Prevent Your Problems Growing Weed Early

Many people face problems growing weed, however, if you follow our tips, you can increase your level of success!

Everyone has heard that foresight is 20/20 and an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Well, never is this statement truer than when it comes to your cannabis cultivation. After all, can you imagine the heartache you will feel if your crop becomes infected with mildew or mold halfway through flowering? Or what if you get an infestation of bugs while vegetating? These are some of the common problems growing weed that many people face.

With all the hard work you’ve put into your first grow, to be struck down by root rot, nutrient burn, or an untimely infestation of spider mites can leave you so despondent that you give up growing altogether. There’s a reason (aside from the illegality of it) that a lot of people leave the growing to professionals.

But since you’re reading this article, chances are high (ahem) that you’re going ahead with growing and you want to be prepared for potential problems. Good idea!

There are a lot of problems that can strike a grow area, ranging from mold and mildew to root rot, fungal infections, bug infestations and nutrient burn. The good news is that you can avoid practically all of these potential problems, or take care of them quickly as soon as symptoms appear, but you need to be vigilant and know what to look for.

Common Problems Growing Weed

Identify common problems growing weed early on in order to prevent major damage to your crop.

Nutrient deficiency is another possible problem for first-time growers, and sometimes nutrient deficiency looks like nutrient burn, so it can take time and experience to identify properly. Generally, nutrient deficiencies will be associated with symptoms such as slowed or stunted growth, weak limbs, a hollowing of the stems, and yellowing or blackening leaves.

Conversely, nutrient burn can appear somewhat similar at times. Brown and black spots may appear on the leaves and stems, and the leaves may wither or fall off. The best thing to do in case of nutrient burn is to flush your plants with pH-neutral water until they have recovered, then gradually start to reintroduce your nutrients at lower levels than before.

Overwatering is a common cause of root rot, as well as bugs and grubs in the soil. Grubs in the soil are the larvae of beetles, and they love eating cannabis roots, so you don’t want to encourage them if you can help it. Bugs in general, from aphids to white flies and mealy bugs, are a menace to your crop and a pain to get rid of once they’ve infested.

Signs of a bug infestation include critters crawling around on your buds! Also, aphids and other creepers like to hang out on the undersides of the leaves, literally sucking the life out of your plant. To combat this you can do several things:

• thoroughly scrub and sanitize your grow room and all growing equipment prior to starting your cannabis grow; also use sterile potting soil and other products
• treat your plants regularly with neem oil, either topically or via their soil; neem is a potent natural pesticide that bugs hate and your plants won’t mind a bit
• purchase ladybugs or praying mantis to live amongst your plants and keep bugs at bay

If you notice any problems with your crop during the vegetative stage, take however much time is necessary to clean up your plants and get them back in pristine condition before you start flowering. Don’t rush into flowering with sick or afflicted plants, because it’s even harder to deal with problems during the budding stage than it is during the vegetative stage.