Osmocote Plus Plant Food: Discuss Its Use With Cannabis Here!

Munki

Munki

Well-Known Member
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October 2009
Hello everyone. There has been a fair amount of interest in this product lately so let's all discuss its use with growing Cannabis.

Here is the nutrient analysis of the Osmocote Plus made by Scotts.

Osmocote_Plus_Plant_Food_Nutrient_Analysis.png


So please share your experience with using this product. I've read some about it being used in hempy buckets with success.
 
It's simple. Use it and you lose ANY sort of control of the nutes in your medium.

We had just moved and I used some for a rush container veggy grow, because I hadn't located the organic stuff I wanted.

I recycle my soil, and 2 years later I am still finding un dissolved Osmocote in the old soil. Not much and I am just using it for veggy's, but it's still there.

I have used it with good success on long term bedding plants and long term houseplants and the like. Just apply it and forget it and let the wife water when she wants.

I will never use it for any sort of crop again.

DD
 
Well, I've used this product in both soil and pure perlite hempy buckets. The results were fantastic in both mediums, but it is my opinion that it works better in soil, based on taste and smell.

As far as yield goes, the hempy buckets had significantly greater yield.

HOwever, these results may simply be the result of the differences between growing in soil vs perlite.

The bottom line on OC+ is that for me, plants grown with OC+ were larger and more healthy than plants grown with Advanced NUtrients Connuiseur products and additives.

OF course, the price difference can't really be compared, with OC+ being able to grow over a hundred plants to maturity for less than 20 bucks!

The nitrogen in OC+ is higher than our current traditions about growing dictate, but I question the wisdom of low nitrogen. Keeping the plants green does not decrease yield in any way.....healthy leaves=bigger buds.

Over feeding nitrogen is a bad thing, but this product will not burn your plants or overfeed them in any way, so the objections some raise about nitrogen are unfounded, IMO.

Everyone that has tried it seems to like it.

As far as I know, I'm the first person on the web to journal its use in growing.....I ran my ideas by legendary grower Uncle Ben, who said, "Looks great to me!" Those who know Uncle Ben realize that he says what he means and means what he says.
 
I was using it on three LR2's with great results until they turned out male.

I have two other plants in the tent now with OC+, and they are doing very well.

As far as having not having control over your nutes goes, that holds true for "slow-release" type ferts that can be somewhat unpredictable, but OC+ is a high-tech "controlled-release" fert, that theoretically should not require any control or adjustments.

Those three LR2 males were some of the nicest plants I've grown. It's a shame I wasn't able to finish them. They were large and healthy.

I have enough trust in this product that I'm going to continue to use it until I get a good idea of how it performs, and if it performs well, I will use it (or a similar CRF) exclusively.

On the nitrogen issue, I think we work within a range. Between not enough (poor growth) and too much (nute burn), there's a range where at the upper limits the plants won't have nute burn, but bloom will be delayed or inhibited.

This is what we need to find out, because if OC+ is at the upper end of that range of N, where plants are still healthy but bloom is affected to some degree, there are other CRF formulations with less N that would fit the bill.

If you like to re-use your medium, then you have to take into consideration that some of the CRF fert may still be active and try to adjust accordingly. Also, you'd want to flush your used media thoroughly before using it again because the OC+ will continue to release in moist media and could build up levels over time that would burn young seedlings if you didn't flush it first.
 
Found an interesting article concerning hemp, THC levels in leaves, and nitrogen levels supplied.

Effect of nitrogen on tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content

The takeaway from the article is that higher N levels increase biomass and reduce THC; both positive outcomes when growing Cannabis for its stems (hemp). However, this is not so good when growing drug type Cannabis. I can also imagine an issue if the N is time released to still be high in flower. My belief is that higher N levels attained accidentally on my last grow caused my plants to become very leafy with no solidly formed buds. May be good for hash and cooking, but not very good for smoking.
 
Munki, I'm using OC+ in hempys for a first grow. I'm still on the fence about it. I haven't really used the high priced nutes enough to compare... but the OC+ is easy... and I'm subscribed. Thanks

:peace:
 
HorseBadortiz said:
Munki, I'm using OC+ in hempys for a first grow. I'm still on the fence about it. I haven't really used the high priced nutes enough to compare... but the OC+ is easy... and I'm subscribed. Thanks

:peace:
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Great and thanks for your input. The old wisdom was to avoid the controlled release fertilizers, but if this can be used at an acceptable level, its low price and high availability in regular stores make it very worthy of consideration.
 
Munki said:
Found an interesting article concerning hemp, THC levels in leaves, and nitrogen levels supplied.

Effect of nitrogen on tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content

The takeaway from the article is that higher N levels increase biomass and reduce THC; both positive outcomes when growing Cannabis for its stems (hemp). However, this is not so good when growing drug type Cannabis. I can also imagine an issue if the N is time released to still be high in flower. My belief is that higher N levels attained accidentally on my last grow caused my plants to become very leafy with no solidly formed buds. May be good for hash and cooking, but not very good for smoking.
Click to expand...

Interesting paper. It appears that the optimum amount of N is 150 mg per kg of soil, or less. I still think some nitrogen is needed for healthy plants, the idea is to find the optimum amount of N. They didn't go into enough detail on their study. A little more work and they could have found optimum N. Dang it.
 
Magnificient said:
Interesting paper. It appears that the optimum amount of N is 150 mg per kg of soil, or less. I still think some nitrogen is needed for healthy plants, the idea is to find the optimum amount of N. They didn't go into enough detail on their study. A little more work and they could have found optimum N. Dang it.
Click to expand...

They have a different goal with Cannabis. With hemp production, you want males instead of females and are trying to inhibit resin production. It interferes with hemp production.

More N during veg and less during flower is probably the best case for drug type Cannabis production.
 
Well, I've been following Doc's progress with both Hempy and the OC+ nutes. I decided to start my next batch on 12/12 since they were about 2 weeks old and have been given nothing but OC+, water and a little cal mag due to curly leaves. These plants are off to the best start I have ever seen. Wonderful deep dark green leaves, pistils everywhere and cola's are starting to form like I have only seen in the very late stages of my first few batches.

While I have no scientific data, I can tell you thee plants are much more robust and more well-developed than any of my previous tries using AN Grow and Bloom and a ton of addins ( Well over $ 300.00 worth of stuff to grow plants) just to never get anything like I have going now.

Thanks for starting the thread, shall be interesting to see some of the nay-sayers' responses...lol
 
I can tell you for certain that there is not too miuch N in OC+ for our beloved plants.

If you check my latest journal, you'll see plants started on 12/12 from seed, grown is small, 1/2 gallon pots, with OC+ as the nutes.

Look at the cola pics and determine of the buds are large enough....or not.

Too much N will cause problems in plants of all types. Here's a great website that talks about the synergistic/antagonistic relationships of NPK and micro's.
https://www.totalgro.com/concepts.htm

If people still want to believe in the pot forum mythology about lowering nitrogen in bloom, they should use the lightest dose of OC+ they can, and then supplement with something like AN Hammerhead, which is all P and K with magnesium. That way, they can get the ratios to a level that appeases their fears.

As for me, I'm going to grow plants using science and world-wide accepted fertilizers and so forth.

Again, the level of nitrogen in OC+ is perfectly within range for flowering cannabis! But Scott's isn't in the business of trying to sell umpteen products and grossly inflated prices to people who have little to none in the way of education when it comes to gardening.

The people I know who know what they're doing like to keep their plants green, because they like potency and high yields. They aren't into overfeeding, burning of starving their plants.....neither am I.
 
Thanks for sharing that, Oldmxer. I feel that often times a couple of growers will have a bad experience with an emerging product then share that bad experience on the net. Soon enough, many others repeat this like it is fact creating the idea that this premature conclusion is a foregone fact.

Let us know how the crop turns out and if the buds are tasty! :yummy:
 
Munki said:
Thanks for sharing that, Oldmxer. I feel that often times a couple of growers will have a bad experience with an emerging product then share that bad experience on the net. Soon enough, many others repeat this like it is fact creating the idea that this premature conclusion is a foregone fact.

Let us know how the crop turns out and if the buds are tasty! :yummy:
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Well, the Hydro industry has a lot to lose if more folks catch on to this simple approach. Even my wife has "adopted" one of our babies...Ya know what they say about Momma being happy !??

:thanks:
 
Oldmxer said:
Well, the Hydro industry has a lot to lose if more folks catch on to this simple approach. Even my wife has "adopted" one of our babies...Ya know what they say about Momma being happy !??

:thanks:
Click to expand...

I dunno....if a company came out with a product that worked well and was reasonable in price I think they'd do better, not worse.

As growing becomes more popular it's only a matter of time before the nutrient rip off is exposed.

I tell ya what....anyone who wants to learn about container gardening should google "Tapla gardening"
 
Is it okay to start asking questions? :hmmmm:

One of my girls is having a few issues, so I was wondering what ph people were using when running in hempy/hydro and OC+ ?
 
HermitCrab said:
Is it okay to start asking questions? :hmmmm:

One of my girls is having a few issues, so I was wondering what ph people were using when running in hempy/hydro and OC+ ?
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High HermitCrab. :grinjoint:

Some say that because some of the stuff in the OC+ is chelated, pH is not an issue. I think it has been an issue in my grow. Whenever I give them a big slug of 5.8, things look better in a couple of hours. I'm going to stay there until I see I need to do differently.

:peace:
 
HermitCrab said:
Is it okay to start asking questions? :hmmmm:

One of my girls is having a few issues, so I was wondering what ph people were using when running in hempy/hydro and OC+ ?
Click to expand...

I don't think you should use OC+ in hydro---meaning you have a reservoir of water/nutrient, pumps and an inert medium like hydroton, rockwool, etc. The product isn't designed for that.

In hempy, (perlite) I pH'd my water down to 6is....meaning anywhere from 5.7 to 6.3. Anything in that range and I was good to go.

However, your water might be different than mine, so you may or may not need to pH differently.

Here's the deal on pH....and this is not just my opinion, these are the facts...pH isn't the important thing.

Here's what a leading university has to say on the matter:
Floriculture: Fact Sheets: Greenhouse Management: Water Quality: pH and Alkalinity

Yes, you read that, pH isn't the important thing people say it is. What is important is Total Alkalinity. If the total alkalinity of your water supply is high....even if you adjust the pH down to an acceptable range, your medium's pH will still rise due to the build up of bicarbonates. This will lead to deficiencies and all sorts of problems.

Flushing will make it worse....more highly alkaline water=more accumulation of bicarbonates=increased pH of medium.

If you're growing in soil---a good quality soil----you shouldn't worry about pH. The soil acts as a buffer.

Hempy is a bit different.....there's no buffer in the medium, so the pH is more important. That's why many commercial and professional fertilizers use chelated nutrients, which make them readily available to the plant at a wide range of pH.

So...what's a grower to do?

1.)test the total alkalinity of your water.
2.)If it's within range: 30-60 ppm of Calcium (not total ppm) adjust pH down to 6ish and grow some plants.
3.)If it's out of range, dilute tap water with RO until it's within range and then adjust pH and start growing.

There are two other factors to consider:

1.)moderately alkaline water can be a good thing....it's a source of Ca and Mg which our plants love
2.)Use of phosphoric acid as a pH down increases available phosphorus to the plants. This means if you have an emotional attachment to high PK "bloom" nutes you have a good chance of creating problems with your plants, because high levels of phosphorus make zinc, iron and copper unavailable to the plants.
3.)Use of nitric acid as a pH down will increase nitrogen, which can cause other problems as well.

Test the total alkalinity of your water. If it's high.....your best bet is to dilute it with RO.

If you're in soil, and the TA is within spec....don't bother with pH....it's pointless and will only complicate the NPK mix your plants feed on.
 
DocBud said:
So...what's a grower to do?

1.)test the total alkalinity of your water.
2.)If it's within range: 30-60 ppm of Calcium (not total ppm) adjust pH down to 6ish and grow some plants.
3.)If it's out of range, dilute tap water with RO until it's within range and then adjust pH and start growing.
Click to expand...

Okay, my SearchFu is weak today. How do I test for total alkalinity?
 
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