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Purple main stem ?

singlecoiled

Active member
I've grown this strain 3 times now and this is the first I've seen a plant look so rough. Can anyone tell what deficiency might cause a purple main stem?

Changes this grow:

RO water --- have used bottled drinking water with calcium in the past....

Move from soil to Coco/Loco. (half coco, half soil)

Feed PPM 300-400 PH 6.2-6.5 Runoff PPM around 800 PH 6.7 Following Dynagrow feed chart with minor changes.

Foliage Pro, Protekt, Mag Pro (very little used) and light usage of Calmag.

Previous grow: (as a reference--using same nutrients and feed schedule, drinking water had calcium listed as an ingedient on the label.) Stem is and healthy looking and green...

green.JPG



Current Grow: RO water, stem is a mess ! Bright purple?

purple.JPG


Here is the plant now: around 6 inches high with 6 nodes.. (not counting cotyledon). Plan to top to the third node next week. Leaf tips down, she's trying to tell me something. Purple stem)

_DSC5956.JPG
 
Last edited:

Creeperpark

Well-known member
Mentor
Veteran
I've grown this strain 3 times now and this is the first I've seen a plant look so rough. Can anyone tell what deficiency might cause a purple main stem?

Changes this grow:

RO water --- have used bottled drinking water with calcium in the past....

Move from soil to Coco/Loco. (half coco, half soil)

Feed PPM 300-400 PH 6.2-6.5 Runoff PPM around 800 PH 6.7 Following Dynagrow feed chart with minor changes.

Foliage Pro, Protekt, Mag Pro (very little used) and light usage of Calmag.

Previous grow: (as a reference--using same nutrients and feed schedule, drinking water had calcium listed as an ingedient on the label.) Stem is and healthy looking and green...

View attachment 18923592


Current Grow: RO water, stem is a mess ! Bright purple?

View attachment 18923593

Here is the plant now: around 6 inches high with 6 nodes.. (not counting cotyledon). Plan to top to the third node next week. Leaf tips down, she's trying to tell me something. Purple stem)

View attachment 18923590
It's probably from the strain and not the growing method. Your plant looks awesome. With the EC you are using I don't think anything is wrong. If you try to fix what doesn't need fixing you may mess things up. Don't worry for now but keep us posted.
 

singlecoiled

Active member
It's probably from the strain and not the growing method. Your plant looks awesome. With the EC you are using I don't think anything is wrong. If you try to fix what doesn't need fixing you may mess things up. Don't worry for now but keep us posted.

This hobby can get tough at times, so many ailments look alike. This is Nirvana Northern Lights and its my 4th grow with this strain. All the other times my seedlings and early veg looked healthy and green, this go around I have a lot of purple/red stems. Purple on the main stem worries me a bit.

Could be---

Me worrying too much. (but I want to learn to fix problems before they become big problems)
Cold night temps? around 66 nightime 72 lights on
Slight lockout--PH might be a little too low or too high
P or K deficiency? I've increased feed to full dosage. She looked hungry at lower doses..Maybe it will clear up with more feed.

Anyway, thanks for the compliment, we'll see if the color fades as she grows.
 

singlecoiled

Active member

Stems of cannabis plants turning purple, how do I fix this?​

by Nebula Haze
Question: Help! My cannabis plants are young (growing in soil indoors with sunlight and my leaves are medium sized) yet my main stems are turning purple from the top downwards. Have you seen this before?
Answer: When a cannabis plant or seedling has a purple stem without any other signs of problems, it is often the result of genetics. However, sometimes you’ll see red stems (pictured below) which are often caused by light exposure (kind of like a “tan”), nutrient deficiencies, various types of stress, poor environment, or pH problems.
Purple stem on cannabis plant - is this a nutrient problem, how do I fix it?

Wait a week or two before making any alterations if your plant otherwise appears healthy and is growing fast.
If there are no other symptoms and the rest of the plant is growing fast and healthy, red stems usually aren’t a big deal. As long as you’re continuing to take good care of your plant and responding quickly to any other problems, you should be okay.
These red stems were caused by transplant shock and overall stress, but the clone just needed some TLC and time to grow out of it.
Example of a clone with red stems
Truly purple stems are often caused by genetics
Example of healthy purple stems caused by genetics - this strain of cannabis just grows this way normally
If you believe there is a nutrient problem with your cannabis plant, for example, if your plant is also growing slowly or the leaves are discolored, then the plant may be suffering from…
  • Incorrect pH – The pH being too high or too low at the roots is the most common reason to see a nutrient deficiency)
  • Magnesium deficiency can cause purple stems. A good cannabis-friendly nutrient system has a significant amount of magnesium, but if you’re using very soft water, or RO water, you may need to add a Cal-Mag to your nutrient regimen.
  • Temperature – Heat or especially cold can trigger red stems in some places. Big temperature fluctuations can also do it even if the temperature is in a good range.
  • Humidity – Very high or low humidity can stress plants (especially young seedlings)
  • Other types of stress such as light burn, transplant shock, or overwatering can trigger red stems
  • Sometimes you’ll never know why and plants just grow out of it 🙂
 
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