Defoliation

I read an article proposing the high yielding benefits of defoliation: http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=174163

I was not reluctant to try this technique because I had a crop that lost a majority of their leaves and had an extraordinary yield. The other night I did an initial round of defoliation about 3.5 weeks into veg. Removing 3-4 fan leaves. The next day i saw what looks like some sort of deficiency. Could this be attributed towards the stress the plant underwent during my first round of defoliation, or is this a deficiency of some sort?

I know defoliation is controversial, try not to tear me a new one

It looks like a cross between Phosphorus and Potassium deficiencies. I'd check roots first, then the soil Ph and if everything is good, give her a high P&K fertilizer mix.

thanks man. Could any of this have been caused by stress?

No I really don't think so.

It's entirely likely that needing more nutrients to heal from the trimming made things worse but there was probably an issue in the first place.

i see your recommendations are based on dry organic ferts..... top feed? or are you referring to a tea of some sort

No we pretty much never top feed. We'll mix as much as the plants can handle into the soil and any fertilizations after that begins to run out are mixtures of teas and liquid ferts. As long as the roots and soil Ph are ok, liquid is the best way to handle a deficiency. Putting solid fertilizer on top of the soil can take as long as a couple weeks before you see results. Feeding them liquid ferts or solids that have already been made into a tea will give the plants an instant dose of whatever you need to give them, clearing up the problem faster.

Just for laughs, try pulling the root ball out of the pot real quick to see if there are any signs of root binding. When the roots start swirling around the bottom corner, it's time to transplant. This is usually easiest when the soil is dry but since there's a problem and it wouldn't hurt anything, I'd check now. Support the root ball with one hand as you gently pull it out. Avoid bright lights while the roots are uncovered and put the plant back asap.