For new growers, over-enthusiasm causes nutrient burn in weeds. The wrong notion of getting much by over-feeding the plants leads to this problem.
It takes enough knowledge for a weed grower to yield a large volume of healthy cannabis products from its area. Given so, there is a need to know, determine and prevent possible problems with nutrient burn weeds. With the rising number of growers experiencing this problem, information is necessary to help boost the yield of growers. This article serves as a guide on the Knows and Hows in the prevention and treatment of nutrient burn. For less experienced growers, this article may suit your needs.
What is a Nutrient Burn in Weeds?
To grow efficiently, plants need well-balanced nutrients. When the balance is disrupted, its growth is also affected. In the case of cannabis plants, nutrient burn in weeds manifests as disturbed vegetative growth which results in smaller yields and low quality of buds.
Otherwise known as “Cannabis Nute Burn”, the nutrient burn is caused by over-feeding of grown weeds. It is a type of stress for plants that are brought about by an abundance of certain nutrients. As it causes stress in the plants, it stunts its growth. As a result, growers will not be able to grow healthy and produce a significant volume of the grown weeds as anticipated.
Commonly, this is an issue for the inexperienced growers. However, experienced but over-enthusiastic growers that pump their plants with fertilizers in the hope of harvesting more encounter the same problem. Fortunately, the nutrient burn in weeds can be managed once it is detected at an early stage. Growers just simply need to follow the right steps of treatment. Subsequently, preventive measures must be done for a healthy and good harvest.
What are the common causes of nutrient burn in weeds?
In contrast with nutrient deficiency, nutrient burn in weeds occurs due to plant overfeeding. Among its causes are the following:
Overmixing nutrients than recommended
Over-mixing of necessary nutrients for your plant may cause damage across its stages. In the case of mixing more than the recommended nutrients, younger plants tend to struggle more. Please note that they are more fragile compared to the mature plants. Nevertheless, over-mixing nutrients may damage your plants at any stage of their growth.
It is recommended that growers must not mix fertilizers from different brands. Also, high concentration feeding should be avoided to prevent nutrient burn in your growing weeds.
Too much drying of the soil
When the plants consume the water from its medium, the available water content lowers while the fertilizer concentration rises. This lowering of water content is a regular occurrence in the absorption process. Considering this process, it is essential that the soil must not get too dry. Too much soil dryness will cause the EC (salt concentration) to spike and eventually burn the roots of the plants.
Overwatering
When growing weeds, always remember to water them in moderation. As much as too much dryness causes a nutrient burn in weeds, overwatering also causes the same problem. Weeds need a dry period. It is the time when they can access oxygen and function properly.
Too much use of bloom-boosters
Using bloom-boosters too often or in high concentrations may damage the growing weeds. As a weed grower, you must remember that bloom-boosters contain a high concentration of potassium and phosphorus. Excessive feeding of potassium and phosphorus may incur negative results to your plants at any point of their life cycle.
Excessive use of growth stimulants
Most weed growers would opt for fertilizers since this is one of the ways to boost growth and yield big volumes of the grown weeds. Unfortunately, too much use may produce a negative result. Due to excessive uptake of nutrients, it may result in dwarfism and nutrient burn.
What are the Signs of A Nutrient Burn?
Some of the early indications of nutrient burn in weeds are:
- You may notice very green, deep leaves.
- When leaf tips bend 90 degrees
- The branches and the stalk turns into purple, deep red or magenta
- When the sugar leaf and the calyx tips turn yellow and dieback
- Unlike the dieback of leaves during the flowering stage, the bud leaves of the weed remain to engorge while it becomes yellow and eventually dies back crisply and quickly
Further indications of nutrient burn include the following:
- Yellow, burnt tips of the leaves are visiblez
- Plants will have crispy, bronze and curled leaves
- Buds turn yellow and brown
What to do in case of a nutrient burn
In most cases, the nutrient burn may not be avoided by enthusiastic weed growers. But, if it is spotted at an early stage, remedies can be done to save the weeds. Here are some simple ways of treating nutrient burn in weeds.
Trim off the affected foliage and buds
Carefully remove all the damaged areas. This may include the calyxes and the sugar leaves. To be sure, you can remove the whole Florette because dead flowers and leaves will rot.
Instantly flush out the growing medium.
Do this using pH-balanced water. Thoroughly saturate the pots. Wait for fifteen (15) minutes then repeat the process. This will allow the excess water to run out of the pots. Make sure to measure the contents with an EC meter and adjust with fresh water.
As an assurance that the plants are appropriately flushed, measure the soil run-off through using a TDS meter. You can compare the result to the deployed concentrations to determine the number of available fertilizers in the growing medium.
Assess the nutrient regimen
Less is more with weeds. At times, a strategic nutrient boost is all that is needed to push the growth of your plants. Plain water and a good quality soil will do.
Remember that many people see great results in growing weed using little more than good-quality soil and water. Sometimes, just a strategic nutrient boost is all you need to push your plants a little bit further.
Help the roots of your plant
Any treatment with some product that helps maintain the health of the root zone is a big help for your plant. It can be a root tonic, humic and fulvic acids, nitrate, enzyme-based products, vitamins, and minerals are necessary to help gain back its strength. Amazingly, it helps breakdown the left-over fertilizers and improve the uptake as it promotes healthy root growth.
Slowly return to a regular feeding schedule
After the latter processes of saving the precious weeds, it is now time to re-introduce them to the feeding schedule slowly. In this process, it is recommended to use only ½ strength solutions at the start. Concentration may increase every two or three feeds.
Avoid creating a relapse. Execute the process slowly but surely. The plants may require a few days to ripen after a stressful period in flowering fully. Make sure to reduce the nutrient doses to avoid further damage in the growing cycle.
How can you prevent nutrient burn?
As it is said, preventive measures are better than cure. Develop good habits that decrease the chances of having nutrient burn in your grown weeds.
- In growing weeds, less is more.
Good soil, plain water, and great sunlight are all it takes to grow them properly. Use the correct nutrients appropriate for their stage of growth. Do not be lured by advertisements of extreme doses and various products to boost the growth of your weeds. In many cases, it will just lead to more significant problems.
- Be cautious.
Read the package instructions of your boosters. Do not hesitate to ask other growers for some tips for more knowledge. Also, make sure to measure the nutrients accordingly. You can use a measuring spoon or cup for accurate measurement. Build up your solutions gradually so the plants will get used to it and will have ample time to adapt to the introduced nutrients.
- Use an EC meter if available.
If you can use an EC meter, making notes is recommended along with its use. EC must be around 0, 8-1, 3 during vegetation and 1, 7 during the flowering stage.
Why is nutrient burn in weeds a big deal?
A little nute burn affecting your grown weeds is not a very big deal. But, if left untreated, it may result in losing serious leaf mass, stunted growth, and a little to no yield in worst cases. Given this, it is essential that you keep an eye to your plants, be comfortable with simple nutrient feeding and be articulate when you select bloom boosters.
In growing weeds, the technique is just the right combination of nutrients. A good dose of increasing knowledge, patience in measuring processes, and being articulate or concise on nutrient dosage is also a must. Do not be too extravagant with its needs. Simplicity will go a long way. Remember the simple rule in growing this plant, “Less is everything”.