most people seem to recommend that you don't "define" your feeding schedule before you begin it. You should really learn to comfortably identify deficiency symptoms of the plant, and base your feeding schedule accordingly. Think of it as a "living document." You know, like sometimes you eat 3 times a day, sometimes you need to eat more, sometimes less, sometimes you eat more red meat, then next week you want fish. Plants can kinda act like that. Needing specific nutrients at different times once they are used up from the soil. I have also noticed that many people, as you said, begin their feeding after the first transplant once they see 4-5+ nodes. As per Stinky's tutorial, you...

start in your seedling mix
reach 4-5 nodes
transplant
begin with a WEAK feeding.

Since it is your first time (I'm guessing?) I would recommend going even weaker than the recommended half strength, and building upon that. Many people, and companies, recommend that you feed with every OTHER watering. Some recommend EVERY watering. The choice is really yours, and by recognizing your plants signs of deficiency you can provide everything your plants need whether it's every watering, or once a week. Of course you want to maximize your yield by utilizing your nutrients at full strength, but in the first few go 'rounds you wan't to make sure they survive that long. So don't over-do it. Always best to ease into it, so in the future you know what to expect and can customize your own feeding schedule to fit your personal plants. Hope that helped summarize a bit.

Stay and Keep :jointsmile:

Edit: What Stinky said ^^^^^^^^^ :thumbsup:
TheMetal1 Reviewed by TheMetal1 on . when to feed full strength nutes hi peeps =) i was reading on stinky's grow guide that when the first set of 5-fingered leaves come in its now ready to feed half strength nutes. now my question is this : when you reach this point, when growing in soil how many times would you want to add fertilizer? once a week ? (i water like a couple times on average a week) and when is it time to switch to full strength? thanks! Rating: 5