I am growing in soil. So my leaf stems are turning purple, and it is slowly making it's way onto the main stems of the plant. A while back, I may have shocked the plant with pH adjusted water that was way out of the range of anything I had used before. Thus leading me to think I have a nutrient lock up. I noticed during nutrient feedings, the water pH going in was at ~6.0. The water I was using during regular watering was at ~7.5. That was giving me a difference of a pH level of ~1.5 each time I watered. The run off in either case however, was always ~6.8. I got some Clearex, and was able to flush each plant using 1 gallon of regular water at ~6.4, then 1 gallon of water with 1/4-1/2oz Clearex. After flushing with the Clearex water at 90% run off, I then added my normal nutrient feeding to the plant: 3 tsp Tiger Bloom 1/4-1/2 tsp Beastie Bloomz 1/2-1 tbsp Molasses The water now going in with both nutrient treated and non treated water are at a neutral pH level of ~6.0, and run off is still ~6.8. Should this help with the lock-up, and help fix the problem? Here is the main cola and veins turning purple.
I've had purple stems before. I associate stem purpling with cold weather, though there may be no rational basis for that association. I've never concerned myself about it. When I was growing in soil, a runoff of 6.8 was what I considered to be perfect. I was always trying to pull up my soil pH. My happy zone was 6.5 to 6.8, and since accumulated salts were always dragging the soil pH downward, I always aimed for the top of the happy zone. I would water, feed and flush at 7.0, aiming for that elusive 6.8 runoff reading.
Some genetics will turn your stems purple, but cold weather does turn your stems purple. What are your temps? Maybe it's getting cold at night?
I know for sure that it gets cold at night in the room, with temps dropping as low as 55-60F. This could possibly be a reason why it is turning purple. Do you think it is restricting nutrient flow? Also, is the flushing and re-feeding I did a good thing? I am considering changing my feeding schedule from a feed-water-water-feed to a feed-water-feed. I will make sure the pH levels stay on point. Something seems to be up, as it seems to be trying to happen to my baby seeds as well. PS: This seems to be a common issue I have with all of my plants.
yes, cold weather restricts the flow of phosphorus. with a phosphorus deficiency, you will also see purple stems (and crispy green tips of leaves). get it warmer in there; dont let it drop below 65 F. if you do you will see an Xploshion in growth. in a week or so youll probablly notice theyll need more P than usual, because of the lack thereof. dont give them any extra, though, wait till you correct this problem.
While this is true the cold weather will restrict some nutrient flow, and more than just phosphorous, it could also be a pigmentation and chlorophyll issue. Colder weather causes green clorophyll to die off and a purple pigmentation/chlorophyll to thrive. Now unless you are going below 50 degrees your plants should be fine. Many growers drop temps on purpose because, well let's face it, purple bud is more popular with the less informed crowd. They like what's different and do not know that the best bud doesn't have to be purple, and in fact many "purple" strains need the colder temps to turn purple. You may not get the best buds from them but they will not be horribly affected by the cold either. It just may be a little more leafy as opposed to dense nuggets. Happy Growing ~23