heya guys, had a plant under 600w 12/12 under a brand new dual spectrum bulb and was called away for a week, the plant got pretty damaged and dried out. About 5 stems are nice and green, the rest (it was lst'd) are a light brown, think they're wasted. Is there anything i can do to revive it, ie misting it every hour? Would it be better to cut off the dead leaves? ps is there any visible difference between too much / too little water and heat damage?
whens the last time u watered them? misting will help, your plant hasn't died. just nurture the baby since you've been away so long. happy growing -K
i watered it 2 days ago. It doesn't seem to be taking much in as the water is just sitting in the tray at the bottom, whereas the other plants have soaked it all in. The remaining flowers that are green are nice and healthy, i was just wondering if the rest will recover.
Heat damage is evident by crispy, crumbly leaves that are close to the light. Typically it is localized, in only the spots that are close to the light. Over/under watering generally shows up as wilted/dried leaves, with an overall droopy look. Check the stickies in this 'sick plants' board for more info. I wouldn't bother misting her too often, you'll just create too much humidity and hurt her more. Don't bother cutting off the leaves...just pick them off when they're ready. What exactly happened? While you were gone, did the plant grow up too close to the light? Was she underwatered? I suggest just giving her some TLC...maybe some nutrients if she's due for some, move the light farther away, etc. If there are parts of the plant that are definitely dead (gray/light brown stems) they probaly won't recover, but if she turns around she'll sprout new growth after a while. It's just like re-vegging. You mentioned that there is water sitting at the bottom of her tray...do you mean she is basically sitting in a puddle of water? This isn't really good, it can cause the soil to stay too damp and the roots to rot. From what I've noticed it's best to leave everything around/under the pot dry, just have the soil hold the water for her.
thanks dragon. i was away from my grow for just over a week, so they had no water, and the lamp was too low with a fresh bulb in it, so it got pretty toasted. This was the plant directly under the bulb, so about three quarters is bone dry, the rest that was spread out (it was lst'ing) has some healthy green branches with flowers on it. It was sitting in the tray of water until i drained the excess water into another pot. Curious about under/over watering. I have one plant that has very pale leaves throughout and is really slow flowering. Read over the sick plants thread and i'm starting to think it had a nitrogen deficiency before flowering - is it ok to add nitrogen now?
You can if you want, but during flowering the plant needs less N and more P-K...P and K assist in bud development while N is more suited for leafy/veg growth. I suggest just feeding her with some regular nutes that have N-P-K as well as micronutes. Start out with 1/4 dose, then work up to a full dose in small increments, and watch the progress very closely. How far into flowering are they? After several weeks, around 6-7, the plant begins to suck food from the leaves and other parts of itself to assist in the final stretch of bud development. Your plant that was burned will make it through. It will be stunted for a while, but it should be okay. After a plant is well developed and healthy, it can be somewhat difficult to overwater (unless you just water them every day, which should not be done)...seedlings tend to get overwatered real easily because they're root systems are so small/fragile. Underwatering is a big problem throughout a grow. You'll know if the plant is thirsty if the leaves droop or feel crispy. Conversly, OVERwatering can exhibit similar symptoms, but the leaves may not be so crispy. The real test is to stick your finger in the soil about 2" deep...if it feels dry down there, she needs water - if it's wet, she's fine for another day or so.
thanks, i've got some canna pk13/14 i'll give her a shot with, see if that brings a bit of green back to her leaves.
What's the difference between watering and misting? Oh, and how do you prevent the plant from drying out in the first place??
Misting = spraying the leaves with water. Called a "foliar feed" when you mix nutes with the water. Watering = just watering the plant...pouring water in the soil to saturate/feed the roots. Depends on what you mean by "drying out." The leaves will dry out if the light is too close, thus burning the leaves. If you leave it unwatered for a long period of time, the whole plant will essentially dry out because it is starving for water (keep in mind that the soil should dry out a bit between waterings to prevent overwatering/root rot)
k, so the watering and misting term usage makes more sense to me now, thanks! drying out, basically i mean like when the leaves get a little brown on the edges. From what I've heard, that sort of damage isn't that bad, though?
All sorts of things could cause "a little brown on the edges." Could be caused by a light burn (being too close to the lights), nutrient deficiencies or toxicities, nutrient burn (usu. caused by chemical nutrients), or a Ph imbalance (which can, in turn, lead to nutrient issues). Or, the leaf is old and is just simply dying. No issue is to be taken lightly until you know exactly what causes it...the more serious issues being Ph and nutrient deficiency or toxicity. Read the stickies in this 'sick plants' section at the top of the board...they will tell you everything you need to know. They are there to help new/inexperienced growers learn how to handle such issues.