# Spiraling growing tip leaves.



## Eyeball Kid (Jun 21, 2020)

I have some curious leaf formations, as you can see. I don’t know the cause, but I can give information, and perhaps some of you may know what’s going on.

First, these curly leaves are not new to me. For the past three growing seasons, one or more of my plants have developed these anomalies. It looks, at first, as if all hell is breaking loose on the plants. On the Gelato #33 that I photographed, all of the growing tips had curly, spiraling leaves coming out. My other two plants, Snoops Dream and Jack Herer, developed the same growth, but not as severe.

In previous years, at about the same time of year, one or more plants did the same thing.

So now after the plants sprout the curly stuff, the next leaves coming out of the growing tips are...normal. This is happening now, just as it happened in previous years.

The soil is new. Every year I use fresh soil. This year, I’m enriching the potting soil with worm castings. In previous years, I used Monsanto’s finest, Miracle Grow ( no more!). They are otherwise healthy, clean plants with no parasites, no molds.

So, my question is: what’s that curly leaf stuff all about? Why does it show up, and why does it fade away to normal growth, with no “interventions”?


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## docfishwrinkle (Jun 22, 2020)

i've had it too, but like you said it works it way out real quick so i never figured out what and why. i grow organically and it happened with a batch of super soil i had.  i chalked it up to just a titch too much of something.  sorry i'm no help


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## Eyeball Kid (Jun 23, 2020)

That does help. I wonder how common it is and whether it has a function.


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## Kyfarmerb (Jun 23, 2020)

I have the same deal I've just noticed on one of my young girl,s in veg.the rest of the girl looks fine though.


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## Eyeball Kid (Jun 23, 2020)

Maybe it’s just an anomalous genetic blip of entirely no consequence, like being born with two cowlicks


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## Eyeball Kid (Jun 23, 2020)

Eyeball Kid said:


> Maybe it’s just an anomalous genetic blip of entirely no consequence, like being born with two cowlicks


Maybe being born with two cowlicks shows a trace of Neanderthal DNA. But that’s off-topic.


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## Dabrit (Jun 24, 2020)

I have had this and thought it was down to too much N in fresh compost or medium. Either way plants were fine and if it was the N then they soon found use of it well. Happy grows.


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## Eyeball Kid (Jul 20, 2020)

I have another development in my spiraling leaves issue. On one plant, the entire lower third of the plant had taken on a "mutated" form of growing, which includes the spiraling leaves. There is a thick layer of trichomes in this lower half. Leaves are wide and singular. Secondary growth on the stems at this juncture is stunted-- aside from the initial budding, there is no continued growth. Then, it was like the plant was trying to escape stress, because the upper fourth of the plant began to manufacture normal growing tips and is now growing at a fast clip. Some stems have seven leaves. But now there is another problem that may be the source of the anomalies. I have some kid of stem rot in sections above the soil line, and a portion of the plant is wilting because some kind of stem rot is cutting off nutrients. On sections of the plant, even the normal growing tips are wilting. I've sprayed the plant with a biological anti-fungal from Bono. "Revitalize." It's the same stuff that I've successfully used on by blueberry bushes due to fungal infection. The spray may have slowed the growth of the invading fungus, but hasn't eliminated it.

So it LOOKS like the plant was attacked by a fungus in it's early vegetative growth phase, causing unusual growth in the leaves, INCLUDING the spiraling effect. The plant (outdoor growing) manufactured a ton of trichomes (in the spring!), which, from what I've read, act as a defense mechanism against invading harmful substances. Now, sections of the plant that are coated with trichomes are browning, and portions of the stems are browning, and just this morning, several growing stems are wilting. Below the wilting is stem browning and shrinking. It looks like bad news. I should also note that the other two plants I'm growing showed spiraling leaves, but appear to also have been much more resistant to whatever invader has hit the plants. I think it's a fungus.
If anyone has an idea of what to do, let me know. I suspect that I may have to trash the entire plant.

And I should make a correction, although it likely doesn't matter. The afflicted plant is a Mimosa strain, not Gelato #33


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## WeedHopper (Jul 21, 2020)

Never seen that in my life. How weird.


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## phmaster (Jul 21, 2020)

Eyeball Kid said:


> I have another development in my spiraling leaves issue. On one plant, the entire lower third of the plant had taken on a "mutated" form of growing, which includes the spiraling leaves. There is a thick layer of trichomes in this lower half. Leaves are wide and singular. Secondary growth on the stems at this juncture is stunted-- aside from the initial budding, there is no continued growth. Then, it was like the plant was trying to escape stress, because the upper fourth of the plant began to manufacture normal growing tips and is now growing at a fast clip. Some stems have seven leaves. But now there is another problem that may be the source of the anomalies. I have some kid of stem rot in sections above the soil line, and a portion of the plant is wilting because some kind of stem rot is cutting off nutrients. On sections of the plant, even the normal growing tips are wilting. I've sprayed the plant with a biological anti-fungal from Bono. "Revitalize." It's the same stuff that I've successfully used on by blueberry bushes due to fungal infection. The spray may have slowed the growth of the invading fungus, but hasn't eliminated it.
> 
> So it LOOKS like the plant was attacked by a fungus in it's early vegetative growth phase, causing unusual growth in the leaves, INCLUDING the spiraling effect. The plant (outdoor growing) manufactured a ton of trichomes (in the spring!), which, from what I've read, act as a defense mechanism against invading harmful substances. Now, sections of the plant that are coated with trichomes are browning, and portions of the stems are browning, and just this morning, several growing stems are wilting. Below the wilting is stem browning and shrinking. It looks like bad news. I should also note that the other two plants I'm growing showed spiraling leaves, but appear to also have been much more resistant to whatever invader has hit the plants. I think it's a fungus.
> If anyone has an idea of what to do, let me know. I suspect that I may have to trash the entire plant.
> ...


I’ve had something similar before and it was because I had a little bug hole and some area where moisture was getting in and sitting in there rotting and didn’t go away until I cut it out as it was like the parts where dying


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## Eyeball Kid (Jul 25, 2020)

I'm using a bio fungicide made by Bonide (I was mistaken in a previous post) called Revitalize. I've had to thin the plant out quite a bit, so I'm applying all of my practical knowledge to solving this problem and salvaging what I have left. I've sprayed the stems probably about 5-6 times in the past two weeks. Thinning out the lower useless vegetation allowed the afflicted stems to get a bright sun and really dry. Along with my spraying, what I have left is a tall plant with very little vegetation in the lower half and middle, but some superb seven-point upper growth leaves. With only a month left for the vegetation phase to end, I've got to get as many growing tips as possible, so I'm pruning the growing tips to manufacture more potential bud growth at the end of August. The other two plants, those that survived what I believe was a wave of fungal invasion, are a healthy medium dark green, well-rounded, and bushy. All things considered, they couldn't look better. As for the plant that may yet limp into the flowering stage, if all goes well, I might still get a few ounces of nice bud. The other two plants will yield much more. Thank you all for your interest and your replies.


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## Eyeball Kid (Jul 25, 2020)

phmaster said:


> I’ve had something similar before and it was because I had a little bug hole and some area where moisture was getting in and sitting in there rotting and didn’t go away until I cut it out as it was like the parts where dying


I understand that cannabis plants are very hardy and can recover from calamities that few other plants can endure. I've had stems snap off from water weight and be hanging by a veritable thread, but all it took was tying the stem up to where it previously was, and the damned thing didn't miss a beat.


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## Carty (Jul 26, 2020)

Sure looks like you have a few problems and Nitrogen Toxicity may be #1.. the first photo the leaf is super dark green,  a  sign of to much N.   Looks also like your battling heat issues,  as I see a lot of wilting..

What kind of food regiment are you giving them atm..  and are you adding calmag?

Sure hope you can get this figured bro


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## Eyeball Kid (Jul 27, 2020)

Okay, whoever is reading this, I have a rather pessimistic development. I found nearly identical photos from Cannabis Cultivation Network in 2014. THC Farmer tells us back then that it's a mold that likely is growing from the inside of the stem. That's bad news because a topical fungicide probably can't reach it without cutting off the stem. Euthanasia, anyone? In addition, I keep losing stems. the top vegetation wilts within a day and I've got to sever the stem. Now I've got two main stems left and those stems are also infected. So it looks like I have to call it quits in the plant and accept the loss. At least I've got two bushy plants left, and I don't believe that they've got this kind of problem.


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## Eyeball Kid (Jul 27, 2020)

Carty said:


> Sure looks like you have a few problems and Nitrogen Toxicity may be #1.. the first photo the leaf is super dark green,  a  sign of to much N.   Looks also like your battling heat issues,  as I see a lot of wilting..
> 
> What kind of food regiment are you giving them atm..  and are you adding calmag?
> 
> Sure hope you can get this figured bro


Thanks for the time you took to take a look at the photos. Yeah, I've been feeding them nitrogen, and I think they've maxed out on it. So I'm slowing down on the feeding. I'll be switching to some flowering food in about a month anyway. The wilting is due to the stem rot, which is eating the stem away (probably from the inside) closer to the base. If overwatering was the problem, that would be a switch, especially with the very hot temperatures here in northwestern Oregon. I'm probably giving them 2 gallons of water a day in their 18 inch pots because, if I don't, the entire plant will be drooping by evening. As I mentioned in a previous post, I think this plant is heading into the compost heap. I'll give it a good send-off. OH... I've switched from Miracle Grow to DaKine 420 for plant food. I have to go easy on the DaKine. It's got a stronger nitrogen ratio than the Monsanto product, which I'm happy to discard.


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