Tutorial Quick and Dirty Deficiency Guide. With photos

[Waira]

MOLYBDENUM: Mo; (mobile micronute)....absorbed as MoO4--
Leaves may become mottled or spotted. However, the tell-tale sign of a molybdenum deficiency is the leaves may start to display a unique orange, red or pink color around the edges which will start to move toward the center of the leaf. Sometimes the color appears in the middle of the leaves as opposed to the edges.

 

[Waira]

BORON: B...(immobile micronute)... absorbed as H3BO3; H2BO3-

 

[Waira]

COPPER: (semi-mobile micronute) ...absorbed as Cu++

not sure on this one-->

>>> courtesy of Man O' Green ... here's a toxicity example, caused by nute solution corrosion of a copper valve in hydro-->

 

[Waira]

NUTRIENT BURN:

 

[Waira]

rapid pH flux: ..more generalized in symptoms,..may look like other things such as root problem's, certain defc.'s, or toxicity...

Here are a few pictures of ph spotting before nutrient lockout occurs. The last pic is shown is high ph with the twisty leaves. Note the edges are brown, this is a potassium deficiency that is caused by ph lockout.(Sometimes this gets confused with a nitrogen toxicity, so always keep your ph in check and test it often!)

 

[Waira]

ROOT Problems:

OVERWATERING-- ...smothering of the roots, retarding gas exchange,...

(from Growweedeasy)--
This particular type of cupping of the leaves below is common among cannabis plants with root problems. In this case, the plant had no drainage from the bottom of the solo cup, so water was just pooling at the bottom for the roots to sit in. Once the grower poked holes in the bottom of the cup, this problems went away (the cupped leaves didn't recover, but new leaves started growing in happy and healthy).


Sometimes leaves will tend to cup or curl down due to root problems, like the plant above, but sometimes the curl upwards too, like the poor plant below (this was caused by poor drainage and plant was overwatered, leading to a pretty severe case of root problems):



This next plant was also overwatered and had no drainage. Notice how dark the soil is and the green algae growing all along the top of the soil - these are more signs the plant has been overwatered for quite a while. You should never water your plant when the soil is still wet at the top, and if you notice lots of algae growing on top of your soil, it may be a sign that you're overwatering on a regular basis.



ROT--(hydro)

 

[Waira]

LIGHT and HEAT STRESS:

Light burn--

LED-->

leaf/bud bleaching-->

***HEAT--> edge rolling, canoeing, cupping,....

105F damge, Indica-->

crazy foxtailing from heat-->

 

[Waira]

Diagnostic charts, etc.:

>>> another version of this; more complex and frankly, confusing hence the nickname Mulder's Wheel of Confusion!

** Another form of chart showing antagonistic uptake relationships between too much of a given nute element (top) and which ones get blocked (bottom)**

NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES
Nutrient deficiencies can lead to decreased terpene and cannabinoid production, stunted plants, poor yields, and ultimately, crop losses. Deficiencies can occur if one or more minerals are in excess. This may seem contradictory, but many elements have antagonistic effects on others. These antagonistic nutrients are often ions with the same charge, and occur when one is in excess in a solution or in the soil. If one is in excess, it will block the uptake of another, therefore causing a deficiency and affecting crop quality and yields. To better illustrate this concept, see the Table 1 below that highlights excess nutrients and nutrients affected. For example, an adequate amount of potassium can improve utilization of iron, but if potassium is in excess, it can interfere with the uptake of magnesium and calcium, among others.


A common solution for an apparent deficiency is to add a supplement that can correct the deficiency. However, this can further complicate the problem in the soil. Excessive amounts of one element may not be taken up by plants, but that does not mean it is no longer present in the soil or the solution. If signs of a deficiency occur, but the nutrient program offers a complete nutrient profile, consider an antagonistic situation before adding more supplements. If additional supplements were added before the symptoms showed up, a good flush of the root zone with water or a weak nutrient solution may reverse the problem.
CONCLUSION
It is important to look closely at all inputs in the growing environment, including pH adjusters and organic soil amendments. Many of these provide some nutrient value, but may be problematic if they cause negative interactions with other nutrients. Understanding excess elements will help you to make informed decisions on how to correct deficiencies that appear. The goal of applying plant nutrients is to achieve synergism, while avoiding antagonism; in simpler terms, we want to optimize beneficial interactions while minimizing unwanted nutrient interactions.

*** I like this chart for the availability color graphics, but the soil pH range is incorrect, at least for cannabis! ..Over 6.8 and you're gambling with pH lockout of some micronutes,... optimal pH is about 6.4 give or take a couple....

>>> another >>>

>>>> Hydroponic charts ---->

*** ANOTHER VERSION -->​

>>> A different presentation for both soil and hydro-->

>>> here's a great diagram of the general chemistry behind the pH buffering action of CaCO3.... ( bear in mind that the CO2 input is very small, it's only about 0.04% of atmosphere)...it's way more complex when you factor in the H+ and OH- sources from the nutrients, plant roots and microbes; both carbonate CO3- and OH- can be H+ acceptors, removing them from solution and thus raising the pH..

*** keep looking further down friends, there's more coming as stuff shows up!***

 

[Waira]

***(going to tuck this into here for now)***

Some years ago, Mr. Hugh Lovel (supported by the work of many other intelligent people) began to realize there was an obvious hierarchy of how elements worked in living organisms. One thing had to occur before the next thing could happen, and so on down the line in a sequence.


Eventually he developed his theory of this hierarchy of elements, which he called this “The Biochemical Sequence (of Plant Nutrition)”.

The biochemical sequence can be hard to understand so for the sake of this article we’ll use a (over)simplified and summarized version. If you feel you understand this version, you may want to dive a little deeper and look up Hugh Lovel’s own article on the subject.


Hold on to your hats, here it goes! The plant biochemical sequence begins with:

1 – Boron: Boron is the gas pedal of the sequence. It creates sap pressure which allows vascular fluids to move up and down your plant. It also activates Silicon – an often overlooked element in plant nutrition, but most definitely an essential one.

2 – Silica/Silicon: Boron provided the gas to move, but without a good highway system you would still get nowhere. Silicon provides the highway that facilitates efficient transport of all other nutrients.

3 – Calcium: Now we have gas and a highway system, we need something to travel our highway with. That’s where Calcium comes in. Calcium is the truck that travels on the silicon highway, collecting and carrying the nutrients that follow in the sequence.

4 – Nitrogen: Our Calcium truck holds precious cargo, our Nitrogen. Nitrogen is the basis of amino acid formation, protein chemistry and DNA replication. Once Nitrogen enters the equation, all sorts of proteins, enzymes, and hormones are produced, and other complex processes are set in motion.

5 – Magnesium: When the calcium truck arrives at its destination, the next thing on the agenda becomes the harvesting of energy. Plants do this with their chlorophyll, which ‘catch’ the energy from the sun in the process we know as “photosynthesis” (you know, our source of oxygen). Magnesium is essential in photosynthesis, and can be looked at as the power plant, allowing chlorophyll to function.

6 – Phosphorus: After the chlorophyll caught the energy, this energy needs to be put to good use. As you may remember from high school biology: In photosynthesis, light, carbon dioxide and water are used to produce carbohydrates (sugars). Phosphorus plays an essential role here, as it allows an energy transfer from the chlorophyll. In this regard, we can look at Phosphorus as the gas station providing chlorophyll a place to store energy during photosynthesis.

7 – Carbon: Carbon, as Carbon dioxide (CO2), combines with water, making carbohydrates (sugar) and releasing oxygen.

8 – Potassium: And finally the produced sugars need to find their way to wherever they are needed most. Potassium is the tour guide in charge of just that!


>>>> *** more***
The Biochemical Sequence starts off with Boron which is the catalyst that enables calcium to move around a plant and it greatly influences the healthy uptake of calcium by the plant. Boron is essential to activate silica which plays a major role in building plant cell structure and cell strength, as well as playing several vital roles in plant metabolism. Silica is vital for carrying nutrients around the plant, especially calcium. Calcium is essential in the physiology of plant cells; it functions as a signal for many cellular processes and is involved in the activation of certain plant enzymes. Calcium is involved in both cellular structure and cell division, and it is essential to photosynthesis. One of its key roles in plant growth is to bind nitrogen. But before we get to nitrogen, we take sulphur into account. Sulphur is another essential plant nutrient as it improves the efficiency of other plant nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus. Sulphur works directly with nitrogen, enabling the conversion of nitrogen in the leaf to amino acids, and supporting basic carbohydrate metabolism in the plant. Nitrogen forms the amino acids that create proteins in plants and animals, and there would be no life on Earth without it. Next in the sequence is magnesium which is present in chlorophyll and synthesizes with amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Photosynthesis is not possible without magnesium. Phosphorus is then needed to transfer the energy that results from producing sugars out of carbon dioxide and water. In the presence of phosphorus the carbon is prised lose from the carbon dioxide so that it can combine with water to make sugar and release oxygen. The sugars are then taken up in the sap and cells of the plant under the direction of potassium.


>>>> LIEBIG’S LAW OF THE MINIMUM

Plants will naturally follow this sequence, so it’s in our best interest to familiarize ourselves with it. It’s important to understand that a plant can only perform as well as their most deficient nutrient allows them to. Without the earlier functions, the later functions won’t work optimally. This is easily illustrated in Liebig’s “Law of the Minimum”.

Liebig’s law states that the growth of a plant is not dictated by the total resources available, but rather by the scarcest resource. This is often illustrated with a barrel with unequal staves. The water holding capacity of the barrel will always be limited by the shortest stave, just like the growth of your plant will always be limited by the nutrient (or other factor) in the shortest supply.



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..is that what this ringing noise in my head is,..?? ....Thanks my dear brudda Astro!...-- Honestly, it wasn't that heroic a chore, mostly just trans-site scope and pillage button mashing! The idea for now is to compile a fairly comprehensive picture depot to combine with other on and off site text info to help folks learn to do some basic diagnostics,... next step will be to consolidate some of them together into one thread,... the challenge will be finding a balance between overwhelming amounts of info and details, and ease-of-use simplicity with solid, helpful info,... .... that part is still up in the air,.. so meantime, this is best used as an independent tab opened along with others like JM's Self Diagnose Your Plants thread, or whatever folks are familiar with..... https://www.autoflower.org/index.php?threads/self-diagnose-your-plants-basic-deficiencies-list.11/
... between the two of them, the bases are pretty well covered, and some confirmation help is available here as well of course, at the Infirmary or Live Help! Diagnostics can be tricky, and stakes are high, we know!

 

[Peteey010]

Found this and thought it might help someone