Red fan-leaf stems, should I be worried?

Hey guys,

Im currently growing three plants in Aus & all three are starting the flowering process. Two of them I’ve noticed have started developing red fan-leaf stems and I did some googling and read there’s something called Cannabis Phosphorus Deficiency. I don’t know if my plants have this condition or if maybe it’s sun exposure, possibly could be just the strain as well.

I’ve added some pics below of the plants & I also managed to get a microscopic close up of the red stem, looks pretty funky but if it looks unwell then any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.

I’ve also noticed that one of the plants that, at the start of the growing period, grew a lot quicker and bigger than the other two, but now that same plant seems to have almost stunted in growth? I’m not too sure, it’s now the smallest amongst the 3 plants & bushier on one side.

Being as this is my first proper go at growing, I have only been giving them water, since I honestly haven’t a clue at how nutrients work & what to give them, plus I don’t know if it’s too late to start giving them nutrients now. I repotted them into 400mm pots last week also (they are outdoor plants living on a balcony)

Sorry for babbling, I’m a proud mother of these 3 girls and want them to do well. Any tips you have are appreciated, I’m a newbie to all of this.

Cheers

Not sure could just be the phenotype, but no idea. Would like to know. I dont worry about the trivial shit, if its healthy, I just go with business as usual, kelp de molasses fulvic acid and worm castings. Are all real good for outdoors and in. And as extras for the girls, don't run into problems unless ph is off, excess is more trouble than def, imo. Nirogen always creeps too high for some reason. Maybe phos is low?

Look good overall, don’t worry about the reddish/purple stems it’s usually not a big issue. What are your daytime/nighttime temps? Humidity?

just a recommendation for next time, do some research on low-stress training. You’ll get lower bushier plants with higher yields vs the traditional Christmas tree shape.

Definitely not too late to start feeding either, and really will be necessary as they get hungry during flower. Research cannabis bloom nutrients. They make dry ones you can just mix into the soil and just water like normal!

Serty97 said:

Look good overall, don’t worry about the reddish/purple stems it’s usually not a big issue. What are your daytime/nighttime temps? Humidity?

just a recommendation for next time, do some research on low-stress training. You’ll get lower bushier plants with higher yields vs the traditional Christmas tree shape.

Definitely not too late to start feeding either, and really will be necessary as they get hungry during flower. Research cannabis bloom nutrients. They make dry ones you can just mix into the soil and just water like normal!

Click to expand...

Gaia is an excellent organic nutrient

Serty97 said:

Look good overall, don’t worry about the reddish/purple stems it’s usually not a big issue. What are your daytime/nighttime temps? Humidity?

just a recommendation for next time, do some research on low-stress training. You’ll get lower bushier plants with higher yields vs the traditional Christmas tree shape.

Definitely not too late to start feeding either, and really will be necessary as they get hungry during flower. Research cannabis bloom nutrients. They make dry ones you can just mix into the soil and just water like normal!

Click to expand...

I live 30 mins away from the snowy mountains in Australia but at the moment it’s still pretty warm, some days / nights turn cold real quick but then the next day we’re back to 28 degree weather so it’s always varying. We also get heaps of wind here on a lot of days so I’m constantly bringing them inside so they don’t get battered.

I think my mate is doing something like low stress training. He ended up planting his plant in the ground and started pinning the stalks down so they start to grow upwards or something like that.

I’ll start looking into some nutrients, I’m moving to a small apartment soon & will be transporting the plants out to a mates property next week, hoping they go alright, I care about them so much lol I’m always checkin’ on them any chance I get.

Cheers for the helpful reply legend, super appreciated

Southernontariogrower said:

Gaia is an excellent organic nutrient

Click to expand...

I’ll look into it,
Cheers legend

Southernontariogrower said:

Gaia is an excellent organic nutrient

Click to expand...

Do you have a recommendation for a particular product that they have? They seem to have quite a few options

My stems on this spumani plant were all red so it could be in the genes

dallywallyfc said:

I live 30 mins away from the snowy mountains in Australia but at the moment it’s still pretty warm, some days / nights turn cold real quick but then the next day we’re back to 28 degree weather so it’s always varying. We also get heaps of wind here on a lot of days so I’m constantly bringing them inside so they don’t get battered.

I think my mate is doing something like low stress training. He ended up planting his plant in the ground and started pinning the stalks down so they start to grow upwards or something like that.

I’ll start looking into some nutrients, I’m moving to a small apartment soon & will be transporting the plants out to a mates property next week, hoping they go alright, I care about them so much lol I’m always checkin’ on them any chance I get.

Cheers for the helpful reply legend, super appreciated

Click to expand...

My concern is not the purple stems. It is the specks on a # of leaves. Might be spider mites. Wait for a trained eye to confirm if it is. Hopefully it is not.

There are a # of things that can cause stems to purple.

Here is a clip from the link below.

Anthocyanins are flavonoid compounds that protect plant tissues from many environmental stresses including high light irradiance, freezing temperatures, and pathogen infection. Regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis is intimately associated with environmental changes to enhance plant survival under stressful environmental conditions. Various factors, such as UV, visible light, cold, osmotic stress, and pathogen infection, can induce anthocyanin biosynthesis.

High Ambient Temperature Represses Anthocyanin Biosynthesis through Degradation of HY5 (nih.gov)

Kushash said:

My concern is not the purple stems. It is the specks on a # of leaves. Might be spider mites. Wait for a trained eye to confirm if it is. Hopefully it is not.

There are a # of things that can cause stems to purple.

Here is a clip from the link below.

Anthocyanins are flavonoid compounds that protect plant tissues from many environmental stresses including high light irradiance, freezing temperatures, and pathogen infection. Regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis is intimately associated with environmental changes to enhance plant survival under stressful environmental conditions. Various factors, such as UV, visible light, cold, osmotic stress, and pathogen infection, can induce anthocyanin biosynthesis.

High Ambient Temperature Represses Anthocyanin Biosynthesis through Degradation of HY5 (nih.gov)

Click to expand...

Yeah I have been trying to get rid of them for a little while now. I read online to just put Neem, warm water and dishwashing soap into a spray bottle so I’ve been doing that for a little bit now.

dallywallyfc said:

Yeah I have been trying to get rid of them for a little while now. I read online to just put Neem, warm water and dishwashing soap into a spray bottle so I’ve been doing that for a little bit now.

Click to expand...

I'd do some more reading or maybe someone will chime in that has beat them. That might slow them down but it may take something else to eliminate them. Now is the time while still in early flower. They are a pain if not eradicated because they tend to get into the buds and left unchecked will ruin a grow. Spinosad might work but I'm not sure if something else will do better.
Good Luck!