Cannabis Feeding Schedule: The Universal Feed Chart
Share
Cannabis Feeding Schedule: The Universal Feed Chart
Every nutrient company hands you a different feeding chart, each with its own bottles, its own numbers, and its own boosters, and it is easy to come away thinking that feeding cannabis is impossibly complicated and brand-specific. It is not. Underneath all those charts sits a set of universal principles that apply no matter what line you use: a plant wants more nitrogen while it is growing leaves and stems, more phosphorus and potassium while it is making flowers, a strength you dial to a target rather than a fixed recipe, and a plain-water finish at the end. Learn those principles once and every brand chart suddenly makes sense, because they are all just different products expressing the same underlying plan. As a shop that stocks every major nutrient line, we would rather teach you how feeding actually works than sell you on any one brand's magic. This guide explains the universal logic of feeding cannabis, gives you a brand-agnostic feed chart you can apply to any nutrient line, and then points you to the exact schedule for your specific brand. You can shop the nutrient lines on our premium nutrients page. We don't upsell.
The 30-Second Answer
- Feed to the stage: cannabis wants more nitrogen during vegetative growth and more phosphorus and potassium during flowering. Every brand chart follows this same shift.
- Base plus optional booster: run a base nutrient the whole grow, increasing strength as the plant grows, and optionally add a bloom booster in mid-to-late flower. The base does most of the work.
- Dose to EC or PPM, not milliliters: aim for roughly EC 0.8 in seedlings, up to about 1.8 in peak flower, and start on the light side, since overfeeding burns plants far more often than underfeeding starves them.
- The universals: mix multi-part nutrients separately, never combining concentrates; set pH to your medium (about 6.0 to 7.0 in soil, 5.5 to 6.2 in coco and hydro); and flush with plain water in the final week or two.
Learn the plan once and any brand chart makes sense. We stock every major line and will still tell you to keep it simple. We don't upsell.
How cannabis feeding works: nutrients by stage
The single idea that unlocks every feeding chart is that a cannabis plant's nutritional needs change as it moves through its life, and those needs follow a predictable pattern tied to what the plant is building at each stage. During vegetative growth, the plant is busy producing leaves, stems, and roots, which requires a lot of nitrogen, the nutrient most associated with green, leafy growth, so veg feeding leans nitrogen-heavy; research confirms cannabis has a higher nitrogen requirement during vegetative growth. When the plant flips into flowering and starts building buds, its priorities shift: it needs less nitrogen and much more phosphorus and potassium, the nutrients that drive flower and fruit development, so bloom feeding is phosphorus and potassium heavy, which the science likewise supports, showing a higher phosphorus and potassium demand during flowering. This is exactly why nutrient lines sell a grow formula and a bloom formula, or a single base you feed differently by stage: they are simply matching the ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus and potassium to what the plant wants at that moment. Once you understand this shift, from nitrogen-led growth to phosphorus-and-potassium-led flowering, with a plain-water flush to finish, every brand's chart becomes readable as a variation on the same theme. Our flowering stage guide covers that transition in more depth.
The universal cannabis feed chart
Here is the brand-agnostic version of the feed chart, matching the graphic above. Rather than specific milliliters, which vary by product, it shows the emphasis of nutrients and the strength target by stage, so you can apply it to whatever line you own by reading your product's label for the actual doses that hit these targets.
| Stage | Nutrient emphasis | Base strength | Target EC (PPM) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seedling / clone | Light, balanced | Quarter to half | 0.8 (about 400) |
| Vegetative | Nitrogen-heavy | Full grow formula | 1.3 (about 850) |
| Early flower | Shifting to P and K | Full bloom formula | 1.6 (about 1100) |
| Peak flower | Phosphorus and potassium heavy, plus optional booster | Full bloom formula | 1.8 (about 1250) |
| Late flower / flush | Taper, then plain water | Reduce to water | under 0.5 |
The PPM figures assume the common 500-scale conversion and are approximate; the EC targets are the more universal guide. These are middle-of-the-road numbers that suit most photoperiod strains in most media, and you adjust to your plants, your medium, and your water, which we cover below. The key is that you feed to a strength target, watch the plant, and move through the stages, rather than chasing a rigid recipe.
Base nutrients versus boosters
One of the most money-saving things to understand about feeding is the difference between base nutrients and boosters, and the honest hierarchy between them. Your base nutrient, whether it is a one-part, two-part, or three-part product, supplies the core nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and micronutrients your plant lives on, and it does the overwhelming majority of the work; a good base, fed correctly by stage, will grow excellent cannabis entirely on its own. Boosters and additives, by contrast, are supplementary products that target specific goals, such as bloom boosters heavy in phosphorus and potassium for bigger flowers, root stimulators for early root growth, carbohydrate or enzyme products, and cal-mag supplements for certain water and media. Some of these genuinely help at the margins, and experienced growers chasing maximum results do use them, but none is essential, and every nutrient company sells far more of them than any grower actually needs. The honest approach, especially when you are starting out, is to run a quality base nutrient, learn how your plants respond to it, and add boosters deliberately and one at a time only if you want to, rather than buying a full shelf of additives on the assumption they are required. Our nutrient buyer's guide takes this same honest line across brands. The base is the meal; the boosters are seasoning. We don't upsell.
Dose to EC or PPM, not milliliters
The most important habit in feeding, and the one that separates growers who struggle from growers who cruise, is dosing to a strength target rather than blindly following the milliliter numbers on a chart. EC, or electrical conductivity, and PPM, parts per million, both measure how concentrated your nutrient solution is, and they matter because your starting water already carries dissolved minerals that add to the total; a grower on hard tap water will reach a given strength with far less nutrient than a grower on pure reverse osmosis water. So you measure the EC or PPM of your mixed solution with an inexpensive meter and adjust the dose to hit the target for the stage, rather than assuming the label amount is correct for your water. Beyond that, the golden rule is to start on the light side and build up, because overfeeding is by far the more common problem and shows up as the burnt, clawed leaf tips of nutrient burn, which our nutrient burn guide covers, whereas underfeeding is slower, gentler, and easy to correct. If you see pale, hungry leaves, you can always add more, but you cannot easily undo a burn. With nutrients, less is usually more, and a lighter, well-measured feed grows healthier plants than a heavy one every time. Measure, start low, and climb slowly.
The mixing order rule
If you use a multi-part nutrient, and most growers do, there is one mixing rule that applies universally: add each part to your water separately, never combining the concentrated bottles directly. In practice, you add one part to the water and stir it in, then add the next and stir again, so that each is diluted before it meets the others. The reason is chemistry that holds across every brand: concentrated nutrient parts contain elements, notably calcium in one part and phosphates and sulfates in another, that react and precipitate into a solid if combined at full strength, forming a sludge your plants cannot absorb and stripping those nutrients from your feed. Diluting each part in the water first prevents that reaction. Most brands also specify an order, and when in doubt, a widely safe sequence is to add any micronutrient or calcium-containing part first, then the grow and bloom parts, then additives one at a time. For the same reason, you should never mix concentrated parts together in a cup, and never pre-mix a full-strength batch to store for later, since precipitation can occur over time. Always mix fresh, each part separately, into your water. It is a simple habit that protects your entire feed, and getting it wrong is one of the most common and most avoidable feeding mistakes across every nutrient line.
pH: the make-or-break step
You can mix a perfect nutrient solution and still starve your plants if your pH is wrong, because pH controls whether the nutrients in your solution are actually available for the roots to absorb. At the wrong pH, specific nutrients become locked out and unavailable even though they are present, producing deficiency symptoms that fool growers into adding more nutrients when the real problem is pH, and university research confirms that nutrient availability depends directly on pH. The correct range depends on your medium: in soil, aim for roughly 6.0 to 7.0, since soil holds a buffer and prefers a slightly higher range; in coco coir and hydroponics, which are inert, aim lower, around 5.5 to 6.2, with many growers targeting the high fives. After you mix and adjust your nutrients, you check the pH of the final solution and correct it up or down with a pH adjuster before feeding, and it is worth spot-checking your runoff or reservoir periodically, since pH can drift. Getting pH right is not optional fine-tuning; it is a core part of feeding, and neglecting it is behind a large share of the deficiency problems growers blame on their nutrients. Our pH guide gives the target ranges and how to adjust, and our deficiency guide helps you tell a real deficiency from a pH lockout.
Feeding by growing medium
The universal chart adapts to your medium, mainly in how strong and how often you feed. In soil, the medium holds nutrients and buffers pH, so it is the most forgiving; you feed lighter, often at half to three-quarters of hydroponic strength, and less frequently, sometimes alternating nutrient feeds with plain water, since quality soil supplies some nutrition of its own. In coco coir, which behaves like hydroponics but holds no meaningful nutrient reserve, you feed a complete nutrient solution at most or every watering and typically add a cal-mag supplement, especially with reverse osmosis or soft water, because coco creates calcium and magnesium demand; our coco feeding guide covers the specifics. In hydroponics, nutrients are immediately available with no buffer at all, so measuring EC and maintaining your reservoir matters most, and pH can drift faster. The nutrient shift by stage stays the same across all three, and the mixing and pH rules are identical; what changes is concentration and frequency, tuned to how much the medium holds and buffers. Our soil versus coco versus hydro comparison lays out the trade-offs in full.
When and how to flush
Nearly every feeding schedule ends with a flush, and it is worth understanding what it is and why it is there. Flushing means feeding plain, pH-balanced water, with no nutrients, for roughly the final one to two weeks before harvest, so that the plant uses up the nutrients stored in its tissues rather than taking in more. The goal is a cleaner, smoother final product, on the reasoning that finishing on plain water lets the plant metabolize residual nutrients, and many growers find it improves the smoothness of the smoke, though the topic is debated. The mechanics are simple: you stop adding nutrients and water normally with plain, pH-corrected water, and in media like coco and hydro, where there is no soil reserve, a shorter flush of about a week is often plenty, while soil growers may go a little longer. You can watch your runoff EC come down as a sign the flush is working. Whether or not you subscribe fully to the theory, finishing on plain water for the last stretch is standard practice and a normal part of the schedule, not an optional extra, and it costs nothing. Reduce your feed as you approach the end, then finish on water.
Find your brand's feeding chart
Everything above is the universal plan; the only thing that changes brand to brand is the specific products and the exact numbers to hit these targets. Whatever line you run, we have written a detailed, honest feeding schedule for it that applies these same principles with that brand's actual products and doses. Find yours here.
- Advanced Nutrients feeding chart - the pH Perfect base plus Big Bud, Bud Candy, and the boosters, and which to skip.
- Athena feeding chart - the lean Pro Line Core, Grow, and Bloom system, dialed to EC.
- General Hydroponics Flora Series feeding schedule - the three-part FloraGro, FloraMicro, and FloraBloom, plus the Lucas Formula.
- Canna Coco feeding schedule - the single A and B base for the whole grow, and when to use PK 13/14.
- House and Garden feeding schedule - the medium-specific A and B bases, Roots Excelurator, and Shooting Powder.
Common cannabis feeding mistakes
A handful of mistakes account for most feeding problems, regardless of brand, and avoiding them will put you ahead of most growers. The biggest is overfeeding, chasing high numbers and burning plants that would have thrived on a lighter, well-measured feed; start low and dose to EC. The second is combining multi-part concentrates directly instead of adding each to the water separately, which causes precipitation and lost nutrients. The third is ignoring EC and PPM and blindly following label milliliters, which overfeeds when your water already carries minerals. The fourth is neglecting pH, then blaming nutrients for what are really pH-lockout deficiencies. The fifth is skipping the plain-water flush at the end. And the sixth is buying and using a full shelf of boosters under the belief they are necessary, when a quality base does the job. Avoid these by starting light and measuring, mixing parts separately, dosing to EC or PPM, keeping pH in range for your medium, flushing at the finish, and keeping your lineup simple. We don't upsell, and steering clear of these six matters more than any product you could add.
What We'd Tell You at the Counter
If you came in overwhelmed by feeding charts, we would tell you to take a breath, because it is simpler than it looks and the same everywhere. A cannabis plant wants more nitrogen while it grows leaves and more phosphorus and potassium while it makes flowers, so you feed a grow formula in veg and a bloom formula in flower, whatever brand it is. Run a quality base nutrient the whole way and treat boosters as optional extras, not requirements. Do not chase big numbers: mix to a target EC or PPM, start on the light side, and let the plant tell you if it wants more, because burning is far easier than starving. If you have a multi-part nutrient, add each part to your water separately and never pour the concentrates together. Check your pH every time, around 6.0 to 7.0 in soil and 5.5 to 6.2 in coco or hydro, and finish on plain water for the last week or two. Get those basics right and almost any nutrient line will grow you great cannabis. Then, when you want the exact numbers for your brand, grab its chart. We sell every major line, and we will still tell you to keep it simple. We don't upsell.
Shop nutrients for any stage
Whatever line and stage you are on, our nutrient range has the bases and the boosters, and we are glad to help you pick a simple, honest schedule for your setup.
Frequently asked questions
How do you feed cannabis?
You feed cannabis by matching nutrients to its stage of growth and dosing to a strength target. Run a base nutrient throughout the grow, using a nitrogen-heavy grow formula during vegetative growth, when the plant is building leaves and stems, and switching to a phosphorus and potassium heavy bloom formula during flowering, when it is making buds. Increase the strength as the plant grows, from a light feed for seedlings up to full strength in flower, and dose to a target EC or PPM rather than fixed milliliters, since your water varies. If you use a multi-part nutrient, add each part to your water separately and never combine the concentrates. Check and adjust your pH every feed, to roughly 6.0 to 7.0 in soil or 5.5 to 6.2 in coco and hydro, since pH controls nutrient availability. Optionally add boosters like a bloom booster in mid-to-late flower, though a good base alone grows excellent plants. Finish with a plain-water flush for the last week or two. Start light and build up, because overfeeding is the most common mistake.
What nutrients does cannabis need in veg versus flower?
In vegetative growth, cannabis needs more nitrogen, the nutrient behind green, leafy growth, because it is building leaves, stems, and roots, so veg nutrients are nitrogen-heavy with moderate phosphorus and potassium. In flowering, the plant's needs shift: it wants less nitrogen and much more phosphorus and potassium, the nutrients that drive flower and bud development, so bloom nutrients are phosphorus and potassium heavy with lower nitrogen. This is the fundamental reason nutrient lines sell separate grow and bloom formulas, or a single base you feed in different ratios by stage. All three primary nutrients are needed throughout, along with micronutrients, but the emphasis moves from nitrogen-led during growth to phosphorus-and-potassium-led during flowering. Getting this shift right, feeding grow in veg and bloom in flower, is the core of any feeding schedule, and it reflects genuine plant science, since cannabis measurably demands more nitrogen in veg and more phosphorus and potassium in flower. Finish by tapering nutrients and flushing with plain water.
What EC or PPM should cannabis be fed at?
As a general guide, aim for an EC of roughly 0.8 for seedlings and clones, around 1.3 in vegetative growth, about 1.6 in early flower, and up to roughly 1.8 in peak flower, then drop toward plain water for the flush. On the common 500-scale, those EC values correspond to approximately 400, 850, 1100, and 1250 PPM, though PPM scales vary, so EC is the more reliable measure. The crucial point is that these targets are the total strength of your solution, and your starting water already contributes some EC, so if your tap water reads a certain value, you add nutrients until you reach the target rather than assuming the label dose is right. Measure your mixed solution with a meter and adjust. Start on the lower end of these ranges and build up, since overfeeding causes nutrient burn far more readily than underfeeding causes deficiency. Coco and hydro growers often run the higher end of the range comfortably, while soil growers lean lighter. Always watch your plants as the final guide.
Do you feed cannabis nutrients every watering?
It depends on your medium. In coco coir and most hydroponic systems, which hold little or no nutrient reserve, you generally do feed a complete nutrient solution at every or nearly every watering, because the plant relies entirely on what you provide. In soil, which holds nutrients and supplies some of its own, you typically feed less often, and many growers alternate nutrient feedings with plain-water waterings, or feed every second or third watering, to avoid overfeeding and salt buildup. Regardless of medium, you should watch your plants and your runoff: if you see salt buildup or signs of overfeeding, water plain more often, and if plants look hungry, feed more frequently. The strength and stage logic stays the same either way; only the frequency changes with how much your medium holds. As a rule of thumb, coco and hydro lean toward feeding every watering at appropriate strength, while soil leans toward less frequent feeding, always dosing to your EC or PPM target and starting on the lighter side.
What order do you mix cannabis nutrients?
With any multi-part nutrient, add each part to your water separately, one at a time, stirring between each, and never combine the concentrated bottles directly. A widely safe order is to add any micronutrient or calcium-containing part first, then the grow and bloom parts, then any additives one at a time, though you should follow your specific brand's stated order when it gives one. The reason this matters across every brand is chemistry: concentrated parts contain elements, such as calcium in one and phosphates in another, that bind and precipitate into an unusable solid if mixed at full strength, wasting nutrients and causing deficiencies. Diluting each part in the water before the next is added prevents that reaction. You should also never pre-mix concentrated parts in a cup, and never store a pre-mixed full-strength batch, since precipitation can happen over time. Always mix fresh into water, each part separately and in order, then adjust pH last. This simple habit protects your whole feed and prevents one of the most common mixing mistakes.
When do you flush cannabis before harvest?
You typically flush for roughly the final one to two weeks before harvest, feeding only plain, pH-balanced water with no nutrients, so the plant draws down the nutrients stored in its tissues before you cut it. The idea is that finishing on plain water produces a cleaner, smoother final product by letting the plant metabolize residual nutrients, and many growers feel it improves smoke smoothness, though the practice is debated. In coco and hydroponic systems, which hold no soil reserve, a shorter flush of about a week is often enough, while soil growers may flush a little longer since soil holds onto more. You simply stop adding nutrients and continue watering normally with plain, pH-corrected water, and you can watch your runoff EC fall as confirmation. Timing the flush is based on ripeness, harvesting when your trichomes indicate the plant is ready, so you begin the flush a week or two before that expected point. Whether or not you fully accept the theory, finishing on plain water is standard practice and a normal, costless part of the schedule.
Which nutrient brand is best for cannabis?
There is no single best brand; the right choice depends on your budget, your medium, and how much simplicity or hand-holding you want, because all the major lines can grow excellent cannabis when used correctly. General Hydroponics is affordable, flexible, and proven, with the simple Lucas Formula option. Advanced Nutrients offers pH-buffering convenience and a large booster ecosystem at a higher price. Athena takes a lean, professional, dial-to-EC approach popular with commercial growers. Canna Coco is beautifully simple for coco with a single base for the whole grow, and House and Garden is a premium line with standout additives like Roots Excelurator. Rather than chasing a mythical best brand, pick a quality line that fits your setup and budget, run its base correctly by stage, dose to EC, and keep your additives minimal. The fundamentals of feeding matter far more than the logo on the bottle. We carry every major brand and are glad to help you choose the one that genuinely fits you, and our nutrient buyer's guide and brand comparisons lay out the trade-offs honestly.
Once you understand the universal plan, feeding any line is straightforward, and every brand's exact numbers live in its own chart: Advanced Nutrients, Athena, General Hydroponics, Canna Coco, and House and Garden. Shop the lines on our premium nutrients page, keep it simple, dose to your EC, and pair this with our guides to avoiding nutrient burn, pH for cannabis, 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, and follow the manufacturer's official instructions when mixing nutrients, before growing any cannabis plant.