Praying leaves - are they good? Well, that depends on who you ask. In my opinion, praying leaves are a sign of health and happiness. When your babies have everything they want and are physically reaching for the space they want to grow into - that's when they pray - that's when they're at peak performance.
Although other folks may agree it's a healthy sign, it can also be detrimental given a certain situation. Here's a few talking points regarding praying leaves...
Light Stress - Can you afford it?
Light is one of the drivers of photosynthesis and the performance of plants, however, it can push plants beyond the means in which the grower has to finish the crop...as in, healthy plants grow faster and need more inputs, which can cost more money than the grower budgeted.
According to Sk88 back in February of 2021, after his plants' leaves began to pray, his canopy began to yellow from being pushed too hard via light intensity. Granted, he probably should have kept up with the plant's vigor and nutrient requirements to prevent yellowing, but it's a scenario that should be thought about before you begin pushing your plants to the max...can you afford it?
Back in April 0f 2022, Clyde4210 theorized that plants pray when they receive too much light and are trying to protect themselves. I assume he means by reducing surface area exposed to the sun/light. While the idea might make sense to some, plants tend to wilt or droop to reduce surface area, which requires much less energy than standing perky and praying. Think about all the times you've been "drained by the sun" - all you want to do is collapse. Same same.
Overwatered to Not Overwatered
In April of 2022, MrC.A noticed that his seedlings began praying the day after overwatering them. While there is no mention of lighting being an issue, given the premise that praying leaves equal happy plants, one could derive that the overwatering of the seedlings may have been the only thing making the plant "unhappy". Once enough water had drained, evaporated or transpired, the plants began to pray.
Although not necessarily part of this equation, N1ghtL1ght observed that the grower was using a 600w HPS @ 250w. This meant that the grower was receiving even less blue light than thought due to the reduced spectrum at lower than normal operating capacities. With bluer spectrums being better for vegetative growth, the grower was hindering themselves beyond just the overwatering. Given that the water was the only variable that changed, it can be concluded that while lighting can be an issue, it wasn't the reason for praying leaves.
"...healthy plants grow faster and need more inputs, which can cost more money than the grower budgeted." – Jared Sherman of Mellow Moose Farms
Vapor Pressure Deficit
Now we're getting somewhere! What is Vapor Pressure Deficit? For the growers, VPD tells us how much water/nutrients a plant can consume based on how much the plant can transpire. Think about a toilet that's filled to the brim - if you can't take a shit or piss anywhere, it's time to stop eating and drinking. Same for the plant, kinda...
In sciencey-terms, VPD is the difference between how much water is in the air and how much water the air can hold. Fully saturated air can see clouds and dew begin to form, whereas air devoid of moisture allows for transpiration and the subsequent nutrient delivery via movement of water.
Imagine it like this - a grow room can only hold 1000 water droplets in the air. Your plants have just been watered, but the air was already maxed out at 1000 droplets. Since the water from the rootzone connects to the water in the leaves, with the air full of water, the rootzone can't dry out and get oxygen...so the plant slowly droops and shows signs of overwatering. When you open the door to check on the grow room, you inadvertently let out 500 of those 1000 water droplets. After you leave and close the door, there is a deficit or difference in how much water is in the air and how much it can hold...500 water droplets to be exact. Now, your plants begin to transpire 500 water droplets, to which they're pleased since they don't have to be overwatered anymore. Not to mention, they really needed that extra boost of nutrients from the rootzone up to their leaves, so they pray even harder. That 500 water droplet deficit is your "VPD". In a VPD Chart, you want to stay between 1 and 1.8. The water droplet count was just a means of description and is meaningless in terms of measuring actual VPD. For the actual VPD equation, click here.
So, how does VPD equate to praying leaves? In terms of happiness and health, in proper VPD ranges, the potential of a plant's vigor can be realized in all stages of growth. In a sense, it's almost like having no speed limit - you can get to where you want to be without having to slow down. As long as your vehicle can go X miles per hour, you don't crash, and you have enough fuel to get there, it's the best way to travel. Same for the plant.
Now as for the curve, imagine there's always a "perfect" amount of transpiration to drive optimum growth patterns, but it changes based on the amount of water the air can hold. As air warms up, it can hold more water...as it cools, it holds less...so in order to keep the plant at optimum growth levels, we may need to water less, water more, or even adjust the humidity by mixing drier air into the facility or dehumidifying the room.
Nutrient Ratios and Bio-stimulants
I won't go too deep into these, as each can be its own topic, but regarding nutrient ratios, you're only as strong as your weakest link. It doesn't matter if you have the right amount of one nutrient if you're low in another...the chain will eventually break when enough pressure is applied. Making sure your plant has access to everything will at least provide you with uniform, healthy growth, although maybe not enough fuel to put on some real weight. Another way to look at it is your car will run without blowing up, but may not get you across the city...top it up with some gas, oil and coolant and then get back to it. Without one of those three, you'll either throw a rod, overheat or stall out on the highway. Same with the plant.
Bio-stimulants are like caffeine or energy drinks to the plant - they stimulate all types of natural processes. A few common ones are kelp, alfalfa and fulvic/humic acid. They help push the plant further and faster than it normally might grow. Think of it as motivation.
What about CO2?
Adding CO2 can definitely help drive photosynthesis, but I've seen too many plants praying outdoor, in greenhouses and tents without the use of additional CO2 that while I believe it's helpful, adding it shouldn't be the reason your plants start praying.
How do I get the leaves on my plants to pray?
Have Enough Light to Drive Photosynthesis
Don't Overwater - Don't Underwater
Be in an Adequate VPD Range - Stay between 1.0 - 1.8 ***
Proper Nutrient Ratios ***
Add Bio-Stimulants
That being said...
If you find you're still having trouble getting your plants to pray and need a nudge in the right direction, feel free to send me an email and we'll see what we can do!
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Thanks for reading, "Praying Cannabis Leaves: Are they good and how do you get them?"!
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