Bud sites turning purple; Dry; Tasteless buds result

So this is a problem I've seen many times on my uncle's plants, but always thought it must be something obvious, since I grew twice with no issues, but now it got me. A couple of weeks before flowering, stems and leaves near the bud sites develope purple spot/streaks. The area of the plant takes on a dry, crunchy feeling, and the resulting buds have no odor or taste to speak of. When I first noticed it starting, I gave the plants some budding nutrients along with their nitrogen, since that was all I had to address a potential phosphorus/calmag issue. Then I thought os pssible nutrient lock out, so I did one treatment of Sledge Hammer nutrient rinse, and went back to regular feeding. I also ordered pH down, since their pHs were all slightly on the high side (~7.5-8) which I'll administer today with some calmag booster. I think I've seen a little improvement in two plants, though one seems too far gone now. I haven't been able to find a single photo online that reflects this issue, which weird since it gets my uncle every year, but he's old school redneck and skeptical of trying new things. My plants are in 15 gallon (somewhat short growing season here) cloth planters, Fox Farm Hoppy Frog dirt with added crustacean meal, worm castings, and azomite clay. One friend has latched in to the idea that it may be a fungus from surrounding plants, as he's seen something similar on the bryers. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 

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CanadianJim

Well-Known Member
And this makes three cases of this in about as many days. You say it's a bud site, are there actually buds forming there yet? If not I suggest either hydrogen peroxide, or cutting it off. 3% hydrogen peroxide from the drugstore as a straight spray, dawn or dusk. Don't overdo it, it can burn leaves.
 
Thanks for the reply, Canadian Jim! I guess that makes me US Jim. So you think it seems like a fungus/mold? I'll try the peroxide. If this is the case, I ought to remove the one that's too far gone and cut my losses. They're just showing the first signs that they're going into flowering, so this is occuring on the vegetative growth at the nodes where buds will form. When my uncle has let them finish flowering, the plant just seems stunted, and it produces buds, but they aren't very potent and have no character.
 

CanadianJim

Well-Known Member
It could be something in your soil, like tomato blight. Or blossom end rot. Both of those will cause symptoms like this in tomato and hot pepper plants, and peroxide works for them if it hasn't spread too far. Hydrogen peroxide kills pretty much everything, bacteria, fungus, mold.
One of the other guys who have posted about this cut off the affected growth, but it was just one tip of a larger plant. The other just posted today, and he said the fungicide he was using, Green Clean I think, didn't work. I've been using Green Cure on my plants as a fungicide/mold killer, but I think it's more of a preventive.
I can't really think of anything else it could be, especially popping up all at the same time like this, and the pics really make me think mold. I wonder if you're close to those other guys, or if you've had the same weather patterns as them.
Good luck US Jim, keep us posted!
 

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
So this is a problem I've seen many times on my uncle's plants, but always thought it must be something obvious, since I grew twice with no issues, but now it got me. A couple of weeks before flowering, stems and leaves near the bud sites develope purple spot/streaks. The area of the plant takes on a dry, crunchy feeling, and the resulting buds have no odor or taste to speak of. When I first noticed it starting, I gave the plants some budding nutrients along with their nitrogen, since that was all I had to address a potential phosphorus/calmag issue. Then I thought os pssible nutrient lock out, so I did one treatment of Sledge Hammer nutrient rinse, and went back to regular feeding. I also ordered pH down, since their pHs were all slightly on the high side (~7.5-8) which I'll administer today with some calmag booster. I think I've seen a little improvement in two plants, though one seems too far gone now. I haven't been able to find a single photo online that reflects this issue, which weird since it gets my uncle every year, but he's old school redneck and skeptical of trying new things. My plants are in 15 gallon (somewhat short growing season here) cloth planters, Fox Farm Hoppy Frog dirt with added crustacean meal, worm castings, and azomite clay. One friend has latched in to the idea that it may be a fungus from surrounding plants, as he's seen something similar on the bryers. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Boron deficiency. Do you have any Micros?
 
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