Hot soil is a term that growers use to refer to soil that has received excess nutrients and is unable to metabolize them. Hot soil does not refer to the temperature of the soil but rather the condition of excessive nutrients. It can be a common problem for beginners as they tend to be overzealous in feeding their plants. This can cause nutrient lockout, which leads to nutrient deficiencies. This may seem counterintuitive as too many nutrients cause a lack of nutrient absorption, but that’s what can happen when too much of one nutrient causes the plant to be unable to absorb other valuable nutrients.
It can also cause nutrient burn, which causes the leaves on your plant to turn brown or yellow, depending on the severity of the soil toxicity. If you notice symptoms of a nutrient deficiency, it could be a sign of hot soil due to nutrient lockout. Symptoms can vary depending on the nutrient that your plants are deficient in, and that may include brown spots, dry curling brown tips, purple colors on the leaves, or yellowing of the leaves.
Fortunately, fixing a hot soil problem is not very difficult if it is caught early. You should immediately flush your cannabis plants with water that has the correct pH level and use an EC meter to check the electrical conductivity and parts per million and make sure they revert back to a safe range.
Learn more about hot soil, how to recognize the symptoms, and how to fix the problem.
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