By Steven Voser
Browse Deficiencies
 
Browse Deficiencies
 
 
Browse Deficiencies
 
 
 


Zinc is crucial for plant health. Though a micronutrient, you should still know the role this nutrient plays, and understand how to spot, treat, and prevent a deficiency. Doing so will help to ensure you achieve healthy, abundant cannabis plants.

In this article, we’ll explain how to do just that.

Understanding the Role of Zinc in Cannabis Growth

Zinc is an essential micronutrient for cannabis—and most other plants. In weed plants, zinc is used to produce enzymes that are necessary for growth and development. In particular, this micronutrient is used for the production of enzymes necessary for carbohydrate, protein, and chlorophyll production. Without any of these, a cannabis plant will not grow. Therefore, when faced with a lack of zinc, a plant’s growth will begin to slow and then stall entirely.

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Zinc: A Key Micronutrient for Cannabis

The nutrients that plants need are categorised broadly as macronutrients and micronutrients.

The three macronutrients are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Cannabis plants require these in very large quantities or they won’t grow at all. Micronutrients, on the other hand, are required in much smaller quantities.

However, despite what some think, micronutrients are no less important, they just needn’t be as abundant. A plant that only receives macronutrients will be unable to survive.

Good-quality cannabis feeds will contain the correct ratios of macro and micronutrients, and you can easily find recipes for homemade feeds that also contain everything necessary for healthy, sustained growth.

The Function of Zinc in Cannabis Plants

Here, we’ll go into more depth about the roles zinc plays in the cannabis plant. As you’ll see, it’s necessary for the very core functions of the plant’s growth.

Enzyme activation
As mentioned, zinc is necessary for the creation of enzymes that are responsible for a whole range of essential functions within cannabis plants.
DNA and RNA synthesis
Zinc plays an important role in assisting with the synthesis of DNA and RNA in plant cells and nuclei. Without zinc, plant cells are not able to replicate properly, leading to developmental problems.
Pest and disease resistance
Zinc, among other nutrients, plays a key role in helping to defend plants from pests and disease. For one, a generally healthy plant will have a better immune system. More specifically, zinc can help to promote the production of metabolites such as callose, glucosinolates, lignin, phenols, and phytoalexins.
Flower and seed development
In order for plants to produce healthy and bountiful flowers and seeds, zinc is necessary. Not only is it important for the specific development of these parts of the plant, but a plant that has developed healthily throughout its life cycle will produce better flowers and seeds.
Protein synthesis
Almost 10% of plant proteins belong to the zinc proteome. This means that they require zinc for either catalysis or as a structural element. As such, zinc is highly important if plants are to properly produce proteins—which are necessary for almost all functions.
Photosynthesis
Zinc is known as a transition metal, and these are in high demand when it comes to photosynthesis. Plant chloroplasts (where chlorophyll for photosynthesis is produced) are organelles with high transition metal ion requirements. Without zinc, plants would be unable to carry out one of their most essential functions.

Cannabis and Zinc Deficiency: Signs and Symptoms

Now that you know a little more about the role zinc plays in cannabis growth, we’ll explain how to spot a zinc deficiency in cannabis plants. As with many deficiencies, the signs look somewhat similar, so you’ll need to observe your plants carefully to discern what’s going on.

Chlorosis

When weed plants experience a zinc deficiency, signs of chlorosis will appear early on. Chlorosis occurs when chloroplasts begin to die off and plants can no longer produce chlorophyll. As such, they will begin to lose their green colouration, first turning yellow and then brown.

Chlorosis will first show in younger leaves at the top of the plant, as zinc is an immobile nutrient. If older growth discolours first, zinc is probably not what’s lacking.

Interveinal Chlorosis

More specifically, the earliest stages of chlorosis will be interveinal, meaning that the edges of leaves and the spaces between the veins will yellow the soonest.

Stunted Growth

Without enough zinc, plants cannot form new cells properly, and growth will slow and stall. You’re more likely to notice discolouration of the leaves before you notice that your plant has stopped growing, but this is also a sign to bear in mind.

Stalled growth without other signs can signal almost any problem, and thus is not a particularly enlightening sign by itself.

Poor Flower Development

If plants are struggling to get enough zinc, then flower and seed production might be underwhelming. If all else is well, but you notice that your flowers aren’t really filling out, then it may be that you have a zinc deficiency on your hands.

Delayed Flowering

What’s more, a lack of zinc can also delay the flowering period. But this is dependent on a range of other factors, and alone doesn’t tell you much.

But if you notice delayed flowering along with specific leaf discolouration, then it may well be that your plant doesn’t have enough zinc.

Abnormal Leaf Colouration

While leaves will pale and yellow at first, they will go on to brown and curl if a zinc deficiency is left untreated. So if you notice discolouration other than yellowing—including brown spots—don’t immediately discount the possibility of a zinc deficiency.

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The Causes of Zinc Deficiency When Growing Weed

It’s worth noting that a lack of zinc in the feed or soil isn’t always the cause of a zinc deficiency in cannabis plants. Indeed, weed plants require very small amounts of zinc, and it tends to be present in soils, and will certainly be present in good-quality feeds and composts—even those made at home. So it’s very possible that a zinc deficiency is the result of another problem.

As such, you should investigate the other possibilities (to follow) before assuming your soil needs extra zinc.

  • Low zinc in the soil

Despite what we said above, a zinc deficiency may well be the result of too little zinc in the soil or growing medium. If you’re using good soil with a good feed, you can safely assume this isn’t the case.

But if you’re using poor soil, or even good soil that you’ve been adding poor feed to, it might be that the zinc has been used up. Low-quality feeds or composts made with little organic matter may be lacking in zinc.

The good news is that it’s easy to get your hands on good feed, and almost all plant fertilisers contain ample zinc. Likewise, soils made at home from a range of organic matter will also contain enough zinc.

  • High pH

A growing medium with a pH that’s too high (or alkaline) can bind zinc ions, inhibiting your plant’s ability to uptake this micronutrient. For soil grows, a pH above 7.0 is too high. For hydro and coco grows, a pH above 6.5 is too high.

  • Excessive phosphorus

If there’s too much phosphorus in the growing medium, this can cause nutrient lockout and stop your plants from being able to uptake adequate zinc.

  • Poor root health

Plants with sickly roots face all sorts of challenges—nutrient deficiencies chief among them. Poor root health can be the result of poor growing practice (overwatering or badly executed transplanting) or the unfortunate result of some pathogen in the soil.

How to Treat Zinc Deficiency in Cannabis Plants

Considering the above, it’s more likely that a zinc deficiency is due to the composition of the growing medium, rather than simply being the result of too little zinc. Below, we’ll explain various steps you can take to investigate and fix a suspected zinc deficiency.

Correct pH

Perhaps the most likely cause (and one of the easiest to fix) is that the pH is too high. For soil grows, you can measure the soil and the runoff with a pH meter to discover if this is the case. If the pH is too high, then you can use a pH down solution to adjust it, until the runoff measures in the correct range (6.0–7.0)

For coco and hydro, the correct range is 5.5–6.5.

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Improve Soil Organic Matter Content

If a lack of zinc is the problem, adding organic matter to the soil will deliver more zinc to the root zone. To achieve this, you can add manure, compost, or mulch—to name but three options. All of these will deliver a healthy dose of organic nutrients to your soil. With methods such as these, you needn’t worry about overfeeding.

Flush Soil

If you think that there are too many nutrients in the soil, and this is causing lockout, then you’ll need to flush the soil.

Flush several litres of clean, nutrient-free water through the soil, washing out the nutrient content. You can then start from zero and begin feeding anew—not adding too much this time!

It’s worth noting that organic fertiliser can’t really cause nutrient lockout, so if you replenish with this, rather than synthetic fertiliser, you’ll avoid this problem entirely in the future.

How to Prevent Zinc Deficiency When Growing Weed

Whether you’ve just fixed a deficiency, or are looking to avoid one in the first place, knowing how to prevent a zinc deficiency will put you in good stead.

What’s more, most of the steps mentioned here will prevent all deficiencies, and help to keep your plants in good health overall.

Improve Your Soil Biology

Improving your soil biology prior to starting your crop will have manifold benefits throughout the entire grow. Introducing beneficial microbes such as mycorrhizal fungi, which form a synergistic relationship with plant roots, will help them uptake nutrients and defend them against soilborne pathogens—all in exchange for plant sugars. A win-win!

Frequently Measure Soil pH

Measuring the soil pH once every week or two will help you keep an eye on it, and prevent it from getting off target. Adjusting pH is really simple, and if you catch a high or low pH early and adjust it, you can avoid encountering all sorts of plant problems. This is a very easy way to prevent nutrient lockout in all its forms.

Make Your Own Compost

Making your own compost will give you a fertiliser that’s packed with nutrients and is very high in organic matter, helping with nutrient cycling. Plus, it will save you money!

If you can make compost at home, you should—the benefits are myriad.

Zinc: An Overlooked Cannabis Micronutrient

Zinc deficiencies are fairly uncommon, and as it’s not a macronutrient, it's often overlooked. However, if you want to be a skilled cannabis grower, it’s important to know the roles that all nutrients play, and how to prevent deficiencies—not to mention rectify them. It pays to be prepared!

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Privacy Policy - Royal Queen Seeds

To ensure a safe online environment and guarantee adequate data protection, we strictly comply with all legal requirements. In this privacy statement, we provide information about how and for what purpose data is collected, safety measures, storage periods and contact details.


COMPANY NAME: SNORKEL SPAIN, SL (hereinafter ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS)

C/ Vilar d'Abdelà, 5 (nave 1) CP: 08170 de Montornès del Vallès

+34 937 379 846

support@royalqueenseeds.com


The present Privacy Policy sets out the terms on which we will treat personal data at ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS; this includes any personal data collected through our website https://www.royalqueenseeds.com/ as well as any other data we process in the course of our business activities.

ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS collects the following personal data for the purposes listed below:

SECTION 1 – PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT

1.1 Account purchases

Account purchases can only be made if you are in possession of a personal account. When you create an account or purchase something from our shop, as part of the buying and selling process we collect the following personal information that you provide to us:

This information is required for delivery. In addition, when you browse our shop, we automatically receive the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your computer. Based on this information, we can optimise your online experience and at the same time protect our online environment.

Purpose of data collection

We collect and store account-related data for the following purposes:

(a) to carry out obligations arising from any contracts between you and us, and to provide you with information, products and services that you may request from us;

(b) to set up, manage and communicate with you about your account and your orders;

(c) to conduct market research and analysis;

(d) to confirm your age and identity, and to detect and prevent fraud.

1.2 Newsletters

With your explicit permission, we may send you newsletters about our shop, new products and other updates. We send newsletters based on your explicit consent. In the event that you purchase a product, and in accordance with current regulations, we may send you commercial communications in accordance with the legitimate interest of our company, always about products or services similar to those you have purchased or contracted. In any case, you may exercise your right of opposition through the channels announced in this Privacy Policy. The following information is collected in relation to the newsletter:

We do not need to know the sex of the person in order to send the newsletter (data minimisation: by law we must ask for data that is strictly necessary to provide the service, and in this case knowing the sex is not necessary to send the newsletter).

Purpose of data collection

The data collected is used to:

(a) personalise our emails, including your name and gender;

(b) provide gender-specific content.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the link provided in the newsletter or the contact information provided in section 2.

1.3 Customer service and contact form

In order to provide appropriate support, our customer service employees have access to information related to the account. Consequently, their support will be highly effective and friendly. The data provided in our contact form is used by our CRM provider, SuperOffice. We will only use your details to respond to your message.

SECTION 2 – LEGITIMATE INTEREST

If you have purchased any of our products, please note that we may process your personal data for promotional purposes, based on Royal Queen Seeds' legitimate interest only to offer you products or services from our company and about products or services similar to those you have purchased. You may exercise your right to opt out of future messages by the means set out in this Privacy Policy or through any notification you receive.

2.1 How do you withdraw consent?

If you change your mind, you can withdraw your consent for us to contact you for the purpose of collecting, using, or disclosing your data at any time by reaching out to us at: support@royalqueenseeds.com.

SECTION 3 – DISCLOSURE

We may disclose your personal information if we are required to do so by law or if you breach our Terms of Service.

SECTION 4 – HOW LONG DO WE KEEP YOUR DATA?

At Royal Queen Seeds, we will not retain your data for longer than is necessary for the purposes described in this Policy. Different retention periods apply for different types of data; however, the longest period we will normally hold any personal data is 10 years.

4.1 Account information

Data relating to the account remains relevant for as long as the consumer is in possession of an account. Therefore, the data remains documented for as long as the account exists. When our customers delete an account, the associated data will be deleted within a reasonable period of time. Requests regarding the inspection or correction of stored personal data or the deletion of an account can be sent to support@royalqueenseeds.com.

4.2 Newsletters

In the event that you give us your consent to inform you about our products or services, we will keep your data until you express your wish not to receive any further communications from us. However, we regularly (every month) carry out a relevance check. Registered customers (and their personal information) will be deleted whenever customers do not reply to our request. In addition, our newsletter mailing has an opt-out feature. Consumers can withdraw their consent by using this opt-out feature.

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Cookies are small information files that notify your computer of previous interactions with our website. These cookies are stored on your hard drive, not on our website. Essentially, when you use our website, your computer displays its cookies to us, informing our site that you have visited before. This allows our website to function more quickly and remember aspects related to your previous visits (such as your username), making your experience more convenient. At Royal Queen Seeds, we use two types of cookies: functional and analytical.

5.1 Functional Cookies

Functional cookies are used to enhance your online experience. Among other things, these cookies track what is added to your shopping cart. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

5.2 Analytical Cookies

Analytical cookies are used for research and market analysis. The data collected with these analytical cookies is anonymous, making it unusable for third parties. The use of these cookies does not require prior authorization.

SECTION 5 – THIRD-PARTY SERVICES

Third-party services are required to conduct transactions and provide our services. In general, the third-party providers we use will only collect, use and disclose your information to the extent necessary to enable them to perform the services they provide to us.

However, certain third-party service providers, such as payment gateways and other payment transaction processors, have their own privacy policies regarding the information we must provide to them for your transactions.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of these providers so that you can understand how these providers will handle your personal information.

In particular, certain suppliers may be located or have facilities located in a different jurisdiction than yours or ours. Therefore, if you choose to proceed with a transaction involving the services of a third party, your information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which that service provider or its facilities are located.

Once you leave our website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, you are no longer governed by this Privacy Policy or the Terms of Service of our website.

Web analytics service (anonymous data)

On this website we have integrated an element of a web analytics service (with anonymisation functionality). Web analytics can be defined as the gathering, processing and analysis of data about the behaviour of visitors to websites. An analytics service collects, among other things, data about which website a person came from (the so-called referrer), which sub-pages they visited or how often and for how long they visited a sub-page. Web analytics is mainly used for website optimisation and for a cost–benefit analysis of internet advertising.

Courier service

To complete deliveries we use a courier service. This courier service carries out the delivery between our company and the consumer's home. To complete these logistics, the company requires access to the consumer's name and address information.

Mailing service

Royal Queen Seeds uses a third-party mail service provider to send its newsletter. This provider has access to limited account information related to opt-in consent (e.g. email address).

Marketing services

Royal Queen Seeds has the support of a company that specialises in marketing and communication activities. Their access to personal information is very limited and mostly anonymous.

Payment services

At Royal Queen Seeds we use external payment services to handle our transactions (e.g. credit card payments).

SECTION 6 – SECURITY

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry standard best practices to ensure that it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

If you provide us with your credit card information, the information is encrypted using secure socket layer technology (SSL) and stored using AES-256 encryption. Although no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we follow all PCI-DSS requirements and implement additional industry standards that are commonly accepted. Information related to the account is protected with a hashing method. This method transforms the information into a generated hash. As a result, confidential information is protected and invisible, even to us. In addition, our databases are exceptionally protected against unauthorised access. For example, access to the database is only possible and permitted via approved IP addresses (e.g. from Royal Queen Seeds headquarters). Other attempts and addresses are rejected at all times.

Furthermore, data is anonymised as much as possible, so it cannot be directly linked to a specific consumer. With this data, however, we may be able to carry out market research and analysis. In addition, the third parties concerned (e.g. mailing service) are examined prior to our collaboration, comply with the GDPR from the EU and receive a processing agreement. Within Royal Queen Seeds, employees are assigned different access permissions. Specific permission provides access only to information that is strictly required to perform a task. Digital security measures are subject to change and must meet high requirements to ensure the safety of online customers. That is why, at Royal Queen Seeds, we appoint a security officer. Regular verification and improvement of security measures (where necessary) are part of the role.

SECTION 7 – CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time, so please check back regularly. Changes and clarifications will be effective immediately upon being published on the Website. If we make substantial changes to this policy, we will notify you here that it has been updated so you will know what information we collect, how we use it and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it.

SECTION 8 – YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO: