Common Causes of Stress for Your Cannabis Plant

The cannabis plants can have occasional stress. This is no cause to panic. However, some types of stress can severely affect the health of your cannabis plant. Therefore, knowing the causes of the stress on your cannabis plant will help you grow a healthy plant.

Causes of Stress for A Cannabis Plant

Stress in a cannabis plant is due to an imbalance in the plant’s chemistry. There are different causes of this anomaly. Whatever it is, stress affects the normal functioning of the plant. When it does, the cannabis plant will start to show signs of problems.

However, not every stress your cannabis plant experiences during growth are bad. In some cases, growers stress their plants because doing so can maximize yield, accelerate growth, and strengthen their resistance. In this case, the grower must be experienced enough not to put stress that exceeds what the plant can take – doing so can be detrimental.

Too much stress on the cannabis plant can halt or stunt its growth. In the worst-case scenario, the plant may die. Knowing this as a grower will ensure that you do all you can to grow a healthy plant. Below are the common causes of stress for the cannabis plant.

(1) Nutrient stress:

Nutrient stress can either be through underfeeding or overfeeding. It is a common problem a grower can run into. Not enough or too many nutrients can affect the growth of your plant. The nutrients your plant gets should not be more than what it can handle. Likewise, your cannabis plant should not get fewer nutrients than it should.

Nutrient stress can cause a wide range of problems for your plant, ranging from stunted growth to spotted and discolored leaves. Nutrient stress can also attract bugs and other insects to your cannabis plant.

(2) Water stress:

Water stress can either be through underwatering or overwatering your plant. Underwatering or overwatering your plant can cause discoloration of the leaves.

You will be choking the root of the plant when you overwater it. This implies that your plant will have issues taking in oxygen and nutrients. Overwatering is one of the most common reasons why cannabis plants have growing problems. At the same time, a lack of water can cause your plant to die. You do not want this, either.

(3) pH level stress:

An optimal pH level of the nutrient solution or plant’s soil is required to effectively grow your cannabis plant. The plant will not be able to take in some essential nutrients if the pH level is off.

Having a nutrient solution or soil with the wrong pH level can lead to major growth problems and deficiency in the plant. pH level stress can also cause the root to burn off the plant, among other problems.

(4) Stress from tissue damage:

Plant tissues like branches or leaves can suffer minor damage. Normally, it is no cause to be worried. This is because most plants are good at withstanding such occurrences. The occasional minor tissue damage in some cases can even help strengthen the resistance of your plant.

However, it is bad if this damage becomes consistent. This may lead to major tissue damage, negatively affecting your cannabis plant. In the case of frequent or severe stress damage, your plant will channel too much energy into repairing rather than growing. This will affect the health of your plant, hence, reducing its yield.

(5) Light stress:

The cannabis plant is sensitive to light. It should get the correct light cycle in a day. Your plant cannot grow to its full potential if it does not receive sufficient light. One of the reasons for a poor harvest is insufficient light during the flowering phase. The light cycle should be consistent as it can greatly affect your cannabis plant.

During the vegetative phase, your plant should get 8 hours of light. During the flowering phase, the light cycle should be 12/12. The plant can get confused when the light cycle is not consistent every day. As a result, you must ensure that the cycles of darkness during the flowering phase are not interrupted.

Stress can be triggered in the plant just by a small amount of light when it is supposed to be dark. This makes the plant stop the flowering phase and re-enter the vegging phase. Light stress like this can negatively affect the growth and yield of your plant.

(6) Environmental stress:

The environment you choose to grow your cannabis plant should be comfortable. Extreme environmental conditions like excessive humidity, or very hot or cold temperatures can stress your plant. This can also harm the plant’s growth and yield.

Always ensure that you grow your plant at a comfortable temperature level. You should also avoid extreme or sudden temperature changes. You should also consider proper air circulation as it can greatly affect your plant’s health. Doing these things will help you avoid fungus or mold growth that is caused by excessive humidity.

(7) Root stress and damage:

The cannabis plant uses its roots for the intake of oxygen and nutrients. These elements are vital to the health of your plant. Root stress or damage can be caused by light, mold, bacteria, extreme temperatures, or physical damage. This can severely affect the growth of your plant. To be safe, ensure that the root of your plant does not get colder or hotter than the room temperature.

A point of concern for outdoor growers is pots that can get very hot due to the sun’s energy. Such can burn the root of your plants. Root rot and mold are issues that can also affect the roots of your plant.

Conclusion

Growing cannabis can be highly rewarding depending on your motives. Occasional stress to the plant should not be much of a concern. However, you must do all you can to avoid consistent and major stress. This is to ensure that your cannabis plant grows optimally.