bobtokes
Well-Known Member
i found this, might help a few of you out, DIGEST+ENJOY
Can you tell whats up with your plants just by looking at them? Learn how with our article on plant body language.
Anyone who has grown plants indoors a few times will know that varieties of plant within a species can be quite different. They have different feeding requirements, look different, grow at a variety of speeds to a variety of sizes in a variety of timescales, and react differently to environmental conditions. These differences are due to genetic traits and are mainly a product of differences in geographical origin in respect to latitudinal climatic and light conditions, and natural selection within the environment. Plants are then crossed and bred to exhibit desirable qualities and new varieties are developed within the species. Other differences between varieties also become apparent, some plants are delicate and temperamental, some are strong and hardy, some more resistant to disease, some feed more than others, etc.
With all that going on we need to get used to looking at the plant and quickly identifying any potential problems. This involves recognizing and familiarizing yourself with the plants body language and visual clues, some of which are in more detail below.
Looking at the plant as a whole
Look at the general colour and look of the plant
Stand back and have a general look at the plant as a whole. Does it look normal? It should be a fairly even colour - a nice vibrant shiny green and not too dark. The plants leaves should be a good size and fall nice and flat perpendicular to the light, and not pointing up or drooping down too much. Does the plant look relaxed and happy or tense and curled up? If you are having problems the first thing to do is back the light off a few inches, or a foot or two, this will take the pressure off the plant and help the plant recover while you evaluate any other causes.
Is the plant growing every day
Under intense conditions its hard to keep everything perfect. As long as the plant is fairly healthy and growing every day then things arent too bad. As the plant gets bigger it will cope better with intense light conditions.
Look at new shoot growth
The new shoot growth is always the best indication of what is happening at any particular time. If new shoots are growing well and looking healthy then this might indicate any previous problems have now been overcome.
Is there any colour loss?
Top, middle or bottom of the plant Colour loss across areas of the plant may be caused by many things; overfeeding, causing nutrient deficiencies and colour loss over the whole plant, along with rust spots and small leaves. The first signs of overfeeding are dark green leaves that curl or hook downward at the tips as the plant tries to retain moisture; underfeeding, causing colour loss across the whole plant followed by nutrient deficiencies. Lack of main elements will show at the bottom of the plant first and move up, this is because the main three elements (N,P,K,) are mobile and will be transported from these positions to the tops where they are needed. Deficiencies in micro elements like iron, calcium and magnesium will show at the new shoots as interveinal colour loss as they cannot be borrowed internally from other leaves and are not mobile elements.
Other reasons for colour loss include cold nights, bleaching from the light being too close, wind burn, and too warm a nutrient solution causing lack of oxygen to the root for nutrient uptake. This will make the plant look droopy, grow very slowly and eventually develop colour loss and deficiencies. Over transpiration of the leaf from being too close to the light will show initially as a subtle loss of surface sheen followed by yellowing and rust spots a couple of weeks after the initial damage was done. These leaves will slowly die as the stomata are damaged and the leaf can no longer function properly.
Is there any leaf droop?
Its often hard to avoid a bit of leaf droop during the latter part of an 18 hour light cycle using big lights, particularly in pots where the oxygen take up is limited or in hydroponic systems if the nutrient is getting a bit warm as the light cycle goes on. Protect your nutrient temperature. 18 hours of optimum light is very demanding especially on young plants but as they get bigger they can deal with the light and heat better, it is important to keep the plant healthy until on the 12hour cycle where the larger plant and shorter grow light cycle will make better use of lower lamp heights and more intense conditions.
Leaf loss
With fast growing light loving plants it is quite normal to lose some of the bottom larger leaves as the plant gets bigger. They will normally gradually lose their colour first. These leaves are not getting much light any more and the plant will discard them for leaves nearer the light that can produce more energy.
Growth patterns
These are largely inbuilt into the plant genetics but can be quite largely affected by the growing conditions, environment and plant diet. Some plants are naturally short and bushy, others are tall and sparsely branched. Apart from the breeding, sparsely branched and stretched looking plants could be due to not enough light or too much light and heat from the light source. So is the light too close or not close enough? Its your call, work it out. Look for other signs like upward leaf curl indicating the leaf is trying to retain moisture. In this case maybe the light is too close and too hot causing this curl. (Note: Plants can cope better with intense high light levels better in a good hydroponic system where there is lots of water and oxygen, the plants can transpire and control their body temperature more easily and efficiently. In pots under optimum light the plant cannot perform as efficiently and the light may need to be slightly farther away.)
A closer look at leaves
Leaf size
Leaf size is important. Leaves may generally be bigger under sodium lights and slightly smaller under fluorescent and halide lights. If leaves generally appear too small it may also be an indication that you are close to overfeeding, check leaf colour to confirm. Large leaves are a good thing.
Leaf colour
A shiny vibrant green, not to dark, is what were looking for. Too dark and dull are symptoms of overfeeding.
Leaf shape
The shape of the leaf depends largely on the genetics, although if the blades look a little narrow, lacking in colour and not reaching a good size or shape the may be a main element deficiency. Increase feed strength slightly. Twisting and mutating of new leaves is either unstable genetics, lack of silicon or more commonly excess chlorine. De-chlorinate your tap water for at least 12 hours before use.
Yellowing of leaf tips
This is common and hard to avoid, as long as there are no other associated symptoms it may just be a bit of light wind burn.
Leaf tip curl down
When leaves curl at the tips and margins the plant is trying to retain moisture. When they curl down this is usually an indication of overfeeding, the feed is too strong on the outside of the root membrane so through reverse osmosis water passes from inside the plant across the root membrane to water down the strong solution outside the plant, it does this in an attempt to even out the pressure on both side of the root membrane.
Leaf tip curl up
When leaves curl at the tips and margins the plant is trying to retain moisture. When they up this is would be due to an environmental problem rather than a nutrient problem. This could either be due to wind burn, or the lights to close, or not enough air exchange or a combination of all three. I may well be the light is too close for the stage of growth, size of plant or specific variety. Some plants are more sensitive than others.
Leaf margin curl
Curling down is more associated with problems in the root zone, usually overfeeding (check for curling down leaf tip and other symptoms). It could also be temperature or oxygen problems in the root zone. Curling up margins are more associated with environmental problems and would be caused by the same problems as leaf tip curl up.
Over transpiration damage
Transpiration damage on leaves is caused by too much light and heat. In its attempts to keep cool the plant over transpires moisture from its. In this case the leaf may immediately look a bit blotchy and have lost it shiny, thick, smooth green look for a few days and then start to loose colour generally and especially between the leaf veins where rusty spots start to appear. These later symptoms of colour loss, rusty spots and general leaf damage usually show themselves a couple of weeks after the damage has been done, a few inches under the fresh shoots, indicating it was a bit hot or the light was a little close for a while a couple of weeks ago. The bigger the plant gets the easier it can deal with the light and heat. Always check new growth and move the light away a few inches if youre in doubt. This condition is often mistaken as a nutrient deficiency, which are actually quite rare and 90% of all leaf damage and rust spotting is environmental not nutritional.
Wind burn
This is a common problem in the summer when using oscillating fans indoors, you have to be careful not to blow too hard on the top surface of the leaf where there is a lot of light or you can draw too much moisture from the leaf and it will at first start to curl up at the tip and margins slightly in an attempt to retain moisture. Then the leaf will lose colour and start to die back a golden brown colour from the leaf tip. The dead part will soon become brittle and crispy. Aim you fans away slightly or more directly at the lamp.
Main element leaf deficiency symptoms
Potassium deficiency is common and will show first as a yellowing of the larger leaves from the tips and margins inward towards the main leaf vein. Nitrogen deficiency shows first on the larger lower leaves as a yellowing of the tips spreading evenly back towards the leaf stem. Phosphorus deficiency is common too and will give a dark purple tinge to your larger green leaves, it will also cause purpling of the stems. These are main elements and therefore mobile elements, meaning your new shoots are one of the last parts of the plant to be affected, enabling you to rectify the deficiency before it seriously affects the plant.
Micro element deficiency symptoms
All essential micro elements like iron, calcium, magnesium, etc are all non-mobile elements. This means these elements once initially sited cannot move around the plant to where they are needed like Nitrogen. Instead deficiencies in the micro elements will initially show at the new shoots and leaves and not on older or bigger leaves.
Colour loss on old large leaves
This is very normal. These big leaves are the main engines of the plant, when the plant gets bigger they will fall off and often lose colour first. These leaves are no longer getting enough light, the plant will replace them with up and coming leaves nearer the light source and grow them into big leaf light catching engines to replace the old ones which now use more energy than they produce.
Purple stems
This is usually associated with a Phosphorus deficiency, check for purpling of the leaves. It can also be caused by cold or just normal plant genetics.
Roots
Damping off
This often affects young plants in propagators where the environment is too wet and humid, and the air is still. The bottom of the stem goes soft and watery looking, this may be the start of stem rot.
Healthy roots
If you are in a hydoponic system check your roots regularly making sure they look reasonably white and healthy and growing to a reasonable size. If in doubt or in pots use products like Sensi Zym, Hygrozyme or Voodoo Juice to increase root mass and products like Trichoderma and Guardian Angel to protect the roots zone from infection.
Slight Browning of the root surface
This is hard to avoid especially during the latter part of a plants cycle. Slight browning may be caused by chilled roots from turning solution off where roots are totally exposed like in NFT system. Any more than a bit of browning here and there may indicate you have some root disease.
Pythium and other root diseases
If your roots come apart when gentle pulled, are all sloppy and off colour you probably have pythium or some other root disease. You can protect yourself from the offset by inoculating your young plantlets with Trichoderma Powder which is a beneficial fungi. These beneficial mould and fungi treatments will prevent any other pathogen from taking hold in the root zone and also stimulate the roots. Enzyme products like Hygrozyme and Sensi Zym also help prevent infection by bolstering the root zone and significantly increasing root mass. If you already have a disease problem use Bio-Sept, Guardian Angel or ultimately a Vecton UV Sterilizer unit.
Can you tell whats up with your plants just by looking at them? Learn how with our article on plant body language.
Anyone who has grown plants indoors a few times will know that varieties of plant within a species can be quite different. They have different feeding requirements, look different, grow at a variety of speeds to a variety of sizes in a variety of timescales, and react differently to environmental conditions. These differences are due to genetic traits and are mainly a product of differences in geographical origin in respect to latitudinal climatic and light conditions, and natural selection within the environment. Plants are then crossed and bred to exhibit desirable qualities and new varieties are developed within the species. Other differences between varieties also become apparent, some plants are delicate and temperamental, some are strong and hardy, some more resistant to disease, some feed more than others, etc.
With all that going on we need to get used to looking at the plant and quickly identifying any potential problems. This involves recognizing and familiarizing yourself with the plants body language and visual clues, some of which are in more detail below.
Looking at the plant as a whole
Look at the general colour and look of the plant
Stand back and have a general look at the plant as a whole. Does it look normal? It should be a fairly even colour - a nice vibrant shiny green and not too dark. The plants leaves should be a good size and fall nice and flat perpendicular to the light, and not pointing up or drooping down too much. Does the plant look relaxed and happy or tense and curled up? If you are having problems the first thing to do is back the light off a few inches, or a foot or two, this will take the pressure off the plant and help the plant recover while you evaluate any other causes.
Is the plant growing every day
Under intense conditions its hard to keep everything perfect. As long as the plant is fairly healthy and growing every day then things arent too bad. As the plant gets bigger it will cope better with intense light conditions.
Look at new shoot growth
The new shoot growth is always the best indication of what is happening at any particular time. If new shoots are growing well and looking healthy then this might indicate any previous problems have now been overcome.
Is there any colour loss?
Top, middle or bottom of the plant Colour loss across areas of the plant may be caused by many things; overfeeding, causing nutrient deficiencies and colour loss over the whole plant, along with rust spots and small leaves. The first signs of overfeeding are dark green leaves that curl or hook downward at the tips as the plant tries to retain moisture; underfeeding, causing colour loss across the whole plant followed by nutrient deficiencies. Lack of main elements will show at the bottom of the plant first and move up, this is because the main three elements (N,P,K,) are mobile and will be transported from these positions to the tops where they are needed. Deficiencies in micro elements like iron, calcium and magnesium will show at the new shoots as interveinal colour loss as they cannot be borrowed internally from other leaves and are not mobile elements.
Other reasons for colour loss include cold nights, bleaching from the light being too close, wind burn, and too warm a nutrient solution causing lack of oxygen to the root for nutrient uptake. This will make the plant look droopy, grow very slowly and eventually develop colour loss and deficiencies. Over transpiration of the leaf from being too close to the light will show initially as a subtle loss of surface sheen followed by yellowing and rust spots a couple of weeks after the initial damage was done. These leaves will slowly die as the stomata are damaged and the leaf can no longer function properly.
Is there any leaf droop?
Its often hard to avoid a bit of leaf droop during the latter part of an 18 hour light cycle using big lights, particularly in pots where the oxygen take up is limited or in hydroponic systems if the nutrient is getting a bit warm as the light cycle goes on. Protect your nutrient temperature. 18 hours of optimum light is very demanding especially on young plants but as they get bigger they can deal with the light and heat better, it is important to keep the plant healthy until on the 12hour cycle where the larger plant and shorter grow light cycle will make better use of lower lamp heights and more intense conditions.
Leaf loss
With fast growing light loving plants it is quite normal to lose some of the bottom larger leaves as the plant gets bigger. They will normally gradually lose their colour first. These leaves are not getting much light any more and the plant will discard them for leaves nearer the light that can produce more energy.
Growth patterns
These are largely inbuilt into the plant genetics but can be quite largely affected by the growing conditions, environment and plant diet. Some plants are naturally short and bushy, others are tall and sparsely branched. Apart from the breeding, sparsely branched and stretched looking plants could be due to not enough light or too much light and heat from the light source. So is the light too close or not close enough? Its your call, work it out. Look for other signs like upward leaf curl indicating the leaf is trying to retain moisture. In this case maybe the light is too close and too hot causing this curl. (Note: Plants can cope better with intense high light levels better in a good hydroponic system where there is lots of water and oxygen, the plants can transpire and control their body temperature more easily and efficiently. In pots under optimum light the plant cannot perform as efficiently and the light may need to be slightly farther away.)
A closer look at leaves
Leaf size
Leaf size is important. Leaves may generally be bigger under sodium lights and slightly smaller under fluorescent and halide lights. If leaves generally appear too small it may also be an indication that you are close to overfeeding, check leaf colour to confirm. Large leaves are a good thing.
Leaf colour
A shiny vibrant green, not to dark, is what were looking for. Too dark and dull are symptoms of overfeeding.
Leaf shape
The shape of the leaf depends largely on the genetics, although if the blades look a little narrow, lacking in colour and not reaching a good size or shape the may be a main element deficiency. Increase feed strength slightly. Twisting and mutating of new leaves is either unstable genetics, lack of silicon or more commonly excess chlorine. De-chlorinate your tap water for at least 12 hours before use.
Yellowing of leaf tips
This is common and hard to avoid, as long as there are no other associated symptoms it may just be a bit of light wind burn.
Leaf tip curl down
When leaves curl at the tips and margins the plant is trying to retain moisture. When they curl down this is usually an indication of overfeeding, the feed is too strong on the outside of the root membrane so through reverse osmosis water passes from inside the plant across the root membrane to water down the strong solution outside the plant, it does this in an attempt to even out the pressure on both side of the root membrane.
Leaf tip curl up
When leaves curl at the tips and margins the plant is trying to retain moisture. When they up this is would be due to an environmental problem rather than a nutrient problem. This could either be due to wind burn, or the lights to close, or not enough air exchange or a combination of all three. I may well be the light is too close for the stage of growth, size of plant or specific variety. Some plants are more sensitive than others.
Leaf margin curl
Curling down is more associated with problems in the root zone, usually overfeeding (check for curling down leaf tip and other symptoms). It could also be temperature or oxygen problems in the root zone. Curling up margins are more associated with environmental problems and would be caused by the same problems as leaf tip curl up.
Over transpiration damage
Transpiration damage on leaves is caused by too much light and heat. In its attempts to keep cool the plant over transpires moisture from its. In this case the leaf may immediately look a bit blotchy and have lost it shiny, thick, smooth green look for a few days and then start to loose colour generally and especially between the leaf veins where rusty spots start to appear. These later symptoms of colour loss, rusty spots and general leaf damage usually show themselves a couple of weeks after the damage has been done, a few inches under the fresh shoots, indicating it was a bit hot or the light was a little close for a while a couple of weeks ago. The bigger the plant gets the easier it can deal with the light and heat. Always check new growth and move the light away a few inches if youre in doubt. This condition is often mistaken as a nutrient deficiency, which are actually quite rare and 90% of all leaf damage and rust spotting is environmental not nutritional.
Wind burn
This is a common problem in the summer when using oscillating fans indoors, you have to be careful not to blow too hard on the top surface of the leaf where there is a lot of light or you can draw too much moisture from the leaf and it will at first start to curl up at the tip and margins slightly in an attempt to retain moisture. Then the leaf will lose colour and start to die back a golden brown colour from the leaf tip. The dead part will soon become brittle and crispy. Aim you fans away slightly or more directly at the lamp.
Main element leaf deficiency symptoms
Potassium deficiency is common and will show first as a yellowing of the larger leaves from the tips and margins inward towards the main leaf vein. Nitrogen deficiency shows first on the larger lower leaves as a yellowing of the tips spreading evenly back towards the leaf stem. Phosphorus deficiency is common too and will give a dark purple tinge to your larger green leaves, it will also cause purpling of the stems. These are main elements and therefore mobile elements, meaning your new shoots are one of the last parts of the plant to be affected, enabling you to rectify the deficiency before it seriously affects the plant.
Micro element deficiency symptoms
All essential micro elements like iron, calcium, magnesium, etc are all non-mobile elements. This means these elements once initially sited cannot move around the plant to where they are needed like Nitrogen. Instead deficiencies in the micro elements will initially show at the new shoots and leaves and not on older or bigger leaves.
Colour loss on old large leaves
This is very normal. These big leaves are the main engines of the plant, when the plant gets bigger they will fall off and often lose colour first. These leaves are no longer getting enough light, the plant will replace them with up and coming leaves nearer the light source and grow them into big leaf light catching engines to replace the old ones which now use more energy than they produce.
Purple stems
This is usually associated with a Phosphorus deficiency, check for purpling of the leaves. It can also be caused by cold or just normal plant genetics.
Roots
Damping off
This often affects young plants in propagators where the environment is too wet and humid, and the air is still. The bottom of the stem goes soft and watery looking, this may be the start of stem rot.
Healthy roots
If you are in a hydoponic system check your roots regularly making sure they look reasonably white and healthy and growing to a reasonable size. If in doubt or in pots use products like Sensi Zym, Hygrozyme or Voodoo Juice to increase root mass and products like Trichoderma and Guardian Angel to protect the roots zone from infection.
Slight Browning of the root surface
This is hard to avoid especially during the latter part of a plants cycle. Slight browning may be caused by chilled roots from turning solution off where roots are totally exposed like in NFT system. Any more than a bit of browning here and there may indicate you have some root disease.
Pythium and other root diseases
If your roots come apart when gentle pulled, are all sloppy and off colour you probably have pythium or some other root disease. You can protect yourself from the offset by inoculating your young plantlets with Trichoderma Powder which is a beneficial fungi. These beneficial mould and fungi treatments will prevent any other pathogen from taking hold in the root zone and also stimulate the roots. Enzyme products like Hygrozyme and Sensi Zym also help prevent infection by bolstering the root zone and significantly increasing root mass. If you already have a disease problem use Bio-Sept, Guardian Angel or ultimately a Vecton UV Sterilizer unit.
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