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Cannabis Wind Burn: How To Identify & Then Treat It

November 12, 2021

Fresh airflow in your grow space is essential to keep your cannabis plant healthy, but did you know that too much breeze can be bad for your marijuana plants? It’s a condition referred to as “cannabis wind burn”.

Don’t panic. You won’t encounter wind burn problems very often, and the risk of your marijuana plant dying is low except in extreme cases. The danger exists, and you should learn the symptoms and causes of the problem to detect and solve them easily and quickly. 

When you know how to get rid of wind burn, your plant will be healthy again, and you’ll enjoy a bountiful harvest of delicious buds.

Let’s start.

Yellow Curling Leaves
Yellow Curling Leaves

What is cannabis wind burn?

Cannabis wind burn is one of the stresses that your marijuana plants can face. It’s more common among new cultivators who grow their weed indoors.

To provide cannabis crops with constant air circulation indoors, you have to use fans. The problem arises when you place your fans too close to your plants. The strong direct wind from the fans can adversely affect your crop, resulting in cannabis wind burn.

It’s not a severe issue if you detect the grow tent ventilation problems early. With early remedial action, you’ll only lose some foliage. Restore your marijuana plant’s health, and it will continue to grow well and give you an ample harvest.

If you allow the stress to persist, the yield of your wind burn plants can be affected. Once you learn our tips to deal with the issue, you can prevent it from occurring in the future. 

How does wind burn happen?

Cannabis wind burn is a case of giving your marijuana plants too much of a good thing. Your crop needs adequate airflow for its growth and development. If the wind is too strong, it can damage your plant’s leaves. This situation mostly happens indoors when you use fans to mimic the outdoor conditions.

New growers often cause cannabis wind burn because they place the fans too close to their marijuana crop or the breeze is too powerful. The latter is a more severe problem for clones and seedlings because they’re too young.

Let’s study the wind burn symptoms so you can detect them early.

What does wind burn look like on cannabis plants?

As your marijuana plant will give out almost similar signals when it’s stressed, many new growers ask what does wind burn look like? Here are signs to look for that set wind burn apart from the other stresses your cannabis crop may undergo.

What are the cannabis wind burn symptoms?

The symptoms of wind burn are typically seen on your marijuana plant’s foliage.

Clawed leaves

Clawed leaves refer to the tips of leaves curling under. Your plant does this to protect its foliage from further damage when the breeze is too strong. 

It’s easy to mistake this plant behavior as a symptom of other stress such as nitrogen toxicity. A clear indicator of cannabis wind burn is that the affected foliage is limited to where the fan is directed.

If the leaves of plants furthest away from the fans look less damaged than those getting the direct wind, you’ve likely got a cannabis wind burn problem.

Curling Yellow Leaves
Curling Yellow Leaves

Burnt leaf edges

In severe cases of wind burn, you’ll notice burnt edges on your leaves when they are desiccated. To ensure the cause is wind burn, check the foliage of the other plants.

Stunted growth

Look out for droopy plants as the leaves are similar to solar panels for your marijuana plant, and damaged ones can slow its growth. Wind burn cannabis crops can be sickly and produce a poorer yield.

Spots on leaves

Occasionally, winds that are too strong can cause spots on the foliage that look like burn marks. These signs appear when the growth process of the leaves is affected.

How to get rid of wind burn on weed plants?

Knowing how to get rid of wind burn can save you lots of stress as you watch your marijuana plant’s growth suffer. Affected leaves will eventually wilt, but in the meantime, they’ll consume vital energy that your plant needs.

Before we look at ways to treat wind burn weed, here’s a positive answer to a question most cultivators ask.

Can plants recover from wind burn? 

Marijuana plants are very hardy. They can usually overcome many ailments if you tackle the issues they face and give them the care they need. 

Once you know how to treat wind burn, you’ll be able to help your marijuana plant bounce back. It may appear worn out when you remove the dried leaves, but you can minimize the possibility of a lower yield if you veg your crop for an extra period to make up for the time it was stressed.

Monitor your plant while it’s recovering from cannabis wind burn. Give it plenty of fluids as the affected leaves will be dehydrated.

Leave the foliage with minimal damage alone. It’ll recover once you remove the source of the wind burn. The burnt edges will fall off, but the rest of the leaves will continue to thrive. 

How to treat wind burn on cannabis plants

You can’t reverse cannabis wind burn damage, but you can help your plant recover from the stress by treating it and giving it lots of TLC.

Here’s how to get rid of wind burn: 

Adjust fan settings

Adjust your fan settings to ensure that you have air blowing above and under the plant. Its foliage should be gently rustling in the breeze. 

Don’t direct a fan at your crop. Too much wind can cause cannabis wind burn, which will damage the leaves. If you can, point the fan at the wall rather than directly at the plants. 

Check your growing space for areas where the air is stagnant or doesn’t get enough breeze, and adjust your fans if necessary.

Prune your cannabis plant

There’s little you can do to revive the leaves of a wind burn cannabis plant. Remove the damaged or dead foliage. Then take steps to restore your plant’s health.

Protect leaves from drying up

Apply an anti-desiccant to your marijuana plant to give it a protective coating. Some products can help with osmosis, transpiration, and photosynthesis.

Cannabis wind burn prevention

If you want to know how to prevent wind burn, follow these tips in your weed garden: 

Plan your grow space setup

When setting up a grow area, plan to optimize the space you have to produce a maximum yield. Be sure not to cram too many plants into small congested spaces unless you’re using a Sea of Green (SOG) setup.

You may cause cannabis wind burn by placing fans too close to your plants. As your plants develop and fill out your grow space, check for areas your fans aren’t reaching and adjust their placements. 

Set up your fans

When deciding where to place your fans to maximize coverage, ensure they don’t blow excess air to your plant and cause cannabis wind burn. Don’t leave any spots unventilated to avoid stale air building up. 

Your goal is to ensure that fresh air circulates between your plant’s canopy and the grow lights. The ideal fan placement provides your plants with a breeze from all sides. You can also place them at different heights.

For wind burn prevention, always set your fans to oscillate as they provide a gentle breeze and adequate airflow without blowing directly at a particular area for too long.

Use fans with multiple air speed settings so you can adjust the wind speed as required. Leaves should vibrate, not sway wildly. If this happens, adjust the distance of your fans to your plants or reduce the wind speed.

Avoid cannabis wind burn by pointing your fans towards a wall and not directly at the leaves of your plant. You may need to experiment to find the right spot that provides indirect airflow to all your crops.

You don’t have to get a powerful fan when choosing your fans because your crops only need a light breeze. Desktop fans are perfect as they’re cheap but not powerful enough to cause cannabis wind burn. They’re also small, which makes them easy to place wherever you want. 

Fan In A Grow Tent
Fan In A Grow Tent

Protect your seedlings and clones

Seedlings and clones need extra care and protection from cannabis wind burn. As they’re young and fragile plants, make sure you keep your fans at a good distance away. 

For the first 2–3 weeks, avoid pointing your fans directly at them. It’s best to give them indirect airflow by adjusting your fans to blow at a wall. You can gradually give them direct airflow after the period.

How much wind in a grow tent is enough? 

It’s essential to understand how much wind in a grow tent is optimal for your marijuana plants before setting up your cultivation space.

There should be sufficient airflow between your grow lights and your crop’s canopy. The breeze should only cause your plant’s leaves to flutter.

If you notice the leaves swaying wildly, that’s a clear sign you have too much wind and risk causing your plant cannabis wind burn.

FAQs about cannabis wind burn

Here are answers to several common questions asked by cultivators, which will benefit you.

What is good for wind burn?

The best way to deal with cannabis wind burn is to prevent it before it happens because you can’t reverse its effects. Take preemptive steps like planning your grow space and fan placement, and you can avoid the problem and save a lot of trouble.

How do I stop wind in my garden?

A straightforward remedy for wind burn is putting up a fence around your garden or planting trees. If fencing is not an option, you can use plastic or canvas to shield your cannabis plants.

Here’s a simple remedy for wind burn you can implement without incurring any cost. Grow your cannabis plants close to a wall. The structure will act as a windbreak and reduce the severe damage high winds can cause. If you’re growing in pots, reposition them away from strong winds.

How much wind is too much for plants?

When your marijuana plant shows signs of cannabis wind burn, such as tips of leaves curling down and burn spots on the foliage, it’s getting too much wind. This problem is usually caused when fans are too powerful or too close to your plant. 

Yellow Leaves Clawing
Yellow Leaves Clawing

Wind burn prevention is better than cure

Now that you know that cannabis wind burn is caused by your marijuana plant getting too much wind and you can identify the signs such as clawed leaves, treating the problem is easy.

We suggest that you avoid getting into trouble by planning ahead when setting up your grow area and save yourself the extra work and stress. Take the time to position your fans strategically to avoid too much wind affecting your crops.

Happy harvest! Remember to check out Homegrown Cannabis Co. at any point for top tips and advice. 


About the author: Parker Curtis

Parker Curtis has around a decade of cannabis-growing experience, specialising in soil-less and hydro grows. He’s mastering outdoor, greenhouse, and indoor grows.

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