Growing at the wrong ph level is actually one of the most common reasons for why people experience issues with their cannabis plants. It is extremely important to mix your nutrients and waterings at the right pH as it affects how your plant absorbs those inputs. If in the wrong pH range, it can cause your plant to go into a “Nutrient Lockout” which means it is essentially in shock and no longer absorbing nutrients for the time being. This is the first thing I always check for when someone is having an issue with their plants as it is almost always the answer. So before you assume you are having a nutrient deficiency, be sure you are using the proper pH levels for the growing medium you are using.

5. Nitrogen Deficiency & Toxicity (The Claw)

Nitrogen is one of the 3 main macronutrients cannabis plants survive on, so its presence is important when providing nutrients! When you look on the front of most nutrient bottles, you will see 3 numbers listed next to each other with dash marks. Those are the NPK Ratios, which are the symbols for the 3 main Macro Nutrients: Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium.

When there is not enough potassium in the plants system, the leaves will begin to turn a bright yellow and will die. This is easily fixed by first checking to make sure you’re using the correct pH. If you are, then you’ll want to add a nutrient into the mix that is high in N. If you are getting close to harvest, your fan leaves will naturally turn yellow as the buds will pull the nitrogen out of them for one last boost in growth, which is completely normal and nothing to worry about!

Nitrogen toxicity on the other hand, is caused by feeding too much nitrogen to your plants and is often referred to as “The Claw.” This is because one of the symptoms is the ends of your leaves will curl or claw downwards. They will also turn dark green which is another sign of N Toxicity. To fix this issue, just light the amount of Nitrogen mixed into the nutrient feedings.

6. Spider Mites

While not as common as the previous issues, this pest is definitely one of the most damaging and difficult to deal with! If you don’t catch these guys early on, there is a good chance you won’t be able to get rid of them. That is why it is so important to always monitor your plants and to comb through them every couple of days so you can spot pests and other issues as early on as possible. Spider mites, and most other pests, hide on the undersides of your fan leaves so always check that part of the plant as well.

It will be hard to see this best with the naked eye so I recommend using the same tool you use for looking at trichomes as that will be perfect for zooming in on them. The mites will look like similar to spiders and will be crawling around nibbling on your leaves.