Marijuana, just like any other crop, has nutritional requirements that vary depending upon the growth stage. For example – a small plant just shooting out of the seeds requires different nutrients from the one that’s growing rapidly and maturing, and these requirements drastically shift towards the need of macronutrients – nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium – during the flowering stage. But the question is, why? Why is there this sudden urge towards the increased requirement of phosphorus and potassium when marijuana plant starts flowering?

So, if you’re a grower and have been wondering, why do plants need potassium and phosphorus in flowering, then this guide holds all the answers.

Requirement For Phosphorus

It’s common knowledge that plants need sunlight for photosynthesis. But, it’s phosphorus that is needed to convert sunlight into energy in order to serve as a fuel for food production. In order words, when the plant starts flowering, it requires more nutrition. This increases the requirement of phosphorus manifolds. Some other reasons that flowering marijuana requires maximum phosphorus include the following.

• It is required for rapid cell division since it is a key component of the plant’s DNA.
• It is required for respiration as well as cell enlargement and both these processes trigger when the plant is flowering.

Requirement For Potassium

After phosphorus comes potassium. Marijuana plants require a high amount of potassium during the flowering stage. The reasons for this requirement are listed below.

• Also known as ‘Quality nutrient’, potassium regulates CO2 synthesis. And CO2 is the elemental component that’s required for photosynthesis.
• Once the plant produces food via the process of photosynthesis, it’s potassium that converts that food into ATP in order to release energy.
• It helps in the production of proteins that are needed for proper cell enlargement.

Besides, potassium is the vital component that’s needed to release growth hormones that helps the flowering plants to reach maturity.

That said, these nutrients, when deficient, affect the quality of marijuana crops.

Some of the most common phosphorus deficiency symptoms in marijuana include the following.

• The growth of the pants is stunted. They do not attain their normal height.
• The edges of the leaves become brownish-yellow and they start wilting.
• The leaves might look bleached or burnt.

Some of the most common potassium deficiency symptoms in marijuana include the following.

• The leaves and stem develop red patches.
• The leaves can look abnormally shiny as well.
• The leaves turn thicker and might turn greyish.

That said, it is necessary that you add phosphorus and potassium to cannabis crops while they start growing so that they face no deficiency when they reach the flowering stage.