Nutrient Deficiencies in Cannabis: Everything You Need to Know

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Cannabis cultivation requires a certain balance to keep your plants healthy and happy. There are dozens of things that can go wrong, impacting the yield and in turn, the revenue your grow needs to keep operating. Nutrient deficiencies are one of the most common problems growers can experience.

Thankfully, nutrient deficiencies can be remedied if caught in time and diagnosed properly. However, that takes experience to do properly. The goal of this article is to provide an overview of what a nutrient deficiency is, some of the most common kinds of nutrient deficiencies, and how to combat them.

What is a Nutrient Deficiency?

A nutrient deficiency is caused by a lack of one or more nutrients a cannabis plant needs to thrive. According to Leafly, “When cannabis plants don’t get the correct amounts of nutrients, they become stressed and more susceptible to bugs, mold, and other pathogens. Their growth may also be stunted, resulting in reduced yields.”

As one might imagine, this is something that should be avoided at all costs. However, proper knowledge of the needs of the specific strains in your grow can help avoid this problem.

Experienced growers may find that what works with one strain may need to be tweaked in order to fit the needs of another.

But if a nutrient deficiency is found in a cannabis crop, it is important to address the situation immediately to avoid crop or yield loss. Let’s take a closer look at what this procedure entails.

What Does a Nutrient Deficiency in Cannabis Look Like?

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Nutrient Deficiencies can appear in different ways depending on the specific nutrient the plant is lacking. Deficiencies can manifest themselves as color variations or spotting on the leaves, damage to the stem of the plant, and to the root system. In some instances it even affects when the plant goes into its flowering stage. The tricky part of correctly identifying a nutrient deficiency stems from the fact that they can share similar characteristics as other deficiencies, excesses, viruses, viroids, and even some

forms of pest damage. It is at this point, growers will need to become a detective of sorts to correctly identify the culprit and avoid costly misdiagnoses.

What are Some of the Most Common Nutrient Deficiencies?

There are a few common nutrient deficiencies that growers will see during their careers. While any nutrient the plants need can cause a deficiency, there are three main nutrients to keep an eye out for.

Nitrogen

A nitrogen deficiency will often appear as yellowing and dropping leaves. The impacted plants will also have stunted growth with smaller leaves. If left untreated, this deficiency can cause premature flowering, leaving growers with a lower yield.

Potassium

A potassium deficiency can be seen most noticeably in the leaves of the plant. The tips of the leaves will turn a dark rust color, often appearing as if they had been burned. The stems will weaken and if left long enough, can cause a reduction in flowering.

Phosphorous

This deficiency will not only affect the growth of a plant, effectively stunting it, but will also make the leaves turn dark in color, curl, and drop. A phosphorous deficiency can also leave a plant susceptible to viruses/viroids, pests, and other harmful pathogens. Apart from the changes in the leaves, a phosphorous deficiency can also be indemnified by the discoloration of the leaf stems.

How to Fix a Nutrient Deficiency in Cannabis

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When caught in a reasonable amount of time, nutrient deficiencies can be fixed and the plants can be saved with minimal to no damage. The key is to identify the correct nutrient that is causing the deficiency and fix it without throwing the plant into nutrient excess.

The first step is to determine what nutrient is causing the deficiency.

This can be done by using the clues that your plant is giving you and comparing it to your feeding regimen. At this stage, research on the nutrient needs of individual strains can also prove helpful.

Once the correct nutrient deficiency is identified, then it is possible to fix it. This is done by adjusting the feeding regime for that strain or by supplementing the existing feeding regime by using a nutrient tea. This tea is often used several times a week depending on the needs of the plant to provide extra nutrients the plant needs to remain healthy and growing properly.

As mentioned before, it is important to be able to avoid over-adjustment of your nutrients in order to avoid nutrient excess. This in itself is a problem and can cause further harm to your cannabis crop. To read more about nutrient burn and excess, please visit our article here.

Where to Learn More About Nutrient Deficiencies

Want to learn more about nutrient deficiencies, excess, or other problems you may run into while growing a cannabis crop? Verne Bio’s Knowledge Center is a must-have tool for growers of all experience levels. Located on our website, this wealth of information can help expand your cultivation knowledge, giving you more confidence to care for the plants we all love.

While searching through our catalog of cannabis-specific articles, readers can expect to find topics such as;

●          Hop Latent Viroid

●          Botrytis

●          Current viruses and viroids impacting the market

●          Tips and tricks for preventative care measures

In addition to our Knowledge Center, this information and more can be brought straight to you via our newsletter. Sign up for our newsletter directly on the homepage of our website. We promise you won’t want to miss out!

At Verne Bio, we take pride in helping keep growers up-to-date with much of the latest information in the cultivation industry. We believe cultivation education should be accessible to growers of all experience levels. That is why we provide not only information about viruses and viroids, but also detailed information about cannabis cultivation. From pests, to pathogens, to nutrient deficiencies and beyond, Verne Bio is proud to play a supportive role in the cannabis community.

Works Cited

Goggins, Pat. “Cannabis nutrient deficiencies & leaf symptoms.” Leafly, 1 October 2020, https://www.leafly.com/learn/growing/troubleshooting/nutrient-deficiencies. Accessed 13

August 2023.

Loud Clouds Co. “Cannabis Nutrient Deficiencies & Excesses.” Loud Clouds Co., 2016, https://loudclouds.co/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/marijuana-deficiency-chart-jorge-cerva ntes.jpg. Accessed 13 August 2023.