When growing cannabis indoors, it is essential to remember that your plants are growing in a completely different environment than they naturally would. There are many factors involved with this growth that you need to consider if you want to grow the healthiest and strongest-yielding plant possible. One of the most important things to consider is how you will feed your plant at different stages in its growth. Once they reach their flowering stage, your plant will require a lot more nutrients than it did during its vegetative stage; specifically, auto-flowering plants need an abundance of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) during their flowering stage. 

Benefits of Growing AutoFlowering Plants

One of the main benefits of growing auto-flowering plants is that they are extremely fast growers. They usually only take a few weeks to reach their entire vegetative stage and an additional few weeks to flower as well! Therefore, autoflowering plants do not require nearly as much time as photoperiod cannabis plants. After your plant finishes its vegetative stage, it will automatically begin its flowering stage without your help.

However, many growers often wonder what the best nutrients are to use during your autoflowering plants' flowering stage. There are many different types of nutrients you can choose from, but it is important to pick the best autoflower bloom nutrients for your specific plant and growing situation. Since there are so many different types of these nutrients to choose from, we have compiled a list of some of the best autoflower bloom nutrients you can use during this stage.

The Best Bloom Nutrients for Autoflowering Plants

When choosing the best autoflower nutrients for your plants, there are two types of nutrients that are important.

1. Macronutrients

2. Micronutrients

Both types of nutrients need to be in balance for your plant's health, so it is essential to get both if you want the best results. Many growers believe that macronutrients are more critical than micronutrients during this stage because they receive all their necessary micronutrients from the water and soil where their roots reside. However, if your plant is not getting enough macronutrients from the water you're giving them, it will severely stunt their growth. 

An excellent hydroponic nutrient system will have a full spectrum of micronutrients in addition to its macronutrients. This can aid in preventing deficiencies and toxicity during the flowering stage. Remember, even if your plants are receiving adequate nutrients from the water you give them, they also require different types of macronutrients to thrive.

NPK, What does it mean?

When you’re first looking at nutes for your autoflowering cannabis plants, it can seem very confusing. There are all these strange letters and numbers on everything, but what do they mean?

Example: 5-12-26

Let’s break it down for you so you can fully understand what NPK is.

• N - Nitrogen (From our example this would be 5 concentration)

• P - Phosphorus (From our example this would be 12 concentration)

• K - Potassium (From our example this would be 26 concentration)

So you can see that our 5-12-26 example has a much higher concentration of Potassium. These numbers are important because as your plant grows, you’ll need to adjust the concentrations so your essential nutrients are in balance with what the plant needs.

Nutrient Ratios

Nutrients come in either liquid or powder form. The liquid/powder must be mixed into water before you give them to your plants. Manufacturers have different feeding schedules and nutrient ratios. An EC meter is critical so you can accurately measure the amount of nutes in your solution.

During the early stages of a plant's life, it requires a lot more nitrogen (N); however, it requires more phosphorous and potassium during its flowering stage.

In addition, your plants need a lot more magnesium (Mg) and calcium (Ca) during this stage as well. Many growers like to use a good organic fertilizer like alfalfa meal and kelp during this stage. This is because plants can receive all the necessary nutrients in this type of fertilizer, and it doesn't contain any harmful chemicals.

Several kinds of macronutrients can be used during different stages; they include:

• Nitrogen (N) - early stages

• Phosphorus (P) - middle stages

• Potassium (K) - later stages

• Magnesium (Mg) - early and flowering stages

• Calcium (Ca) - earlier stages and throughout the whole plant's life

• Sulfur (S) – only during the flowering stage. It aids in creating essential oils that can attract pollinators such as bees, hence why it can help your plant produce more buds!

All these macronutrients are important during the flowering stage for healthy growth and bigger yields, so don't forget to supplement with these nutrients if you want to see your plants flourish. Micronutrients are also crucial during the flowering stage, but they are not as vital to your plant's survival. Let's see some of the best autoflowering bloom micronutrients that can be used to get the best results:

• Iron (Fe) – only during the vegetative stage. It aids in creating chlorophyll and is a critical ingredient in photosynthesis.

• Zinc (Zn) - only during the vegetative stage. It helps with root growth and budding sites creation.

• Copper (Cu) – only during the vegetative stage. It is an essential enzyme in many plant processes and helps with budding sites creation.

• Boron (B) - mainly during the vegetative stage but can be used throughout the plant's life. It helps increase your plant's resistance to diseases, pests, and other harmful invaders. It also helps facilitate the production of auxins, which is plant growth hormone.

• Manganese (Mn) – only during the vegetative stage. It is involved in every cell within your plant's body, so it ensures healthy growth throughout your entire plant.

• Chlorine (Cl) - only during the vegetative stage. It helps with more extensive, stronger roots and leaf stems.

• Molybdenum (Mo) – only during the flowering stage. It is involved in nitrogen fixation in the plant's roots, which ensures that your plants get all their nitrogen from the supplies you're giving them.

• Nickel (Ni) – only during the flowering stage. It helps with better quality, larger buds!

Hydroponic micronutrients can still be beneficial to your plants for several different reasons.

For example, zinc sulfate is a widespread micronutrient that can strengthen your plants' cell walls and stalks while creating a more extensive root system. Zinc sulfate can also help with fruit and seed production, which is why it's a popular choice for fruit and vegetable growers.

Read about the Best Indoor Cannabis Seeds for 2022.

Don’t forget about pH!

An often overlooked piece of the growing formula is the pH of the soil or water. pH plays a major role in if your plants can absorb the nutrients you are feeding them.

If your pH is too high or too low, it will cause what is called “Nutrient lockout.” Nutrient lockout is exactly what it sounds like. The plant is locked out from having access to the nutrients.

Ideal pH for hydro and soil

• Hydroponic Growers: pH 5.9

• Soil Growers: pH 6.5

When your pH is dialed into the above numbers, your plants will have the maximum growth possible.

Tip: Invest in a high-quality digital pH meter. You will be using this tool on a daily basis so make sure you invest in a good meter.

Nutrient Burn

As mentioned above, too many nutrients do not mean healthier cannabis plants. Your nutrient solution must be in a perfect balance to prevent cannabis plants from having too much or too little nutrients. You can be using the best nutrients, organic nutrients, but it doesn’t do you any good if you don’t know what ratio of nutrients to use on your autoflowering cannabis plant.

My personal preference is using Jacks 3-2-1. What I love about this plant nutrients is that you can use the same formula from seedling all the way through flowering. You don’t have to worry about complicated nutrient schedules, which is awesome and makes the growing process much easier.

Take a look at our How to Mix Jacks 321 guide.

Jacks 3-2-1 works great for photoperiod plants, as well as autoflower plants.

You can find the link to Jacks nutrient solution below.

The Bottom Line

There are a lot of autoflowering bloom nutrients out there, but you want to make sure that you're using the best ones possible. When choosing the best autoflower bloom nutrients, you need to make sure that the nutrients as a whole (macronutrients and micronutrients) will provide your plants with everything they need to thrive and grow throughout the entire growing process. In this article, we've listed all the best autoflowering bloom nutrients and what they do for your plants, as well as why you need to use both macronutrients and micronutrients during each stage.

For growers just starting out, we have a great starters package that includes nutrients and cannabis seeds as well. You can find this amazing deal at this link.

Try out the nutrients below with our Super Autoflowering Cannabis seeds pack.

Here are some other top-notch cannabis nutrients:

• FoxFarm 3-Part Feeding

• Jack’s 321

• General Hydroponics

• Botanicare Nutrients

More nutrients don't always equate to a better yield and bigger buds, so make sure you're reading up on all your options before making your final decision.

Let us know what nutrients you use, and share your thoughts with us in our comments section below.

Happy growing!