Veg & Bloom Fertilisers

Stage feeding, made simple: feed Veg 4-4-4 while plants are growing, then switch to Bloom 2-8-4 once flowers appear. Most growers only need those two.

Stage feeding

The whole programme is two blends

Most growers only need two: Veg 4-4-4 while plants are growing, then Bloom 2-8-4 once flowers start. Stage feeding sounds technical, but the idea is simple: feed the plant high nitrogen while it's making leaves, then high phosphorus and potassium when it's making flowers and fruit. The result: healthier plants, bigger yields, deeper flavour. Every Dr Forest Veg & Bloom blend is a multi-input organic formulation, handcrafted in Stockport with more high-quality ingredients than any other blend we sell.

The two essentials: start here

  • Veg 4-4-4: balanced N, P and K for the vegetative stage. Builds strong leaves, sturdy stems and a solid root foundation.
  • Bloom 2-8-4: high phosphorus for flowering and fruit set. The single most popular blend in the range, and what most growers switch to as soon as flowers appear.

That's it. If you grow vegetables, fruit, herbs or flowers, those two blends will take you all the way from seedling to harvest.

What's in every blend

Every Veg & Bloom mix is built on a multi-input premium foundation: nineteen-plus high-quality ingredients in every bag. Across the range you'll find:

  • Fermented biochar: included at a generous rate. Permanent soil carbon, microbial habitat, and a long-term boost to nutrient and water retention.
  • Scottish seaweed: packed in at a heavy rate. Natural plant hormones, alginates, mannitol and a full suite of trace elements.
  • Humic acid: elevated dose for higher cation-exchange capacity, better nutrient holding and stronger root development.
  • Diastatic malted barley: a Dr Forest signature input. Natural enzymes feed soil fungi, helping to break down organic matter and release nutrients more evenly through the season.
  • Amino acids: ready-made protein building blocks the plant takes up directly during periods of high demand, saving the energy it would normally spend making them from scratch.
  • Nitrogen extract: a concentrated organic nitrogen source for steady, even leaf growth.
  • Rapeseed meal: slow-release nitrogen and amino acids.
  • Alfalfa meal: slow-release nitrogen plus naturally occurring triacontanol, a long-chain alcohol studied for its effects on vigour and yield.
  • Insect frass: chitin and slow-release nitrogen for plant resilience.
  • Micronised rock phosphate: slow-release phosphorus for root development, flowering and fruit set.
  • Calcined phosphorous meal: supplies additional slow-release phosphorus.
  • Sulphate of potash: chloride-free potassium for fruiting and flowering crops sensitive to chloride.
  • Kieserite: natural magnesium sulphate. Supplies plant-available magnesium and sulphur for chlorophyll production and protein synthesis.
  • Gypsum: a slow-release source of plant-available calcium and sulphur, in the form of natural calcium sulphate. Calcium supports cell wall strength and fruit quality (and helps prevent blossom-end rot), while gypsum also breaks down compacted clay for better drainage and aeration.
  • Volcanic rock dust: over 60 trace minerals slow-released into the root zone for long-term remineralisation.
  • EM-1 effective microorganisms: beneficial bacteria, yeasts and phototrophs that wake up the soil food web.
  • Clay minerals: boost cation-exchange capacity, water retention and microbial habitat in light or sandy soils.
  • Silica meal: strengthens cell walls and improves heat and drought resilience.
  • Herbal botanical mix: a blend of plant extracts that support resilience and root development.

Nineteen-plus inputs in a single bag. The result is a fertiliser built to feed the soil food web that supports the plant, made with organic ingredients.

Other Blooms

Three more Bloom blends for growers who want to fine-tune by stage. Most growers stick with Bloom 2-8-4. These are for when you want extra control.

  • Bloom 2-4-8: higher potassium for mid-flowering, fruit swell and flavour development. Ideal for chillies, peppers and tomatoes hitting their stride.
  • Bloom 2-8-10: elevated phosphorus and potassium for flower growers who want to push hard through bloom.
  • Late Bloom 0.2-6-12: almost no nitrogen and a heavy PK boost. Sends the plant's energy into ripening rather than late leaf growth.

Solution-grade boosters and supplements

Optional add-ons for fast corrections, mineral top-ups, or whole-season simplicity.

  • Veg Booster 5-5-5 (solution grade): fast-release feed for quick correction during vegetative growth.
  • Bloom Booster 2-10-5 (solution grade): fast-release flowering boost.
  • EM-1 fermented liquid Veg & Bloom Boosters: living, microbially active liquids that combine biology with nutrition.
  • Powdered Cal-Mag supplement: calcium, magnesium, boron and fulvic acid for stage feeding programmes that need a calcium top-up.
  • Premium "Dr Forest" Fertiliser: an all-in-one slow-release blend designed for living soil and no-dig setups, for growers who want one bag for the whole season.

How to use the range

Start with Veg 4-4-4 from seedling or transplant. Switch to Bloom 2-8-4 the moment you see flowers. For most plants, that's all you'll ever need. Reach for the other Blooms or boosters only if you want to push harder for late-stage flavour, ripening or peak yields. Application rates and frequencies are on each product page.

Working out how much to buy? Try the fertiliser calculator. For a full-season schedule, see the Dr Forest feeding programme.

Veg & Bloom: common questions

No. Most growers only ever buy two: Veg 4-4-4 and Bloom 2-8-4. The other Blooms and the boosters are optional fine-tuning for growers who want extra control or are pushing for maximum yield.
Start with Veg 4-4-4 to grow your plants up, and Bloom 2-8-4 to take them through flowering and fruiting. Those two are the whole programme for most home growers.
Multi-input formulation. The Veg & Bloom range is loaded with nineteen-plus premium ingredients, with generous rates of fermented biochar, cold-water seaweed and humic acid. The full ingredient list runs from diastatic malted barley, amino acids, nitrogen extract, alfalfa meal, rapeseed meal and insect frass through micronised rock phosphate, calcined phosphate meal, sulphate of potash, kieserite, gypsum and volcanic rock dust to EM-1, clay minerals, silica meal and a herbal botanical mix. It's a heavily loaded multi-input programme: a complete soil-and-plant feed in one bag.
Switch when you see the first flowers appearing. From that point, the plant's nutritional demand shifts from leaf-building (high N) to flower and fruit production (high P, then high K).
Yes. Every blend in this range works in pots, grow bags, raised beds, allotments and no-dig setups.
Veg 4-4-4 is the high nitrogen feed in the range, made for the growing stage when plants are putting on leaves and stems. Switch to a Bloom blend for the high phosphorus and potassium your plants need once flowering and fruiting start. For a single straight nutrient instead of a stage blend, see our individual fertilisers.