Final nutrient question week or two before harvest

Zafu · Sep 20, 2018

Greetings fellow gardeners,

I understand it's common knowledge to stop all nutes a week or two before harvest. However, I'm wondering if that specifically relates to liquid nutes that the plants take up quickly.

My growing is outside and over the grow season I provided dry organic supplements once or twice a month and that has worked very well and producing healthy plants. As I near harvest, 1-2 weeks away and watching the plants yellowing and showing signs of some nute deficiency, I'm wondering if I can safely continue to feed my plants with the dry nutes that dissolve over time. Logically, I don't see why not, as the plant will only take what it needs, but wanted to check in with you

Also, concerning Nitrogen in-particular. While I understand the ladies need little to none in the last month, does it actually do any harm continuing to make nitrogen available? The yellowing at this time is a bit much, so wondering if I can safely add some blood meal (dry).

Of course these questions aren't specifically being asked to produce the largest stickiest buds possible, even though that would be nice, but more in-terms of producing the best product for a cure, like we all hope, will produce the tastiest smoothest smoke.

Thank you kindly.

Zafu

AngryBird · Sep 20, 2018

Hi
Are you growing outside in the ground or in pots?
Usually in pots flushing the plants will help the plants clean of whatever substance it doesn't need.
If you have them in the ground, I don't think it is necessary. I will call in a super guy to help out.
@Mr. Krip
Yellowing is not bad in the end, unless it is going all yellow on you.

Zafu · Sep 20, 2018

Thanks AngryBird. I use 30-gallon pots.

AngryBird · Sep 20, 2018

Could you provide a4 photo of the plant and the Yellowing?

Mr. Krip · Sep 20, 2018

It is very normal to see the plant starting to yellow in the last few weeks of flower. It won't hurt the plant to continue to feed it, but it will decrease the quality of the meds.

You want to stop feeding in the last couple of weeks of flower & flush/feed with plain H2O to let the plant use up all of its stored nutrients. If you continue to feed, the plant will continue to uptake & store the nutrients which will make the smoke more harsh and burn less "clean" than if it was flushed.

Zafu · Sep 21, 2018

Mr. Krip said:
It is very normal to see the plant starting to yellow in the last few weeks of flower. It won't hurt the plant to continue to feed it, but it will decrease the quality of the meds.

You want to stop feeding in the last couple of weeks of flower & flush/feed with plain H2O to let the plant use up all of its stored nutrients. If you continue to feed, the plant will continue to uptake & store the nutrients which will make the smoke more harsh and burn less "clean" than if it was flushed.

Hi Mr. Krip,

Thank you for your reply. I understand that it's normal for the plants to be dying off slowly as we near harvest. What I wasn't certain about was two things. 1) If the idea of flushing is true for dry fertilizer that releases over time, and 2) If adding Nitrogen in the flowering stage somehow gets in the way of other nutrients it more-so needs for flowering and budding. I don't mean I wouldn't continue to use 0-10-10 for flowering, as an example; just that I like to keep it green also but not sure if that somehow comprises the required feeding for end stage.

On the first point, sounds like you're saying that regardless of the fact I use dry fertilizer that breaks-down over time, or not, the same theory applies and that-is to try and starve the plan of nutrients towards the very end to avoid having any excess stored at harvest.

On the second point, I'm guessing it's fine to continue adding blood meal, as an example, in addition to the 0-10-10 during flowering, so long as I don't feed the ladies for the last 3 weeks or so, given the dry lasts longer in the soil than wet.

Here are some pics from today.