Branch Dying on Healthy Plant

[therevverend]

I've got a plant that's extremely wilt-prone, occasionally one of the lower limbs will start to wilt for no reason. Sometimes it'll wilt for a while then get better, other times the branch wilts and keeps wilting until it dies. Even when I get it wet it keeps wilting. The limb is healthy, not broken or split, stem rot or mold, not a pest burrowing into the branch or damage to the root system.

Earlier in the year we had a couple stormy windy days, afterward an entire side of the plant started to wilt. Starting from the top down. It spread about halfway down the plant.

This was at the start of July, the worst that it got. I'd spray it down which normally causes plants to snap back while they're drenched. It didn't. Slowly the wilting got better, healing from the bottom up the opposite of the way it spread. You can also see a couple wilting branches at the lower left, I lost one of them. Now it's perfectly healthy and the wilting is gone. Since then a lower branch has wilted until it's died.

All along it's been a healthy vibrant vigorous plant. It's gotten quite large and bushy, over 7 feet tall. I think it's a genetic thing, I've seen plants do something similar in the past but you never know.

 

[SolarLogos]

I've got a plant that's extremely wilt-prone, occasionally one of the lower limbs will start to wilt for no reason. Sometimes it'll wilt for a while then get better, other times the branch wilts and keeps wilting until it dies. Even when I get it wet it keeps wilting. The limb is healthy, not broken or split, stem rot or mold, not a pest burrowing into the branch or damage to the root system.

Earlier in the year we had a couple stormy windy days, afterward an entire side of the plant started to wilt. Starting from the top down. It spread about halfway down the plant.

View Image

This was at the start of July, the worst that it got. I'd spray it down which normally causes plants to snap back while they're drenched. It didn't. Slowly the wilting got better, healing from the bottom up the opposite of the way it spread. You can also see a couple wilting branches at the lower left, I lost one of them. Now it's perfectly healthy and the wilting is gone. Since then a lower branch has wilted until it's died.

All along it's been a healthy vibrant vigorous plant. It's gotten quite large and bushy, over 7 feet tall. I think it's a genetic thing, I've seen plants do something similar in the past but you never know.

I've had that happen before with plants in the ground. I had mulched underneath them and even though it was a hot summer, some of the roots on one side became a little rotten, causing a branch to wilt and die for no apparent reason, other than the roots didn't dry out as much as they should have. Later, another branch died. I realized the problem when I dug up the plant. If you got a lot of rain or the ground is not draining well, that could be the case.
Keep me posted, I'm curious. Good luck my friend.
Peace, God bless
Edit: It was always lower branches too that wilted and died like yours

 

[thailer]

maybe something is reflecting the sun creating a hot spot like a car or window? that is really weird. good luck!!

 

[Green Squall]

One of my plants is doing this as well. Lower branch wilts and eventually pops off. Strange part is that there's no rot or signs or boring insects. I'm not sure what's causing it, but I'm guessing its some kind of disease.

 

[therevverend]

Wow that popping off even stranger then what I have. I can kind of see a plant 'shedding' lower branches because they're redundant, but not really. It leaves the plant open to infections through the opening. You may want to stick on some antibiotic goop, neosporin or whatever, to keep grey mold or anything else out of there. I seem to remember seeing that before but it would have been many years ago.

maybe something is reflecting the sun creating a hot spot like a car or window?

No nothing like that. This branch right now is under the plant so it doesn't get any light. Here's a picture of the plant, healthy and thriving after recovering from it's big wilt.

Great looking plant but you can see a wilted branch on the lower left. Here's a picture of another branch, blocked off completely from the light by branches. It's well attached to the plant, I'd have to cut it to remove it.

Solar's idea is worth looking into. You can see what the ground is like, a bit of horse manure mulch but that's it. I just watered, you can see that it drained well. It's sandy soil that sucks up the water immediately I've never had drainage issues. To really be sure I'd have to dig it up which ain't happening unless I lose her. It has been a wet summer so far.

Whatever it is I think genes have something to do with it and are probably the main culprit. Same with Green Squall's issue. I've seen plants that were chronic wilters, I know there's a disease that can cause it but there's lines that have a propensity to do it.

This plant was bagseed, I'd saved it from excellent ganja from Mendo several years back. The stuff wasn't seeded it was probably the only one I found. I stashed it away by itself so I know it was good. But this makes it harder to nail down since I don't know the strain. We'll wait and see but I don't like the idea of using it for breeding. It'll have to be truly exceptional smoke.

One other odd characteristic, I'll try to remember photographed it. The lower leaves will get a bit yellow and necrotic at the tips. It may be a form of burn, maybe the wilting is as well. I'm just about done fertilizing N for the season, I may give them one more shot. If I do I'll watch closely. Some plants are more sensitive then others and show their sensitivity in odd ways.

 

['Boogieman']

This happens to me but only in smartpots, I never figured out what was going on but the problem only happens for me when it's hot and the soil is wet.

 

[Gauss]

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[therevverend]

Did a minimum amount of research, this sort of wilting is most likely caused by a plant parasite, a microorganism. Most likely pythium or fusarium. I used to get fusarium wilt on my tomatoes, I fixed the problem by fertilizing better, adding mag to the soil, and mulching. It likes high nitrogen fast release chemical type fertilizers, I tend to use slow release manure.

The picture of the entire plant wilting was after a big rainstorm, I thought a branch had fallen on it. Pythium needs a lot of water, my soil drains well so it weakens when it dries out. It's been a cool wet summer so I'm not surprised a plant got infected.

I water a lot, I don't like to wait for my plants to show signs of thirst. On the other hand I don't like over watering I wait for them to dry out. If it's a hot day and they look like they're getting thirsty I wait until the next morning so they don't spend the night over saturated. It limits the amount of time the soil stays at completely saturated.

It's a little strange that the plant is diseased and still growing at a fast vigorous rate. I've noticed it's not quite as vigorous as it's neighbors, I was thinking it's genetic but now I know it's disease. I may breed with it after all. However I'm sure it's genetically predisposed to wilting since none of the other plants have shown signs. Pythium isn't easy to spread because it needs standing water but I'm sure it's spores are everywhere.

 

[Teddybrae]

Yep ... fusarium likes it hot and wet. happened to me real bad this season after I applied Molasses and Potassium Sulphate too close together.

Looks like you've got a mild dose ...

 

[therevverend]

The odd part is that the weather wasn't hot, it was around 20 degrees C, 70 degrees F. Give or take 5 degrees. I have sandy soil which dries out easily so my soil doesn't get super saturated easily. There'd been 2 or 3 days of heavy downpours which must have done it. I'm thinking the organism is different then the hot weather California one.

Another symptom showing on the same plant, the lower shade leaves get yellow necrotic tips.

Might be a lesser reaction to the same root disease. I'm sure it's genetic. The seed is from Mendocino, out of a bag I got in 2012. I've either found other bag seeds and grew them out or were gifted seeds that were this strain from Mendo growers. I know because I grew them out 6 or 7 years ago and saw the same symptoms. It's coming back to me now, especially the leaf yellowing. The good news is that it's good smoke and I'm not unhappy to have it back. Whether I grow it again depends on how good the flowers are, whether it's worth dealing with the problems it causes. I think the mold resistance was decent.

 

[TomL]

hello i am having this problem , any more info?

 

[SolarLogos]

hello i am having this problem , any more info?

I had this happen on two of my Honduran x Panama's last year, during the hot summer. Both plants were in pots and certainly not over watered, so I am leaning towards a virus, parasite or something of that nature as therevverend stated last year. I don't know what causes it, but tying the branch up to support it will only help for a short period, the branch will eventually die. It's always the bottom branch close to the soil. I'm still sure the problem manifests itself first in the soil, then the roots. There is not much you can do but go ahead and take the branch off. I let the hole dry and did not treat it with anything and did not have problems on either plant. You can try flushing your medium with 3% H202 and H20, 1:3 ratio. It will kill fungus gnat larvae and other fungus, virus and bacteria. Unfortunately, it also kills beneficial fungus and bacteria, but you can add that back in if you're organic. I'm sure the damage is already done and there is little you can do at this point.

I generally trim the lowest branches off when the plants are small as they usually are not the biggest branches. I've never had that problem with the plants I've done that to.
Best of luck.
Peace, God bless

 

[TomL]

yes im thinking it has to be a soil or root problem. The branches are not breaking off, they are kinda just popping off like a cork on a wine bottle. Plant is 5ft tall no signs of deficiencies. Was thinking Fusarium but never had it or know much about it?

 

[TanzanianMagic]

It sounds like Verticillium Wilt.

https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/blog-how-to-prevent-verticillium-in-your-cannabis-crop-n871

 

[TomL]

thought that also verticillium but no yellowing or browning

 

[RED 1]

The odd part is that the weather wasn't hot, it was around 20 degrees C, 70 degrees F. Give or take 5 degrees. I have sandy soil which dries out easily so my soil doesn't get super saturated easily. There'd been 2 or 3 days of heavy downpours which must have done it. I'm thinking the organism is different then the hot weather California one.

Another symptom showing on the same plant, the lower shade leaves get yellow necrotic tips.

View Image

Might be a lesser reaction to the same root disease. I'm sure it's genetic. The seed is from Mendocino, out of a bag I got in 2012. I've either found other bag seeds and grew them out or were gifted seeds that were this strain from Mendo growers. I know because I grew them out 6 or 7 years ago and saw the same symptoms. It's coming back to me now, especially the leaf yellowing. The good news is that it's good smoke and I'm not unhappy to have it back. Whether I grow it again depends on how good the flowers are, whether it's worth dealing with the problems it causes. I think the mold resistance was decent.

Hi R.
Chicken wire, perlite soaked(can soak in hydrogen peroxide)mixed with soil
Started lately by clipping first set of branches, slight stretch, basically away from soil, sunlight to penetrate all the way down

 

[TomL]

my plants look like green squall post branch pop off and leave a hole .. anyone ever have termites?

 

[RED 1]

my plants look like green squall post branch pop off and leave a hole .. anyone ever have termites?

Termites sounds nasty
Shouldn't a professional handle that?

 

[Loc Dog]

I was totally screwed for 3 entire grows, after taking plants outside (in above ground pool, but next to pine trees) and bringing back into house. There was only leaf debris in the pool. Plants got sick and dying. Wound up being microscopic mites. That is my goto with any sick plant. Take sick leaf and look at back all over under USB microscope. Little bastards cost me thousands in wasted electric alone, until I salvaged clone strain I could not lose. I thought nutrient problems for too long, and every plant got it by then.

 

[TomL]

Termites sounds nasty
Shouldn't a professional handle that?

if they are termites i guess a professional should take care of that but im still trying to figure out what the problem is. I was wondering if anyone had termites and that is what happened i stopped in my local grow shop and one guy said that might be the problem? again my plants look like the pics in Green squalls post #4 trying to find someone with that same issue thanks everyone