Secondary Nutrients

Marijuana Horticulture

by Jorge Cervantes

The secondary nutrients – magnesium, calcium, and sulfur – are also used by the plants in large amounts. Rapid-growing indoor marijuana crops are able to process more secondary nutrients than most general-purpose fertilizers are able to supply. Many growers opt to use high quality two and three part hydroponic fertilizers to supply all necessary secondary and trace elements.

But be careful, these three nutrients may be present in high levels in the ground water. it is important to consider these values when adding nutrient supplements. If growing in the soil or soilless mix with a pH below 7 such as Peat-Lite, incorporating one cup of fine (flour) dolomite lime per gallon of medium ensures adequate supplies of calcium and magnesium.

Macronutrients are the elements that the plants use most. The fertilizers usually show nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K),as (N-P-K) percentages in big numbers on the front of the package. They are always listed in the same N-P-K order. These nutrients must always be in an available form to supply marijuana with the building blocks for rapid growth.