Cannabis Nutrient Schedule for Autoflowers
Autoflowers run a short clock: most finish 70 to 90 days from seed, and they start flowering on their own around day 21 to 30. That compresses the feed plan. Start nutrients in week 2 at about 25 percent of the label rate, move to half strength by week 3, switch to a bloom ratio when pistils appear, and stop feeding 7 to 10 days before harvest. Feed every other watering, keep soil pH between 6.0 and 6.5, and let the plant tell you when to push harder.
Prerequisites
- Fabric or air pot, 3 to 5 gallons, with drainage
- Light, airy soil mix, not a hot amended blend
- Two-part base nutrient (grow and bloom), plus calmag if using filtered or reverse-osmosis water
- pH pen and a way to read runoff (EC or PPM meter)
- Syringe or measuring cup marked in milliliters
Step-by-Step Feeding Schedule
- Water the seedling with plain pH-adjusted water for the first 10 to 14 days. The seed's stored energy and the soil charge cover this window.
- Wait for the third or fourth true leaf pair, then mix the first feed at 25 percent strength using the grow component only.
- Water with feed, then plain water, alternating for the rest of the grow. In soil, that means roughly every 2 to 3 days in mid-flower.
- Raise to 50 percent strength in week 3 if leaf tips stay green and flat. Back off if tips brown or curl.
- Check daily for pre-flowers from day 21. Two white pistils at a node mean the plant has entered flower.
- Switch to the bloom component at that first pistil. Keep a small amount of grow in the mix, about 25 percent of the bloom dose, for the first two weeks of flower.
- Hold the bloom rate through weeks 5 to 8, adding a bloom booster only if the plant shows no tip burn at the current dose.
- Stop all nutrients 7 to 10 days before the harvest date and water plain, pH-corrected water.
What Each Stage Looks Like
Weeks 1 to 2: no feed, just water. Weeks 3 to 4: grow formula at 25 to 50 percent, once or twice total. Weeks 5 to 7: bloom formula at 50 to 75 percent, the heaviest feeding window. Weeks 8 to 10: same bloom rate, then a plain-water flush. Autoflowers do not need a long veg feed. Pushing nitrogen past week 5 delays flower set and stretches the plant.
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Signs You Are Overfeeding
- Brown, crisp tips on upper fan leaves
- Dark waxy green leaves that claw downward
- White salt crust on the top of the soil
- Runoff PPM climbing above 1200 in soil
- Leaf tips burning within 24 hours of a feed
When two or more of those show up, skip the next feed and run plain water until runoff. Resume at the previous dose, not the one that caused the burn.
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Runoff and pH Checks
Check runoff pH once a week. Below 5.8 in soil locks out phosphorus and magnesium; above 6.8 locks out iron and manganese. Adjust the input water to 6.2 to 6.5 and recheck at the next watering. Keep notes on dose, date, and plant response. A written log turns a generic schedule into a schedule that fits your tent.