Hi all,
As I am just starting to get back into growing after a long hiatus, I have a simple question about supplementing nutrients.
Whether running liquid nutes or dry, how do you guys know when the right time is to start supplementing?
I know we learn as we grow and sometimes we develop “rules of thumb” but what are some of your guys’ methods for determining when you need to start supplementing?
I try my very best to follow the manufacturers directions and only switch from that course if I have a good reason.
That said I’m very bad at following directions 
Lol I am too.
I mainly just want to try to use up as much of the nutes in my soil as possible before supplementing unnecessarily.
So far I have sprouted and vegged in my Royal Gold Mendo Mix for nearly a month without any need for supplementing. Plants seem happy, but I am sure I will need to start in the near future.
Ahh I see. I use promix that has no added nutes so I guess I don’t “supplement” at all 
So I’ll give you some real time feedback based on issues ive had and tried to correct since last fall.
I’m starting seeds in a simple soil mix, similar to pro mix, but I mix myself. No added amendments other than castings or compost @ 10%, and the mineral mix to help buffer ph. I up pot into solo cups, same mix or ive started testing 50/50 coco & perlite. I then go into 1 gal w fully amended soil- the @reikox mix found here:
From 1 gal, I’ll finish in something bigger-3 or 7 gal, but the same fully amended soil mix.
Until I get into the fully amended mix, I rely heavily on fox farm grow big, once into the amended mix, I’m relying on teas and top dressing and more of an organic/living soil approach (more of a 1/2 assed attempt at LOS in flowering). But in veg w the 1 gals, they keep getting the grow big, and kind of get weaned off it when they get close to jumping to the bigger pot and into flower.
Clones follow the same, they get rooted in rapid rooters, then into solo cups w the same soil as above.
So what ive learned: during veg, I’m pretty much giving them a low dose of fert every watering. I was not feeding for 2-3 weeks, with my normal tap water, which is extremely hard w a high ph (400-450 ppm, 7.5+ ph). It was like there were no nutes at all available and the plants were struggling to grow because of what I think is immediate lock out.
So now, until they get to 1 gals, I’m using 500 ppm fox farm grow big, in purified bottled water, every time I water. Starting at the first set of true leaves on a seedling, and once a clone shows roots and gets put into soil. I increase that ppm over time as they’re in the cups, but only really as high as 700 ppm since I’m really feeding them almost every time. Once every 5th or so watering they’ll get straight water, and every 3rd or so they get recharge or kelp.
Not sure if this helps, and its by no means perfect. But actually writing this all out will be helpful for me- I’ll be able to go back and look at this in a few months and assess if ive changed the approach again at all and compare the results.
But the short answer is, I start bottle feeding at a low dose almost immediately from clones rooting or a seedling’s 1st or 2nd set of true leaves.
That definitely helps and it is greatly appreciated. I gave a SUPER light feeding of the Flora series at the late seedling stage once I thought maybe the medium had been depleted.
After that I transplanted up and again relied on the mix nutes up until now with success. I too plan on trying to follow a quasi organic approach with my nutes from here on out. I posted it up in my grow journal the other day but I picked up the Mother Earth veg dry mix that I am itching to get in the rotation. Just trying to figure out the best time to do so.
Part of me likes the idea of a minimal approach to a grow and not relying on too many bottles so the top feeding style of growing intrigues me. I hope I can get familiar with it and have it work out.
For this grow I began supplementing when the bottom leaves lost color. That means to me that the plant isn’t getting nitrogen from the soil.
Soil is Roots Organic Original combined with whatever is retired from pots. Nutes are Gardener and Bloom 4-0-2 full strength (2 tbsp per Gallon) bottom fed. Every watering, when they droop or the pot dries. ~Daily for solos, bi-weekly for larger.
Just did their first Kelp/Neem/silica/myco tea. Foliar and drench.
They are all happy.
If you are using bag soil aka potting soil, after approx 3 weeks. I just supplement with kelp, liquid fish drenches and micronute foliars, teas etc…
