Weird sagging leaves only during sun exposure

[DirtyDantheman]

Hi everyone…….
Looking for a little guidance on what to do with this confused plant.
It’s was growing great until 3 weeks ago and started acting wonky and pretty much stopped growing.
The leaves droop badly during the day when there is full sun. (And look normal on a cloudy day)
Yet, at night they seem to recover and perk back up.
This is the opposite of anything I’ve ever seen and has me totally stumped.
My soil is very light so I don’t think it’s an overwatering issue.
No known pests or problems with ph and I’m using organic fish ferts.
I’ve never seen a plant behave like this before……but it’s my first time using a 30 gallon fabric bag.
Can these bags cause heat stress from being black and warming the soil too much????
The temps here have been fairly mild in the 70’s and 80’s for the past few weeks.
Anyone else experience this kinda problem with the grow bags?
Thanks in advance……

 

[Buds Buddy]

I think it's getting too much direct sunlight. Leaves look like they're trying to avoid it. I know it's not the bags or temperatures. I used those bags for a few years without issue. My tent temps get up to 88F at times. Are your night temps under 68F ? That may have something to do with the leaves also. Roots stop growing & taking up nutes when it gets under 68 I've heard.

 

[DirtyDantheman]

I think it's getting too much direct sunlight. Leaves look like they're trying to avoid it. I know it's not the bags or temperatures. I used those bags for a few years without issue. My tent temps get up to 88F at times. Are your night temps under 68F ? That may have something to do with the leaves also. Roots stop growing & taking up nutes when it gets under 68 I've heard.

Yes……. Night temps have been falling into the lower 60’s.
Strange thing is I have another plant of the same strain (Jelly Breath) that is doing awesome.
Only difference is that the other plant is in a plastic 15 gallon pot……..
The other plant is almost twice as big and the leaves behave normally (pray in the sun and lay down at night).
The plants are right next to each other and receive the same amount of sun.
I think I may have just ended up with a weak and confused phenotype on the weird girl.

 

[Regrowth]

Is that really a 30 gallon container?
Almost looks the same size as my 5 gallon ones.
Even the 15 gallon pot looks a bit small.
Not a big deal man. Just curious.
What's your watering schedule like?
More importantly though, welcome to the site.

 

[Doctor Trevor]

That pot looks like a beer bucket. It's definitely not 30 gallons.

 

[DirtyDantheman]

Is that really a 30 gallon container? Almost looks the same size as my 5 gallon ones.

Yes…….. it’s much larger than it looks in the pictures.
Must have something to do with my iPhone camera settings.

 

[DirtyDantheman]

That pot looks like a beer bucket. It's definitely not 30 gallons.

It definitely is 30 gallon…….
It’s my phone settings that make it look smaller.

 

[zigzagman1960]

It definitely is 30 gallon…….
It’s my phone settings that make it look smaller.

Mmmm—nope. 8 gallon

 

[DirtyDantheman]

Mmmm—nope. 8 gallon

It took almost 5 cubic foot of soil to fill the fabric bag………..
I know because I formulated and mixed the soil myself.
It is a 30 gallon bag PERIOD.

 

[Sueet]

He said the plastic pot was 15, not 30.... the thirty is the cloth bag.

eta: Also, the 15 appears smaller I think because he has such a large 'tomato cage' around it, making it look like a smaller pot with a regular cage.

 

[DirtyDantheman]

Is that really a 30 gallon container?
Almost looks the same size as my 5 gallon ones.
Even the 15 gallon pot looks a bit small.
Not a big deal man. Just curious.
What's your watering schedule like?
More importantly though, welcome to the site.

I’m not exactly sure how big the plastic pot is……… I’d estimate 10-15 gallon.
I’ve been trying to water twice a week but it’s been raining a lot lately.
I try to let the soil dry out at least 2” below the surface before I water.

 

[DirtyDantheman]

He said the plastic pot was 15, not 30.... the thirty is the cloth bag.

eta: Also, the 15 appears smaller I think because he has such a large 'tomato cage' around it, making it look like a smaller pot with a regular cage.

The cages were custom built at work out of stainless 316L tubing because I got tired of buying new wire cages all the time.
They are MUCH larger than anything I’ve ever been able to find around here.
I’m hoping the plants will eventually fill them out……..if I can figure out what’s going on with the one girl instead of arguing over pot size that she’s growing in.

 

[zigzagman1960]

I’m not exactly sure how big the plastic pot is……… I’d estimate 10-15 gallon.
I’ve been trying to water twice a week but it’s been raining a lot lately.
I try to let the soil dry out at least 2” below the surface before I water.

Hey I was talking about the plastic pot! I figured you meant 30 liters on that one and that comes out to 8 gal.

I think the plant in the 30gal fabric pot looks okay. The slight cupping could be early indication of needing a bit of cal mag. I have trainwreck in fabrics pots and lower leaves droop. Gelato in the ground and some upper daytime droop is happening. It is 95f here in the garden today.

 

[DirtyDantheman]

Hey I was talking about the plastic pot! I figured you meant 30 liters on that one and that comes out to 8 gal.

I think the plant in the 30gal fabric pot looks okay. The slight cupping could be early indication of needing a bit of cal mag. I have trainwreck in fabrics pots and lower leaves droop. Gelato in the ground and some upper daytime droop is happening. It is 95f here in the garden today.

Your girls look great…….. you obviously are living in a warmer part of the country than me (western New York).
I added Azomite to both pots when formulating the soil hoping that it would cure any micro deficiencies before they started.
It’s just weird to me that the girl in the smaller pot is absolutely booming and beginning the pre flower stretch.
But the girl in the large bag has pretty much shut down and the the only obvious problem is sagging leaves during the day in bright sunlight.
Do these bags need watered more often than regular plastic pots????
I would think that they will lose moisture faster just because they are porous.

 

[zigzagman1960]

Your girls look great…….. you obviously are living in a warmer part of the country than me (western New York).
I added Azomite to both pots when formulating the soil hoping that it would cure any micro deficiencies before they started.
It’s just weird to me that the girl in the smaller pot is absolutely booming and beginning the pre flower stretch.
But the girl in the large bag has pretty much shut down and the the only obvious problem is sagging leaves during the day in bright sunlight.
Do these bags need watered more often than regular plastic pots????
I would think that they will lose moisture faster just because they are porous.

I just use the old stick my finger in up to the knuckle and water when it comes out dry. But @95–100f I have been wetting down the sides of the pot to keep the roots cool daily—even wetting the potting mix from the top without soaking. So I’m keeping the roots moist all the time during the heatwave. But the weather is optimal at your place. If it were me I’d water the crap outa your plant—middle, sides—soak the media. 30 gals is a lot of potting mix. Maybe you have some dry pockets in there.

 

[DirtyDantheman]

Ok……. I moved the effected plant out of direct sunlight and into the shade and within an hour she returned to normal.
WTF is going on with this girl????
The temperature has been mild since this started happening. (70’s-low 80’s)
I could see it making sense if it was extreme temps, but that’s not the case at all.
Do I have a retarded girl that doesn’t like sun???
Can I just leave her in the shade and hope for the best????

 

[Sueet]

Ok……. I moved the effected plant out of direct sunlight and into the shade and within an hour she returned to normal.
WTF is going on with this girl????
The temperature has been mild since this started happening. (70’s-low 80’s)
I could see it making sense if it was extreme temps, but that’s not the case at all.
Do I have a retarded girl that doesn’t like sun???
Can I just leave her in the shade and hope for the best????

Ideally if you can find a 'dappled' shade area for her, that would work. Sometimes the afternoon sun is just too intense.

 

[DirtyDantheman]

Ideally if you can find a 'dappled' shade area for her, that would work. Sometimes the afternoon sun is just too intense.

Literally…….. any direct sun at all makes her wilt and sag.
She recovers as soon as the sun goes behind a cloud (she looks great on a cloudy day) or later in the evening when the sun is behind trees.
I think she must have some kind of problem with the roots not being able to pull water out of the soil or maybe root rot???

 

[Sueet]

I would try keeping her in dappled for a couple days and then slowly move her out to fuller sun for a little bit longer each day and see if she can adjust that way.
You could be right, there may be some root issue, but you said you have very well drained soil .... so the only issue should (or could) be not enough water? But in a container that large, I'd be skeptical that a plant that size could ever empty it in a reasonable time, so maybe overwatering by watering too often? You will know for sure after you harvest, as you'll get to examine the root and if that was the problem, you can take steps to prevent it in the future.

 

[Azimuth]

The leaves droop badly during the day when there is full sun. (And look normal on a cloudy day)
Yet, at night they seem to recover and perk back up.
This is the opposite of anything I’ve ever seen and has me totally stumped.
My soil is very light so I don’t think it’s an overwatering issue.

I think it's probably an  underwatering issue. I have plants in a 17 gallon SIP that wilt in the sun if I don't keep the reservoir full on hot, sunny days.

Try it and see. Water fully the morning of your next hot sunny day and see if that doesn't indeed help. I bet it will.