Cannabis Nutrient Burn
Nutrient burn is when you give more nutrients than the plant can use. The tips go yellow, then brown, then crispy. Very common when growers follow bottle doses (usually 2-3x too strong).
What it looks like
- ●Leaf tips yellow first, then brown and crispy
- ●Burn starts at the very tip and moves inward
- ●Often accompanied by dark green, almost-black leaves (nitrogen excess)
- ●Worst on upper leaves (they're newest, getting most nutrients)
Quick diagnostic checks
Measure before you treat
Plant diagnostic essentials
These tools help confirm the cause of nutrient burn before you change nutrients, watering, or the environment.
VIVOSUN pH and TDS Meter Combo
Check root-zone pH and nutrient strength before changing a feeding plan.
Check price on AmazonBotanicare Cal-Mag Plus
Useful when filtered water, coco, or a confirmed calcium-magnesium issue is involved.
Check price on AmazonFoxFarm Liquid Nutrient Trio
A complete, staged nutrient system for vegetative growth and flowering.
Check price on AmazonSave the nutrient burn recovery plan
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Causes ranked by likelihood
1. Overfeeding (too-strong nutrient solution)
Most commonSigns
- ●You're following bottle dose instructions (these are almost always too high for cannabis)
- ●EC/PPM above 1.8/900 for veg, 2.2/1100 for flower
- ●Leaves dark green AND tips burning
Fix
- ✓Flush with 3x pot volume of pH'd plain water
- ✓Resume feeding at 50% of previous strength
- ✓Cannabis likes LESS nutrients than tomatoes — start at ¼ to ½ bottle dose
Recommended products
TDS / EC Meter
Measure your solution strength — prevents burn
2. Hot soil (pre-charged mix too strong for seedlings)
CommonSigns
- ●Seedling in FoxFarm Ocean Forest or similar hot mix
- ●Burn appears in the first 2-3 weeks
- ●You haven't fed yet — it's the soil itself
Fix
- ✓Transplant to a lighter mix (FoxFarm Happy Frog, seedling starter)
- ✓Or wait it out — plants outgrow it once roots fill the pot
3. Salt buildup in soil
CommonSigns
- ●White crusty residue on soil surface
- ●Burn appeared gradually over many feedings
Fix
- ✓Flush with 3x pot volume of plain water
- ✓Let soil fully dry before next feed
- ✓Add plain water feedings every 3rd feed to prevent buildup
⚠️When to worry
Tip burn that advances more than ⅛" per week means ongoing overfeed. Burned leaves won't recover, but new growth should come in clean.
Gear that prevents this problem
The right equipment stops most grow problems before they start. Start here:
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