Preventing Wind Burn on Cannabis Plants

Wind burn is a common ailment in plants that is a form of stress for your plants. It is caused by your plants having too much exposure to the wind which can cause some worrying symptoms. If you have indoor plants, then the air inside your home could be too dry and cause wind burn to happen more quickly. In this article, we will answer all of your questions about wind burn so that you know how to avoid it.

What is wind burn in cannabis plants?

Wind burn is defined as an area on a plant where the leaves or stem tissue has dried out due to excessive wind. This can happen in both indoor and outdoor plants, like cannabis growers who are facing harsh winds outdoors.

What causes wind burn in cannabis plants?

Wind and drought are the main elements that cause wind burn. Wind speed is a major factor to consider when trying to prevent or avoid wind burn during cannabis cultivation. Wind speeds should be less than 12 miles per hour (MPH) for optimal production of your indoor marijuana crop, a gentle breeze is all that is needed to help ensure the proper venitaltion between bud sites. Outdoor growers should pay attention to wind speeds as well. Drought is another contributor that plays a major role in wind burn symptoms in both indoor and outdoor growing environments.

What happens when your plant gets wind burn is that the cells are dried out due to excessive wind. The leaves will no longer have turgor pressure because of this, which means that they will droop down and curl up upwards rather than pointing straight out or slightly downwards like usual. Stems may take on a similar bend as well but it is more common for leaves to be affected first before stems. If you see wind burn in your plants, it is important to move them from the windy area or at least protect them with a windbreak which can be done using tarps and other material that provides shelter for the cannabis crop during harsh weather conditions.

What are the symptoms of wind burn in cannabis plants?

The main symptom of wind burn is dry, shriveled leaves that may appear curled or distorted. The dried leaves will appear scorched or burnt along, especially along leaf edges, with a loss in plant vigor that can affect flowers and buds. The leaf curling, or clawing as cannabis growers describe it, is the most common symptom of leaf burn. You will also notice wind burn leaf spots, or brown spots on the leaves and stems with possible green tissue remaining in between these areas if your cannabis crop has been affected by wind burn. Other symptoms include leaf drop, loss of foliage, and stunting.

How do I fix wind burn in my cannabis plants?

Fixing wind burn is a very simple process, adjusting any fans for an indoor grow room to a slower speed can also help reduce wind speeds in the grow room and prevent wind burn symptoms. Also make sure your plants are getting the necessary water they need on a regular basis throughout their growing cycle. You don’t want to overwater your marijuana plants, but you also want to make sure the soil is thoroughly moist. This will allow them to retain more moisture and prevent it from evaporating as quickly.

Windbreaks also help reduce wind speeds and prevent wind burn. They can be as simple as a tarp or other material that covers the cannabis plant from harsh winds which can help reduce wind burn symptoms. You can also construct a windbreak using other vegetation like trees and shrubs around your outdoor marijuana crop to provide protection and reduce wind speeds. If growing indoors, you can always reduce the fan speed in your tent too. Changing the settings to oscillating will also give the leaves a break from a constant assault of the wind.

Can indoor and outdoor cannabis plants get wind burn?

Yes, both indoor cannabis growers and outdoor marijuana farmers have been dealing with this issue for years. The wind is one of the biggest problems when growing weed outdoors because it can ruin your crop in a matter of hours, not to mention the amount of wind that comes with outdoor weather conditions like storms.

Can you truly prevent wind burn on cannabis plants?

Wind burn can be prevented by several methods including pruning out any leaves during the vegetative stage and maintaining proper soil moisture levels throughout each growth cycle. Other ways to prevent wind burn are to use fans in the vegetative stage or to install windbreaks around your cannabis crop. You can also adjust any grow room fan speeds downward during any stage of the growth cycle when there are signs of wind burn in order to help reduce the wind speeds in your grow room.

As you can see, preventing wind burn is all about paying attention to the weather conditions around your outdoor marijuana crop and making adjustments accordingly so that it doesn’t ruin an entire cannabis harvest. For indoors, it is all about monitoring your flow of air in your grow room or tent.

If it isn’t wind burn, what could be the problem with my cannabis plants?

With so many nutrient deficiencies and excess charts and pictures it can be difficult to diagnose what exactly is wrong with your marijuana plant. If you’re experiencing signs of leaf burn but it doesn’t seem like wind burn, then the problem could be related to too much humidity or salt in your grow room.

Cannabis plants prefer a relative humidity (RH) near 45 percent and if this level is exceeded for any length of time, starting with vegetative growth stages where plant leaves are allowed to touch the grow light, you will experience leaf burn. This can also happen when growers add too many salts to their water in order to increase yields and this is another reason why wind burn might be mistaken for something else.

Salt burn is a real thing and is caused by too many salts being introduced into the plant’s environment, especially during vegetative growth. It can cause burning of the leaves by the time flowering begins and can have a negative effect on your overall yield if this problem isn’t fixed.

How should I position my fans for an indoor cannabis grow to prevent wind burn?

If you are an indoor grower, having fans positioned correctly is the best way to prevent wind burn. Fans should be set up so that they are blowing directly at your plants from all angles of the room creating a slight breeze. This will help control airflow and can reduce wind speeds in order to avoid wind burn symptoms on marijuana leaves. Oscillating fans are used to reduce hot spots and can also help keep air circulating in an indoor grow room to give the best chance of preventing wind burn.

Also controlling the speed of your fan is paramount to preventing wind burn and maintaining proper humidity levels in your grow room. If you’re growing cannabis indoors, you should keep any fan speed at a minimum to medium speed so that it doesn’t affect the overall health of your cannabis plants in your grow space.

Summary

Wind burn is a common problem for both indoor and outdoor growers of cannabis. It can be caused by too much wind coming into contact with your weed plants, whether it is artificial or natural. In either case, you need to make sure that there isn’t any leaf damage on your marijuana plants in order to avoid wind burn.

Wind burn can be prevented by several methods including pruning out any leaves during the vegetative stage and maintaining proper soil moisture levels throughout each growth cycle, you should also keep an eye on nearby sources of wind like farms or factories that use a lot of salt for agricultural purposes. Another way to prevent wind burn is to install windbreaks around your cannabis crop. You can also adjust any grow room fan speeds downward during flowering stages or vegetative stages when there are signs of wind burn in order to help reduce the wind speeds in your grow room.

For indoors, it is all about monitoring your airflow in your grow room or tent. Preventing wind burn is all about paying attention to weather conditions around your outdoor marijuana crop too. Keeping a close eye on how your cannabis plant is responding to its environment is crucial for growing healthy plants.

Should you have any more questions, please refer to our other articles about deficiencies and excess.

To learn more about growing cannabis at home consider checking out our guides on: Getting Started, Troubleshooting, and Optimizing your Grow or search our Knowledge Base.

We strive to help your plants thrive.