What's wrong with my plant?
Answer a few questions and compare your plant with the pictures.
- Quick checks
- Your symptoms
- Possible causes
Is it week 6 or later in flower, and only on the lower fan leaves?
This is probably normal. Late-flower yellowing on lower leaves is expected as the plant finishes ripening. Leave it alone.
Read about natural senescence
Are you flushing right now?
Judge it after the flush. Flushing can amplify or mimic deficiency symptoms, so judge plant health before or after a flush, not during one.
Is your root-zone or runoff pH in range?
Sort out pH before you add anything. When pH drifts out of range, nutrients stay locked in the medium. Adding more only builds up salts.
Read about pH lockoutWhat do you see?
Where on the plant is it?
What pattern does it make on the leaf?
Compare these with your plant
They fit what you told us, in no particular order. Open one to see what tells it apart.
We don't have a page for that yet, so nothing is ruled out. These are the problems we cover.
All conditions
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Pest
Aphids: clusters and sticky leaves
Clusters of small soft insects on stems and under leaves, often with sticky or shiny residue, mean aphids. They can…
Sticky or shiny residue · Stunted growth · Visible bugs · Wilting or drooping
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Disease
Bud rot: brown, dying buds and gray fuzz
A browning, dying section of bud, sometimes with gray fuzz, usually means bud rot. It can't be cured and it…
Browning / necrosis · Surface coating or powder · Wilting or drooping · Buds
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Pest
Caterpillars in buds: corn earworm and what follows
Tunnels, droppings and wilting tips in flowering buds usually mean caterpillars, often corn earworm outdoors. Check buds by hand from…
Browning / necrosis · Chewed or tunnelled · Visible bugs · Wilting or drooping
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Pest
Fungus gnats: small flies around wet soil
Small dark flies around the pot usually mean the soil is staying too wet. The adults are a nuisance. Their…
Stunted growth · Visible bugs · Roots · Soil surface
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Temperature
Heat stress: when the tent is running too hot
Wilting or curling on a plant with moist roots, in a tent that runs hot, may be heat stress. Measure…
Browning / necrosis · Curling or clawing · Wilting or drooping · Buds
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Pest
Hemp russet mites: the pest you can’t see
Upward-curling leaf edges and a dull, bronzed look, with no webbing and no bugs you can find, may mean russet…
Browning / necrosis · Curling or clawing · Other discolouration · Pale speckling
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Light
Light burn: bleached leaves closest to the lamp
Pale or bleached leaves at the very top of the plant, closest to the light, may mean too much light…
Browning / necrosis · Curling or clawing · Other discolouration · Yellowing
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Normal, not a problem
Natural senescence: when yellowing leaves are supposed to happen
Late in flower, your plant starts dismantling its own fan leaves on purpose.
Yellowing · Lower fan leaves
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Nutrient toxicity
Nutrient burn: brown tips and edges from too much feed
Brown, crispy tips or edges after a stronger feed may be nutrient burn, but other problems look the same. Test…
Browning / necrosis · Curling or clawing · Wilting or drooping · Yellowing
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Watering
Overwatering: wet roots that can’t get air
Drooping or yellowing leaves on a pot that still feels heavy usually mean the roots are too wet. Don't water…
Curling or clawing · Stunted growth · Wilting or drooping · Yellowing
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pH / lockout
pH lockout: why feeding more makes it worse
A plant can be surrounded by a nutrient and unable to use it.
Yellowing
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Disease
Powdery mildew: white dusty patches on leaves
White, flour-like spots on the top of leaves are usually powdery mildew. Remove affected leaves early, because new spores can…
Spots · Surface coating or powder · Buds · Lower fan leaves
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Normal, not a problem
Purple stems and petioles: the phosphorus myth
Purple stems are not a reliable sign of phosphorus deficiency.
Other discolouration · Stems and petioles
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Disease
Root rot: brown roots and a plant that keeps declining
Wilting or stunting that watering and feeding don't fix, with brown or decaying roots, points to root rot. Check the…
Browning / necrosis · Stunted growth · Wilting or drooping · Yellowing
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Pest
Spider mites: pale speckles, then webbing
Fine pale speckles on the leaves, with tiny moving dots or webbing underneath, point to spider mites. Check the underside…
Pale speckling · Visible bugs · Webbing · Yellowing
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Pest
Thrips: silvery scrapes and black specks
Silvery or pale scraped patches with tiny black specks point to thrips. Look for the slender insects themselves before you…
Pale speckling · Silvery patches · Visible bugs · Buds
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Watering
Underwatering: a light pot and a limp plant
A limp plant in a pot that feels very light probably just needs water. Water it slowly until the whole…
Browning / necrosis · Stunted growth · Wilting or drooping · Yellowing
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Pest
Whiteflies: a white cloud when you shake the plant
Tiny white insects that fly up when you water or brush the plant are whiteflies. Keep a yellow sticky card…
Sticky or shiny residue · Visible bugs · Wilting or drooping · Yellowing
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Nutrient deficiency
Yellowing lower leaves: what it is, and when it’s nothing
Before anything else: if you're six or more weeks into flower and it's only the bottom leaves, this is probably…
Yellowing · Lower fan leaves