Purple stems - nitrogen defiency?

Discussion in 'First Time Marijuana Growers' started by WWinston, Sep 29, 2012.

  1. Hi there,

    So, I got my hands on this guide (see attachments) and now I am sort of wondering whether my plants have nitrogen defiency ... they do have purpleish stems, but I figured it was a good sign. I have added a picture (check attachments). Thanks a bunch!
     

    Attached Files:

  2. #3 sm00thslp, Sep 30, 2012
    Last edited: Sep 30, 2012
    Purple stem is from Magnesium.

    It looks like you have something else going on too though, so couldn't say if magnesium is deficient.

    The one leaf in the back is fucked. That front one is getting there. First thing first, check your pH level.
     
  3. #4 WWinston, Sep 30, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 30, 2012
    Yea, these are my very first plants. I figured I was clever and ordered the digital pH meter, but the motherfckr is to measure the pH of the soil, and I read these are piece of shit. Couldnt find a digital pH tester for water for reasonable price, so I ordered the strips for the beginning.

    But how did you come up with the Mg conclusion? And why are the stems purple?


    edit: oh u edited ur post, ignore the last questions ;)
     
  4. funny thing is, my mom said its a good thing that the stems are purple, shows the vitality and strength of the plants .. lol .. she grew tomatoes back in the day, i aint going to listen to her no more
     
  5. Sorry. I have a habit of posting then editing for 30minutes :/ I edit every post almost after posting it...even this one. Going to check your other post out now though.
     
  6. You have InTheGarden on your other post, so your good :)
     
  7. No worries. I'd appreciate if you could take a look at the other pics I linked, perhaps we can figure it out.

    I am transplanting the plants to a bigger pot on Tuesday, that is when I get my new soil and perlite. People said the plants are overwatered, so I don't really want to water them until Tuesday, not sure whether it is a good idea or not. They dont seem to recover either, so I am sort of lost, should I water or not? I understand that they might be waterlogged, so more water would only harm them? Its a pity that I cant get the new soil any faster ...
     
  8. Well, I've read a lot of InTheGarden's posts. They know gardening :)

    I water only when the soil is pretty dry. It helps to keep gnats away as well. Your plants might not be recovering or doing anything because the soil is waterlogged, which in turn doesn't allow air to flow through the soil to the roots too well. You could try pushing the pots in slightly around the sides to crack the soil up a bit. Take something like a screw driver and poke some holes around in the soil as deep as possible. If you encounter any resistance with the screw driver going down, your hitting roots. Try not to disturb them too much.
     
  9. So, I squeezed the side of the pots gently and watered afterwards, they seemed so thirsty and the soil itself was extremely dry (pot was sooo light). Hope they forgive me my previous mistakes and recover! :)
     
  10. Alright, so like an hour later, the plants are not showing any indication that the appreciated the watering .. bottom leaves starting to turn curly downwards .. sort of confused. Thoughts?
     
  11. weird but ive seen it on all plants ive grown, cold water sometimes turns stems purple, just had it happen to me on some clones, started giving room temp about 75 degree's, and they changed back
     
  12. Thanks for your response.

    I have been watering with fairly warm water, so it really can't be the case here.

    I suspect the pH of the water and the soil is just way off. Must be. Can't really test at this moment, hopefully receiving the pH strips soon.
     
  13. But .. I am not really using peat pots? Just plastic ones. Transplanting day after tomorrow, when I receive the new soil I ordered. Canna Terra Plus, thoughts on the soil? I'll mix in some perlite as well.
     
  14. Sorry man, wrong thread. Purpling can be caused by a phosphorus deficiency, can also be normal. I do see a bit of nute burn though, any discoloration along with it? Hard to tell from those pics, can you take one of the whole plant? (top down)
     
  15. It's hard to diagnose a problem based on just purple stems. If you are noticing dark, slate blue/green leaves and some brown, dying areas, I'd say the problem is a phosphorus deficiency. However, since you have the new soil on the way, I would not add anything to try and correct whatever is going on (this could just create more issues and make it worse). Add some perlite to the new soil and transplant into it. You can absolutely plant the stem a little deeper in the new pot. The stem will grow roots where it's buried. Bury it an inch or so deeper in the new pot. Then don't give them any nutrients right away (this can actually add stress). Wait and observe. The leaves that are already affected won't improve, but you shouldn't notice any symptoms on new leaves. If they keep getting worse, report back and we'll go from there.

    Watering:
    Go by the weight of your pot to determine when to water. Fill up an empty pot with plain soil as a reference. Pick up your pots every day so you start to learn what they feel like. If the pot feels heavy, it doesn't need water. If it feels light, go ahead and water. (compare to the weight of the pot of dry soil). If you can't decide whether or not you need to water, stick your finger down in the soil. If you can feel moisture (any moisture at all) 2-3 inches down, you don't need to water. When you water, give them plenty, enough to fully saturate the soil in the pot. Then let them dry out before the next watering.

    I have to say, if you want to avoid nutrient deficiencies all together, consider an organic soil. Then all you have to worry about is watering, not nutrient levels and all that. Much easier for a new grower and much better conditions for the plant.
     
  16. Here are the recent pictures, the lights from the closet sort of messes with the actual color, they are not that green and not that yellow. I also added the picture of sad leaves below, a bit curly ones. From the top, the plants look healthy, I'd say they look better on the pictures - what a showoffs. :p Here are the pictures:
     

    Attached Files:

  17. Thank you for your insight, appreciate it. I always read your posts with enjoyment. I have made some notes and try to follow them accordingly.

    One more question, can I transplant it even deeper than the codyledon leaves or that is what I should aim for?
     
  18. #20 InTheGarden, Sep 30, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 30, 2012
    I'm glad to help! It's better to not transplant any deeper than the cotyledon leaves. If you wanted to, you could plant the stem deeper over several successive transplantings (like from seed cup to 1 gallon pot to 5 gallon pot or whatever), ending up with the stem buried deeper than the cotyledon leaves. But you don't want to bury them deeper than that all in one go. hth

    edit: I just took a look at your pictures. The main problem is overwatering and being in water-logged, wet soil. Until you get them in a new soil with better drainage, you really won't be able to successfully diagnose any kind of deficiency, and adding anything to try and "correct" an imbalance could just make it worse. Just transplant into the new soil and perlite asap.
     

Share This Page