Better Buds with Mr. Bill: Newly-Flowering Plant with Burns

Mr. Bill, our plant fix-it guy, helps a reader to determine if her newly-flowering plant is burned or just in serious need of water.

Mr. Bill is ready to assist you by drawing upon over twenty-eight years of active grow shop experience - including answering growers' questions about the hydroponic industry. Before Mr. Bill opened his first store he worked in the agricultural industry for five years, growing tobacco.

Dear Mr. Bill,

I am growing my plant outside. I have just put my plant into flowering stage about two weeks ago, right before I did I noticed some burn-like marks on the leaves. Now there are some beginning signs of drooping in one leaf. I've enclosed three pictures of the plant, the first is a picture of the entire plant, the second is the drooping leaf, and the third is the burn-like symptoms. Please let me know what you think is wrong or what I am doing or not doing that needs to change. I've had a hard time identifying what the problem is.

I've enclosed three pictures of the plant; the first picture is of the full plant, the second picture is the first sign of drooping in the leaves and the third picture is the burn-like symptoms that are on some of the leaves. Please let me know what you think I am doing or not doing. Thank you sooooo much!

Thank you!
Natasha

Hi Natasha,

I have some ideas. Firstly, the drooping appears to be typical of a plant that is just about to get thirsty. Your plant is lovely and healthy-looking, so don't freak out and assume the worst - yet. If the droopiness doesn't go away with regular watering, and doesn't correspond with really hot days, then you might have a different problem. We would be better-able to provide you with advice if we knew those details. Be careful not to over-water, though.

You don't appear to have any major deficiencies, as the plant looks vibrant and green. Outdoor plants get more wear-and-tear than indoor plants (growing indoors means that you have to recreate all the good stuff that happens naturally outdoors; lights = sun, fans = wind, etc.) It is possible that the 'burn' marks are from rough handling/transporting/re-potting, or even from strong winds or animals wandering past. Try not to stress if you have only a few affected leaves, especially if they appear towards the bottom of the plant.

As plants mature, the lowest foliage becomes the least important; as the plant flowers, the bottom leaves will actually die or at least look really gross. Any foliage that isn't healthy and green, especially if it's wounded in some way, becomes a liability and should be carefully removed. Use a sharp, clean blade to slice off ugly leaves (yours don't look that bad yet) and then gently squeeze the cut stem together to prevent moisture loss and stress. Or, thoroughly wash your hands and pinch off dead leaves at the stem. Removing the lower foliage also helps to prevent mildew/mold and pathogens from creeping up onto your plant during the cold, wet end of flowering.

May I assume that you are growing in the Northern hemisphere? If so, you are flowering quite late in the year. Indica-dominant strains that take eight weeks indoors, plus strains based on Skunk #1, are generally finishing at this time of year, unless you live close to the equator or in the Deep South. Your plant looks like a hardy indica, so it shouldn't take you into the autumn or winter, at which point the plants usually die.

Always shake moisture off of the plant after a rain storm, especially if she's fully flowering. This also prevents mold/mildew, and it keeps them from getting light burn - rain drops act like tiny magnifying glasses and cause spot burns, but that's not really what your plant seems to have. I think that the affected leaves were slightly manhandled in some way, not necessarily by you!

I hope this info helps. Thanks for reading and for submitting a question. Good luck and good job!

Cheers,
Bill