Using Bone Meal during Flowering Stage... - Cannabis.com Forums Message Boards - Medical Marijuana, Cannabis Club, Dispensary, News

420somewhere · #1 (**permalink**) Jul-10-2006, 00:39

My question is concerning mixing fertilizers in 5 gallon potting soil-filled buckets.

I have 1 sativa dominant and 1 hybrid plant (bagseeds) that are just beginning to flower. The last two times I have watered I have used normal water with no ferts to flush it out. Today I made sure to rinse the two plants out really well for the third time with regular water. I wanted to flush everything out before I start fertilizing for the flowering stage. The next watering I am hoping to fert them with their flowering mix. I recently purchased some Vigoro All Purpose Plant Food that is labeled 15-30-15 and has almost all the "micronutrients" except for magnesium, which I will just sprinkle epsom salts onto the soil to make up for that... as I have been for the whole grow since my veg fertilizer (Peter's Professional) didn't have any magnesium in it either?

I also bought some Premium Vigoro Bone Meal that is labeled 1-11-0 since I've gotten the impression it's pretttty good for the plants! A wee bit of Nitrogen and a good shot of Phosphorus...but I also want to make sure they get all their micronutrients. That is why I want to mix it with something.

My concern is that I might end up over-feeding the plants Phosphorus.

If I were to use 1 teaspoon/gallon of Vigoro 15-30-15 All Purpose Plant Food with Premium Vigoro 1-11-0 Bone Meal, how much Bone Meal should I add, while keeping my plants completely safe from lockout of other nutrients?? (assuming I'm not messing up already) I'm not sure if it helps, but the recommended dosage is 1 TABLESPOON/gallon of the Vigoro All Purpose Plant Food.

Any help is greatly appreciated, as I am pretty excited since I've got two very healthy and good looking females! I will post some pictures soon since I finally got the digital camera...

kack409 · #2 (**permalink**) Jun-17-2008, 20:07

i forget but it should tell u how much per square meter on the bag...and dont use the exact amount because u can never take away and ive used bloodmeal/bonemeal before, and over fertalized, trust me dont use too much

Rusty Trichome · #3 (**permalink**) Jun-18-2008, 09:36

This is one of the reasons that liquid nutes and additives are superior. Flexibility and control. It's easy to overdo it with granulars, so be real cautious applying it to your ladies.
It might even mention on the label that it's not recommended for container gardening, because of suceptibility to overdoing it.

Would keep a close eye on your run-off ph after adding it, too.

**stinkyattic** · #4 (**permalink**) Jun-18-2008, 09:43

I think over-feeding P is going to be the least of your woes.
-Epsom salts will WRECK your soil if you use too much, and that's easy to do. Apply them as a foliar feed at 1/4teaspoon per quart with 1 drop dish soap as a spreader/sticker, mist lightly. If you do not see evidence of Mg def, lay off the stuff.
-Vigoro is not a cannabis food and that N number in the bloom fert will likely give your trouble; more so because sativas as a rule feed a bit lighter than indis. Give less than the bottle recommends and watch the plant for signs of hunger or burn.
-Bone meal in your soil is great but IMHO, pick organic soil supplements OR a liquid fert and stick with it. If you want to go with organics, you will need to do a good bit of reading to familiarize yourself with the basic techniques.

Barrelhse · #5 (**permalink**) Jun-18-2008, 20:09

Ms. Attic,
I've been searching for a strain guide that includes such things as nutrient requirements, how long to veg- general likes and dislikes of major strains. Ever seen one? (BTW- I'm in Mass as well, near Concord. I'm also older than even you!)

**stinkyattic** · #6 (**permalink**) Jun-19-2008, 05:54

Concord, eh? Funny... I have a long history out thattaway. I still remember the old Pewter Pot restaurant in Lex, before the yuppies overran the place. And my mom used to take me to Drumlin Farm and Great Meadows when I was still just an aspiring nerd

I haven't seen a printed guide to feeding of major strains, but if you google 'strainbase' or 'cannabis strainbase' I KNOW I have seen something that has at least grow reports and ratings on many strains- some of the grow reports DO include heavy/light feeder and how long the grower vegged for.

You can also post up which strain(s) you are interested in, and chances are, someone here has experience and can point you in the right direction. Even better if you know the parentage of that strain, since so many of the strains used for breeding are classics in their own right.

Barrelhse · #7 (**permalink**) Jun-19-2008, 11:45

LOL- I lived in Lex for 14 yrs, now I live very close to Drumlin. I worked at Wilson Farms until cancer.
Anyway, as you mentioned the parent can give an indication, as neither Blueberry or Blue Mystic seem to eat much. I usually go slow, but I'd hate to not get full potential by under-feeding those that like it.
I have several varieties in flower and veg- Jock H, AK48, Afghan Kush, Pot of Gold, Bubblicious, Ice, Blue Mystic, G13/Haze. (PS- I use Hempy Buckets, all perlite.)

**stinkyattic** · #8 (**permalink**) Jun-19-2008, 11:58

Shit, Wilson Farms has gotten pretty damn LARGE lately. I have fond memories of going there to buy Thanksgiving fixins before my parents divorced. Last time I visited, I was simply floored by the expansion. That place on 2 in Concord is pretty outrageous too.

I have no experience with Hempy Buckets, but in general, you can creep up gradually on your nutes until you see slight tip-burn. The trick is to keep them BALANCED so you don't get lockouts earlier than that. Then when you see that you have gotten to your maxiumum feed level for that plant, write down the amount you used, the strain, the size of the plant and the maturity at that time, in your logbook so you know what it likes at that age. And for the next feeding, don't give any nutes. Then next time you feed, go back down in concentration just a bit. You want to know how high you can go without burning.
The only thing I would worry about is that I don't know how you would flush a hempy bucket if you had to, so probably it is even MORE important not to overdo the nutes.

Barrelhse · #9 (**permalink**) Jun-19-2008, 16:33

Hempies are easily flushed. Because it's all perlite it rinses and drains readily, all the water pours out the hole in the bucket. I did flush hard when I saw tips yellowing, and cut back on nutes. Unfortunately I lacked the foresight and wisdom to actually write anything down. Counting on one's stoned little mind for "mental notes" doesn't really work out well, especially with a multi-strain grow.
The project of cataloging the info would be a worthwhile and valuable effort. Perhaps we could create a standard form for member's input- my free time is extensive; I'd be willing to collate the data and post the results in an alphabetical form. That would allow combining posts on say AK47 so they won't be randomly located in the thread. Just a thought...meanwhile, I have a new loose-leaf binder for my garden!
PS- if you would like to move this OT discussion elsewhere please do!

**stinkyattic** · #10 (**permalink**) Jun-19-2008, 18:43

I think a grow notes thread would be neat, where people can post some basic information on their successful grows of a specific strain.