As you probably have heard before, cannabis plants love warm temperatures and do their best in this type of environment. But sometimes it is possible to overdo it when it comes to warm temperatures and your plant. Too much heat can create a number of issues that can lead to damaging or worst-case scenario, even killing your plant.
In this post, we’ll take a look at how heat stress can show up in your plant, the symptoms of heat stress, and how it varies depending on whether you are growing your plants indoors or outdoors. We will also look at what you can do to avoid these issues.
WHAT CAUSES CANNABIS PLANTS TO OVERHEAT?
There are several reasons why cannabis plants can overheat. Generally, they are quite resistant plants but if the temperatures get too high this can cause issues. Depending on whether you are growing cannabis plants indoors or outdoors the challenges vary as to how the plants can overheat. There are several ways heat stress can occur
Too much light– If the lights are too intense this can cause too much heat. Bleached leaves is a sign of light stress
Nutrient Burn – Sometimes the cannabis plant can contain an excessive amount of minerals. Having too many minerals makes it difficult for the plant to regulate its own temperature.
Low Humidity – If the humidity level is too low this can make it difficult for the plant to stay cool, eventually leading to heat stress.
Equipment failure – In the case of growing indoor cannabis plants, the equipment is incredibly important. The equipment should be checked upon regularly to avoid failure and proper ventilation should be in balance so the plants don’t overheat.
GROWING CANNABIS INDOORS VS OUTDOORS
In outdoor areas, cannabis growers are at the mercy of the elements. Sometimes intense heat waves can come that can cause damage to the plant. Indoors it mainly comes down to managing the equipment. It is important to use it properly so the environment isn’t too hot or too cold for the plant. Based on whether you are growing your plants indoors or outdoors you can narrow down what is causing your plant heat stress.
WHAT ARE SYMPTOMS OF HEAT STRESS?
There are several ways a cannabis plant shows signs of heat stress. The stage of growth the plant is at also will have an effect on how the symptoms show up. When a plant is too hot it is common for the canopy to show the first sign of overheating. Since it is at the top and thus exposed to the most light and heat.
The leaves are often where the heat stress first appears. They will curl upward around their edges and form a cup-like shape. This symptom appears different from symptoms of nutrient deficiency so this symptom will allow you to see if your plant is suffering from a problem of heat stress.
SOLUTION FOR HEAT STRESS
Depending on why your plant is experiencing heat stress the solutions differ. It’s important not to confuse heat stress with other issues, as some of the symptoms can look similar to deficiencies. Below we have put together a few solutions depending on whether heat stress is happening to your plants indoors or outdoors.
HEAT STRESS INDOORS
To be successful in growing cannabis indoors it’s important to set up the equipment properly to keep the temperature at the optimal level for the cannabis plants. There are a few different things you can try to minimize heat stress. You can increase the distance between the canopy and the leaves, add some fans around the grow room to increase ventilation around the canopy. In the case of extreme heat levels, you can also consider installing an air conditioner.
HEAT STRESS OUTDOORS
In the outdoors, it’s a bit more difficult to control the environment but there are still a couple of things you can do. If you know ahead of time the temperature will be too hot you can create a shade for your plants. You can also change the watering schedule around to ensure your plants have plenty of water. Another trick is to use a kelp extract for the roots, which contains seaweed extract. This can help protect against heat stress and even prevent it in the future.
