# Yellow edges and leaf teeth on older leaves: likely causes and fixes

> Yellow edges and leaf teeth on older leaves on cannabis is most often Potassium deficiency, Manganese toxicity (usually low pH) or Salt build-up in the root zone. How to tell them apart, the fix for each and what recovery looks like.

Also called: edges of bottom leaves yellow, yellow serrations, leaf edges turning yellow then brown, yellow rim on old leaves.

Run the checker with this sign: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/diagnose/?at=old&s=yellow-margins-old

## Likely causes, most likely first

### Potassium deficiency (Possible)

- Kind: Nutrient; urgency: Deal with it this week
- Fix: Check runoff EC first: salt burn looks the same. If K is genuinely short, feed about 175-250 mg/L K (potassium sulfate, potassium nitrate or MKP) at a normal EC. A flowering DWC trial saw no yield response anywhere from 60 to 340 mg/L, so more is not better. Cut heavy Cal-Mag or sodium-rich water that competes with K.
- Recovery: Margin scorch stops advancing up the plant within 7 days; new leaves open with clean margins.
- Confirm: Measure runoff EC against input EC: Water to 10-20% runoff, collect the runoff in a clean cup and measure EC of both with a calibrated meter (1.413 mS/cm standard). Runoff more than ~0.5 mS/cm above input means salt build-up; well below input means the plant is hungry or you are over-leaching. In hydro, compare reservoir EC with the EC you mixed.
- Confirm: Get a water report (or test your water): Ask your water utility for the annual report or test well water: alkalinity (mg/L CaCO3), pH, EC, Ca, Mg, Na, Cl, B, and whether it uses chlorine or chloramine. Alkalinity above ~100-150 mg/L as CaCO3 pushes root-zone pH up; sodium above ~50 mg/L and chloride above ~70 mg/L are a problem; softened water is high in sodium.
- Confirm: Leaf tissue analysis: Send 20-30 most-recently-matured leaves (no petioles) from affected plants, and separately from healthy ones, to an agricultural lab. Compare with cannabis and hemp sufficiency ranges (for example N 3.3-4.8%, Mg 0.40-0.81%, K 1.8-2.9% dry weight in recent mature leaves). Results take 1-2 weeks; use it to confirm a chronic problem, not an emergency.
- Confirm: Watch new growth for 5-10 days after one change: Make one correction at a time, mark the top node with a twist tie and photograph the same leaves every 2-3 days. Damaged leaves never recover; judge only new growth and whether the symptom stops spreading. Mobile-nutrient symptoms stop climbing within 5-7 days; immobile ones show in new leaves within 7-10 days.
- Article: [Potassium (K) in cannabis: role, deficiency, excess and K-Ca-Mg balance](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/nutrients/potassium.md)

### Manganese toxicity (usually low pH) (Less likely)

- Kind: Too much of something; urgency: Low urgency
- Fix: Raise root-zone pH into range (soilless 5.8-6.2, soil 6.2-6.8); check that the micro mix is not over-dosed. Tissue tests may not flag it: in one trial, symptomatic plants had normal leaf Mn.
- Recovery: Margin yellowing stops climbing within 7 days.
- Confirm: Measure input pH and root-zone (runoff or reservoir) pH: Calibrate the meter with fresh pH 7 and pH 4 buffers, then measure the mixed feed and the runoff (containers) or reservoir (hydro). Soil and living soil should sit at 6.0-7.0, coco, rockwool and peat mixes at 5.5-6.5, hydro at 5.5-6.2. Track 3+ readings; one reading is not a trend.
- Confirm: Leaf tissue analysis: Send 20-30 most-recently-matured leaves (no petioles) from affected plants, and separately from healthy ones, to an agricultural lab. Compare with cannabis and hemp sufficiency ranges (for example N 3.3-4.8%, Mg 0.40-0.81%, K 1.8-2.9% dry weight in recent mature leaves). Results take 1-2 weeks; use it to confirm a chronic problem, not an emergency.
- Article: [Manganese (Mn) in cannabis: netted chlorosis, low-pH toxicity and the iron balance](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/nutrients/manganese.md)

### Salt build-up in the root zone (Less likely)

- Kind: Root zone; urgency: Deal with it this week
- Fix: Root-zone flush: water slowly with pH-adjusted, quarter- to half-strength feed (not plain water in coco) to 20-30% runoff, about 2-3x the pot volume, until runoff EC is within ~0.3-0.5 mS/cm of input. Then water to 10-20% runoff each time. This treats the medium, not the plant; it is not a pre-harvest flush, which is a myth.
- Recovery: Runoff EC tracks input at the next 2-3 waterings; new leaves stop burning.
- Confirm: Measure runoff EC against input EC: Water to 10-20% runoff, collect the runoff in a clean cup and measure EC of both with a calibrated meter (1.413 mS/cm standard). Runoff more than ~0.5 mS/cm above input means salt build-up; well below input means the plant is hungry or you are over-leaching. In hydro, compare reservoir EC with the EC you mixed.
- Confirm: Pour-through extraction for container pH and EC: Water normally, wait 30 minutes to 2 hours, pour enough pH-adjusted water on top to collect about 50 mL of leachate (roughly 75 mL for a 15 cm pot, 150 mL for a 4 L pot, 350 mL for 11 L), and measure pH and EC of that 50 mL. Less disruptive than full runoff and more repeatable.
- Confirm: Slurry (1:2) test of the medium: Take a sample from the root zone (not the top 2 cm), mix 1 part medium with 2 parts distilled water by volume, stir, wait 30 minutes and measure pH and EC of the liquid. Use it for soil and living soil where runoff is unreliable. Slurry EC reads lower than pour-through EC; compare like with like.
- Article: [Runoff testing: how to measure root-zone pH and EC and what the numbers mean](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/ph-ec/runoff-testing.md)

### Boron toxicity (Less likely)

- Kind: Too much of something; urgency: Low urgency
- Fix: Test the water (some wells carry B) and stop extra boron products; supply only 0.2-0.5 mg/L B in total. Cannabis tolerated about 10x for weeks, but symptoms appeared after 7 weeks at ~4.9 mg/L.
- Recovery: No new margin scorch on leaves that mature after the change.
- Confirm: Get a water report (or test your water): Ask your water utility for the annual report or test well water: alkalinity (mg/L CaCO3), pH, EC, Ca, Mg, Na, Cl, B, and whether it uses chlorine or chloramine. Alkalinity above ~100-150 mg/L as CaCO3 pushes root-zone pH up; sodium above ~50 mg/L and chloride above ~70 mg/L are a problem; softened water is high in sodium.
- Confirm: Leaf tissue analysis: Send 20-30 most-recently-matured leaves (no petioles) from affected plants, and separately from healthy ones, to an agricultural lab. Compare with cannabis and hemp sufficiency ranges (for example N 3.3-4.8%, Mg 0.40-0.81%, K 1.8-2.9% dry weight in recent mature leaves). Results take 1-2 weeks; use it to confirm a chronic problem, not an emergency.
- Article: [Boron (B) in cannabis: distorted tips, dying roots and a narrow safe window](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/nutrients/boron.md)

### Cal-Mag overuse (excess calcium and nitrogen) (Less likely)

- Kind: Too much of something; urgency: Low urgency
- Fix: On hard tap water with a complete base feed, stop the Cal-Mag supplement; it adds N and pushes K and Mg out of balance. Use it only for RO or soft water and unbuffered coco. LEDs do not create a Cal-Mag need.
- Recovery: K and Mg symptoms stop spreading within 7-10 days.
- Confirm: Get a water report (or test your water): Ask your water utility for the annual report or test well water: alkalinity (mg/L CaCO3), pH, EC, Ca, Mg, Na, Cl, B, and whether it uses chlorine or chloramine. Alkalinity above ~100-150 mg/L as CaCO3 pushes root-zone pH up; sodium above ~50 mg/L and chloride above ~70 mg/L are a problem; softened water is high in sodium.
- Confirm: Measure runoff EC against input EC: Water to 10-20% runoff, collect the runoff in a clean cup and measure EC of both with a calibrated meter (1.413 mS/cm standard). Runoff more than ~0.5 mS/cm above input means salt build-up; well below input means the plant is hungry or you are over-leaching. In hydro, compare reservoir EC with the EC you mixed.
- Article: [Cal-Mag: what it is, when you need it and when you don't](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/nutrients/cal-mag.md)

### Unbuffered or new coco pulling calcium and magnesium (Less likely)

- Kind: Root zone; urgency: Deal with it this week
- Fix: Feed with Ca and Mg on board: calcium nitrate and magnesium sulfate, or a Cal-Mag, bringing the feed to about 150-200 mg/L Ca and 40-60 mg/L Mg, at pH 5.8-6.2. For the next batch, rinse and buffer coco by soaking it in a calcium (and magnesium) nitrate solution before planting.
- Recovery: New leaves clean within 7-10 days; runoff Ca/Mg symptoms stop spreading.
- Confirm: Measure runoff EC against input EC: Water to 10-20% runoff, collect the runoff in a clean cup and measure EC of both with a calibrated meter (1.413 mS/cm standard). Runoff more than ~0.5 mS/cm above input means salt build-up; well below input means the plant is hungry or you are over-leaching. In hydro, compare reservoir EC with the EC you mixed.
- Confirm: Measure input pH and root-zone (runoff or reservoir) pH: Calibrate the meter with fresh pH 7 and pH 4 buffers, then measure the mixed feed and the runoff (containers) or reservoir (hydro). Soil and living soil should sit at 6.0-7.0, coco, rockwool and peat mixes at 5.5-6.5, hydro at 5.5-6.2. Track 3+ readings; one reading is not a trend.
- Confirm: Get a water report (or test your water): Ask your water utility for the annual report or test well water: alkalinity (mg/L CaCO3), pH, EC, Ca, Mg, Na, Cl, B, and whether it uses chlorine or chloramine. Alkalinity above ~100-150 mg/L as CaCO3 pushes root-zone pH up; sodium above ~50 mg/L and chloride above ~70 mg/L are a problem; softened water is high in sodium.
- Article: [Buffering coco coir: why it matters and how to do it](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/ph-ec/buffering-coco.md)

## Note

Guidance, not a guarantee. The checker weighs common causes against what you tell it; confirm with the tests before you treat, change one thing at a time and watch the new growth.