Growers from all over the world often suffer from the same problem – overfertilization. Many marijuana growers are focused on the yield they get from cannabis seeds and sometimes they believe that giving more and more nutrients in the form of chemical fertilizers will boost their harvest. It’s one of the greatest sins among people who buy marijuana seeds and it can be often misdiagnosed. It’s because it may look like problems connected to improper pH or light burning, while actually, it is a nutrient burn caused by an excessive amount of nutrients built up in the plant. Before I will talk more about identifying and resolving overfertilization issues, I would like to talk about the causes and point out that the best way of preventing such problems is to use fertilizers in moderation – from planting the marijuana seeds to the harvest stage.
What are the causes of overfertilization?
First of all, it is important to check the EC concentration levels of the nutrient solution. Otherwise, you don’t know the fertilizer concentration that you are giving to the plants. You should remember that the EC level is influenced by the quality of tap water you have. If you have a poor quality of water you should either get an osmosis unit to desalinate your water or use fewer amounts of fertilizers to have the appropriate EC level. The proper levels for nutrient solution should not be higher than 0.6-0.8 for indoors and 1.0 for outdoors in case of using soil as a medium and 1.0 to 1.6 for hydroponics.
The second reason for overfertilization is using the maximum recommended dosage suggested by the fertilizer producer, instead of using minimal doses and monitoring the plant’s health.
Thirdly, overfertilization happens simply because some people add fertilizers every time they water the plant and thus build up the salt levels in the soil. Finally, we shouldn’t start adding fertilizers from the moment we plant weed seeds, in fact, the fertilizing process should be started after the first two spiked leaves appear.
How to recognize nutrient burn and Overfertilization Of Marijuana Plants?
Whenever your leaves start to dry out, you should be cautious as it can be a nutrient burn. If only the tips of the leaves are burned and the process is not progressing then there is nothing to worry about. However, if the leaves are drying out quickly and the burn is affecting the whole leaf, then we should take action to prevent our pot seeds from going to waste. The leaves burn because high levels of nutrients accumulate inside and block the natural processes. Other symptoms of nutrient burn are random dry spots around the edges of the leaf, not only the tips and downwards curling of the leaves. Overdosing the plant with a variety of nutrients may cause the plant to turn purple or dark green with scorched margins and tips. Another symptom is inter-veinal chlorosis, small narrow new leaves and burn of the older leaves.
Solution to the Overfertilization Of Marijuana Plants
When you notice nutrient burn on the leaves of your plant you should act as fast as possible to prevent further damage. If the symptoms are not severe reducing the amounts of fertilizers might be enough. In more profound cases, the easiest solution is to flush your plants with clean, pH-adjusted water so that the roots can recover. After few days start fertilizing with minimal amounts which you can steadily increase. Remember to use balanced fertilizers with good N-P-K ratio.
Summing up, we shouldn’t abuse fertilizers as it can lead to a disaster and instead of a harvest you will have to buy cannabis seeds again. Moreover, growers should monitor the EC level of their nutrient solution to provide an adequate salt concentration thus preventing nutrient build-up and burn. Finally, we must use balanced fertilizers that are suitable for the marijuana seeds we plant and watch the plant to see if we are not overdosing our plant.