Botanicare Feeding Schedule for Cannabis

What the Botanicare schedule is

Botanicare publishes feed charts for several product lines, the two most common in cannabis growing being CNS17 (a concentrated three-part: Grow, Bloom, Ripe) and Pure Blend Pro (a more organic-leaning two-part: Grow and Bloom) ^[1]. The charts list weekly dosing in milliliters per gallon for each stage — propagation, vegetative growth, transition, early flower, peak flower, and ripening — along with optional supplements like Cal-Mag Plus, Liquid Karma, Hydroplex, and Sweet ^[1][2].

The schedules are designed to be medium-agnostic (soil, coco, hydro, ebb and flow), which is convenient but means the printed numbers are a compromise. Cannabis-specific tuning is almost always required.

Why growers use it

Botanicare nutrients have a long track record in North American grow shops going back to the 1990s ^[2]. Growers pick them for a few practical reasons:

• Forgiving chemistry. Pure Blend Pro in particular contains humates, fish, and kelp derivatives, which buffer mistakes better than pure mineral salts ^[1].
• Simple lineups. Two- and three-part systems are easier to manage than 8-bottle programs.
• Cost per gallon. CNS17 is concentrated and tends to be cheaper per finished gallon than premium boutique lines.
• Wide availability. Stocked in most US hydro shops.

What Botanicare is not is magic. Claims that any specific nutrient line produces bigger yields than another are largely marketing No data. Yield is driven mostly by light, genetics, environment, and grower skill; nutrients mainly determine whether the plant can express that potential without deficiency or toxicity.

When to start feeding

Seedlings and fresh clones do not need full nutrients. Their cotyledons and stored reserves carry them through the first 7–14 days.

• Seedlings: start light feeding (¼ strength of the veg schedule) when the first set of true serrated leaves is fully open, usually 10–14 days from germination.
• Clones: begin light feeding once roots are visible and the cutting shows new growth, typically 7–10 days after transplant.
• Coco coir: because coco has effectively no nutrient holding capacity of its own and needs calcium and magnesium to buffer it, you may need to start a dilute Cal-Mag feed earlier than the chart suggests ^[3].

Stop nutrients 7–14 days before harvest and run plain pH-adjusted water ("flushing"). Whether flushing meaningfully improves smoke quality is disputed — controlled trials are scarce, and a 2021 RxR/Rx Green Technologies trial found no sensory difference between flushed and unflushed cannabis ^[4] Disputed.

How to run the schedule, step by step

1. Test your source water first. Measure starting EC and pH. If your tap water is above ~0.4 EC (200 ppm @ 500 scale), account for that in your target feed strength, or use RO.
2. Start at 50% of label strength. The Botanicare chart's full-strength columns are aggressive for cannabis in coco or hydro. Begin at half, then climb only if the plant asks for more (pale new growth, slow vigor) Anecdote.
3. Mix in order. Fill your reservoir, add Cal-Mag first (especially with RO water), then base nutrients (Grow or Bloom), then supplements. Stir between each.
4. Check EC. Typical targets for cannabis: seedlings 0.4–0.8 EC, veg 1.2–1.6 EC, flower 1.6–2.2 EC. These are general ranges, not Botanicare-specific ^[5].
5. Adjust pH last. Target 5.8–6.2 for hydro/coco, 6.2–6.8 for soil ^[5].
6. Feed and read runoff. In coco, feed to 10–20% runoff and compare runoff EC to input EC. Rising runoff EC means salt buildup — dilute or plain-water the next feed.
7. Transition at week 3 of flower. Drop Grow, increase Bloom, and (if using CNS17) introduce Ripe in mid-to-late flower per the chart, again at reduced strength.
8. Taper at the end. Final 1–2 weeks: plain water or very dilute Bloom only.

Keep a log. Date, EC in, pH in, runoff EC, runoff pH, what you observed. This single habit will teach you more than any chart.

Common mistakes

• Following the chart at 100% with no meter. The most common cause of nutrient burn with Botanicare. The chart assumes ideal conditions and zero-EC starting water.
• Skipping Cal-Mag in coco or with RO. Coco preferentially binds calcium and magnesium, causing rust spots and interveinal yellowing within weeks ^[3].
• Stacking every supplement. Liquid Karma + Hydroplex + Sweet + Cal-Mag all at once pushes EC into toxic territory fast. Pick the supplements you actually need.
• Chasing pH after adding nutrients with bad order of operations. Cal-Mag added after pH-down can swing pH back up. Always pH last.
• Ignoring runoff. Input EC tells you what you fed; runoff EC tells you what the plant actually used and what's accumulating.
• Trusting the "Sweet" supplement to change terpenes. Carbohydrate supplements marketed as flavor enhancers have no controlled evidence of changing finished cannabis aroma or potency No data.

Related techniques and alternatives

If you outgrow the Botanicare line or want to compare, the most common adjacent approaches are:

• General Hydroponics Flora trio — similar three-part mineral system, also widely used.
• Jacks 321 — a dry salt program that is cheaper and more precise, but less forgiving.
• Living soil / no-till — replaces bottled feeding with amended soil and top-dressing.
• Coco-specific lines (Canna Coco A+B, House & Garden Cocos) — formulated specifically for coco's chemistry.

Whichever you choose, the underlying skills — measuring EC, managing pH, reading the plant, logging your inputs — matter more than the bottle on the shelf.

Sources

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