Master Grower Tips for Vigorous Vegetative Growth
Extract from the House & Garden Growers Journal:
As your seedlings or cuttings develop, their root mass expands and lateral roots grow thin root hairs to more efficiently uptake nutriment and water from the substrate. Your plant is currently in a vegetative state of growth as the roots, a stem and leaves progress.
For photoperiodic plants that depend on the light/dark cycle to determine their growth stages, they can usually be kept in a vegetative state as long as they receive a minimum of 16 hours light per day.
A healthy, happy green vegetative plant will always yield the most delicious fruits or flowers. To achieve the best results with your vegetative crops, always ensure to follow our 5 helpful tips for vigorous results:
- Environmental Control:
Maintain a healthy airflow throughout the growroom, this prevents stratification of air surrounding the leaves, ensures adequate CO2 and encourages stronger stems through the production of lignin and cellulose. Keep a slightly higher humidity during the vegetative period; between 60-70% is generally ideal for lush green growth.
- Nitrogen Power!
The plant uses high levels of Nitrogen during vegetative growth but lower levels are required during the seedling, clone and flowering stages. N is mainly responsible for leaf and stem growth and is most active in young buds, shoots and leaves. Being mobile within the plant, N deficiencies are easily remedied with a foliar application of Nitrogen N27% or Magic Green.
- Love the blues
For indoor horticulturalists: The spectral quality and quantity of your grow lighting is essential. Using lamps that emit a higher ratio of blue/white light encourages shorter internodal spacing, stronger cell development and thicker stems. Traditionally some growers use Metal Halide globes during the vegetative state for stockier plants but we suggest adding 315w LEC luminaires. These lamps have an incredibly high colour-rendering index; ensuring powerful vegetative growth and increased essential oil and resin production in flower.
- Nature makes the best flowers
The H&G Range has incorporated a number of organic compounds into our feeding regime. These organic biostimulants encourage much faster plant development through a range of natural biological processes. They gently interact with the roots, the substrate, the mycorrhizae and beneficial bacteria and this stimulates a more efficient uptake of nutrients. Enzymes help to break down dead root matter and convert unusable compounds into more absorbable forms. Sea Kelp also provides a whole assortment of delicious trace elements and even aids as a stress reliever, while feeding and encouraging beneficial bacteria development!
- Keep your pH in check!
The pH (The acidity or alkalinity of an aqueous solution) affects the uptake of certain nutrients and should be carefully monitored in both hydroponic and soil cultivation. The influence of hydrogen ions (H+) affects the capacity of positively or negatively charged ions within the soil, water or growing medium. Our range of nutrients is pH stable, which ensures they will adjust the pH when added to water at the correct ratios. However as plants grow they use certain compounds and the root exudates and mucilage influences the ratios within the water. It’s always worth checking the pH of your reservoir and runoff with an accurately calibrated pH pen. Also note that not all tap water is created equal.
During the vegetative state your plants leaf and stem development is powerful and exciting. They will thrive if given the right conditions and grow into a beautiful fruiting crop. For best results always ensure to follow our recommended feed charts and don’t overwater!