The EVOLUTION Magazine March 2022 | Page 22

ask Leah ...

ask Leah ...

How Can I Troubleshoot Problems When Growing my Medical Marijuana Plants ?

by Leah Maurer , contributing writer

Leah

Leah Maurer , a native Missourian , is now a canna-journalist and activist living in Portland , OR . She is a co-owner of ​ www . TheWeedBlog . com , a top national cannabis news and information publication , where she serves as the Editorial Lead . In 2014 , Leah founded Moms for YES on Measure 91 through grassroots efforts alone , it proved pivotal in the passage of the Measure , successfully legalizing recreational / adult-use cannabis in the OR . Leah is a social justice and cannabis activist at the core and hopes to see an end to the prohibition of cannabis globally .
22 March 2022

When people embark on a cannabis grow in their home or yard , it seems like it would be so simple — just a little bit of water , soil , and light — right ? Not quite . There are always unique challenges to growing any specific plant and environmental factors that are difficult to account for . Cannabis plants can be quite temperamental , especially if you ’ re attempting to grow them indoors . You can follow all the rules to growing that you read on the internet , but chances are , at some point , you ’ ll still run into some kind of issue with your plants .

So how do you fix medical marijuana growing issues ? How do you avoid any major problems that will damage the flowering production of your plant ? The key is learning to diagnose these issues early .
It will come as no surprise to anyone who has grown houseplants or a vegetable garden , but the quickest way to make sure that your plants are healthy is by daily observation , especially of their leaves . One of the easiest ways to spot developing issues with your plant is by looking at the leaves . Unfortunately , discolored leaves are a common symptom of a myriad of issues . To properly diagnose what is affecting your plant , you must get specific . Are just the tips of the leaves turning brown ? Is the discoloration near the veins ? Where are the leaves on the plant being affected ? Are they drooping ?
By answering these questions , you can give yourself a narrower group of issues to troubleshoot . For example :
Leaves turning brown
Brown leaves can point to a lack ( or even an overabundance ) of watering , too much light , or mineral deficiencies . The culprit will usually depend on where the browning is located .
Yellowing of leaves
Usually a sign of either a nutritional deficiency or light burn . The quickest way to troubleshoot this is by decreasing the intensity of light near the plant . Move lights further away and see if that improves the condition .
Leaves begin to droop
Certain nutrient deficiencies can lead to leaves drooping , but it can also be something like root rot developing . You ’ ll want to check how moist the soil is before doing anything else .
Leaves capping and pointing upwards
This is usually a sign of heat stress to the plant . You ’ ll want to lower the temperature by introducing some form of ventilation to remove heated air .