My Baby is in trouble.....

I live in So Cal, North LA County where it is pretty hot. I got two beautiful indica babies and began the adventure about two months ago, growing them out doors. Everything was fine for the first week and then we had a VERY hot spell and I was ignorant to the fact that they could not stand the heat and sun. They got sunburned and barely survived. I nursed them back to health and ultimately replanted them in larger 17 gallon pots, being very careful not to disturb the original root systems. I also made sure that if it was super hot , to move them into the shade in the afternoons. One of them was always more distressed than the other and it ultimately just died, despite my TLC.


The other plant was more robust, but after the sunburn, stalled in its growth and kept having brown almost "crispy" tips on new leaves. The soil is neutral PH, I have been careful not to over water, have not jolted it with a flood of nutrients....and it has slowly started to grow, but has still been plagued with the drying brown tips and now some of the leaves are getting kind of yellow and i am afraid the whole things is sick again. By this time it should be going gangbusters, and it isn't....it is thin and spindly and now I am afraid something else is wrong. See the photos.......ANY KNOWLEDGEABLE HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!!

Dcanna said:

. . . . .ANY KNOWLEDGEABLE HELP IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!!

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This just about stopped me, but I will bravely venture on.

One thing that will help right away is a thick layer of mulch on top of your soil. Alfalfa if you can get it, but any kind of straw or hay that will cover the ground will bring those soil temps down.

Some folks also use shade cloth when it gets really hot.

And to me, the soil looks dry. But it may be plenty damp down where the roots are.

Good luck.

Larry {the} Gardener said:

This just about stopped me, but I will bravely venture on.

One thing that will help right away is a thick layer of mulch on top of your soil. Alfalfa if you can get it, but any kind of straw or hay that will cover the ground will bring those soil temps down.

Some folks also use shade cloth when it gets really hot.

And to me, the soil looks dry. But it may be plenty damp down where the roots are.

Good luck.

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Thanks Larry! I am keeping it out of the hot sun, and am also trying to keep it damp. Does it still look like heat stress or underwatering?

Dcanna said:

Thanks Larry! I am keeping it out of the hot sun, and am also trying to keep it damp. Does it still look like heat stress or underwatering?

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I'm guessing the leaves that are gone were from sunburn. The burnt, curled ends could be heat stress, but it looks like nute burn to me. With so little leaf material, it is not going to need much in the way of ferts. The plant will not "use" a lot of water either, but you will lose a ton to evaporation.

It could also be a build up of salts from ferts. Or if the roots got too wet, they could start to rot and not take up water and food like they should and make you think they need more. {I don't think that is it though}

Also putting some light colored cloth {or straw} around that black pot will help with the heat too. Spraying the outside of the pot a couple times a day will cool it by evaporation.

I live in norther LA county myself Black plastic pots aren't the best,if i used them i would sink them in the ground.I use 30 gallon smart pots when it is real hot like two weeks ago i would soak the outside of my smart pots one day and the next sprinkle 64 0zs. of water on the top of the soil and the third of forth day give them 8 gallons of water.I have an extra auto and cronic photo indoors i can give you but they need to be in the shade before going outside.I haven't topped them yet or sexed them but they are healthy and undamaged

Larry {the} Gardener said:

This just about stopped me, but I will bravely venture on.

One thing that will help right away is a thick layer of mulch on top of your soil. Alfalfa if you can get it, but any kind of straw or hay that will cover the ground will bring those soil temps down.

Some folks also use shade cloth when it gets really hot.

And to me, the soil looks dry. But it may be plenty damp down where the roots are.

Good luck.

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There are roots just under the surface of the soil and should never get too dry or too hot or they die that's why it is required to mulch them and alfalfa rocks they love it.

eddy600 said:

I live in norther LA county myself Black plastic pots aren't the best,if i used them i would sink them in the ground.I use 30 gallon smart pots when it is real hot like two weeks ago i would soak the outside of my smart pots one day and the next sprinkle 64 0zs. of water on the top of the soil and the third of forth day give them 8 gallons of water.I have an extra auto and cronic photo indoors i can give you but they need to be in the shade before going outside.I haven't topped them yet or sexed them but they are healthy and undamaged

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a trick on the fabric pots is to make sure there is no separation between the soil and the fabric press it down and add more soil if needed and then water around the inside edge first to get the soil next to the fabric good and moist then do the inside.

They look moderately overwatered and underfed.

Definitely needs Mg, P, and N.

Thanks everyone....so here is what I know:

I planted them in Kellogs garden soil. I have measured the Ph with a meter and I have neutral soil. I have NEVER fertilized them. I did sunburn them and ever since been very careful about how much sun they are getting.

I may have been under watering them. I been stingy on on the water. I have added straw to the top of the pot to ward off the heat. See the photo.

Advice so far:
1. Reduce the heat stress. I think I am doing that with the shade during the hot part of the day, and now adding the straw covering as a heat barrier.
2. I watered it thoroughly last night. My pot drains well, I put about 3 inches of granite gravel in the bottom before the soil went in, and I drilled extra drain holes. I mixed a handful of perlite into the soil and put in the water reating granules that kind of look like styro foam. All of this was done before I transplanted.
3. If the soil has too many nutrients in it the way it came, I am not sure what to do about that.
4. Another adviser above says that I am over watered and under fertilized.
5. Thanks everyone, please keep it coming. I know you are all diagnosing long distance - but it is interesting to hear the direct;y conflicting opinions.


We will see how it does with the straw on top and a good watering.

I could be wrong, it might be underwatering, I'll have to double back, but it looks like you are underfertilized. Nute burn starts at the tip. NPK of soil and age of plants?

Yeah, pretty sure you're overwatering.

Edit: Wait, no, that was Eddy's comment I saw

Sorry, yes, as per the soil being bone dry, you are underwatering.

If it Kellogg patio plus then it needed to be mixed in with some premium soil

eddy600 said:

I live in norther LA county myself Black plastic pots aren't the best,if i used them i would sink them in the ground.I use 30 gallon smart pots when it is real hot like two weeks ago i would soak the outside of my smart pots one day and the next sprinkle 64 0zs. of water on the top of the soil and the third of forth day give them 8 gallons of water.I have an extra auto and cronic photo indoors i can give you but they need to be in the shade before going outside.I haven't topped them yet or sexed them but they are healthy and undamaged

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Just wanted to say that was very nice of you to offer a couple of your own to Dcanna. Thanks for the smile.

Happygirl said:

Just wanted to say that was very nice of you to offer a couple of your own to Dcanna. Thanks for the smile.

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This community is based on giving.

eddy600 said:

I live in norther LA county myself Black plastic pots aren't the best,if i used them i would sink them in the ground.I use 30 gallon smart pots when it is real hot like two weeks ago i would soak the outside of my smart pots one day and the next sprinkle 64 0zs. of water on the top of the soil and the third of forth day give them 8 gallons of water.I have an extra auto and cronic photo indoors i can give you but they need to be in the shade before going outside.I haven't topped them yet or sexed them but they are healthy and undamaged

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Hi Eddy: Thanks for your advice and the offer. I am an extreme newbie. I'd love the opportunity to try my hand at another plant. I am sure there is a way here to do the private message thing. I will figure it out and connect with you. Thanks again for the generous offer,. It looks like I can't send an internal message until I am a more seasoned member. I will do that as soon as I can. Thanks again.

eddy600 said:

I live in norther LA county myself Black plastic pots aren't the best,if i used them i would sink them in the ground.I use 30 gallon smart pots when it is real hot like two weeks ago i would soak the outside of my smart pots one day and the next sprinkle 64 0zs. of water on the top of the soil and the third of forth day give them 8 gallons of water.I have an extra auto and cronic photo indoors i can give you but they need to be in the shade before going outside.I haven't topped them yet or sexed them but they are healthy and undamaged

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Did I read the "8 gallons" correctly?

Dcanna said:

Hi Eddy: Thanks for your advice and the offer. I am an extreme newbie. I'd love the opportunity to try my hand at another plant. I am sure there is a way here to do the private message thing. I will figure it out and connect with you. Thanks again for the generous offer,. It looks like I can't send an internal message until I am a more seasoned member. I will do that as soon as I can. Thanks again.

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