blossom Booster 10-30-20 ($14) for the flowering stage.

I decided to do a little more research and wrote to Jacks Nutrients directly and about what they recommended for cannabis plants. This is what I asked, “Which Jacks Nutrients products do you recommend for growing cannabis?” and this is what they said.”Have you ever tested your water quality before? If not, you can find more information about our lab here. 20-20-20 and 10-30-20 are great formulas for gardening but are not the best choices for cannabis. Our 321 line is usually the best fit without a water test because it offers the most flexibility due to its 3-part system. Here is a copy of the schedule [PDF] for reference, but you can also find more information on 321 here.” The representative encouraged cannabis growers to write them directly with questions using the contact form at the bottom of their website home page.

However, their 321 line somehow costs $170 instead of the total of $28 for the ones I’ve seen cannabis growers actually. I’ve never heard of a cannabis grower using the 321 Line. On top of all that, I see that they still recommend using Blossom Booster 10-30-20 ($14) for the crucial flowering stage, which is the time where nutrients matter the most. I personally believe there is no reason or benefit to their ultra-expensive nutrients, and if you do want expensive nutrients, to go for a company that’s more proven in the cannabis cultivation world.

I’ve seen cannabis growers use Classic 20-20-20 in the vegetative stage, and Blossom Booster 10-30-20 for the flowering stage.

Mega Crop by Greenleaf Nutrients

Mega Crop is supposedly for all grow mediums, it’s marketed as an all-in-one solution that gives complete nutrition from seed to harvest. However, I have been hesitant to try it because I know that cannabis plants seem to grow bigger buds when getting special nutrient ratios during bud formation (specifically cannabis plants in the flowering stage respond well to more Phosphorus and Potassium, with less Nitrogen). However, Mega Crop is extremely popular and many growers swear by it.

The idea of having an all-in-one solution is intriguing, and I’ve seen many examples of great harvests. Mega Crop definitely can grow great weed from what I’ve seen, but I still have a few reservations and haven’t personally used it yet.

Technaflora

Supposedly for all grow mediums, though I haven’t tried it yet on cannabis plants. This one is popular because it supposedly uses “only the finest raw materials”. I’ve seen many growers get great results with it for growing weed.

They sell a popular “Recipe for Success” Starter Kit so you can try out the full lineup for only $55.

Nectar for the Gods

Another option that seems to shine for cannabis plants in soil. It is an organic, calcium-based line that is designed to “bind and carry nutrients into the root system” for plants to use. The company says it is most available to cannabis plants in the pH range of 6.2-6.8. Considering it uses organic ingredients, it shouldn’t be used in a grow that gives water via sprayers or misters as the ingredients can clog an irrigation system. An expensive nutrient option, but well-proven to grow excellent organic cannabis. It used to be a one-part nutrient system for soil, but now you need several bottles of different things. My biggest issue with it is the whole line seems kind of confusing and hard to know what is what.

Their main bundle includes these products: Medusa Magic (Soil Nutrient), Gaia Mania (Supplement 1-5-1), Herculean Harvest (Liquid Bone Meal), and Zeus Juice (Humic Acids and Kelp)

Humboldts Secret

Also marketed as good for soil, coco, and hydroponics. They also offer a Humboldt’s Secret Starter Kit with some of their most popular supplements for those who want to try a “full lineup” of nutrients at a reasonable cost compared to alternatives like Advanced Nutrients. Cannabis growers especially love their Golden Tree additive, especially in the flowering stage. Overall, this seems to be a solid choice for growing weed.

Get just the base nutrients

Or get the starter kit to try the full lineup with nutrients and popular supplements.

One Last Tip…

When using a complete nutrient system like the ones listed above, always start at half the recommended strength by the manufacturer, and only increase nutrient levels if your plant is getting pale. If you’re giving too low levels of nutrients, the entire plant will start to appear overall pale or lime green. If you have a different nutrient deficiency (diagnose your plant here), chances are it’s caused by incorrect pH, not by too-low levels of nutrients.

It’s a good idea to always start at half the manufacturer’s recommendation! Most nutrient companies recommend way too much for growing cannabis!

Why not keep adding more and more nutrients? Doesn’t more equal better? No, nutrients are more like a multivitamin than food. After your plant has enough nutrients, adding more gives you diminishing returns, and too much starts causing the following problems.

A cannabis plant turns pale all over (left) when it needs higher levels of nutrients overall. If plant is a healthy green (right), stick to half the recommended dose.

Too high levels of nutrients causes…

Nutrient burn – nutrient burn causes tips of leaves and edges of buds to appear burned. It isn’t a huge deal but doesn’t look as pretty, especially if it gets bad enough to spread to your buds.
Random nutrient deficiencies and lockout
Buds don’t grow as big as they could have in the flowering stage, especially if levels of Nitrogen are too high
Leaf discoloration may spread to the sugar leaves on the buds (not a big deal, but not pretty either)

If you see nutrient burn, it usually means you gave your plants too high levels of nutrients.

Now that you understand everything you need to know about picking the right nutrient system, check out some supplements!

Learn About Cannabis Supplements:

Important! The Best Cannabis Nutrients Aren’t Enough!

Crucial Piece of Information; Check the pH of your water to plants to prevent nutrient deficiencies

It may surprise you that the most common reason growers get nutrient deficiencies is because the pH is too high or too low. This happens even if the right amounts of nutrients are present because your weed simply cannot absorb the nutrients if the pH isn’t in the correct range.

Optimum cannabis pH for..

Soil: 6.0 – 7.0
Coco Coir: 5.5 – 6.5
Hydroponics: 5.5 – 6.5

Checking the pH will make a huge difference to your grow by keeping plants vibrant and healthy. It only takes a few minutes each time you water your plants! If you get a digital pH pen, it only takes seconds to test your pH!

Learn more about pH & preventing nutrient deficiencies here!

Organic vs Chemical (Synthetic) Nutrients

This is a common question we get at Grow Weed Easy: Are organic nutrients better than chemical nutrients? It’s not a matter of which one is better, because they’re good at different things.

Organic Nutrients

Bud Smell & Taste – Many growers believe organically grown cannabis will create the most fragrant and “smoothest” buds. Some of the best benefits to smell and taste seem to come from using composted soil that’s been amended with nutrients from natural sources. This creates a living soil with colonies of beneficial microorganisms and is often associated with a bolder taste and smell in buds. However, watering your plants with liquid nutrients that just happen to be organic tends to get results similar to synthetic or mineral-based nutrients. It seems to be the soil that makes the difference when it comes to organic growing.
More Natural – Especially when growing in a living soil, you’re creating a home for your roots that is as close to nature as possible (only better because you’re making sure your plant gets everything it needs!)
Not for Hydroponics – Organic nutrients are not the best choice for hydroponic systems because any organic matter can cause unwanted stuff to grow in your reservoir. It’s possible to grow organic hydro but let me just say this: as of yet, I’ve never seen organic hydroponics go well for someone, though I wouldn’t mind being proven wrong 😉

Recommended Organic Nutrients

There used to be a ton of organic soil nutrients in bottles (like the now-discontinued GO Box) but many options have disappeared as growers switch to using amended compost for their organic nutrient needs. Why? The organic nutrients in bottles get similar results to mineral nutrients. The biggest difference in organic growing seems to come from using actual compost and/or amended soil.

Nature’s Living Soil (super concentrated organic compost nutrient mix) – amend bottom 1/3 of your plant container with this special organic amendment, and plants will be able to slowly use the nutrients “on-demand”. Even if your plants are already growing in soil, you can sprinkle a little of this on top of your soil and water to deliver organic nutrients. Note: smells strongly of manure!
- Get a complete tutorial on the Nature’s Living Soil grow method
Dr. Earth Organic Nutrients – dry nutrients
- Vegetative Stage: Homegrown Tomato, Vegetable and Herb Fertilizer
- Flowering Stage: Flower Girl Bud and Bloom Fertilizer
Roots Organics Terp Tea Fertilizer Set (Grow & Bloom) – This dry formula is mixed with aerated water and brewed for 24 hours to create a “tea” for your plants. Can also be used as a top dressing.

Best supplement ingredients for organic growing

Sea kelp – a source of K (potassium), helps plants resist heat and stress
Leonardite – full of humic acids for happy roots, resist stress
Protein hydrolysate (contained in many supplements) – helps plants produce big roots and be more resistant to water stress
Potassium Sulfate (also called “Sulfate of Potash”) – the sulfur and potassium promote smells and bud development in the flowering stage

My favorite organic supplement contains all of the above: Floralicious Plus

How to Adjust pH in an Organic Soil Grow (regular PH Up and PH Down can harm the natural balance of the soil)

Raise PH – Earth Juice Natural PH Up
Lower PH – Earth Juice Natural PH Down

Learn more about testing pH with organic soil

Organic cannabis growing is rewarding!

Chemical Nutrients (including synthetic and mineral-based nutrients)

Possibly Increased Potency – While organic nutrients may increase the smell and taste of buds, chemical nutrients tend to increase the potency.
Faster Growth and Bigger Yields – Synthetic nutrients provide nutrients to plants in the most easy-to-absorb forms possible. This results in somewhat faster growth and improved yields since the nutrients don’t need to be broken down in the soil by a colony of microorganisms before they become available to your plant.
Only Choice for Hydro – These are the best cannabis nutrients for hydroponic systems because they are less likely to cause stuff to grow in the water reservoir. However, chemical nutrients can also be a great choice for soil or coco because of the increased potency and faster growth!
Easier to Get Nutrient Burn – Although you can give cannabis plants nutrient burn with organic nutrients, it’s much easier to give them nutrient burn with chemical nutrients. This is due to the easily absorbable nature of these nutrients. Synthetic nutrients get taken up by your roots whether the plant needs them or not.

The General Hydroponics Flora trio is a synthetic nutrient that’s so effective it was used by NASA to grow plants in space!

Don’t want to use nutrients at all? Learn how to compost your own super soil (or buy super soil pre-made online)! Super soil compost contains all the nutrients your plant will need from seed to harvest so you just need to add water. As an added bonus, with composted super soil you rarely need to worry about maintaining your pH. Instead, the composting process develops a colony of microorganisms in your soil that will automatically take care of the pH for your plants to an extent (like in nature), while slowly providing nutrients on demand.

Super soil compost has been amended so no additional nutrients are needed. Just add water!

Can I create my own nutrient system?

Creating a nutrient system is more complicated than just adding “Nitrogen,” “Phosphorus” and “Potassium” plus all the various micro-nutrients in certain ratios. There several different chemical compounds that provide each of these nutrients and they’re not all equal.

Learn about creating a cannabis nutrient system from scratch