Thread: How can I beef my plants up

I got 5 plants outdoors and 2 of them have reached heights of 5" and over, I've kept trimming all my plants to make them bushier, but I'd like to beef them up to get a higher yield. Not too concerned about anything else but yield.

Is there anything I can do to beef them up.

I'm currently using a 5-5-5 fert as I have over ferted in the past.

The days in the UK get shorter after June 21st so I guess it must be flowering.

Any help would be much appreciated.

it probably isnt flowering yet, the days are getting shorter but not short enough yet. look closely around mid august. get a better fertilizer just use 1/2 the amount it says to see if your plants can take it. for now use something like a 20-10-10 or similar numbers, then when you notice flowering use a 10-20-10. try adding molasses when you water, a teaspoon or two to a gallon of water.

I hear you should use higher N during flowering cause it uses alot of it up in the process?

No No - you don't want to use higher nitrogen during flowering. You want to use higher nitrogen during vegetative stage, then reduce it. You want to have higher Phosphorous during flowering (It is the middle number when reading the bottle). I agree though, only use about 1/4 to 1/2 strength until you know your plants can handle the fertilizer. Don't forget to check the PH of your water - this is essential in order for the plants to actually use the nutrients you are giving them. You are shooting for around 6.5 in soil I believe. Hope this helps!

Stop pruning right away, because flowering is going to start too soon to give the plant time to recover, and you will lose overall yield by pinching or topping too late in the season.
To beef up your plants, a carbon source (molasses) is a good one, but remember that outdoors you will quite likely attract ANTS, so I would suggest maybe watering the molasses in very well, and maybe even mulching over the area after application.
Bud mass as GD said is dependent on having a good Phosphate source, so find a high P fert for that, and cut back on N.