Best Hydroponic Nutrients for Weed in 2020

We reviewed hundreds of nutrients available on the market today as of July 2020 and created a simple list to help you pick the best nutrients for your grow. 

When it comes to a hydroponic or soil grow, these nutrients are the best in market when it comes to growing your cannabis or weed grow with the most trusted, reliable, and affordable nutrient brands in the market. We also compiled a list of frequently asked questions for cannabis growers to understand the what to look for with nutrients and how the process actually works. 

Have a question about any of these nutrients? Ask us in the comments!

Best Hydroponic Nutrients For Weed 2020: Product Comparison Chart

 

Things to consider before buying

There are a couple of things you absolutely need to consider before choosing the best nutrients for growing weed:

1) Nutrients: It's imperative when researching nutrients and buying products that you ensure you look at the labels. Almost all nutrients in the market should have a label and should indicate the three core nutrients: Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium (NPK). For example if a bottle indicates the following numbers: 3-1-3, this shows the different levels (Nitrogen, 3), (Phosphorus, 1), and (Potassium, 3). To be "complete", a hydroponic nutrient needs to go beyond NPKs and have all of the essential elements for plant growth:

• - Nitrogen (N)
• - Potassium (K)
• - Phosphorus (P)
• - Magnesium (Mg)
• - Iron (Fe)
• - Calcium (Ca)
• - Sulphur (S)
• - Zinc (Zn)
• - Chlorine (Cl)
• - Boron (B)
• - Manganese (Mn)
• - Copper (Cu)
• - Molybdate (Mo)

2) NPK Ratios:

When thinking about starting your grow, you'll want to understand the amount of nutrients you'll need to shower your plants with. You'll find differing opinions everywhere you research, but from our experience as well as the guidance from very well respected growers, the table below is a good illustration of the amount of nutrients you should provide your plants throughout each stage. 

Vegetative Stage	Flowering Stage
High Nitrogen	Low Nitrogen
Medium Phosphorus	Medium to High Phosphorus
High Potassium	High Potassium

Remember to keep your nutrient ratio balanced - it's important to understand where phosphorus or potassium is needed for healthy growth, otherwise, you risk your plants dying unexpectedly. 

3) Hydroponic or Soil: You'll want to understand the use cases for nutrients when it comes to hydroponic or soil grows. Hydroponics setups without soil is used by large-scale growers that are primarily indoors. Many of the cannabis/weed related nutrients are sold for hydroponic set ups. One important point to note is that if you are using organic nutrients, it is not recommended to use organic nutrients with hydroponic setups - it can ruin your water/grow with bacteria. All of the liquid nutrients below can be used for hydroponic growing and soil grows. Again - it is perfectly fine to use these hydroponic nutrients in soil and vice versa, these are all perfect for all types of grow when it comes to your cannabis. 

Reviews of the Best Hydroponic Nutrients for Weed in 2020

Runner Up: Advanced Nutrients Bloom, Micro & Grow

 

 

View on Amazon

Average Amazon Review: 4.5 stars

# of Amazon Reviews: 260+

 

 

Fox Farm FX14049 Liquid Nutrients

Foxfarm offers many different types of soil mixes including a soil conditioner if you are in need. This product is complete with micro-nutrient and macro-nutrient formulations and have a nice blend of natural fertilizers. This product is easily mixed with water for easy growing.

At Productiongrower, we love this product because it's the perfect one for intro hydro gardeners as well as more experienced ones. It is a convenient 3-pack of the top liquid fertilizer products for hydroponics. It's easy to use since you use them in sequence all season long. You should start with the Grow Big for abundant green growth and then switch over to the Tiger Bloom when you start to see your first buds grow. Lastly, use the Big Bloom throughout each growing cycle to heal and nourish the root systems. 

 

View on Amazon

Average Amazon Review: 4.5 stars

# of Amazon Reviews: 726+

 

 

Humboldt's Secret Base - Most Reliable

View on Amazon

Average Amazon Review: 4 stars

# of Amazon Reviews: 36+

 

 

Dyna-Gro DYFLO008 - Low Budget Choice

  

View on Amazon

Average Amazon Review: Not Reviewed Yet

# of Amazon Reviews: Not Reviewed Yet

 

 

Orga Grow Holland

 

View on Amazon

Average Amazon Review: 4 stars

# of Amazon Reviews: 10+

 

CANNA Coco

 

View on Amazon

Average Amazon Review: 4 stars

# of Amazon Reviews: 52+

 

House & Garden Aqua Flakes

 

View on Amazon

Average Amazon Review: 4.6 stars

# of Amazon Reviews: 7+

 

 

Botanicare Liquid Karma - Best Longevity

 

View on Amazon

Average Amazon Review: 4.4 stars

# of Amazon Reviews: 110+

 

 

General Hydroponics Flora Nectar Sugar Cane

 

View on Amazon

Average Amazon Review: 4.6 stars

# of Amazon Reviews: 121+

 

Frequently Asked Questions

What Should I Know About Nutrients?

If you’re growing cannabis for the first time, selecting the right nutrients for your plants can be a challenge. There are lots of options on the market, so how do you make the right decision?

The key to choosing nutrients lies in understanding precisely what cannabis plants requirement and in being aware of how they absorb nutrients and utilize them. When you have this knowledge at your fingertips, you can make a confident decision about which products to buy without wasting your money.

What Do Cannabis Plants Need To Grow And Thrive?

Cannabis plants require a number of collective elements known as “macronutrients”. These include a number of mineral and non-mineral elements. Some come from the water, some from the air and some from the soil in which the plants are grown.

These nutrients come from the soil:

• - Phosphorus
• - Nitrogen
• - Calcium
• - Potassium
• - Sulfur
• - Magnesium

These nutrients come from the water and air:

• - Oxygen
• - Hydrogen
• - Carbon

When you buy fertilizers or nutrient solutions, you’ll see 3 numbers on the packaging. This will show the composition of potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen inside the product. The nitrogen content will be listed first, followed by the phosphorus content and finally the potassium content.

What About Micronutrients?

Cannabis plants also require micronutrients. These are required in much smaller amounts. These minerals include:

• - Zinc
• - Manganese
• - Iron
• - Molybdenum
• - Cobalt
• - Chlorine
• - Boron
• - Silicon
• - Copper

Although cannabis plants don’t need a lot of any of these elements, they’re still essential to the plant’s growth and overall health.

Growing Cannabis Plants Using Hydroponics

If you’re going to use hydroponics to grow cannabis, you’ll need specific nutrients for your plants. You won’t be using soil, therefore, you’ll be using a substrate such as coco coir or rockwool. Be aware that lots of cannabis potting soils are soilless blends and therefore, you could be growing your plants hydroponically even when you’re using potting soil.

It’s because of this that most nutrients which are sold for growing cannabis plants are those for hydroponic growing techniques. These are made from concentrated mineral salt. Sometimes they come in powder form but usually, they are liquids.

There are two types of nutrient solution available for hydroponic growing – Bloom solutions which have a high phosphorus level to aid flower development, and Grow solutions which have a high nitrogen level to support vegetative growth.

When you apply hydroponic nutrients, you need to take a lot of care. This is because giving too much to your plants can damage them, or even kill them. Start at around 25% of the recommended level then work up gradually to the full strength.

Growing Cannabis Plants In Soil

When you grow cannabis plants in regular soil, you will need specific nutrients. Soil is different from hydroponic soilless blends because it contains organic non-inert matter such as manure, worm castings, compost and humus. These contain a lot of micronutrients and macronutrients. Lots of these substances’ nutrient value is insoluble, however, and therefore have to be processed by fungi and microbes living in the soil in order to be useful to the cannabis plant. It is less common to see non-organic nutrients for growing cannabis plants in soil since they build up rapidly in soil, causing damage to the soil-life and preventing nutrients and water from being taken into the roots. On the other hand, organic nutrients and fertilizers for cannabis plants are more commonly seen. These contain fewer nutrients which are immediately soluble together with elements which have benefits for organisms naturally in the soil. Therefore, if you’re going to grow your plants in soil, using organic nutrients and fertilizers is always advised.

There are a number of affordable organic fertilizers which you can use. These include fish and blood meal which offers plenty of nitrogen, bat guano and bone meal which supplies phosphorus, kelp meal and wood ash to supply potassium, Epsom salts which supply sulfur and magnesium, and dolomite lime which supplies magnesium and calcium. You can buy the majority of these in a garden center. All you need to do is mix them into your soil before you pot your plants. When you do this properly, watering will be all that’s required, along with adding carbohydrates occasionally. Some soil blends can also be bought which contain the ideal mix of those ingredients for greater convenience.

Nutrients For Each Stage Of Growth

Every stage of the life of your cannabis plants requires nutrients which are slightly different.

During its seedling stage, your plant probably won’t need any extra nutrients if you’re growing in soil as long as that soil is rich. If you’re growing using an artificial medium, you might want to use seedling nutrition and root boosters.

In the vegetative phase, your plants will require high levels of potassium and nitrogen as well as a moderate amount of phosphorus.

When your plants reach their flowering stage, you’ll need to reduce the nitrogen levels drastically, but increase the amount of phosphorus and maintain the potassium level. When you choose a Bloom fertilizer, the nutrients will be perfectly balanced for this stage of growth.

Guarding Against Feeding Problems

When you’re growing cannabis, caution is always recommended. If you use too many nutrients, you could damage your plants. Only add nutrients to the water every alternate watering and half the doses if you’re in any doubt.

If you notice any changes in your plant’s color or appearance, your plant is experiencing a feeding problem. Nutrient imbalances are signaled by yellowing and drooping leaves, leaves with irregular dimensions or shapes, burnt edges and brown spots.

If you adjust the nutrient balance and still experience a problem try flushing pure water through the soil for several days before starting again with a half dose of nutrient mix.

Getting The pH Balance Right

If the pH level is wrong, the plants can’t get the nutrients they need to grow and thrive, even if you add the right mix of nutrients to your water. Therefore, monitoring your pH levels is vital.

Growing Healthy Plants

When you’re growing cannabis plants for the first time, erring on the side of caution is always important. However, follow this advice and you should find that, as long as you use the right nutrients for the medium you are using, your plants meet all your expectations.