Help Please! Hatin' the Sun!

longball

'21, '23 COE Winner
Hello All!

I have 4 plants that are hating the sun? WTF? A little history - they did like the sun a few weeks ago. The strains are Super Skunk, Master Kush, and Northern Lights - sun lovers all. They grow well in this area so that is what is grown each year.

I started with 14 plants and gave 10 away. All ten plants were given away about 18 inches tall and in their final containers. The people are using my containers, my soil, my plants, and are following my suggestions on watering and nutes. They are reporting that they have never seen such hardy and vigorous plants in their life! YAY!

All 10 plants have been either topped, supercropped, or had their stems split. Nothing can slow these plants down and they are growing like Super Plants. The plants get about 14 hours of direct sunlight each day. All plants are being grown outdoors in containers and in a living soil that I make.

Of course, I am following my own advice! haha I only get 12 hours a day of direct sunlight and a few hours of shaded light. So....any ideas why my plants are hating the sun? The first picture is one of the plants after 10 minutes in the sun - sad. The second picture is putting the plant back into the shade for 10 minutes. Now standing at attention! WTF?
 

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What quinxstar said.

From the second picture it looks like you are using a black container. This will absorb the sun's heat quite readily and will then transfer this heat to the roots of the plants. If roots are too hot the plant is affected.

Maybe try a different colour of pot. Green is a particular favourite.

Keep it green,
TF.
 
Hello Guys!

Thank you for taking the time to reply. A black pot certainly will absorb more heat and perhaps that is it. They were all out of green pots when purchased.

In keeping an open mind, the other 10 plants are in black pots and doing wonderful. I don't have a lot of experience so I look at what successful growers do and try to do the same. I have noticed that a lot of successful growers and dispensaries do use black pots. Also they wilt in just a couple minutes which I don't think is enough time to get that hot? The pots are 2 Grow Bags and 2 Air Pots which 'should' help aerate and cool the roots?

I will most likely transplant to another color and see if that helps, and update. Again, I thank you all for taking to time to respond to my question!

Longball
 
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Hello All!

Thank you for taking the time to come up with some ideas!

Tom - It is not the wind. What is funny is that they all go in the same direction - completely opposite direction the sunshine!! lol I had to take a picture because it happened so fast. I guess a 'problem thread' should have a picture of the problem :) Thanks for chipping in!

Quinxstar - I think your idea of burying the pot is a good idea for one of the people I gave some plants to. I would love to do it but my location does not allow it. To get sun my plants have to be behind the shed in the morning, on the deck in the afternoon, behind to garage in the early evening, then back to the shed for the morning or in the garage at night(cold). So I have to move my plants 4 times a day, everyday! It gets to be a bit of work when the plants are bigger than me and full of buds lol Hard work but I love every minute of it! Thank you for that idea!

I have a new idea of what the problem may be. I will post up what happens, hopefully a solution! I think all "Help Me" threads should end with a solution to help other people with the same problem.

Longball
 
Aloha!

Always hard to diagnose a long distance problem. My guess is stress. Plants get used to a certain orientation to the sun. They acclimate to their environment. Moving plants constantly can induce stress. Further you mentioned a cold garage. Moving from a cool environment to direct sunlight- if that is what you are doing can cause stress due to temperature fluctuation. Are you using silicates?

Shaka
Mu
 
[QUOTE="musashi, Aloha! Moving plants constantly can induce stress. Further you mentioned a cold garage. if that is what you are doing can cause stress due to temperature fluctuation. Are you using silicates? [/QUOTE]

Hello musashi!

Thanks for stopping by! I don't think it is from moving the plants as I have been doing this for years with no problem. I also tend to rotate the plants to give all bud sites equal sun! lol If I don't move the plants I will only get 4 hours of direct sunlight a day!
The garage is not cold. I move the plants into the garage when it is cold outside. It can get cold anytime of year in upstate New York. The garage has a heater, lights, fans, etc. not really a grow room but to help when weather is bad. I don't like it when it is 86F in the day and 46F at night so I put them in the garage at 68F with a fan on and set them out in the morning. I also use the garage for finishing in October if need be.

Million Dollar Question: What are silicates and how does one use them? Sure glad I joined this site! haha

Longball
 
Like I said difficult to diagnose long distance problem without knowing all the data. And easy to make assumptions, like I did "in the garage at night(cold)". Still looks like stress.

"I have a new idea of what the problem may be. I will post up what happens, hopefully a solution!"
Please post your solution when you find out.

Shaka
Mu
 
Hello musashi/All!



I don't think moving the plants a few times a day to get some sun is the problem as you can see from the pictures below of last years grow. If I don't move the plants I will only get 3-4 hours of direct sunlight which I don't think is enough. Is it? The only problem with moving the plants last year was the plants got taller than me(6'4") and top heavy which made them awkward to carry. Eventually the plants became so top heavy that a slight wind would knock them over! Instant heart attack there!

I finally had to surround the pots with large rocks when sunning by the garage and when getting sun on the deck I had to bungee cord the pots to the railing. It was a lot of work, but, harvest time made it all worth it.

The plants in the pictures are Master Kush from last season's grow. Moving did not seem to bother them. Enjoy!

Longball

moving-1.jpgmoving-2.jpgmoving-3.jpg
 
Absolutely beautiful plants brah! Master Kush is an all time fav. There are lots of reasons that cause plants to stress. Many here have suggested but a few. Looks like you need a wagon to move those beasts. Have you considered staking them?

Mu
 
Hello All!

Conclusion/Solution

The problem was/is the plants start wilting immediately upon exposure to the sun! WTF? We know that cannabis loves the sun so that can't be it. The only 2 things I changed this season was the soil and the pots. The soil is a standard mix that you will find on any grow site and has been successful for thousands of growers so most likely not that. That leaves the pots.

This season I decided to try some cloth 'Smart Pots' and some 'Air Pots'. Both are knock-offs as the originals were out of stock. "Ain't nothing like the real thing, baby!" The Air Pots aren't so bad, just a bit of getting used to. With hundreds of holes in the pots the soil dries out pretty fast. With holes in the bottom you can get some drainage after a slow watering so you know the soil is soaked. The Air Pots need water twice a day with a least one good soaking.

The cloth Smart Pots are a different beast altogether. I have never got any drainage during watering. The bags feel soaking wet 24/7 so it does not feel like they need watering and being wet all the time makes me wonder about root rot. However, these plants wilt the fastest. As soon as I add a couple gallons of water the plants stand at attention for hours. Even though the bag is wet I guess the plant is underwatered. The bags need gallons of water a day and 3 waterings a day. I had to buy a 50 gallon rainbarrel to keep up with the demand for water! No vacation this summer! I don't think I will use these cloth Smart Pots again. They are also very heavy and I have to move these plants a few times a day to get 9 hours of sun. Also roots are showing through the Grow bag, I believe that is how they self-prune as opposed to circling around the bottom of the bag.

Update: I know of 2 other people using these pots(cloth Grow Bags) and they are having the same problem, so it must be the bags!!! The plants are in the first week or so of flowering so I don't think I should transplant them? Also, all the stores are out of pots and such due to Covid-19. If anyone has used these pots before, I would like to hear your comments!

The plants in the 2nd photo are, left to right, Northern Lights, 2 Super Skunks, Master Kush. Also a picture of roots coming through bag.

Thanks to all who responded!

Longball

Grow Pot 1.jpggrow-pot-2.jpgroots.jpg
 
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Hello All!

Conclusion/Solution

The problem was/is the plants start wilting immediately upon exposure to the sun! WTF? We know that cannabis loves the sun so that can't be it. The only 2 things I changed this season was the soil and the pots. The soil is a standard mix that you will find on any grow site and has been successful for thousands of growers so most likely not that. That leaves the pots.

This season I decided to try some cloth 'Smart Pots' and some 'Air Pots'. Both are knock-offs as the originals were out of stock. "Ain't nothing like the real thing, baby!" The Air Pots aren't so bad, just a bit of getting used to. With hundreds of holes in the pots the soil dries out pretty fast. With holes in the bottom you can get some drainage after a slow watering so you know the soil is soaked. The Air Pots need water twice a day with a least one good soaking.

The cloth Smart Pots are a different beast altogether. I have never got any drainage during watering. The bags feel soaking wet 24/7 so it does not feel like they need watering and being wet all the time makes me wonder about root rot. However, these plants wilt the fastest. As soon as I add a couple gallons of water the plants stand at attention for hours. Even though the bag is wet I guess the plant is underwatered. The bags need gallons of water a day and 3 waterings a day. I had to buy a 50 gallon rainbarrel to keep up with the demand for water! No vacation this summer! I don't think I will use these cloth Smart Pots again. They are also very heavy and I have to move these plants a few times a day to get 9 hours of sun. Also roots are showing through the Grow bag, I believe that is how they self-prune as opposed to circling around the bottom of the bag.

Update: I know of 2 other people using these pots(cloth Grow Bags) and they are having the same problem, so it must be the bags!!! The plants are in the first week or so of flowering so I don't think I should transplant them? Also, all the stores are out of pots and such due to Covid-19. If anyone has used these pots before, I would like to hear your comments!

The plants in the 2nd photo are, left to right, Northern Lights, 2 Super Skunks, Master Kush. Also a picture of roots coming through bag.

Thanks to all who responded!

Longball

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I hope the issue doesn't cut your yieid or potency too much.

I would try and look at what is different between the grows.
If the other plants r getting 12+/- hours and rocking and yours are on 12+/- hours and not, I'd look for another variable to blame.

It goes 110° here so the root zone stress in a black pot is obvious issue.
Use either reflectors wrapped around pots ( like car windshield when you park ) or even cardboard wings will reflect the infrared.
Most ppl use white bags.

I'm using the cloth smart bags atm, ( inside ) with pro pots also.
I use hydrotron/coco 7/4 though. and no issue with runoff.
You can water 1-5 tikes a day, just vary to maintain runoff ( 10-20% of irrigation amount, because of the high drainage you want to keep your coco within 90-100% of saturation constantly, to maintain stable EC in root zone )

The cloth bags r that good my mate is setting up a factory to produce white ones to use for outdoor growing, because the plastic bags have crap breathing ability, and black cloth bags r great inside, but take in too much infrared to use over summer.


I don't think your plants simply don't like sunlight, though.
Sweet pics, you live in a nice place.
Blessings.
 
I moved these up to 5L bags about 10 days ago.
This is only one that is pushing roots through like this and I love finding plants with vigorous roots
Not sure if this is god or herer/Bwidow but I think it might be a male.
I sit the bags of a grate so they can breathe through their base also IMG-20200712-WA0015.jpeg
 
Hello Vlad!

Thank you for the reply and the ideas! I agree with you - "I don't think your plants simply don't like sunlight, though." :) I know 3 other people who are having exact same problem I am. That is 4 of us. They are only having a problem
with plants that are in these bags. None of us are having any problems with any other pots or cloth bags. Just these ones. I know they are the exact same bags as I am the one who bought 10 of them and gave them to the other 3 people! :(

While black does absorb heat I don't feel that is the problem. I think it is the shape of the bag and the material used. Plenty of people use black bags with great success. Here are a couple pictures of some black bags grows(not mine, took off the internet).
They are nothing like the black bags that I am using. Enjoy!

Longball

black-pot-image_85718.jpg

monster.jpg
 
Hello All!

As I mentioned before, I believe the problem I am having from "plants hatin' the sun" is from some of the pots I am using. 3 other people using these same pots are having the same problem. The pots are called 'YescomUSA Grow Bags' and I can not recommend using them. I was looking for 'Smart Pots' by High Caliper Growing Systems. They were out of stock. I can highly recommend 'Smart Pots'. Whie YescomUSA look similar, they were in no way the same bag.

I also tried for the first time a pot called an "Air Pot". I do have a plant that is loving the Air Pot and loving the sun! It was advertised as a 7gal. pot which would be the biggest pot I ever grown in. Big pots, big plants, Right? No matter how I measure it, I can only get a 5 gallon pot not 7! And it looks like a 5 gal pot! If I knew this plant was going to like this pot so much I would have brought a 15 gallon pot!!! haha

Just read a good article on 'Better Pot Photograpy'. Tip: Don't forget to take pictures of plants in veg state. Lots of beauty there. When I was a teenager I saw my first pot plant in veg. I didn't know what it was, or that you could get high. I thought that plant was the most beautiful thing I ever saw in my life!

Longball

Veg Pic Taken: Date 07/19/20 , Temp 98F and strutting her stuff!! Sexy! Damn. Water: 2 gallons a day. Nutes: Label says every other watering. Getting 130% of label every day!
nl-p1030482.jpg

Top heavy and still on;y in veg. Needs to be strapped to deck as slightest wind blows over top heavy plant. You can see root tips in the holes. Self-pruning so the roots don't circle around the pot.
strap-p1030483.jpg

Not sure what lurks in the dark recesses below the canopy. I have seen birds fly out of there! lol Makes me reluctant to stick my hand or head in there to see what's going on in there!
jungle-p1030486.jpg
 
hello longball, have your plants been outside since the start of them growing, do you usually put plants out at the same time of year, i know when i put plants out in begining of april or earlier they hate the light, the spectrum or possibly the intensity of the sun is to much i have found i have a friend who uses a light meter all year and this past two years at the 49th parallel has had a 1400 vs 1100 reading on the light meter. maybe lots of radiation been thrown out, less pollution form covid lockdown clearer skies, more intense light, are these plants from the same stock as years gone by. i have a cotton candy cane plant atm which does not like the direct light it prefers the shaded light, but i also have numerous other strains that are loving the light. your plants look healthy as can be, great green colour, its a tough one to figure out exactly.

It's because the earth doesn't actually rotate around the sun in a perfect circle.
Some years we are closer than others.
Sort of like a 0
 
Quinn is correct. I often grow plants in fabric, and hard plastic pots outside on concrete, Super Hot Peppers love it, as it forces more wet dry cycles. tomatoes hate it for the same reason. once a hole got stabbed in the middle, and the pot was put onto the garden bed, this problem stopped happening for my tomatoes in pots a few years ago.
 
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