Leaves turning yellow is a farming threat that almost all plant growers face at times. But if your plant is cannabis then that’s a serious level of threat.
Because no one buys cannabis plants with yellow fans. They’ll be economically wasted. All your hard work and time will also go down to drain.
So, how to keep clones from yellowing?
You can keep your clones from yellowing by figuring out the reasons at first. Firstly, fixing the ph balance of the base can keep your clones from yellowing. Also being careful with the watering, temperature, heat and light cycle is important. Make sure that your clone isn’t nutrient deficient.
Wanna proceed forward to get more details? Then keep up with us till the end.
Let’s get started!
Troubleshooting Cannabis Clones Yellowing Problem
Yellowing leaves of the cannabis plant is quite a common yet serious issue. It’s a similar issue to the pistil hairs turning red too fast. Yellow leaves mean the plants are sickly.
Source: potguide.com
Once the leaves of the clones stop yellowing, the flowering buds emerge. As a result, it’s important for your clones to stop yellowing.
It happens even if you water them, giving an adequate amount of light and good nutrients. Although it’s unfortunate there are surely some reasons behind why your cannabis clones yellowing.
So here we’ll discuss some of the common culprits behind this yellowing problem. We’ll also talk about how to deal with them. Feeling interested? Then jump to our discussion right away-
Reason-1: Messed Up PH Level
To grow a healthy cannabis plant, the ph level plays a very important role. If the ph level isn’t right the nutrients will not reach their roots. As a result, the plant starts to show yellow fan leaves.
Whether it’s soil, hydroponics, or coco coir the ph measurement should be right. For regular soil, the ph should range between 6-7. For coco and hydro optimum base, the pH should be between 5.5-6.5.
Due to the wrong ph levels cannabis plants also go through nutrients deficiency. Problems like copper, zinc, potassium deficiency in plants show up.
Source: potguide.com
Solution
To get rid of this problem, first, you’d need to test the base’s ph level. You can either use a kit or a PH pen for the testing. I’ve found these pH testing kits to work exceptionally well:
If the soil seems to be on the acidic side you’d have to add base ingredients. Similarly, if it’s too much on the base side use acidic components in the soil.
Add the components with water when applying them. You can also try water or air curing for better results.
For your ease, we have a created a table for you that discusses what to do when your soil isn’t neutral:
Reason-2: Improper Watering Issues
An improper watering schedule can end up making your cannabis plant sickly. There should be a right watering schedule that you must follow. Also, you mustn’t overwater or underwater your plant.
It not only causes droopy plant leaves but also causes yellowing of leaves.
Plants that are overwatered become more swollen. Plants that are under watered become papery.
These differences are visible through the leaves. Regular practice of overwatering or underwatering leads to leaves turning yellow. So what to do to prevent it?
Solution
Solving the improper watering issue is comparatively easy. Figure out whether you’re overwatering them or underwatering them.
If the leaves get droopy after watering them then it’s being overwatered. If the leaves perk up more after watering then it’s underwater. Once you figure out why the leaves drooping after transplant fixes the mismanagement immediately.
Sometimes using the wrong sized container messes up the water measurement. So try to use the right-sized containers for the clones.
Another important thing is to look out for the drainage system of the growing field. Growing fields with bad drainage can lead to water issues. So make sure it isn’t the soil’s fault.
Reason-3: Nitrogen Deficiency
Nitrogen is a very important component for plants. It strengthens the metabolism, structure development, and chlorophyll production of plants. The same goes for your cannabis clones.
Reuse of the soil multiple times without properly nourishing it can lead to nitrogen deficiency. When that happens you’ll see the clones turning light green or pale all over.
Source: support.ilovegrowingmarijuana.com
The bottom leaves will turn yellow sooner than expected. One of the ways of diagnosing nitrogen deficiency is to check the leaf’s strength.
If it gets easily pulled off then it’s nitrogen deficiency. But if not then it’s not nitrogen deficiency. Here’s what you can do to deal with this problem.
Solution
Since the issue is with the soil you’d have to focus on it first. To deal with the lack of nitrogen you can use nutrients. There are many products in the market for the nitrogen deficiency problem.
Here are some cow manures that we’ve found to work really well in case of treating nitrogen deficiency:
If adding up nitrogen to the existing soil isn’t working then change the soil. Replant the clones into new containers. Make sure the soil there doesn’t lack nitrogen.
You can use a soil test kit to figure that out. This way you’ll be able to prevent clones yellowing after transplant.
Reason-4: Heat & Light Issues
Leaving your newly cloned plants at the wrong temperature would lead to stress. So is a messed up hibernating cycle. Leaving them in the daylight for too long is harmful to cannabis plants.
cannabis plants require their beauty to sleep. It refers to the dark cycle of the plant. You should know that darkness is important for cannabis plants. They shouldn’t be bothered by any light at those times.
Also, be careful about how much light you’re letting it absorb. Too much daylight will lead to light burn which causes the leaves to turn yellow.
Solution
If the temperature of the grow room isn’t right you’ve to fix it first. The temperature should be higher than 85°F in the morning. At night it should be lower than 65°F.
Do not place the plants under too hot or too cold surfaces. Keep the air circulation on. But make sure it doesn’t hinder the plants in the daytime.
Hopefully, now you can prevent the yellowing of your clone plants.
FAQs
We’ve added some additional information about today’s discussion. Feasibly they’ll come in handy.
Do pests cause yellowing of the cannabis leaves?
Yes, pests may become a reason why the leaves are turning yellow. If you see pests on your cannabis plant look for bite marks along with spots. These leaves will turn yellow soon. You’d need to get rid of these pests. Because it may infect plants perfectly as well.
How to fix the bud rotting problem of cloned cannabis plants?
To prevent the plant’s bud from rotting keep the humidity level under 50% RH. do these during the flowering. Also, keep the temperature between 65°F to 70°F at night time. The plants should have sufficient air circulation.
Are yellow leaves normal for cloned plants?
Yes, it is normal as long as the first 3 sets of leaves are yellowing. These leaves are the first growing set from the plant. Naturally, they’re older and will turn yellow by the time your plant grows. That is normal. But the upper leaves should stay green.
Conclusion
Now you know how to keep clones from yellowing. Apply all these troubleshooting processes to pinpoint where the problem is. Set goals and work to solve them.
We hope you’ll be able to grow healthy cannabis clones with our tips. No more yellowing!
That’s it for now. Happy growing up!
