What Nutrients Do Plants Need During the Flowering Period?

Plants in any environment need a vast array of elements to maintain established and new periods of vigorous growth. In total, there are 16 essential elements necessary for healthy and deficient-free plant growth. These elements are separated into two categories, macro and micronutrients, and are typically combined at an adequate rate within liquid, powdered or granular nutrient supplements called “base nutrients”. Base nutrients supplements are systems of fertilization that contain most of, or all of the essential elements necessary for plant health and stability. In short, plants can remain healthy throughout periods of growth and bloom if the essential elements for health are met with the supplementation of “base nutrient” systems. However, to elicit a crop’s most desirable output, other nutrients called “additives”, must be used with meticulous care in periods of early, middle and late flower.  

Depending on the genetic characteristics of your crop, plants will typically begin to exhibit signs of budding 10-14 days after the initial setting of a 12-hour photoperiod. During this stage of early flower, gardeners will typically be able to make out a female plant’s elongated pistils, or maybe even the first formation of flower sites. To speed up this transition phase and to help encourage the formation of new, developing flower sites, gardeners can include a heavy phosphorus and potassium supplement into their established feeding routine. GreenPlanets’s PK Spike, for example, is an excellent source of clean and quality sourced phosphorus and potassium; and, if used in conjunction with a base nutrient regime, PK Spike can quickly increase root-mass, speed up the production of flower sites and strengthen a plant’s cell walls for the later support of heavy flowers. 

The middle of the flowering stage is an extremely important period of growth for plants. At this stage, a plant’s metabolism has completely committed itself to the process of converting elements into energy which it then sends to the formation of large, developing flowers. With this process moving quickly along through weeks 3-5 of the flowering period, plants, while still needing adequate amounts of (N), (P) and (K), often become deficient in starches that are used in the conversion of elements into useable energy. To combat this issue and to assist your crop in producing its highest potential output, consider using a well-rounded and tested bloom booster that is accompanied by an array of simple sugars. Massive Bloom Formulation is a good example of a product that contains a solid blooming N-P-K of 1-2-3, as well as carbohydrates derived from yucca and molasses extract.

Between the flowering weeks 5-7, your main bud sites and colas should have taken on their finishing shapes and size. However, what might be missing in the late stages of flower development is hardness, weight and density. If the environmental conditions of a garden are less than ideal, for example, if temperatures or humidity percentages reach inadequate levels for extended periods of time, mature flowers can begin to wilt, lose rigidity, and become soft or sponge-like. To increase late-flower hardiness, consider adding a high potassium supplement like GreenPlanet’s Dense to your existing feeding routine. Dense will assist in providing your plants with the potential to redirect energy at the cellular level, leading to increased tightness and weight in the final weeks before harvest.