Purchasing a fertilizer usually has its sign of the proper ratio of the N-P-K. P stands for phosphorus which is a very important element and nutrition for cannabis plants. Phosphorus alone is vital for your cannabis plants’ overall health and survival.
With that being said, phosphorus is also one of the reasons why cannabis plants are fragile because of phosphorus deficiency. To help you out, we will discuss why phosphorus deficiency cannabis happens, the solutions available, and the preventive measures you need to do.
Phosphorus is a key element that has an important role in your cannabis plant’s flowering stage. It is very useful in keeping your plant roots, stem, and grow healthy. Overall, it provides your plant to be efficient during photosynthesis.
Phosphorus also helps your plants stay healthy during their germination period and helpful during the reproductive phase of your plants. Technically, phosphorus maintains a healthy life cycle for your cannabis plants, and without this, your plant will just ultimately wither and die.
How does phosphorus deficiency happen?
The phosphorus deficiency cannabis is not that common for cannabis plants as it rarely occurs due to the negligence of the grower. With that in mind, to prevent this from happening, the grower should be knowledgeable about the proper nutrition of cannabis plants and the proper growing techniques.
Various factors cause phosphorus deficiency in cannabis plants. There are also telltale signs of phosphorus deficiency in your cannabis plants. To learn all of these, we’ve listed it down below:
1. Smaller sized leaves- One telltale sign that your cannabis plant suffers from phosphorus deficiency is its very slow growth and the very small size of its leaves. The fully-matured leaves are usually the ones that show this sign. Instead of growing normally, it remains very small. These small leaves are usually seen at the bottom part of the plant and will gradually affect upwards.
2. Withering color of the leaves- Also, your plants’ leaves will turn brown until it withers away. If this happens, your plant has a smaller chance to survive. There are initial signs that your plants suffer from phosphorus deficiency if the leaves turn to pale green and purple. Once you had seen these colors, find the best solution right away.
3. Short plants- Phosphorus deficiency mainly affects the growth of your cannabis plants that is why it’s easy to find out if your plants suffer from it through its size. cannabis plants have varied sizes; however, phosphorus deficiency prevents it from growing its normal size. If you’re noticing that one of your plants is shorter than the others, check it right away.
How to prevent phosphorus deficiency?
Phosphorus deficiency prevention and solution is quite a tricky process. It requires patience and effort on the part of the grower because it is a serious condition that will surely put your cannabis plants in harm’s way. However, we’ve prepared a guide to help everyone reading this post.
- Make adjustments to the pH level- Your cannabis plants will suffer from phosphorus deficiency if there’s pH level imbalance on the soil that affects your plants’ roots. This happens when the pH level on your plants’ roots is way off that it affects its ability to absorb the phosphorus. To prevent this from happening, make sure that the medium of the soil has the right pH level. For hydro growing medium, the right pH level is not above 6.2 and not below 5.5 while for soil medium is at 6.2 to 7.0 pH level. Too low or too high pH levels can cause imbalance and will affect your plants’ overall health.
- Take extra care of its roots- Phosphorus deficiency happens when your growing medium, particularly soil is always wet and overwatered. To prevent this from happening, make sure that the water on your plants should be on the right amount so that it can properly absorb the phosphorous.
- Set the appropriate temperature- Sudden temperature changes can affect the plants’ ability to absorb phosphorus. If your indoor growing environment gets too cold or your greenhouse is not insulated during the winter, it will affect your plants’ ability to absorb phosphorus. This also happens during summer or your indoor growing environment gets too hot. cannabis plants love to thrive under a very comfortable temperature level.
- Provide the right nutrition- Aside from phosphorus, your cannabis plants thrive and grow healthy if you can supply them with the proper nutrients that are suitable for cannabis. Phosphorus alone will not help your cannabis plants grow healthy, so be mindful when it comes to nutrition. Aside from phosphorus, provide your plants Iron and Zinc since phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium are already abundant on the fertilizer that you’re going to apply to its medium. Also, it is highly advisable to use organic sources such as animal manure and biodegradable organic materials.
- Monitor your plants’ recovery- If you successfully applied all the steps above, you should keep your eyes peeled with your cannabis plants so that it can survive its ordeal and get back to its normal condition. Careful monitoring lasts three days to a whole week. Look for the telltale signs first and see how it progresses or regresses such as the brown and purplish spots, withering, and purple stems. It is slowly disappearing, and then you’re making the right steps.
- Make the solution a habit- Phosphorus deficiency cannabis might disappear after you’ve successfully helped your plants; however, this does not mean it won’t come back that is why you have to take preventive measures as your habit in taking care of your cannabis plants. After all, the preventive steps we’ve provided in this post are not just about overcoming phosphorus prevention, but this is the standard cannabis plant care that each grower should be aware of.
Final Words
It may not be that common, but phosphorus deficiency is very dangerous and can cause you serious problems especially if you’ll just ignore the signs. Now that you learn everything about beating this dreaded problem based on our post billed “Phosphorus Deficiency Cannabis: Treatment and Prevention”, you should start checking your plants now.
