How NOT to Let Your Cannabis Plants Die

How to NOT let your Cannabis Plant Die - Knowing what’s wrong and how to fix it

There is nothing more frustrating than growing cannabis, and having it die on you. There are many things that can straight up “murder” your plants, and today we’re going to be going over some of the more common issues.

There’s a lot to cover, so we will just jump right into it.

Pests – Those little F*ckers!

One of the more common issues that you probably will run into at one point or another are pests. What makes cannabis pests such a hassle is that there are many of them. Some more versatile than others.

The most common type of pests you’d run into are:

Aphids
Spider Mites
Thrips
Broad Mites

To name a few. There is a more extensive list that you can find here.

At times, a pest infestation could be mistaken for other issues such as overwatering, nutrient burn or heat exposure. However, once you realize that it’s actually the result of little bugs having orgies on your plants – it might be too late.

It’s always important to tackle any pests quickly and efficiently. You don’t want them to spread to your other plants and ruin your crop. There’s a couple of efficient ways of getting rid of most pests including:

Wiping them off each leaf individually
Using Neem Oil (Don’t do it during flowering cycle)
Spinosad Products
Insecticidal Soaps

If you’re in the flowering cycle, it’s important to know when to use pesticides and when not to. Also, the type of pesticide is important. During the vegetative stage of the plant cycle you’ll have more leeway to use pesticides as it will degrade before the flowering cycle.

If you do happen to use pesticides during the flowering cycle, it’s important to use organic and non-toxic pesticides and to properly flush your plant. I personally do not like to do this during the flowering cycle and opt in for more practical applications such as sterilizing the environment (again and again), getting helper insects such as ladybugs or simply wiping the plant with 1 part alcohol 10 parts water. This is not a sure fire way, but it will be far less toxic for consumption. I’d much rather have a plant die than to smoke pesticides.

Overwatering, Nutrient Burn and other human errors

Other issues you might stumble upon include human errors such as overwatering or applying too much nutrients. Growing cannabis is an art and you’ll need to treat your plants with attention and care. In terms of overwatering you simply need to know how fast your plant consumes water.

In hydroponic systems, this usually isn’t a problem. However, in soil, you simply have to press your finger into the soil (about an inch deep) and feel if it’s moist. If the soil is moist, you don’t need to water. If it’s dry…obviously it’s time for watering.

When it comes to nutrients, your plant will need it at certain points more than others will. For instance, during the flowering cycle the plant will increase its nutrient uptake and perhaps you would need to add some more.

During the vegetative stage, you should not be adding more nutrients (in soil). This is especially true if you properly prepared your soil beforehand.

Growing cannabis will have a learning curve, and over time you’ll become more familiar with plant dynamics. It’s okay to mess up and have a plant die on you. Every good grower has a few cannabis skeletons in their closet. The trick is to identify where you went wrong and to learn from your mistakes. Eventually, you’ll have the grow down to a science.

Rot, Mold and Fungus

The grow environment is incredibly important. I prefer to work in sterile environments, but sometimes that isn’t possible. Nonetheless, it’s important to keep your grow area well ventilated and to not have water stagnate.

Root Rot can occur when the water stagnates and usually is more of a problem for people growing in deep water cultures. Essentially, it becomes a breeding ground for organisms that will rot away your roots ultimately killing your plants.

It’s important to keep the water moving and to ensure that it’s getting oxygen.

Mold also occurs when there is too much humidity and stagnation in the airflow. Be sure to maintain the optimal humidity within the grow and keep it well ventilated. Not only will the breeze help make the plant stronger, it will also help keep certain pests at bay (like Spider Mites). Always have a fan blowing on your grows.

This will help stop the development of fungus as well.

Keep on Learning

The truth of the matter is that at one point in time, you’ll run into a problem when growing cannabis. If you lose a plant – it sucks. However, it can also be a great learning experience allowing you to become better at the art of growing the sticky icky.