Nitrogen boost just before flowering

[Anoobis]

Hi all. I know you can pump a plant with too many nutes but I was wondering, given the 2 week stretch where the plant shoots up at a rapid rate, would it be beneficial to top a plant up with extra nitrogen a day or two before flipping. I am assuming during the stretch nitrogen would be getting spent like a drunk spends cash at a casino. As a plant gets later into the flowering process it seems to drop a few lower leaves with pale yellowing, at least in my experience. Would some darker green leaves than usual, just before flipping, help the plant retain some extra nitrogen for the stretch and help prevent fan leaf yellowing later in the budding phase? I grow soil in by the way and use fertilisers sparingly.

 

[fanleaf]

Perhaps but be careful too because if too much N remains "Nitrogen toxicity", it kills bud development every time.

 

[LiberalThinker]

I personally treat a plant as still in veg for two weeks after the flip.

 

[fanleaf]

I personally treat a plant as still in veg for two weeks after the flip.

Yes, that's common but I think the OP is thinking of upping the N over standard levels in stretch.

 

[LiberalThinker]

Yes, that's common but I think the OP is thinking of upping the N over standard levels in stretch.

Looking at my hydro schedule, I will increase the nutes in that period but as for soil I'd be a bit more careful, as you say, because you can't be certain what's already in it and available. Less is more generally.

 

[Anoobis]

I was thinking more of a one off foliar spray, absorbed through the leaves and so won't affect the soil. Just enough to darken them up. I think my soil is fairly robust in terms of nutrients and microbes, so I only occasionally give a boost during flowering. I knew too much nitrogen stunts budding, but I am wondering what happens if that surplus gets spent during the stretch. Leaving you with fan leaves that don't wither so early and provide energy for the plant longer into bud than you would normally get.

 

[fanleaf]

I was thinking more of a one off foliar spray, absorbed through the leaves and so won't affect the soil. Just enough to darken them up. I think my soil is fairly robust in terms of nutrients and microbes, so I only occasionally give a boost during flowering. I knew too much nitrogen stunts budding, but I am wondering what happens if that surplus gets spent during the stretch. Leaving you with fan leaves that don't wither so early and provide energy for the plant longer into bud than you would normally get.

If you bottle feed your plants nutrients directly at all I would doubt the micro life could be very happy. The only way microlife is happy is when they are solely responsible for breaking down the nutrients. Even organic nutrients that are organically chelated for plant uptake affect them. Foliars are no different honestly. Theres no way to properly foliar feed without getting a bunch on the soil.
If by "robust" you mean tough enough to get over it or deal with it, perhaps. But you could just as easily brew a tea for the microbes that will give them what they need to make available Nitrogen.

 

[LiberalThinker]

I was thinking more of a one off foliar spray, absorbed through the leaves and so won't affect the soil. Just enough to darken them up. I think my soil is fairly robust in terms of nutrients and microbes, so I only occasionally give a boost during flowering. I knew too much nitrogen stunts budding, but I am wondering what happens if that surplus gets spent during the stretch. Leaving you with fan leaves that don't wither so early and provide energy for the plant longer into bud than you would normally get.

You can foliar for two weeks into flower until buds start showing. If you carry on after that you'll be smoking fertiliser.

 

[Anoobis]

Thanks for the input everybody