I personally like to have different all natural liquid fertilizers on hand, in case of a deficiency. For nitrogen, I have 2 different recipes depending on the time of year. One uses grass and weeds, so in winter they aren’t readily available. Both fertilizers will be higher in nitrogen, but will also contain traces of other nutrients as well. Let’s discuss nitrogen deficiency and toxicity before getting into the DIY nitrogen rich nutrients for cannabis plants.
Nitrogen Deficiency
Nitrogen is a very important nutrient, especially during the vegetative stage. It is needed to make up chlorophyll, amino acids and is vital to the process of photosynthesis. The first sign of a deficiency is the lower growth will begin to turn pale green then yellow. It will progress up the plant and the lower growth will eventually die and fall off.
Nitrogen Toxicity
Be careful not to go overboard with nitrogen, especially during flower, as you can also encounter nitrogen toxicity. Symptoms include shiny, dark green leaves, weak stems, slowed growth and leaf “clawing”. Clawing refers to the leaves downwards folding like a claw.
**This recipe is not mine; I’ve found this same recipe on many different sites, but just want to share it to help my fellow growers.**
Grass and Dandelion/Weed Tea
This recipe consists of 3 ingredients:
1. Grass clippings
2. Weeds (dandelions)
3. Water (distilled, filtered or de-chlorinated)
You will also need a bucket or container of some sort. I will be using a standard sized pitcher. You can also use a 5 gallon bucket to make it if you’re planning on using it as a part of your regular fertilizer. I’m only making some for a little extra boost and in case of deficiency.
You can use whatever ratio of grass to weeds that you’d like. I chose dandelions for my weeds because they were readily available to me in abundance. They are also a great choice because they can absorb more nutrients with their taproot. These nutrients will leach back into the water in the “tea”. You could even use defoliated leaves or your male plants when you chop them down.
Start by filling your container or bucket 3/4 full with your grass clippings and weeds. Place a rock on top to weigh down the weeds and grass. Alternately, you can make a tea bag out of stockings, cheese cloth or any mesh type material. Next, fill the container or bucket with water, cover it with lid or cloth and let it steep for a week. Then, strain and store in another container or bucket. Now, you have some DIY nitrogen rich nitrogen rich nutrients for cannabis.
Directions for Use
- Dilute the tea to a ratio of 1:10; Using 1 cup of tea to 10 cups of water.
- Feed plants diluted tea once a week to once every 2 weeks during the vegetation stage
- You can also use the diluted tea as a foliar spray.
For small plants – Give 1-2 cups of dilute tea
For medium plants – Give 3-4 cups of diluted tea
For large plants – Give 4-6 cups of diluted tea
Foliar spray – Use diluted tea and spray plants down during lights out to help with nitrogen deficiency
Nitrogen Rich Nutrients with Oats and Black Tea
You can also make a quick and simple nitrogen boost by boiling 1 black tea bag and about 1 tbsp of oatmeal (in cheesecloth or coffee filter) in a 32oz mason jar. Let it cool and sit for at least an hour, but the longer the better. Water your plants with this water for a boost of nitrogen. You can give each plant approximately 1-2 cups. Each 32oz jar will feed 2-4 plants.
**These fertilizers should not be the only source of nutrients and should be used in combination with other fertilizers as a little boost or for deficiency**
