StemCell Therapy

Gray mold on cannabis plants is a sign of a fungal disease called Botrytis blight. It appears as a thick blanket of webs on the plants and causes severe damage to the buds during growth and even after harvest.

In most cannabis plants, gray mold starts growing on the inside of a bud before appearing on the outside. One of the preventative measures that cultivators can take early on is to protect the buds from moisture. Using tents or greenhouse to cover plants can help to attain this.

Other than this, there are a number of other techniques that can help to stop the infection from damaging the plants. Here is a complete guide to prevent and control the infection.

Typically, gray mold causes a discoloration of plant buds and a lot of moisture retention in the leaves. This causes lesions to appear on the plant, advancing into a rot in later stages. The final stage that follows after this is the appearance of the mycelium, or gray mold in the affected plant.

According to experts, if an infection appears to be gray on the outside, it is most probably gray mold. For confirmation, examining a microbial infection under a microscope can provide solid answers.

The good news for cannabis cultivators is that although gray mold is a fairly common fungal disease, it is not aggressive. It does not harm any healthy plant tissue to progress further. In fact, the disease enters the plant through pruning cuts, damages caused by insects or dying tissues of spent leaves.

As mentioned earlier, Botrytis blight does not damage healthy tissue. It enters plants through wounds created by insects. Therefore, one of the first steps to ensure protection from gray mold is to inhibit insects and diseases from attacking the plants.

Like most fungal infections, Botrytis blight flourishes in humid and dark conditions. Just 12 hours of wetness and 90% humidity levels can set the infection in motion.

This is one of the major reasons of mature plants getting infected. The dense leaf and flower growth in mature plants inhibits ventilation, creating ideal conditions for the sporadic growth of the infection.

Opening up plants for more sunlight absorption can discourage the spread of the fungal infection in plants.

Using water management techniques like drip irrigation and proper drainage can be helpful in controlling this problem. Experts also suggest the use of a couple of humidity meters in cultivation facilities for maximum control.

In addition, small tips like watering the plants early in the morning and maximizing time between watering can ensure moisture control in the plants.

End users of cannabis usually consume the plant through inhalation or smoking. This is why using commercial fungicides on the crops for treatment is highly discouraged.

One of the primary ingredients for treating fungal infections is Myclobutanil. A number of studies have found that it turns into Cyanide gas while smoking, posing serious threat to the health of the end user.

Using organic fungicides is an alternate option for crop growers. Using potassium bicarbonate, bacillus amyloliquefaciens and Tetra Crop Control can help to stop the spread of infection if it is spotted early enough.

It is noteworthy that some cannabis strains are naturally mold resistant. Being inhabitants of wet and humid climates, these strains naturally have naturally developed resistance to the infection.

To curb the spread of gray mold, there are a number of techniques that can be applied by growers of cannabis plants.

Removing moldy buds and sterilizing the plants can inhibit the growth of gray mold on other parts.

Sterilizing equipment used in pruning damaged plant parts will ensure infection containment. Proper disposal of damaged parts after solarization will also ensure that the pathogens have been completely destroyed.

Botrytis has a tendency to feed on dying leaves. Therefore, removing any possible habitat can assure the infection does not thrive.

Plucking fan leaves off the plant can also be a possible step towards maintaining ventilation and humidity in its surroundings.

For assuring the best possible mold free harvest, it is important to consider the environment of the drying rooms of the harvested crops.

More often than not, buds are put in drying rooms that are humid or have a polluted airspace. In other cases, storing them while they were not completely dry starts the development of the mold.

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This entry was posted on September 15, 2020 at 11:36 am and is filed under Legal Issues Genetic Medicine. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |