Various species of stink bug have been known to attack cannabis plants. They lay distinctive patches of white eggs, which hatch into small beetle-like insects and eventually grow into stink bugs. I’ve never personally encountered this insect myself, but they attack many marijuana plants both indoors and outside so I’m gathering pictures in information to help growers identify them. Stink bugs can suck the life out of flowers and leaves and love to eat seeds, but the worst part may be their terrible smell!

Note: The following pictures are by Professor Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org. A huge thank you to this amazing man for taking and sharing dozens if not hundreds of pictures of common cannabis bugs and other pests.

Often the first symptom most growers see is a patch of stink bug eggs on leaves. This mass of eggs comes from the conchuela stink bug (Chlorochroa ligata). Many stink bug eggs look very similar to this.

These young red-shouldered stink bugs in Colorado have just hatched and are colonizing this cannabis plant. Stink bugs take different forms throughout their life and look different after hatching vs when they’re nymphs or adults.

Nymph of a red-shouldered beetle on a cannabis leaf

The nymph of a brown stink bug (Euschistus sp.)

Adult brown stink bug (Euschistus sp.)

The two-spotted stink bug (Perillus bioculatus)

Stink bugs often attack both male and female flowers of cannabis plants. They especially love to munch on seeds that are forming, like in this picture.

The following pictures were generously provided by NitroGrower. They noticed one of their cannabis plants started getting droopy with red leaves.

Here are the red leaves up close. From NitroGrower: “I noticed one of my plants had some drooping leaves that were turning pinkish red.”

“After further investigation, I found Brown Stink bugs feeding on the main stem that all of the affected growth was happening on. None of the other plants were showing signs or had bugs.”

Thanks for sharing the pictures and information NitroGrower!

Get Rid of Stink Bugs on Cannabis

1.) Clean the surrounding area of leaves and debris

Make sure to clean any leaves or debris under the plants, and otherwise keep the grow area clean so bugs have no place to hide and nothing to eat. Outdoors, clear the area around your plant of weeds if possible.

2.) Remove or Spray Off As Many Stink Bugs as Possible

First off, before you do anything else, you want to remove as many stink bugs and eggs from the plant as possible to overall lower their numbers. Avoid swatting or squishing stink bugs as they will release a horrible smell. They also smell bad when they die, and their dead carcasses can attract other unwanted bugs like carpenter beetles, so you don’t want dead ones around. Try to collect them and dispose of the bugs far from your plants.

Before you start this step, prepare a bucket of soapy water (or water with bug killer) or other container to collect bugs where they can’t escape.

Gently remove any leaves that have eggs on them and dispose of them into your container. Spray bugs off plants with plain water using a hose or sprayer. If startled, the stink bugs may fall off the plant, so it’s sometimes possible to shake the plant slightly so some of them fall off, allowing you to catch them in your bucket.

Indoors, a vacuum can help you get started, but these bugs will leave a scent on the vacuum. Make sure to dispose of the contents of the vacuum immediately so bugs don’t crawl back out or start smelling up the house. If you can take the plants outside, a sprayer or hose is a better option than a vacuum.

It’s good to remove and collect as many stink bugs as possible before trying to kill any remaining ones on the plant.

Remove, shake or spray off as many bugs as you can, and immediately get rid of any infected leaves. Dispose of all plant matter, eggs and bugs immediately (far from your plants or they will stink up the place). A sprayer works if you don’t have a hose.

2.) Floating row covers

Great for outdoor growers dealing with bugs that crawl onto your plants. These may not be the best choice for all cannabis growers, but these are very cheap and effective against many types of hard-to-stop bugs because they physically prevent them from getting to your plants without blocking light or using any unsafe pesticides. You can also water plants through the netting. Row covers are sometimes used to make mini “green houses” on the plants, and some growers will just drape them over the plant as they’re so light and airy they don’t really bother the plant. In addition to stink bugs, these can be good for Caterpillars, cabbage loopers & inchworms, Crickets, Grasshoppers, Leafhoppers, Leaf Miners, and Slugs/Snails. These are much easier to use and are more effective with smaller plants, as it becomes difficult to fully cover larger plants. However, for young plants, these are great.

Floating row covers look like thin netting or mesh and provide a physical barrier against pests

3.) Be vigilant for eggs

It can be difficult to kill adult stink bugs, and even their nymphs have a protective coating. One of the best things you can do to get rid of a stink bug infestation is to inspect your plants daily and remove eggs and young bugs before they get out of hand.

4.) Neem Oil

Neem Oil is safe, organic, and effective at many bugs but just as smelly as the stink bugs. It’s relatively effective against eggs and very young bugs but older stink bugs have a protective coating that makes them difficult to kill with any typical insecticide. That’s why so many of the solutions for stink bugs are focused on killing them and stopping them from getting on your plants in the first place.

Never allow neem oil to touch any on your buds as it will permanently affect the taste and smell in a very negative way, and is not healthy to ingest. If used as directed, neem oil won’t hurt humans, animals, or most “good” bugs like bees, ladybugs, predatory wasps, etc. You will need a mister (also called a “One-Hand Pressure Sprayer”) to spray all the leaves evenly since neem oil and water can separate easily.

Use neem oil right before the lights go out (or the sun goes down) so it doesn’t burn your leaves.

The post Stink Bug appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

Cannabis Copper Deficiency Symptoms

• Leaves turn dark with blue or purple undertones
• Tips and edges of leaves turn bright yellow or white
• Shiny or metallic sheen on leaves
• Leaves may feel stiff and start turning under
• Tends to affect leaves directly under the light
• Buds do not ripen, or grow very slowly

The pale tips of a cannabis copper deficiency look a little different from nutrient burn, which may start out with slighly yellow tips, but soon makes tips appear brown or burnt.

This is what the yellow leaf tips of a cannabis copper deficiency looks like. The most telling feature of a copper deficiency is that the rest of the leaf darkens and takes on a blue or purple cast which makes the yellow tips look bright in comparison. The leaves also often appear shiny and may feel stiff.

Some strains are prone to copper deficiencies in the flowering stage, which can create dark purple or reddish hues in the leaves directly under the lights. The following picture shows a Blue Widow plant where all the leaves under the light turned purple due to too-bright light and incorrect pH triggering a copper deficiency.

A cannabis copper deficiency tends to affect the leaves directly under the light. If your grow light is close it may help to move lights a little further away.

A big problem with a major copper deficiency if it happens early in the flowering stage, is the affected leaves are not good at photosynthesis and won’t provide nearly as much energy for the buds as they would if they were green. It’s important to keep leaves near the buds healthy during the majority of the flowering stage to help ensure you get the best yields possible. While it’s normal for leaves to start dying in the last week or two before harvest, you should react quickly if you’re seeing unhealthy leaves earlier than that!

It is very unlikely that there is no copper available in your water or soil, so usually a copper deficiency in cannabis is caused by a pH problem at the roots that is restricting access to nutrients.

Copper toxicity (too much copper) in cannabis plants is rare, though a severe case of too much copper can cause a quick death to the plant.

Solution For Cannabis Copper Deficiency

1.) Adjust pH to Correct Range

The most common reason growers will see copper marijuana deficiencies is when the pH at the roots is not in the correct range. Copper tends to get locked at certain pH levels, and is better absorbed by the plant in a slightly acidic root environment.

If you suspect your growing cannabis plant has a copper deficiency due to incorrect pH, flush your system with clean, pH’d water that contains a regular dose of cannabis-friendly nutrients. This will remove any nutrient salts that may be affected the uptake of copper and help restore pH to the proper levels..

Watch to make sure that the problem starts to clear up within a couple of days. Old growth may not recover, but new growth should be healthy.

• In soil, copper is best absorbed by the roots in the 6.0 – 7.0 pH range
• In hydro, copper is best absorbed by the roots in the 5.5 – 6.5 pH range

Learn how to manage your pH for growing cannabis.

2.) Give the Right Nutrients

The truth is, most cannabis growers don’t need to add more copper in response to a copper deficiency!

In fact, most growers have actually already given plenty of copper to their cannabis plants since it is found abundantly in most tap water. If you’re using quality soil or cannabis-friendly nutrients, you probably don’t need to worry about adding more copper. In general, copper deficiencies are more likely to appear when a grower is using heavily filtered or reverse osmisis (RO) water to feed plants since any copper has been removed, but pH is a much more common reason growers see copper deficiencies in their cannabis plants.

3.) Take Good Care of the Roots

Copper deficiencies can show up with the plant is having root problems or if the plant is overwatered, even if the pH is right and the copper is there. Proper watering practices help plants grow healthy and avoid a host of problems!

4.) Watch for Leaf Recovery

After going through all the above steps, watch to make sure that the copper deficiency starts to clear up within a few days to a week or so. The damaged leaves may not completely recover all their green, but you know you’re in the clear when you stop seeing symptoms appearing on new leaves.

If you cannot get rid of a cannabis copper deficiency, please consult our 7-Step Cure to 99% of Cannabis Growing Problems with chart!

The post Copper Deficiency appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

Sometimes accompanied by a Calcium deficiency, as Phosphorus and Calcium interact with each other in the plant.

A cannabis phosphorus deficiency usually appears with some or all of the following symptoms:

• tends to affect the lower and older leaves of the plant
• sometimes a phosphorus deficiency is accompanied by bright red stems (though not always), though if you have red stems but no other symptoms, it’s typically not something to worry about
• leaves darken (turning a dark green, blue or grayish color) and may appear shiny
• leaves may start turning yellow in places if the phosphorus deficiency is left untreated, or if the deficiency is combined with other nutrients deficiencies and/or pH problems. However, yellow leaves is typically not associated with the beginning of a phosphorus deficiency.
• leaves get bronze, purple or brown spots and splotches
• leaves thicken and may feel dry or stiff
• stems sometimes turn bright red or purple, but not always
• sometimes accompanied by a Calcium deficiency, as Phosphorus and Calcium interact with each other inside the plant
• this deficiency is more common after buds start forming, when the plant is using a lot of Phosphorus

Phosphorus deficiencies in the vegetative stage usually appear at the bottom of the plant on some of the oldest leaves, and will progressively climb up the plant if left unchecked.

The progression of a cannabis phosphorus deficiency

A phosphorus deficiency tends to be more common after plants start making buds in the flowering stage. Cannabis plants tend to love phosphorus in the flowering/budding stage and it is unlikely for a cannabis plant to get too much phosphorus using standard nutrients formulated for a flowering plant like cannabis. Nearly all flowering nutrients will come with an abundance of phosphorus for your plants. So if you’re seeing a cannabis phosphorus deficiency while using standard cannabis nutrients, chances are you actually have a root pH problem (explained below in the solution section)!

Phosphorus (P) is used by your cannabis plant in all phases of growth. It is one of the 3 major nutrients (N-P-K) listed on the front of most nutrient bottles, and phosphorus will be represented by the second number that appears.

When there is a phosphorus deficiency, the lower (oldest) leaves turn dark green. Leaves occasionally get a bluish or bronze tinge, and may thicken or curl downward before exhibiting dark gray, bronze or purplish splotches. Sometimes the stems of the affected leaves will turn bright red or purplish, usually starting from underneath.

It’s common to see a Phosphorus deficiency accompanied by the symptoms of a Calcium deficiency, as those nutrients interact with each other in the plant.

Sometimes you will get a cannabis phosphorus deficiency, and the stems do not appear red or purple at all, or the coloring may not be pronounced.

The leaf below was at the bottom of the plant and turned dark green and shiny, with a bluish tinge. Cannabis phosphorus deficiencies usually appear on the lower/older parts of the plant. The leaf then started showing the spots of a phosphorus deficiency where it was being touched by light (the parts of the leaf working hardest). The leaf began to curl downwards and turn yellow.

Notice that the stems or veins never turned red or purple on this leaf, except for some parts that were actually affected by the phosphorus deficiency.

A common symptom of a cannabis phosphorus deficiency is bright red or purple stems, though it doesn’t appear on all affected plants. Red stems can also be caused by direct light exposure (like a “tan”)

Another example of bright red stems that may be the result of a Phosphorus deficiency, or possibly direct light exposure.

It’s important to remember that some cannabis strains naturally grow with red or purple stems even when all their nutrient needs are being fulfilled, so red or purple stems is not a symptom to worry about on its own.

Do not mistake natural reddish-purple colored stems for a phosphorous deficiency!

When you notice that stems are turning red or purple starting from underneath, it may be a sign of a phosphorus deficiency only if accompanied by other symptoms. If the only symptom shown by your plant is red or purple stems, and you are not seeing any other signs of splotches or unhealthy leaves, the red or purple stems are likely caused by the genetics of your plant. If that’s the case, you have nothing to worry about.

Phosphorus is used heavily by cannabis plants in the flowering phase to produce buds, and is a crucial component of photosynthesis (turning light into energy for the plant).

Some strains of cannabis use much more phosphorus than others, or be more susceptible to a phosphorus deficiency, and you may have many plants in the exact same setup with only some of the plants showing signs of a phosphorus deficiency.

Solution For Cannabis Phosphorus Deficiency

1.) Adjust pH to Correct Range

Your cannabis plant may show signs of a phosphorus deficiency if the pH at the roots is not in the right range. That is because when the pH of your root zone is off, your cannabis cannot properly absorb phosphorus through its roots. Therefore the first step is to ensure that you have the correct pH for your growth medium. Learn more about pH and cannabis.

Phosphorus is best absorbed by cannabis in soil at a root pH of 6.2 – 7.0. Phosphorus is best absorbed by cannabis in hydro at a root pH of 5.5 – 6.2. If you believe you have a cannabis phosphorus deficiency, it’s important to check the pH of your root zone to make sure the deficiency isn’t caused by the pH being too high or too low.

If you suspect your growing cannabis plant has a phosphorus deficiency, flush your system with clean, pH’d water that contains a regular dose of cannabis-friendly nutrients that includes phosphorus. This will remove any nutrient salts that may be affected the uptake of phosphorus and help restore pH to the proper levels.

• In soil, phosphorus is best absorbed by the roots in the 6.2 – 7.0 pH range (in soil, it’s generally recommended to keep the pH between 6.0 – 7.0, but phosphorus specifically tends to be best absorbed above 6.2 and below 7.0)
• In hydro, phosphorus is best absorbed by the roots in the 5.5 – 6.2 pH range (in hydro, it’s generally recommended to keep the pH between 5.5 – 6.5, but phosphorus specifically tends to be best absorbed below 6.2)

2.) Take Good Care of the Roots

Wet, compact soil or overwatering can trigger a phosphorus deficiency to appear even when all other factors are perfect. So make sure you water your plants properly every time to help prevent a phosphorus deficiency.

3.) Provide the Right Temperature

Cooler temperatures lower than 60°F (15°C), as well as large temperature swings, can make it harder for the plant to absorb phosphorus. Cannabis plants are therefore more likely to show signs of a phosphorus deficiency when the temperature drops too low, or if they go through a cold spell.

Cannabis likes a comfortable room temperature (they like about the same temperatures as we do).

Read the cannabis temperature tutorial

4.) Give the Right Nutrients

Most growers have actually already given plenty of phophorus to their cannabis plants since it is found abundantly in quality soil and cannabis-friendly nutrients. However, even if you are giving phosphorus, it’s important to give your cannabis the right ratio of nutrients.

An excess of Fe and Zn may cause the symptoms of a phosphorus deficiency by preventing the plant from being able to absorb phosphorus properly. If you believe there may be a buildup of nutrient salts in your growing medium (or if you are growing in hydro and have not recently flushed or changed your reservoir) you should make sure it’s not an excess of other nutrients that is actually causing the phosphorus deficiency to appear. Flush your plant thoroughly with properly pH’ed water containing a regular dose of cannabis nutrients including phosphorus, or completely change your reservoir if you believe that an excess of nutrient salts may be causing the phosphorus deficiency.

Sources of phosphorus:

• Bat guano (phosphorus is readily available, especially if made into a teat)
• Bone or blood meal (takes quite a bit of time to break down in soil unless made into a tea first)
• Worm castings or worm tea
• Soft Rock Phosphate
• Fish meal
• Crabshell
• Most cannabis-friendly “bloom” or “flowering” nutrients contain high levels of phosphorus to aid in flower production, and phosphorus from a liquid nutrient is one of the most readily available forms of phosphorus you can provide to your cannabis plants

If you’ve tried everything else, then you may try adding a higher percentage of phosphorus to your feeding schedule and see if that helps clear up the problem for your plant. Cannabis plants love phosphorus, and therefore it is unlikely that you will give your cannabis too much phosphorus.

Most nutrient systems that are formulated for a plant like cannabis will carry and abundance of phosphorus, especially in budding/flowering formulas, so it is unlikely that you will see signs of a phosphorus deficiency before other nutrient problems when using nutrient systems formulated for cannabis (as long as you keep your root pH in the correct range and prevent the plants from getting cold or being overwatered). If you’ve got very high powered lights, or if your plants are growing in direct sunlight, they may be going through a lot more phosphorus in the flowering stage than average and may need you to provide extra phosphorus to make sure buds get as big as they could be.

Just remember that if there’s no actual phosphorus deficiency currently appearing on your cannabis plant, adding more phosphorus is probbaly not going to help plants grow better or make bigger buds – in fact adding too much phosphorus may actually hurt your plants by preventing the uptake of other nutrients! While it’s difficult to overdose your plants on phosphorus, adding too much compared to other nutrients will often cause other strange & unexpected deficiencies to appear.

5.) Take Good Care of the Roots

Phosphorus deficiencies can show up with the plant is having root problems or if the plant is overwatered, even if the pH is right and the phosphorus is there. Proper watering practices help plants grow healthy and avoid a host of problems!

6.) Watch for Recovery

After going through all the above steps, watch to make sure that the phosphorus deficiency starts to clear up within a few days to a week or so. After a phosphorus deficiency is cleared up, the problem (brown spots, unhealthy lower leaves, red/purple stems, etc) will stop appearing on new leaves, usually within a week.

Please note that leaves which have been damaged by a phosphorus deficiency will probably never recover or turn green, so you want to pay attention to other leaves for signs of recovery.

If you cannot get rid of your phosphorus deficiency, please consult our 7-Step Cure to 99% of Cannabis Growing Problems

The post Phosphorus Deficiency appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

The parts underneath the leaves may take on a pinkish red or orange color. The buds on a flowering plant may start dying off. Unlike most other deficiencies that cause yellowing of the leaves, a sulfur deficiency will start at the back of the leaf and move it’s way forward as opposed to starting at the tips.

Solution: Check and correct your pH to make sure that your sulfur isn’t being locked out. Sulfur moves slowly through the plant so it may take a few days after you fix the problem before you start noticing an improvement in your plant.

The post Sulfur Deficiency appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

Solution:

A real molybdenum deficiency in cannabis is rare, and even scientists did not realize this mineral is needed by most plants because it is often present in low concentrations all the time.

For cannabis plants, molybdenum tends gets locked out at lower pH ranges. Your cannabis plant may show signs of a molybdenum deficiency if the pH at the roots is too low, although it is likely that molybdenum is there. That is  because when the pH of your root zone is off, your cannabis cannot properly absorb molybdenum through its roots. Therefore the first step is to ensure that you have the correct pH for your growth medium. Learn more about pH and cannabis.

Please note: After a molyndenum deficiency is cleared up, the problem (pink coloring and yellowing leaves) will stop appearing on other parts of the plant, usually within a week. Please note that leaves which have been damaged by a molybdenum deficiency will probably not recover or turn green, so you want to pay attention to other growth for signs of recovery.

• In soil, molybdenum is best absorbed by the roots in the 6.0 – 7.0 pH range (some growers recommend avoiding a soil pH of lower than 6.5 if you suspect a molybdenum deficiency)
• In hydro, molybdenum is best absorbed by the roots in the 5.5 – 6.5 pH range

If you suspect your growing cannabis plant has a molybdenum deficiency, flush your system with clean, pH’d water that contains a regular dose of cannabis-friendly nutrients that includes molybdenum. This will remove any nutrient salts that may be preventing the uptake of molybdenum and help restore pH to the proper levels..

If you cannot get rid of your molybdenum deficiency, please consult our 6-Step Cure to 99% of Cannabis Growing Problems

The post Molybdenum Deficiency appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.