Recognizing Magnesium Deficiency 3.5wks Old

[Omaha101]

I'm new to growing and have plant in the beginning of the vegetative stage and the stems are a light red/purple and slightly curling like a taco (I've adjusted the lights height & intensity for the curling)... I've heard of the red/purple being caused by a magnesium deficiency. Is it typical to add magnesium throughout the plants life, or how should this be used. I'm not sure if this is just the nature of a young plant or a deficiency? See the attached pic... Ant advice on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

I'm new to growing and have plant in the beginning of the vegetative stage and the stems are a light red/purple and slightly curling like a taco (I've adjusted the lights height & intensity for the curling)... I've heard of the red/purple being caused by a magnesium deficiency.

The red/purple coloration is due to the production of the pigment anthocyanin. It is most often caused by stress, but also can be a genetic trait. It is not an indication of magnesium deficiency. So, when I see red stems, I look for things that might be stressing the plant. In this case, the light stress could have caused it. When the stress stops, so should the red stems.

Is it typical to add magnesium throughout the plants life, or how should this be used. I'm not sure if this is just the nature of a young plant or a deficiency? See the attached pic... Ant advice on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Magnesium is the core atom of the chlorophyll molecule and thus is essential for plant growth. I don't see signs of magnesium deficiency in your plant.

 

[Omaha101]

The red/purple coloration is due to the production of the pigment anthocyanin. It is most often caused by stress, but also can be a genetic trait. It is not an indication of magnesium deficiency. So, when I see red stems, I look for things that might be stressing the plant. In this case, the light stress could have caused it. When the stress stops, so should the red stems.


Magnesium is the core atom of the chlorophyll molecule and thus is essential for plant growth. I don't see signs of magnesium deficiency in your plant.

I'm running the light 24" above the plant with a 100w light at 60-65%... Should I go lower? I'm afraid it won't produce much if I do. Or, am I wrong?

 

[Grower1974]

95% of purple stems are just from LED lighting. All my indoor plants have it where the stems are more exposed to the lighting. My outdoor plants never get it.

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

95% of purple stems are just from LED lighting. All my indoor plants have it where the stems are more exposed to the lighting. My outdoor plants never get it.

Not LED lighting only. It's associated with strong LED lighting. Such lighting alone can be a stressor for the plant. Add such things as training or defoliation, which are also stressors, and the plant's overall stress load increases. That brings us back to the release of anthocyanin being a stress response. A stress response isn't necessarily bad, though. It's just one of the many ways we can read the plant.

 

[LoveGrowingIt]

I'm running the light 24" above the plant with a 100w light at 60-65%... Should I go lower? I'm afraid it won't produce much if I do. Or, am I wrong?

I think your plant looks healthy, so I'm not sure I'd change anything. Maybe just let it grow for a few days and see what happens. Let's see how it looks when that top set of fan leaves are a bit older.

 

[Grower1974]

Not LED lighting only. It's associated with strong LED lighting. Such lighting alone can be a stressor for the plant. Add such things as training or defoliation, which are also stressors, and the plant's overall stress load increases. That brings us back to the release of anthocyanin being a stress response. A stress response isn't necessarily bad, though. It's just one of the many ways we can read the plant.

Yes. I run higher PPFD than normal.

 

[Omaha101]

I think your plant looks healthy, so I'm not sure I'd change anything. Maybe just let it grow for a few days and see what happens. Let's see how it looks when that top set of fan leaves are a bit older.

It's actually a bag seed, lol.... Wanted to give myself a dry run at this before using the real seeds I have.... It's probably a hermaphrodite.

 

[Greenadian]

Keep it growing! Looks pretty good to me!