Need an answer to an importnat question

420Marine

Well-Known Member
OK so my girls are about 2 months old I started feeding them about 3 weeks ago at a quarter strength soultion of the roots organics feeding solution. Last week I transplanted and it was def due had massive root boundness :( Everything seemed to go ok with it though till about 2 days ago I noticed some of the girls had leaf curl UNDERNEATH (the leaf goes in down and inward.) At first I thought possible nute burn since some of the other leafs had some defiantite burn marks (my fault I think I either A) gave them too much or B) screwed up my dossing..either way I flushed yesterday with two gallons each of water..there's a ring of dolomite lime in each pot ( I used 5 lbs between the three pots which sounds like tons but it made a nice solid ring around the perimeter of the pot) Also moved my lights a little furhter away just in case it was heat stress...altohugh that would be difficult seeing as my grow room is nice at 76. So my important question is, with all that info..what do curled under leafs mean?
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Kerovan

Well-Known Member
I've heard that overwatering causes the leaves to curl under like that that "claw grip".
 

420Marine

Well-Known Member
Is this the definitive answer? I was kinda hoping more than one person would respond although I appreciate the one.
 

gNurgles

Member
Looks like a combo of nute burn (leaf tips) and not enough dolomite lime being used by the plant (rust spots). I usually use about 1 cup of dolomite lime per gallon of soil. You said you used alot but only around the ring of the pot. Try adding some in the middle so it'll hit the roots when you flush. You may want to try mixing the dolomite lime with the soil before planting next time.
 

420Marine

Well-Known Member
yea I knew about the MG problem hence why I even bought the lime...those spot are old at this point and no new spots. As far as mixing before I plant that was stupidity and inexperience on my part....I had put the rec commend dose in before planting but when I did my initial flush I only got to 3.8 so I had no chocie but to do the ring thing (hehe)...thanks for the good info so do you think the main curled leaves are just nute burn in process??
 

gNurgles

Member
Could be but I am by far an expert. Just offering advice from my experiences. Reading more there may be more problems. I found an intersting read by Uncle Ben that may point you in the right direction hope it helps:

"Quite often I hear groans from folks having leaf problems -> “Help, my leaves are cupping and the leaf edges are turning brown!”, or, “My plant's leaf tips are curling down and turning black ....what's wrong?” Unless insect damage has occurred or the plant is suffering from a severe case of calcium deficiency, the plant is trying to tell you that it is water stressed. It's hard to tell *exactly* what the culprit is, and unfortunately the “solution” the grower chooses many times is not the right one. A mis-diagnosis only serves to make matters worse by promoting further decline. I’ll try to cover some of the more common causes that can induce these common symptoms and try to offer a few simple solutions. The ultimate and correct solution is in the hands of the grower.

1. Over-fertilizing - the most common cause of leaf cupping aka leaf margin rolling, leaf margin burn, and leaf tip curl/burn is the overzealous use of too much plant food in relationship to factors such as plant vigor and rate of growth. The first unit of a plant to show moisture stress is the leaf at its margins and/or tips, reflected by margin rolling (cupping) or burning. A hard, crispy feel to the leaf frequently occurs as well, as opposed to a soft and cool feel of a happy leaf. When you have a high concentration of salts in solution (in the root medium) compared to the salinity levels found in the plant’s tissue, water is actually drawn out of the plant across the root gradient in order to fix the ppm imbalance. IOW, this is a natural, osmotic response that serves to equalize salinity levels on both sides of the root’s epidermal gradient. Back off on the amount and/or frequency of plant food. Too much plant food can also burn the roots, especially the sensitive root tips, which then creates another set of problems. Note - as soil dries, the concentration of the remaining salts rises further exacerbating the problem.

2. High Heat - the plant is losing water via it’s leaves faster than what can be replaced by the root system. The leaf responds by leaf margin cupping or rolling up or down (most times up) in order to conserve moisture. A good example is reflected by the appearance of broad-bladed turf grass on a hot summer day, high noon, with low soil moisture levels - the leaf blade will roll upward/inward with the grass taking on a dull, greyish-green appearance. Upon sunrise when moisture levels have returned to normal, the leaf blade will be flat. Lower the heat and concentrate on developing a large, robust root system by practicing sound plant culture. An efficient and effective root system will go a long way to prevent heat induced leaf dessication and leaf margin curling. One short episode of high heat is enough to permanently disable or destroy leaf tissue and cause a general decline in the leaves affected, which often occurs to leaves found at the top of the plant. The damaged leaf (usually) does not fully recover, no matter what you do. Bummer in the summer. One can only look to new growth for indications that the problem has been corrected.

3. High Light - yes, it’s true, you can give our faves too much light. Cannabis does not receive full sun from sunrise to sunset in its natural state. It is shaded or given reduced light levels because of adjacent plant material, cloudy conditions, rain, dust, twilight periods in the morning and late afternoon, and light intensity changes caused by a change in the seasons. Too much light mainly serves to bleach out and destroy chlorophyll as opposed to causing leaf cupping, but it often goes hand-in-hand with high heat for indoor growers. Again, back off on the light and concentrate on developing/maintaining an efficient and robust root system.

4. Overwatering - for those doing soil, this practice only serves to weaken the root system by depriving the roots of proper gas exchange. IOW, the roots are not getting enough oxygen which creates an anerobic condition inducing root rot and root decline with the end result showing up as leaf stress, stunted growth, and in severe cases, death. <gasp!> Overwatering creates a perfect environment for damp-off disease, at, or below the soil line. Alot of times folks think the plant is not getting enough plant food (which it can't under such adverse conditions), they add more nutes for a "curative", and just add insult to injury.

5. Underwatering - not only is the plant now stressed due to a low supply of adequate moisture, but carbohydrate production has been greatly compromised (screwed up). Step up the watering frequency, and if need be, organic growers may need to water from the bottom up until moisture levels reach a norm throughout the medium. If the pot feels light to the lift - it&#8217;s time to water. Don&#8217;t wait until the soil pulls away from the sides of the pot or leaves droop before you water. And of course, leach once in a while to get rid of excess salts.

All of the above issues relate to a plant's internal cell turgor or cell water pressure. If water pressure within the plant's stem and leaf cells are positive, the plant will look strong and stocky with flat leaves that are cool to the touch due to good transpiration from the leaf surface. By the same token, if the water pressure is not up to par, whereby water is being extracted from the plant and not replenished like it should be.... the leaves and/or stems will droop.

Happy gardening,
Uncle Ben"
 
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