I know cannabis growers swear by adding separate bloom boosters to their plants to get the most buds/flowers i.e. yields from their plants. What about us pepper growers? Anyone see any difference one way or another when adding a bloom booster (i.e. Bud Candy etc.)? I had heard that bloom boosters were not needed but the fertilizer industry makes them to meet the demand of those who insist on using them in they grow/gardens.
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Are Bloom Boosters Neccessary?
- Thread starter FiyaEater
- Start date
You may well get 100 different replies to your question, but my opinion is no, they're not necessary. At the end of the day, a "bloom booster" is simply fertilizer. If you feed your plant the appropriate fertilizer at the appropriate times of it's lifecycle and season cycles, you don't need anything else. A sprout has different needs than an adult plant in production, and there are times during the season when root or shoot growth is needed, and different mixes of fertilizer should be used at those different times. Bloom time is generally production time, so you need a good production fertilizer. Pepper plants tend to need more calcium and magnesium during production time, so as long as you have a fertilizer that has relatively high quantities of those your plants will be fine. Many of us use CalMag by botanicare during production, and I can tell you my plants love the stuff. I don't supplement it with anything that calls itself a bloom booster. However, I do know that some use other fertilizers in addition to the CalMag. It's up to you and your grow conditions.
I have never used them and most my plants have more blooms than they know what to do with...
Yup, agree 100%
The Growers that the op is describing are being fooled by marketing. If you learn to keep your soil alive and feed it, not your plants, you will see very good results, and can do so without spending a single cent. Plants are meant to live in symbiosis with the soil, Plants feed the soil sugars, and in return get natural sources of N-P-K-C and every thing else they need.
No "Big Bud, Bud Candy, or Cal-Mag" here!
It all depends on your growing medium. If you are growing in a depleted soil in a container you are going to need nutrients to help with growth no doubt about it. As for needing anything other the good "organic" 
sources of potassium, phosphorus, calcium, silica and magnesum during flowering ... no you don't need specialist budzilla or anything of the type. I use a high potassium, magnesium and trace element foliar spray during production season mixed with a type of compost tea (good micro biological organisms) and seaweed and a weak balanced fert with fulvic acid and kelp and good bacteria for the soil.
You can't get away without feeding your plants if you are growing in finite spaces (ie soil containers).
Cayenne mist is correct if growing in the ground over a few seasons.
sources of potassium, phosphorus, calcium, silica and magnesum during flowering ... no you don't need specialist budzilla or anything of the type. I use a high potassium, magnesium and trace element foliar spray during production season mixed with a type of compost tea (good micro biological organisms) and seaweed and a weak balanced fert with fulvic acid and kelp and good bacteria for the soil. You can't get away without feeding your plants if you are growing in finite spaces (ie soil containers).
Cayenne mist is correct if growing in the ground over a few seasons.
It all depends on your growing medium. If you are growing in a depleted soil in a container you are going to need nutrients to help with growth no doubt about it. As for needing anything other the good "organic"
You can't get away without feeding your plants if you are growing in finite spaces (ie soil containers).
Cayenne mist is correct if growing in the ground over a few seasons.
Seems to work well in my grow bags too. Just because soil is in a pot doesn't mean its going to get depleted. If you build your own soil with compost in it and supplement it often with tea, your soil will stay alive.
Some things you can use as a slow release system (i.e.more than 1 season):
- Mulch
- wood chips
- egg shells
- leaves and twiggs
- cones and seeds
- pine needles
Not to argue with you Trippa, just telling you what has worked for me.
wouldn't that make your soil acidity?
i added koolbloom 0-10-10 about 10 days ago into my dwc and my bonda ma jacques has exploded with buds and flowers. Now, that said, i have farted around with the flowers and there is absolutely no pollen. around the base of the plant a lot of buds have dropped. if i shake the plant, lots of buds just drop. also, in the same dwc is a yellow bhut and it has developed tiny little buds.
so, the bloom type products do work for increasing buds as that is exactly what i am experiencing but believe i would have to set up my humidifier to see if that improves pollen production.
i am not pro or against adding bloom type products. i just happen to have a jug and decided at the last minute to see how the plants would fair with a taste of koolbloom.
good luck, hope you get all the answers to your questions.
They haven't been necessary for me:
Last year, I had a great crop. This is what I used:
From sprouts until the second set of true leaves + 1 watering - Plain Tap (my Tap is basically neutral - 6.9 PH) water. Then, for the next 6 weeks, mostly Cal Mag (2-0-0), with a few waterings of general purpose fertilizer. After planting out in the garden, mostly left them alone in the good sandy soil with rain water, supplemented by waterings with well water. I did fertilize with all purpose miracle grow, but not a lot, maybe every 3 weeks or so.
Last year, I had a great crop. This is what I used:
From sprouts until the second set of true leaves + 1 watering - Plain Tap (my Tap is basically neutral - 6.9 PH) water. Then, for the next 6 weeks, mostly Cal Mag (2-0-0), with a few waterings of general purpose fertilizer. After planting out in the garden, mostly left them alone in the good sandy soil with rain water, supplemented by waterings with well water. I did fertilize with all purpose miracle grow, but not a lot, maybe every 3 weeks or so.
Yeah pine needles would increase acidity which is great for Chilli's as they enjoy acidic soils (actually most plants need acidic soils in order to be able to access the full range of nutrients available but when people say acid loving plants they mean well into the acidic spectrum ie 5.6-6.2pH )
What I said cayennemist came across wrong I meant if you have an outdoor in ground grow it is possible to replenish the soil by just adding some good blanced organic material once in a while and letting the soil do the work without adding anything on a regular basis (even compost teas etc). And letting the elements break things down and I know it can be done in good size containers (ie 18 litres plus)
I grow organic as well but don't have the room (read no more room allocated from my wife
) to make teas etc or even have a bukashi bucket system so I am restricted in both pot size and amendments I can add.
I add good organic nutrients and compost and pine bark etc but my plants will strip that soil within a season (read year as i grow year round) in my smaller containers without a doubt. I add good bugs (commercial worm tea and probiotics) and use non chlorinated water (read rested tap water) but without adding any additional organic nutes throughout the year my plants simply wouldn't survive because the roots have basically filled up the pots.
Bare in mind I grow on a covered balcony with no natural rain except when it is windy and wet so it is in some respects an indoor grow with the sun as the light.
I was just trying to say (in a very long winded passage) some people do need to feed plants additional nutrients in certain situations. I didn't take your statement as an argument .... I love talking the virtues of organics . ..
What I said cayennemist came across wrong I meant if you have an outdoor in ground grow it is possible to replenish the soil by just adding some good blanced organic material once in a while and letting the soil do the work without adding anything on a regular basis (even compost teas etc). And letting the elements break things down and I know it can be done in good size containers (ie 18 litres plus)
I grow organic as well but don't have the room (read no more room allocated from my wife
) to make teas etc or even have a bukashi bucket system so I am restricted in both pot size and amendments I can add. I add good organic nutrients and compost and pine bark etc but my plants will strip that soil within a season (read year as i grow year round) in my smaller containers without a doubt. I add good bugs (commercial worm tea and probiotics) and use non chlorinated water (read rested tap water) but without adding any additional organic nutes throughout the year my plants simply wouldn't survive because the roots have basically filled up the pots.
Bare in mind I grow on a covered balcony with no natural rain except when it is windy and wet so it is in some respects an indoor grow with the sun as the light.
I was just trying to say (in a very long winded passage) some people do need to feed plants additional nutrients in certain situations. I didn't take your statement as an argument .... I love talking the virtues of organics . ..
Thanks all for answering my question. Since we are on the subject of nutes I have a bottle of nutes called Flora Nova Grow that I was planning on using once my peppers have two sets of true leaves. What do yall think of this stuff?
Here is a link to the label:
http://generalhydroponics.com/site/gh/docs/prod_labels/floranova_grow.pdf
Here is a link to the label:
http://generalhydroponics.com/site/gh/docs/prod_labels/floranova_grow.pdf
Interesting..
Wish there was a stickied fertiliser thread.
Listing like so for example :
Phosphorus - good for flower growth - organic source =...
Nitrogen - good for blah blah - organic source =...
Every time I have tried to get my head around ferts, the search is pretty useless as you can imagine how many times 'nitrogen' is mentioned on here. Also 9 times out of ten, it just leads to hydroponic users which I can't relate to.
Wish there was a stickied fertiliser thread.
Listing like so for example :
Phosphorus - good for flower growth - organic source =...
Nitrogen - good for blah blah - organic source =...
Every time I have tried to get my head around ferts, the search is pretty useless as you can imagine how many times 'nitrogen' is mentioned on here. Also 9 times out of ten, it just leads to hydroponic users which I can't relate to.
These sorts of products are targeted at indoor hydro pot growers. Because of that they are marketed to play on paranoia and are massively overpriced. It's important to note that pot growers want gigantic flowers and buds to harvest and that is the main harvest, not the same with chilli peppers.
I don't think massive buds and flowers on chilli plants necessarily equals massive pods. But more bud sites equals more pods if the plant can handle it. If your ferts are unbalanced you might use a bud booster to get a mass of flowering but then they could all drop because the plant can't sustain them.
If you are growing in hydro you have to supply artificially everything that the plant needs. So tweaking the nutes at different times of the growth cycle is the name of the game. When copying a complex system... nature ....it is very easy to get it wrong.
There is no substitute for the great outdoors. I've had my best ever results with sheep manure and mushroom compost mixed into the soil, plus a bit of seaweed and worm tea.
edit: +1 this site needs a fertiliser sticky thread. It is one of the harder things to get your head around when first starting out growing.
I don't think massive buds and flowers on chilli plants necessarily equals massive pods. But more bud sites equals more pods if the plant can handle it. If your ferts are unbalanced you might use a bud booster to get a mass of flowering but then they could all drop because the plant can't sustain them.
If you are growing in hydro you have to supply artificially everything that the plant needs. So tweaking the nutes at different times of the growth cycle is the name of the game. When copying a complex system... nature ....it is very easy to get it wrong.
There is no substitute for the great outdoors. I've had my best ever results with sheep manure and mushroom compost mixed into the soil, plus a bit of seaweed and worm tea.
edit: +1 this site needs a fertiliser sticky thread. It is one of the harder things to get your head around when first starting out growing.
Yes but basic plant biology remains the same. You have said it yourself that too high of a ratio of N to P and K (and other nutes) is detrimental to fruit set so some form of potassium and phosphorus boosting may be needed in some circumstances.
I don't think commercial type gimmicks like "budzilla" or whatever other snake oil is marketed to "other" types of growers is necessary though that is for sure
Bloom Boosters aren't necessary.
Cannabis growers use Bloom Boosters because cannabis plants produce more during their flowering stage, the more phosphorus available during that time, the more trichomes are produced along with larger buds. Peppers don't need added Phosphorus, pepper buds only start from new growth (whereas cannabis starts producing buds when the lighting is changed to 12/12), which for peppers, nitrogen promotes , not phosphorus. Furthermore, Potassium is directly relate to the health of your plant it helps with converting sugars and starches into cellulose, creating stronger stems among many other beneficial processes . If you're looking for a great organic fertilizer, go with something with a high first number, low middle number, and something in the middle for the last number. These numbers stand for N-P-K, nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium. I prefer to go for numbers like 6-1.5-3, This ratio has given me the healthiest plants and best crop thus far( I also use dry fertilizer, it seems to last much longer(roots organic if you're interested)). You shouldn't have to change this ratio at all during the life of your plant. However, if you overwinter you will need to cut back on the amount you fertilize.
-Have a good planting season!
Cannabis growers use Bloom Boosters because cannabis plants produce more during their flowering stage, the more phosphorus available during that time, the more trichomes are produced along with larger buds. Peppers don't need added Phosphorus, pepper buds only start from new growth (whereas cannabis starts producing buds when the lighting is changed to 12/12), which for peppers, nitrogen promotes , not phosphorus. Furthermore, Potassium is directly relate to the health of your plant it helps with converting sugars and starches into cellulose, creating stronger stems among many other beneficial processes . If you're looking for a great organic fertilizer, go with something with a high first number, low middle number, and something in the middle for the last number. These numbers stand for N-P-K, nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium. I prefer to go for numbers like 6-1.5-3, This ratio has given me the healthiest plants and best crop thus far( I also use dry fertilizer, it seems to last much longer(roots organic if you're interested)). You shouldn't have to change this ratio at all during the life of your plant. However, if you overwinter you will need to cut back on the amount you fertilize.
-Have a good planting season!