yellowing leaves and red stems

[heubacca]

hey my girls have had stems turning red for some time now, never seemed to effect anything. but now leaves are turning yellow and on my whit widow the top leaves have some holes....chacked for pests, didnt see anything, seemed to happen over night....im about three to four weeks into flowering...any sugesstions? this is my first grow

[silent leprechaun]

I would guess that you are having issues with N/P/K levels. (Nitrogen/Phosphorous/Potassium)

Are you fertilising much ? What are the N/P/K levels in your fertiliser ? Where on the plants are the leaves turning yellow ? On the bottom ?

If the lower leaves are yellowing and it is moving up the plant you might have a nitrogen deficiency, add some ferts high in nitrogen.

If you have a phosphorous problem your bottom leaves will also yellow and die, however, the small leaves will be a dark green. Growth will be stunted and slow. Add more P to feeding.

A potassium deficiency will show up as yellowing leaves on the bottom but it will also have spots on the leaves. Add more K to feeding.

So, if you are sure you arent over fertilising then use the above remedies.

However, you mentioned that some of the leaves were browning. this could be a sign of over fertilising.

If this is the case you need to flush the soil with water. If you can then check the PH of the soil in case it is too acidic as this will lock out nutrients to the plant. This then can look like a

deficiency but adding more fertiliser can simply do more damage.

So I'll leave it with you on what you wish to do, add more fertiliser or flush the pots thoroughly with distilled water to try to wash out the abundance of fertiliser, if you think its there.

Take Care

S.L.

[d0ct0r]

Hi, im on my second grow but first try with white widow and am having the same problem. I am two weeks and one day into flowering. Yellowing started at the bottom inner and is working upwards inner and have also got the stem colours. A growery diagnostic website led me to a lack of nitrogen so i upped the feed. Plant magic (organic) Bloom N-P-K 3-5-4. 2 to 5 ml per litre of water. I was feeding at 2ml per litre of water with bio silicon and root stimulant also at lowest dilution. I upped the feed to 4ml per litre and kept additives the same. A few days later (today) she is a lot worse and has developed other problems which i hope to upload photos to this post but are localised in the same places. Ive always been worried about the PH as i dont quite trust the hydro shop im buying from so a test kit.
Long story short... Tap water PH 8 Tap water filtered and left to stand for 24hrs (chlorine evaporation) PH 7.5 Flower Solution PH 6.5 Run off PH 6.5 - 7.0 (These are my best judgements from the PH test kit Colour chart) My soil is Gold Label Special Mix Substrates which my best guess is near 7.5. The hydro shop said enough nutrients for 2-6 weeks dependant on pot size just water until plant begins to yellow (which means PH 7.5-8.0) Into flower and first week looked very good except some temperature issues(now resolved) and a progressive worsening to today. Im worried its nutrient lockout as 6 weeks PH 7.5-8.0 down to 6.5 and different climate sounds like one big shock. Good news is shes definately female :thumbsup: and flowers so far look fantastic. Propogation so far so good took 4 from the lowest part with a tiny flower and am hoping they start to veg again.
d0ct0r

[d0ct0r]

Somebody on this website must have an answer. Ive done all checks down to PH of soil, ive flushed, ive upped the feed to max ive tried everything to stop this yellowing and red stems... Nothing is working and it just seems to be getting worse. Im 25 days into flower and pretty soon there will be no fan leaves left on this plant. White Widow. please help if you can

[d0ct0r]

Im using Bloom N-P-K 3-5-4. Should i switch to veg feed N-P-K 5-3-3? More Nitrogen less phosphorous?

[Weezard]

No!

Excess nitrogen will inhibit flowering at this point.

Gotta decide what's important here.
Pretty, green leaf, or active ingredients.

It is normal for a maturing plant to raid the fan leaves to make flowers.
The big fans have 2 jobs.
They support the vertical growth of their node.
And they store energy.

When vertical growth has ceased, and flowers start to swell the plants energy needs triple.
The plant no longer needs vertical growth energy then.
If the root ball is marginal, the plant will use that stored fan-leaf energy to flower, and the fans will yellow, form an abscission layer and drop to the ground.
It's a natural process. and you need not be alarmed.

You can keep them prettier, longer, if you transplant to a larger pot when you put them in flower.
And yes they do grow beaucoup roots in the first weeks of flowering, I have watched it in my dwc grows.

The good news?
Your plants are "trimming" their own buds for you and your harvest work is half done. :D

Aloha,
Weezard

[d0ct0r]

I am still learning and again this is only my second grow so please dont think im arguing against your advice as it all makes perfect sense. After reading silent leprechaun's reply i thought i was having N-P-K ratio problems. I had another x amount of views with no reply so after some research ie yellowing from bottom upwards, i phoned my hydro shop and was advised that i could give 5-3-3 to up the Nitrogen. I understand the plant uses its stored energy and leaves start to yellow and why but i didnt expect it so soon into flower. Flowering period should be 8-9 weeks and im at 25 days. My first grow looked like my current white widow 7 weeks into flower after a big flush and nothing but water till harvest to force her to use all nutrients available in soil, stems and leaves for a smoother smoke ie no black ash/harshness (this is my understanding of the final flush).
She has stopped vertical growth and is starting to swell so i guess my questions are as follows... although i cant see any roots is there a chance that shes pot bound given the yellowing is so early? If she is pot bound and ALL leaves turn yellow and fall off is she prematurely ready for harvest? Should i monitor trichome colours now? Should i ignore colours etc and wait the recomended 8-9 weeks regardless?
Thankyou for the reply and would appreciate any comments or thoughts people may have on this matter
d0ct0r

[Weezard]

I am still learning and again this is only my second grow so please dont think im arguing against your advice as it all makes perfect sense. After reading silent leprechaun's reply i thought i was having N-P-K ratio problems. I had another x amount of views with no reply so after some research ie yellowing from bottom upwards, i phoned my hydro shop and was advised that i could give 5-3-3 to up the Nitrogen. I understand the plant uses its stored energy and leaves start to yellow and why but i didnt expect it so soon into flower. Flowering period should be 8-9 weeks and im at 25 days. My first grow looked like my current white widow 7 weeks into flower after a big flush and nothing but water till harvest to force her to use all nutrients available in soil, stems and leaves for a smoother smoke ie no black ash/harshness (this is my understanding of the final flush).
She has stopped vertical growth and is starting to swell so i guess my questions are as follows... although i cant see any roots is there a chance that shes pot bound given the yellowing is so early?

That's one possibility.
Soil pathogens, molds, slimes, nematodes, root aphids, PH, suffocation, etc are others.

If she is pot bound and ALL leaves turn yellow and fall off is she prematurely ready for harvest?

Nope, they use the bud leaf to build flowers.
I have one with all the fans gone and she's mostly cloudy.
Won't be ready for another 2 weeks or so.

Should i monitor trichome colours now? Should i ignore colours etc and wait the recomended 8-9 weeks regardless?
Thankyou for the reply and would appreciate any comments or thoughts people may have on this matter
d0ct0r

Yes always watch the trichomes.

Even IBLs will will occasionally turn up phenotypes that have the strain characteristics of either parent and/or grandparent.
And F1s have at least 4 main phenotypes by their nature.
So, use the stated harvest time figure as a general guide.
It's a good bet that your mileage will vary. :)


"i phoned my hydro shop and was advised that i could give 5-3-3 to up the Nitrogen."

Yes you could. But it would be a bad idea.
Look up "excess nitrogen, in flower".
Hydro store solutions usually have you buying something, yah?

Your leaves do look like low nitrogen, and also like "Iron deficiency anemia".
And the necrosis would seem to indicate several different deficiencies.
Don't chase geese :)

Keep in mind, that actual deficiencies are fairly rare.
It's more common that the plant simply can not make use of a particular element for any of several reason.
The most common is out-of-range PH.

Your symptoms seem to indicate an uptake problem.
Since your PH is stable, they might indeed have enough root room.
(PH usually varies widely with root bound plants.)

Show us a picture of the new growth and we'll try to see if deficiencies are still indicated.
Meanwhile, I know that you are itching to do something.

So, I suggest that you ad some calmag, or Blackstrap molasses to your next watering.
Is that the fix?
Perhaps not, but it is a good idea in flower, and will do no harm.

Adding nitrogen to a flowering plant will inhibit flowering.
If the plant does take it in, the leaves will turn dark green, krinkle up, and the pistils will be stunted.

Bottom line.

I could be wrong, (it happens), but I will not offer advice that could hose your plants.
No profit in that, for me. :D

Aloha, grow on.

Weezard