It’s week 8, my buds are flushing. I finished foliar feeding just over a week ago, and I have been spraying the buds with pH’ed water to help them absorb any residual fertilizer left on the surface. I am looking closely at the trichome structure… and at the base of one of the smaller plants, I notice that the buds at the bottom, in the shade,are really frosty, not just regular frosty, clumpy and patchy frosty… That means only one thing… Powdery Mildew!!!
They [spores] need the proper conditions to germinate: a surface that contains nutrients on which they can grow, temperatures over 60?F (16-20 C), high humidity and a slightly acidic environment. Once the spore senses these conditions , it germinates, sending out a hyhae which seeks out a stomata. It enters the tissue and lives off its nutrients, eventually killing the tissue. The downy mildew powder you see on the leaf is the reproductive organ of the plant, which is releasing spores into the air.
-Ask Ed
Powdery Mildew is an airborne fungus, that basically occurs everywhere with friendly conditions. It has been a pain in the ass for commercial farmers since as long as people remember. If allowed to reproduce on your buds, they will spread to any and every surface. And when smoked, powdery mildew creates any of a number of unpleasant side effects including: sniffles, runny nose, itchy eyes, coughing and sneezing, and can trigger asthma and other allergic responses.
It spreads quickly in high humidity, and in the shade, so the best solution is prevention.
Keep your humidity on the low side 35%-45%.
Turn your plants twice a week to keep any one spot from staying in the shade.
Spray fungicides preventatively through the first 5 weeks.
Many commercial sprays are available that prevent powder mildew. Make sure to use an organic fungicide since you don’t want to smoke any harmful chemicals. I recommend either Seranade or Neem Oil. Both are organic, and can be found at most nursery’s.
However, as I said earlier, I am in week 8, so it’s too late to spray chemicals. There is a natural solution. Fungii only survive within a specific pH range. Farmers used to use baking soda, and laundry deturgent to spray for powder mildew, but that sounds dangerous and a little gross. An even easier cure is mixing up a solution of 1 part milk to 9 parts water, and spray directly on problem areas. The lactic acid will kill the fungus. Powdery Mildew has a 3-5 day life cycle, so it is important to spray again 2-3 days later to kill any new offspring.
