Know Your Grow: dealing with mold
IF YOU’VE BEEN GROWING cannabis this summer, you’ve likely noticed a change in the past month: they are flowering! Some may take more time than others to bulk up, but almost all cannabis plants should be in their flower stage as the days near a 12-12 daylight/nighttime cycle. However, with the change in temperature, humidity and light, your plants may start showing signs of various ailments. But don’t worry, there are steps you can take to prevent most of these naturally occurring predicaments.
Powdery mildew can arise due to these sudden fluctuations in temperature and humidity. It is easily recognized and appears as small white patches on the leaves or stalks of the plant. Up close, it can appear like a white dust.
While it may look alarming, if you catch it in time, you can still grow a healthy and hearty crop. Powdery mildew (otherwise known as PM) showed up in my garden this year from some mature clones a friend gave me about a month back. Since then, the clones have begun to develop those white powdery spots, and have even spread the infection to some of my plants I started from seed. However, Thanks to a few household hacks, the plants are now back to their normal healthy selves.
To combat nature, we stick with natural ingredients. Hydrogen peroxide (three percent) is a good go-to when you see the first signs of PM. Fill a spray bottle with some hydrogen peroxide from your first aid kit and spray your plants from head to toe. Make sure to do this at night, though, as wet hydrogen peroxide will burn the plant under sunlight.
Hydrogen peroxide may still cause the bottom fan leaves to burn, but burnt leaves are better than mildewy week. Be sure not to use hydrogen peroxide just prior to harvesting, however, as it needs time to evaporate.
A few rounds of this should take care of the problem if it is one you are just noticing. If not, and you have had PM for several weeks already, you can try other methods, like a milk spray. A 2:3 ratio of whole milk to water sprayed on plants at night will coat the leaves and kick back PM. Your plants may smell like milk the following morning but don’t worry, it will smell like cannabis again in no time. The milk spray can be repeated nightly for up to a week.
If you are STILL experiencing mold problems (or bugs, for that matter), you can resort to the tried and true classic: Neem oil. While listed as a “pesticide,” the oil is a naturally occurring byproduct of a South-Asian tree.
Neem oil can be sprayed around the base of plants to combat pests, and can be sprayed directly onto the plant. However, similar to hydrogen peroxide, stay away from spraying close to harvest time. I’ve always used Neem oil as a last resort, as there has been some concern that Neem oil can induce an allergic reaction thought to be related to Canabinoid hyper-emesis syndrome. However, it is commonly used in commercial grows around the country.
With these tips, you can hopefully keep your grow in check, and you should be seeing full-grown buds develop in the coming month!
Happy growing!