How to Read your Plants?

irieie said:

the plant is a bit too hot. there is also a very slight nute burn at the tips.

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bingo, moisture stress, but it is slight and burn on only the tip indicates grower has learned the peak feeding regimen and properly backed off, there is no indication that the lights are too close so just a minor temp/humidity issue

riddleme said:

bingo, moisture stress, but it is slight and burn on only the tip indicates grower has learned the peak feeding regimen and properly backed off, there is no indication that the lights are too close so just a minor temp/humidity issue

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i would not say there is a problem. but if you wanted to nit pick...

this is the plant that I brought home from the dispensary. Thanks to the advice of Riddle, I have learned to tune in to my plants. after only 2 1/2 weeks, I have learned to read this one, and this is what I have now:



thanx uncle riddleme

irieie said:

i would not say there is a problem. but if you wanted to nit pick...

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I guess I'm a nit picker, because if it was my garden I'd be fixin it, stress causes stink and my garden never stinks. I don't own carbon scrubbers, my plants are in an open (not sealed at all) room in my basement and the door to the basement is always open. If I come home from work and can smell anything, I know something is wrong, because smell is one of the ways plants communicate.

Yet another way to read them

BossRingsB said:

View attachment 1489119 this is the plant that I brought home from the dispensary. Thanks to the advice of Riddle, I have learned to tune in to my plants. after only 2 1/2 weeks, I have learned to read this one, and this is what I have now:

View attachment 1489124View attachment 1489123View attachment 1489125

thanx uncle riddleme

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awesome ! though I may be prejudiced

riddleme said:

awesome ! though I may be prejudiced

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And you can be as that is awesome for 2 and a half weeks Great job Boss Hope ta meet ya in a couple a weeks

Namaste'

riddleme said:

I guess I'm a nit picker, because if it was my garden I'd be fixin it, stress causes stink and my garden never stinks. I don't own carbon scrubbers, my plants are in an open (not sealed at all) room in my basement and the door to the basement is always open. If I come home from work and can smell anything, I know something is wrong, because smell is one of the ways plants communicate.

Yet another way to read them

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wait, what? that is the first i ever heard that smelly plants mean stressed plants. what is the basis behind this idea? i notice that my plants smell more usually the day after i water. so does that mean that really stanky nuggets came from an extremely stressed plant?

irieie said:

wait, what? that is the first i ever heard that smelly plants mean stressed plants. what is the basis behind this idea? i notice that my plants smell more usually the day after i water. so does that mean that really stanky nuggets came from an extremely stressed plant?

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Not true of all strains I would bet, but I currently have 6 strains going and no stink. JBerry did a thread on how plants communicate in the advanced forum, it's pretty interesting read,
https://www.rollitup.org/advanced-marijuana-cultivation/222916-how-plants-communicate.html

IMO the worst thing that ever happened was that skunk smell, I know it was most likely first seen because of stress and folks associated a great high with the smell which was why it fast became popular, but I never understood why folks would want a red flag that attracted leo?? It just never made sense to me. I'm in a legal state now so I no longer worry about it, also why my garden is wide open, cause it can be and plants do prefer it that way in terms of their happiness.

I will say that my cured buds do have a smell but it's not skunk, more like a very strong hash smell and my buds are very potent

riddleme said:

Not true of all strains I would bet, but I currently have 6 strains going and no stink. JBerry did a thread on how plants communicate in the advanced forum, it's pretty interesting read,
https://www.rollitup.org/advanced-marijuana-cultivation/222916-how-plants-communicate.html

IMO the worst thing that ever happened was that skunk smell, I know it was most likely first seen because of stress and folks associated a great high with the smell which was why it fast became popular, but I never understood why folks would want a red flag that attracted leo?? It just never made sense to me.

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Indica is "skunkweed". Sativa is not "skunkweed". Most mutts are a mix of indica and skunkweed. It's that hybrid vigor thingie.

All indica should have a strong smell of skunk or it isn't indica. I've had skunkweed that was so strong you could smell it outside of my house before walking in the door. See Mel Frank's MJ guide for some great info regarding the origins of pot and their nuances.

UB

Uncle Ben said:

Indica is "skunkweed". Sativa is not "skunkweed". All indica should have a strong smell of skunk or it doesn't have indica genes. I've had skunkweed that was so strong you could smell it outside of my house. See Mel Frank's MJ guide for some great info regarding the origins of pot and their nuances.

UB

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My indicas will spray an incredible skunk odor if I smack em (happens sometimes when I'm movin em) but they don't do it otherwise

It's ok to cry BS, but I have had several RIU members visit my garden that can verify what I'm sayin

Here is an Indica I want to share in UB's honor... I just defoliated all secondary fan leaves from my Pineapple Express. I FIMed it about 8 days ago and I took off a couple leaves at the time to get some light in. I now have about 9-10 good looking branch stems, all getting light. I LST'ed some of the branches today to allow more light in, after cutting off most of the fan leaves. I do not remove any growth near the tips, only on the second node on back. I'm in a DR120 and using a 600W MH bulb, 24/7. PPM's were increased to 500 yesterday, and some slight tip burning was evident today. I backed off the ppm to the previous 400 and the plant seems happy. This is my first Pineapple grow, but i have read she is an aggressive feeder. I just jumped from 400 to 500 ppm a bit too soon. My plan is to monitor the ppm level closer and adjust depending on what the plant tells me.... Tying this all back in to the topic of the thread, see below for a plant reading tip for hydro growers...


I'm hoping to pull at least 10 ounces of dry bud from this plant when she is done. I got 14 from my last two combined. Not bad for an indoor plant that had it's leaves molested... LOL...

View attachment 1489716

The clips work great on a Waterfarm's edge. They make great tie off anchors and are easily adjustable. The knot on the other end is a slip knot.

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This photo depicts the tips... All fan leaves were removed, except the ones on the growth nodes or tips. This allows ALL of the nodes to receive as equal light as possible. If I were growing outdoors, i would only remove the inner fan leaves to allow air to pass through easily.


Hydro tip: Determining when to raise and lower the dissolved solids, or PPMs, can be like rocket science. When you adjust up, the plant burns, adjust too far down, and you have different problems all together. Wouldn't it be neat to never have to guess? Well guess what? If you learn to read what your plant is trying to tell you, it's actually quite easy! Once you master this concept, you'll rarely burn or kill a plant again.

As a plant encounters through various stages of growth in it's life cycle, it's needs for nutrients also may change. It goes without saying, a mature plant will drink up a lot more nutrients than a seedling. As the plant takes in nutrients, one of two things happen to the level of solids in the reservoir; they either go up, resulting in higher ppms because more water than nutrients were used, or the ppms go down, because the plant is taking in more nutrients than water.

The third possible outcome is the level, or ratio of nutrients to water doesn't change. This happens when the plant has found a perfect balance of nutrients and water. It is this perfect balance that we should all strive for.

How do I read my plants and determine the proper ratio of nutrients and water? Herein lies the answer, memory or good records. You see, in order to determine what the plant is trying to tell us today, we need to know where we set the ppm level from the day before. We can determine whether the plant took in more food or more water by comparing today's PPM reading with yesterday's reading.

Let's use an example. Our hypothetical plant is 3 weeks into flower and we are getting excited. Anticipation is setting in as we witness the first developments of flowers. Yesterday, after topping the reservoir with fresh water and nutrients, the PPMs were 1100. Today, the water level is down some, as expected, because the plant's using water. Today's reading indicates that the ppm level is at 1300! What happened? How did it jump 200 points overnight?

If the plant is taking in more water than nutrients, it indicates that the nute level is too high and the roots and leaves could be damaged. Imagine a glass of salt water placed on the table in front of you. You can't see the salt, but you can taste it. Now imagine that very same glass of water after about half of it evaporated. The salt won't evaporate, as it is a dissolved solid, therefore the water will seem saltier, but in reality, it's just not as diluted; the same level of salt exists today that was in the glass yesterday.

Getting back to our hypothetical situation, overnight, we lost enough water to increase the 'saltiness' of our plant's water. In this case, we want to add fresh water and dilute the ppms down a level. Since we gained 200 ppm overnight, I want to get it down to about 950-1000 ppm and see what she does the following day. If I wake up and read a PPM reading of 1000, I hit my magic number for now, and can keep the ppms at 1000 until my plant tells me otherwise.

To imagine the opposite reaction, imagine that same glass of salt water mysteriously gaining an inch or two of fresh water. The water will be less salty, meaning lower PPMs. That would indicate the plant can use more food. this is the opportunity to increase yields and growth, if done correctly. Learn to read what your plant is trying to tell you, and you'll both benefit greatly.

(I did not proof read this, please feel free to point out any error or needed clarification)

I'm surprised my Super Skunk haven't had a strong skunk smell unless I bump them or move them. I've always assumed the strong smell is a defense mechanism against foragers. As is cannabinoids causing short term memory loss, so they forget where they found that meal.
Daniels

Danielsgb said:

I'm surprised my Super Skunk haven't had a strong skunk smell unless I bump them or move them. I've always assumed the strong smell is a defense mechanism against foragers. As is cannabinoids causing short term memory loss, so they forget where they found that meal.
Daniels

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to my best knowledge they give off the smell for defense! ive heared the exact same thing! but as far as i kno they do it wen they are feeling stressed or aggitated...

i hope nothing disturbs my ladies outdoors. i cant afford them to smell.i live in a condensed neighborhood right by a school so..........

Fuck that...... keep it real bro....

puffntuff said:

i hope nothing disturbs my ladies outdoors. i cant afford them to smell.i live in a condensed neighborhood right by a school so..........

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here is some more awesome incentive to come just put in jars yesterday should be ready for the cup. jack the ripper from sub cool

Illumination said:

That is an awesome incentive for sure...lol....But yes it will be awesome to know who is behind all the avatars...lol

Namaste'

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Hello every1,
Im a 1st time grower, growing in a 1.2 metre squared Growtent using NFT method(with RockWool) with the resevoir holding 100 Litres of water. Just reached 2 weeks in2 flower and Most of my plants are doin ok but a couple are struggling a bit n hope i can get the advice i need here as this semms to be the most reliable source i can find online.Im having problems uploading pics atm bu hopefully should get em on here 2morra, however for now ill just tell u the symptoms and see what opinions are generated. Symptoms include: LEAF TIPS CURLING OVER: LEAF TIPS TURNING PALE GREEN/YELLOWISH GREEN: RED STEMS (mostly on fan leaf stems): LEAVES GOIN FROM DARKISH GREEN TO PALE GREEN/YELLOWISH GREEN

Also, here is additional info on my grow to hopefully aid a diagnosis:
LIGHT- 60OW Sopdium bulb
AV. DAYTIME TEMP- 78-82 f AV NIGHTTIME TEMP- 68-74 f
AV DAYTIME HUMIDITY- 35-45% AV NIGHTTIME HUMIDITY- 40-55%
pH- 5.5-5.9 E.C- 1.0-1.2

All help and opinions welcome at this stage but especially interested to hear what RiddleMe thinks as u got some of the best looking buds iv ever seen

PS- Almost forgot to say, my assumption atm is that my problems are fromoverfeeding via over watering as i forgot until 2day that im supposed to have my tray sloped, iv had mine lying flat and its caused a bit of water to pool in certain places, would u agree or disagree?

riddleme said:

My indicas will spray an incredible skunk odor if I smack em (happens sometimes when I'm movin em) but they don't do it otherwise

It's ok to cry BS, but I have had several RIU members visit my garden that can verify what I'm sayin

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I'm not calling you a liar, just talking about genetics. My skunk weed like Peak19, is old genetics made up of original Afghan, indica. Most times it stunk to high heaven especially upon harvesting. There has been so much interbreeding in the last 20 years we have no idea of what we're getting.....not that it really matters.

UB

LordGreen said:

Symptoms include: LEAF TIPS CURLING OVER: LEAF TIPS TURNING PALE GREEN/YELLOWISH GREEN: RED STEMS (mostly on fan leaf stems): LEAVES GOIN FROM DARKISH GREEN TO PALE GREEN/YELLOWISH GREEN

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Welcome to RIU. First, I gotta ask, have you ever grown a plant before? 2. Why did you start with NFT when soil is much more forgiving and many times much more effective regarding plant vigor and yields? 3. You didn't say what the NPK values of your foods are. You do understand NPK values and how they relate to photosynthesis, don't you? Or, are you taking the path of 90% of noobs and relying on cannabis charts, anecdotal evidence and cute product label names to direct your gardening efforts?

Good luck,
UB

tardis said:

I think its genetic if you can read plants or can't. sure you can learn it, but you wont be as successful as someone who just "has the gift." I can read my plants on an instinctual level, and although i'm very new and in no way a pro, my instincts make me look much smarter than I am (it doesn't hurt that i live in hawaii, but i've seen manymany friends fail at it). I think its a genetic trait, you either got the agricultural read plants gene or you don't. Like any human alle

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Wait. What does living in Hawaii have to do with anything?