Advanced Nutrients Cultivator Series: A Complete Top-Drip Feeding Schedule/Feed Chart
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Advanced Nutrients Cultivator Series: A Complete Top-Drip Feeding Schedule
A grower setting up a drip system asked us a refreshingly practical question last week: he had chosen the dry Advanced Nutrients Cultivator Series to keep costs down on a bigger garden, and he just wanted a clear, complete schedule he could actually run, not another wall of marketing. That is exactly what this guide is. The Cultivator Series is Advanced Nutrients' dry, water-soluble base line, and it is genuinely well suited to top-drip and fertigation setups, where mixing concentrated stock solutions and dialing in feed strength makes a dry nutrient both economical and convenient. Below you will find the full top-drip feed chart, then a plain-language walkthrough of what every input is doing and when, plus the EC and pH targets that hold it all together and honest guidance on how to adapt it to your room. We sell the whole line, so we have no reason to overcomplicate it. We don't upsell.
For the per-additive deep dive, pair this with our guide to which Advanced Nutrients additives to use and when, and for the liquid alternative see our Advanced Nutrients Sensi guide.
The 30-Second Answer
- The Cultivator Series is a dry, water-soluble 3-part base: Grow (veg), Base (used throughout), and Bloom (flower), mixed into stock and fed through your drip system.
- Run roughly 3 weeks of veg and 9 weeks of bloom, following the chart below: base doses shift by stage while biostimulants come in on schedule.
- Time the biostimulants: Voodoo Juice early for roots, Big Bud through mid bloom, Overdrive in late bloom, and Bud Candy plus Tasty Terpenes across flower.
- Hold the guardrails: feed EC climbs from about 2.1 to a 2.5 peak, eases to 2.0, then a water-only flush at the end, all at pH 5.5 to 6.5.
It is a cost-effective, drip-friendly schedule that is easy to run and easy to adapt. We stock the full Cultivator Series and the additives. We don't upsell.
What is the Advanced Nutrients Cultivator Series?
The Cultivator Series is Advanced Nutrients' dry, water-soluble base nutrient line, designed with larger and commercially minded growers in mind, though it works just as well for serious home gardens. It is a three-part system: Cultivator Series Grow, Cultivator Series Base, and Cultivator Series Bloom. The way the three parts divide the work is straightforward once you see it on the chart: Base is the constant that runs throughout the grow, Grow is the vegetative component used early, and Bloom is the flowering component that ramps up once you flip. Because it is a dry concentrate that you mix into a stock solution, it offers two practical advantages over liquids: it costs less per gallon of finished feed, and it ships and stores far more compactly, both of which matter when you are feeding a lot of plants through a drip system. If you prefer a liquid, pH-buffered base instead, the Sensi line is the liquid counterpart, and our Sensi guide covers that route; this guide focuses on getting the most from the dry Cultivator Series on top-drip.
How to read and mix this schedule
A few conventions make the chart easy to follow. All amounts are given per gallon of feed: the base nutrients are dosed in grams (g) per gallon, and the biostimulants in milliliters (mL) per gallon. The base nutrients are meant to be mixed into a one-pound-per-gallon stock solution first, which you then meter into your final feed, a standard fertigation approach that keeps large batches consistent; if you mix by hand for a smaller garden, you can simply use the same per-gallon amounts directly. Biostimulants are applied once weekly. When you mix, order matters: if you run a silica product it goes into the water first, then your base nutrients, and then your other supplements, adding each one at a time and stirring between them. Adjust pH last, after everything is dissolved, because the nutrients move the reading. A blank cell on the chart simply means that product is not used that week. With those rules in mind, the chart reads as a simple week-by-week recipe, and the sections below explain the reasoning so you can run it with understanding rather than blind faith.
The base nutrients, week by week
The base is where the real feeding happens, and its pattern follows the plant's changing appetite. Through the three weeks of vegetative growth, you run Cultivator Series Grow and Cultivator Series Base together, both at a steady rate, to drive leafy, structural growth; this is the nitrogen-forward phase, and peer-reviewed work confirms cannabis takes up more nitrogen during vegetative growth. Once you flip into bloom, Grow drops out and Bloom comes in alongside Base. From there the two flowering parts move in deliberate opposite directions: Base eases down over the cycle while Bloom climbs to a peak through the main bulking weeks before tapering near the end. That shift reflects the plant's move toward needing more phosphorus and potassium in flowering, which the Bloom component supplies. By the final week, the base is withdrawn entirely for a flush. You do not need to memorize the grams; the chart lays them out, and the takeaway is the logic: heavier nitrogen early, a PK-weighted peak through mid bloom, and a clean taper to the finish.
The biostimulants, and when they go in
On top of the base, the schedule layers a focused set of biostimulants, each timed to the window where it does the most good. This is the same focused approach we recommend in our additives guide: a handful of well-timed products rather than the entire catalog.
Voodoo Juice Plus: roots, early on
Voodoo Juice Plus is a microbial inoculant that establishes beneficial bacteria and fungi in the root zone for better uptake and a stronger root system. It runs through vegetative growth and gets its largest dose right at the transition into bloom, seeding the root zone before the plant's biggest growth push. Because its job is root establishment, its window is early; you do not run it through late flower. You can find Voodoo Juice in our store.
Big Bud: mid bloom bulking
Big Bud is a phosphorus-and-potassium bloom booster with amino acids, and on this schedule it runs through the middle weeks of flower, the main bulking window when PK demand peaks. It starts after the initial bloom transition and continues through the peak weeks, then hands off to the late-bloom finisher. See Big Bud in our store; a powder version is also available for larger gardens.
Overdrive: the late-bloom finisher
Overdrive is a late-flower PK supplement that picks up where Big Bud leaves off, supporting ripening and a strong finish during the final couple of weeks of feeding before the flush. On the chart it appears only in those last bloom weeks, replacing Big Bud, then stops for the flush.
Bud Candy and Tasty Terpenes: across bloom
Unlike the phase-specific boosters, Bud Candy and Tasty Terpenes run steadily throughout flowering. Bud Candy is a carbohydrate and amino acid supplement that supports the plant and feeds root-zone microbial activity, while Tasty Terpenes is aimed at aroma, flavor, and overall flower quality. Both run at a consistent rate across the bloom weeks and stop for the final flush. You can find Bud Candy in our store, and the rest of the line in our nutrients and additives collection.
The EC ramp explained
The bottom row of the chart, feed concentration measured as EC, is arguably the most important line on the whole schedule, because it tells you how strong your total feed is at each stage. The pattern is a deliberate ramp: it starts around 2.1 in early veg and the first bloom week, climbs to a peak of roughly 2.4 to 2.5 through the main bulking weeks when the plant is feeding hardest, then eases back to about 2.0 in late bloom, and finally drops to 0.0 for the water-only flush at the very end. This curve tracks the plant's demand, feeding it most when it is working hardest and easing off as it finishes. The single most important caveat is that these are upper-end target figures for healthy plants under strong light in an actively dosed drip system; they are not minimums to force on every garden. You should always measure your runoff EC to see what is actually accumulating in the root zone, and dial the feed back for seedlings, fresh clones, sensitive strains, or any time runoff readings climb too high. Treat the chart's EC as a ceiling to approach thoughtfully, not a number to chase blindly.
pH for this schedule
None of the doses above will land properly if your pH is off, because pH controls whether the nutrients you are feeding can actually be absorbed. For a drip or soilless system running the Cultivator Series, keep your feed pH in the range of 5.5 to 6.5, which is the window where the widest range of nutrients stays available to the roots. Always set pH last, after your base and biostimulants are fully mixed, since the nutrients shift the reading once dissolved; adjusting beforehand just means doing it twice. It is also worth checking your runoff pH in addition to your input, because a large gap can signal that something is drifting in the root zone. If your numbers wander or you want the full picture on why this matters so much, our pH for cannabis guide covers targets, measuring, and adjusting in depth, and our deficiencies guide explains how an out-of-range pH produces lockout that looks exactly like a nutrient shortage. Get pH right and the schedule can do its job.
Cal-Mag and your water source
Whether you need to add a calcium-magnesium supplement to this schedule depends on your water, and it is worth getting right. If you use reverse-osmosis or heavily filtered water, which has had its minerals stripped out, you will very likely need to add a Cal-Mag product to supply the calcium and magnesium your plants require, and you should treat that as part of the program rather than an optional extra. If you feed with tap water that already carries some mineral content, the Cultivator Series base may well provide enough on its own, and you can add Cal-Mag only if you see deficiency signs. The tell is in the plants and your water test: soft or RO water plus any sign of calcium or magnesium issues means add it. This is one of the more common adjustments growers make to a base schedule, so it earns a mention even though it is not printed on the core chart, and you will find suitable supplements in our premium nutrients collection.
How to adapt the schedule to your room
The chart is a strong starting point, not a straitjacket, and a few sensible adjustments will keep it honest for your specific setup. The most important is to scale to your plants and conditions: the EC targets assume vigorous plants under strong light, so younger or smaller plants, sensitive genetics, and lower-light or non-CO2 rooms generally want the feed dialed back from these peaks. Watch your plants and your runoff rather than the calendar alone, since a schedule is an average and your garden is specific. Seedlings and fresh clones should always start gentler, with reduced strength, until they are established. If you run CO2 and high light, the upper EC figures are more appropriate; if you do not, lean toward the lower end. The number of bloom weeks can also shift with your genetics, so use the chart's nine-week bloom as a template and adjust the finish to your strain's actual maturity, which our flowering stage guide can help you judge. Adapt the targets to your reality and the schedule becomes genuinely yours.
The veg-to-bloom transition
The flip from veg to bloom is the schedule's main hinge, so it is worth handling deliberately. When you switch your lights to the flowering photoperiod, you also switch the base: Cultivator Series Grow drops out and Cultivator Series Bloom comes in alongside the Base that continues throughout. This is also the moment the schedule calls for the largest dose of Voodoo Juice Plus, seeding the root zone with beneficial microbes right before the plant's explosive early-flower growth, often called the stretch, when it can roughly double in size. Hold off on the bloom boosters at the very start; Big Bud comes in slightly after the transition, once the stretch settles and buds are genuinely forming, rather than during the initial flip. Keep Bud Candy and Tasty Terpenes running across the whole period. Managing this transition well, switching the base, prioritizing roots, and timing the boosters to actual bud development rather than the calendar, sets up everything that follows in flower. Take a little extra care here and the bulking weeks reward you.
The final flush
The schedule ends as deliberately as it begins, with a water-only flush in the final week, shown on the chart as an EC of 0.0. The idea is to stop feeding nutrients and run plain, pH-balanced water through the medium for roughly the last week before harvest, which helps clear accumulated salts from the root zone and finishes the plants cleanly. Notice that every product, base and biostimulant alike, drops to nothing for this week; you are deliberately giving the plants only water at the correct pH. There is no need for a dedicated flushing additive here, since plain pH-balanced water does the job, a point we make in our additives guide as well. The exact timing of your flush should track your strain's maturity rather than a rigid date, so use the chart's final week as a guide and confirm with how your plants actually look as they ripen. A clean finish is the simple, fitting end to a well-run feed.
Cultivator Series versus Sensi: which base?
Since both are Advanced Nutrients base lines, growers often ask which to run, and the honest answer comes down to format and scale rather than one being broadly better. The Cultivator Series is dry and water-soluble, which makes it more economical per gallon of feed and far more compact to ship and store, advantages that grow more compelling the more plants you feed, which is why it suits drip systems and larger gardens so well. The Sensi line is liquid and pH-buffered, which makes it especially forgiving and convenient for smaller gardens and newer growers who value simplicity over cost-per-gallon. Both plug into the same Advanced Nutrients additive ecosystem, so the biostimulant half of this schedule applies either way. If your priority is cost efficiency at volume and you are comfortable mixing dry concentrates into stock, the Cultivator Series is the smart pick; if you want maximum ease in a small tent, the liquid Sensi may suit you better. Our nutrient buyer's guide and our four-brand comparison can help you weigh it against other options. We don't upsell.
Common mistakes with this schedule
A handful of avoidable errors account for most trouble growers have with a feed chart like this one. The first is treating the EC targets as minimums and pushing full strength onto young, small, or sensitive plants, which invites nutrient burn; start gentler and build up. The second is feeding by the chart alone and never measuring runoff, so root-zone salt buildup goes unnoticed until the plant shows it. The third is neglecting pH, which quietly locks out everything you are carefully dosing. The fourth is failing to adapt to your light: the upper EC figures suit high-light, CO2-enriched rooms and will be too strong for a modest tent. The fifth is mistiming the boosters, running Big Bud during the stretch instead of the bulking weeks, or carrying it to the very end instead of switching to Overdrive. And the sixth is skipping the flush or, conversely, flushing for far too long; about a week of plain pH-balanced water is the target. Avoid these, measure as you go, and the schedule performs reliably. We don't upsell, and we would rather you run a simple schedule well than a complex one poorly.
What We'd Tell You at the Counter
If you brought this chart to the counter, we would tell you it is a genuinely good schedule and then hand you three habits to go with it. First, get a meter and use it: measure your input EC and your runoff EC every feed, and let the runoff, not the calendar, tell you when to ease off. Second, treat the printed EC numbers as a ceiling for strong, established plants under good light, and start softer for anything young or sensitive, or for a modest tent without CO2. Third, keep your pH at 5.5 to 6.5 and set it last, after mixing, because none of these nutrients work if the pH locks them out. Beyond that, run the focused biostimulants on time, Voodoo Juice early, Big Bud through mid bloom, Overdrive to finish, Bud Candy and Tasty Terpenes across flower, and flush with plain water at the end. We sell every product on this chart, and we will still tell you to keep it simple and let your plants guide the fine-tuning. We don't upsell.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Advanced Nutrients Cultivator Series?
The Cultivator Series is Advanced Nutrients' dry, water-soluble base nutrient line, made up of three parts: Cultivator Series Grow for vegetative growth, Cultivator Series Base used throughout the grow, and Cultivator Series Bloom for flowering. It is aimed at larger and commercially minded growers but works well for serious home gardens too. Because it is a dry concentrate mixed into a stock solution, it is more economical per gallon of finished feed and far more compact to ship and store than liquid nutrients, which makes it especially well suited to top-drip and fertigation systems feeding many plants. It plugs into the same Advanced Nutrients additive ecosystem as the brand's liquid lines, so biostimulants like Big Bud and Voodoo Juice work alongside it.
How do I mix the Cultivator Series for a drip system?
The base nutrients are designed to be mixed into a one-pound-per-gallon stock solution, which you then meter into your final feed water through your dosing or fertigation system; this keeps large batches consistent. If you mix by hand for a smaller garden, you can use the same per-gallon amounts directly. Add products in the right order: silica first if you use it, then the base nutrients, then the biostimulants, adding each one at a time and stirring between them. Apply biostimulants once weekly per the chart. Always adjust pH last, after everything is dissolved, since the nutrients change the reading. Mix only what you will use, and measure both input and runoff EC.
What EC should I run with the Cultivator Series?
On this schedule the target feed EC ramps from about 2.1 in early veg and the first week of bloom up to a peak of roughly 2.4 to 2.5 through the main bulking weeks, then eases to about 2.0 in late bloom before a water-only flush at 0.0. Importantly, these are upper-end targets for healthy, established plants under strong light in an actively dosed drip system, not minimums. Start lower for seedlings, clones, and sensitive strains, and for lower-light or non-CO2 rooms. Always measure your runoff EC, not just your input, and dial the feed back if runoff readings climb too high. Let your plants and your meter guide the final numbers.
What pH should I use?
For a drip or soilless system running the Cultivator Series, keep your feed pH between 5.5 and 6.5, which is the range where the widest range of nutrients remains available for uptake. Set pH last, after your base nutrients and biostimulants are fully mixed, because dissolved nutrients shift the reading and adjusting beforehand means redoing it. It is good practice to check runoff pH as well as input pH, since a large gap between them can indicate drift in the root zone that needs attention. Keeping pH in range is essential, because an out-of-range pH locks out nutrients and produces deficiency-like symptoms even when you are feeding correctly.
Do I need Cal-Mag with this schedule?
It depends on your water. If you use reverse-osmosis or heavily filtered water, which has had its calcium and magnesium stripped out, you will almost certainly need to add a Cal-Mag supplement and should treat it as part of the program. If you feed with tap water that already contains some mineral content, the Cultivator Series base may supply enough on its own, and you can add Cal-Mag only if calcium or magnesium deficiency signs appear. The simple rule is that soft or RO water, or any visible cal-mag deficiency, means you should add it. It is one of the most common adjustments growers make to a base feed schedule, even though it is not printed on the core chart.
Can I use this schedule in soil, coco, or hydro?
The schedule is built for top-drip into a relatively inert medium such as coco coir or a hydroponic substrate, where you control essentially all the nutrition and EC management is precise, and it suits those setups very well. You can adapt it for soil, but soil already holds and buffers nutrients and hosts its own microbial life, so soil growers typically need lower feed strengths and fewer corrective additives; watch your plants and runoff closely and ease back. Coco behaves much like hydro and pairs naturally with this kind of schedule, often benefiting from attention to Cal-Mag. Whatever your medium, the core logic holds, but inert media follow the chart most directly while soil calls for a lighter touch.
Cultivator Series or Sensi: which should I choose?
It comes down to format and scale rather than one being broadly superior. The Cultivator Series is dry and water-soluble, making it more economical per gallon and far more compact to store and ship, which suits drip systems and larger gardens where those savings add up. The Sensi line is liquid and pH-buffered, making it especially forgiving and convenient for smaller gardens and newer growers. Both use the same Advanced Nutrients additive ecosystem, so the biostimulant portion of this schedule applies either way. Choose the Cultivator Series for cost efficiency at volume if you are comfortable mixing dry concentrates, or the liquid Sensi for maximum simplicity in a small tent. Our nutrient buyer's guide and four-brand comparison can help you decide.
Whether you are dialing in a new drip system or refining an existing one, the full Cultivator Series base and the focused biostimulants on this chart live in our nutrients and additives collection and the broader premium nutrients collection, and our team is glad to help you build a schedule that fits your room rather than a generic maximum. Run the base by the chart, time the additives well, hold your EC and pH, and let your plants guide the fine-tuning, and pair this with our guides to Advanced Nutrients additives, pH for cannabis, diagnosing deficiencies, and the full week-by-week grow guide. Because, as always, we don't upsell.
For informational and educational purposes only. This article is general horticultural guidance and is not legal advice. Cannabis cultivation laws vary by country, state and locality, and growing cannabis may be illegal where you live. Always understand and comply with the laws and regulations that apply to you before growing any cannabis plant.