If you’ve bought soil before, you probably noticed some numbers on the front of the bag that looked like “5-20-15”. This is the N-P-K ratio which is shorthand for Nitrogen-Phosphorus-Potassium.
Don’t ask why K is potassium. I didn’t invent the period table of elements so blame that one on the scientists.
Different plants need different ratios of N-P-K to thrive. If you have too much of one element, it can cause nutrient deficiencies or excesses int he plant and stunt it’s growth.
This infographic on the N-P-K ratios from Autoflowerseedshop.com gives a good overview of what each nutrient does.
Nitrogen is primarily used in the early stages of the marijuana plant’s growth when it’s rapidly expanding upward and outward with large fan leaves.Â
Phosphorus is primarily used in the flowering stage when the buds are being formed and increasing in size.
Potassium is used during the entire lifecycle of the plant and helps reinforce the cell walls and make the plant more resistant to insects and diseases like mold.
Some soils, like Miracle-Gro which you’d find at Walmart, will straight up kill your weed plants. This is because the N-P-K ratio in Miracle-Gro isn’t meant for cannabis plants and it uses an extended release formula.
Other cannabis potting soils like Fox Farms Ocean Trio, which can be a fantastic soil, are higher in Nitrogen and can cause nutrient burn where the tips of your leaves will get chemical burns and start to die.
Happy Frog has all the nutrients your plants need in the perfect balance so no nutrient is too strong or overpowering which can kill your plants.