Foxtails are a phenomenon where the buds of a cannabis plant exhibit abnormal spirals or tips. Read on for an explanation of foxtails, what causes them, and how they affect your harvest as a whole.
Whether you're an inexperienced grower or a veteran, you've probably heard of foxtails. But what exactly causes these iconic foxtails to appear on your buds? In this article, we take a closer look at cannabis foxtailing. We find out what causes it and how to prevent and combat it.
WHAT ARE FOXTAILS?
Foxtails are a type of aesthetic deformity in cannabis plants. Cannabis buds are formed by a number of infertile calyces. When fertilized by a male plant, each calyx is capable of containing a seed. When not fertilized, the calyxes swell and eventually form the well-known buds we love so much.
In a normal cannabis bud, these calyxes grow close together, around the branches. This causes them to form round, even nuggets. Foxtails, however, occur when the calyxes grow unevenly, on top of each other. This creates a lopsided, uneven-looking bud.
WHAT IS THE CAUSE OF FOXTAILS?
Genetics or stress are often the cause of foxtails. If you're growing outdoors, it's almost always due to the genes. Some cannabis strains are simply more susceptible to developing foxtails.
Indoors, however, light stress during the flowering phase is often the cause of foxtails. In this case, the plant develops foxtails in the parts of the buds that are too close to the light source for too long. This is common in rooms with HPS or plasma lighting. Plants with these types of foxtails usually also have bleached or burnt tips.
IS CANNABIS WITH FOXTAILS BAD?
This question is a bit complicated. Technically, foxtails don't negatively affect your buds. They just look a little strange. It is mostly an aesthetic issue and some growers even like the look of foxtails. Others claim that a little bit of foxtails increases your yield and that is always positive.
Unfortunately, some foxtails get a little out of hand. In doing so, they form large, long towers at the end of a bud. While this type of foxtail is rare, it sometimes prevents the rest of the plant from getting even light. This ultimately has a negative impact on the growth and maturation of the buds. In this case, it may lead to a reduced yield.
HOW TO PREVENT AND TREAT FOXTAILS?
Foxtailen is difficult to prevent. If you are growing indoors, pay close attention to your plants. Prevent them from getting too close to the lights. Most cases of foxtails outside are the result of genetics. In this, there is literally nothing you can do to prevent it. Except to choose strains that are less prone to this phenomenon.
If you see signs of foxtails on your plants indoors, the first thing you should do is move them further away from the light. Unfortunately, the heat and light stress that cause foxtails indoors can also make your buds less potent and your harvest less successful. So always keep a close eye on your plants and react quickly at the first sign of foxtails. By doing so you will limit the damage to your buds caused by too much heat/light.
SATIVA FOXTAILS
Pure sativas that show foxtails are no reason to panic. This is often a genetic feature of this strain that comes mainly from the tropics. Sativas with tropical heritage often do not react well when you grow them indoors. They were therefore a nightmare for pioneering indoor growers. However, today's lighting techniques now make it possible to grow pure sativa varieties indoors. However, they still often develop foxtails.
The development of foxtails is a natural feature in many outdoor sativas. Only the process is a bit more complete. Rather, they form cluster buds that look spear-shaped and not "stretchy" buds, as sometimes happens indoors. This is why we do use the term "crown" to describe the more complete buds; they are pointed, like a king's crown.
To get everything out of a sativa indoors, you should give them extra attention. In general, they don't like too much nutrient, too much nitrogen and too much moisture. Here is some advice that will enable you to avoid foxtails in sativas:
- You can go pretty far with the wet-dry cycle; there are Kush varieties from the high mountains that like dry feet.
- Sensitivity to nitrogen and fertilizer is a common characteristic of sativas. Many growers now know that administering flowering nutrients with low nitrogen best stimulates their plants throughout the life cycle. Even half or a quarter of the recommended amount is often sufficient.
- If you flush your plants every 3-4 weeks, no nitrogen and fertilizer will build up. Then feed the plant with a nutrient containing only phosphorus and potassium before going back to your standard routine.
- Don't let your plants grow too close together. Provide adequate spacing for air circulation and light penetration.
- Select a light spectrum that mimics the ultraviolet radiation of tropical regions. Sativas sometimes respond poorly to the red spectrum of HPS grow lights during flowering. Supplement your grow lights with MH lamps, which generate a predominantly blue spectrum, or a blue balanced LED lamp. If you use MH from the growing to the flowering period and do not switch to an HPS lamp, sativas respond well to them.
FOXTAILS DUE TO THE GROWING ENVIRONMENT
If you are sure that the foxtails of your cannabis plants are not a genetic trait, you may assume that something is wrong in your growing environment. Environmental stress, such as from temperature, problems with the intensity or duration of lighting, unbalanced pH levels and problems with the root system, often leads to foxtailing. Uninterrupted and steady cycles of exactly the same conditions will prevent plant stress and ensure that your cannabis grows prosperously indoors.
The first step for tackling foxtails: hang your lamps 10cm higher. Fan-cooled HID, HPS or MH lamps should be hung at least 58cm above the foliage. LEC lamps 50-55cm. For non-cooled HPS this is 76cm and for LED lamps 40cm. Apart from the correct distance from your lamps, it is also wise to reduce the dark cycle to 11-11.5 hours, to reduce foxtails.
Make sure the temperature is always 23°C with lights on; when the lights are off, it should be 5-7°C lower. Higher temperatures sometimes cause the plants to stretch and during the flowering period this often causes foxtails.
A healthy root system is always important, no matter what variety you are growing. This is because it is the determining factor for the number of stressors that may cause foxtails and other problems. Make sure the pH is adjusted to the value recommended by the seed bank. An undesirable pH sometimes causes problems with nutrient uptake. Also check regularly to make sure your roots are not growing around. Finally, make sure you have adequate ventilation so that there is no stagnant air in your grow room.
With these tips you will be able to grow your coveted sativa with desirable foxtails that show pointed buds. Moreover, they will help you prevent unwanted foxtailing due to environmental stress.
Enjoy your Crop !
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