Grey Mold / Bud Rot / Fungus (Botrytis cinerea)
Botrytis blight or gray mold is a common fungus disease which can cause blights; the most common is Botrytis cinerea.
Botrytis infections often thrive in cool (60 degrees Fahrenheit or 15 degrees Celsius), rainy spring and summer weather.
Gray mold can be particularly damaging when rainy, drizzly weather continues over several days.
Look for masses of silver-gray spores on infected plant parts that are growing in humid areas.
Tiny, black, shiny specks might also be seen embedded in diseased plant tissue.
These are sclerotia of Botrytis: they allow the fungus to survive the winter.
Botrytis blight can affect leaves, stems, crowns, flowers, flower buds, seeds, seedlings, bulbs, and just about any other part of a plant with the exception of the roots.
Solution: The best way to manage this disease is keeping humidity low, maintaining good air circulation, and by regularly inspecting and removing of infected parts of the plant immediately.
NEVER SPRAY YOUR BUDS WITH ANYTHING. Once a bud has been infected, you need to remove the affected parts.
Remove infected flowers, leaves, or the entire plant if it's infected at the base, and take it far far away from your grow area to dispose if it.
Low humidity slows down and prevents mold (50% or less humidity is optimal, especially towards the end of the flowering stage). Also try to maintain lots of air movement with oscillating fans, and lots of air exchange if possible ( via Exhuast air and Supply air).
If you find mold remove it immediately. Once you first find mold, you need to watch your plants like a hawk, as mold spreads quickly.
It is best not to do any mold removal while plants are wet since this could help spread fungal spores during conditions which favor infection.
Also avoid overhead watering,
or misting plants, especially if you have had trouble with grey mold in the past.
To promote rapid drying of plants, try to space them to allow good air circulation, and don't hesitate to use fans to help promote good air circulation.
Sanitation and cleanliness alone is not sufficient to control this fungus.
The fungus can produce 60,000 or more spores on a piece of plant tissue the size of your small finger nail.
Even one spore can infect a plant and cause disease.
So, avoid injuring plants in any way.
Do not leave large stubs of stems when taking cuttings.
Ventilate your grow space to prevent high humidity conditions.
Even lowering the humidity slightly can have a significant effect on Botrytis.
Outdoor planting should be planned to provide good air circulation patterns.
This is the most important means of stopping this fungus.
Added protection is available for many crops by applying a fungicide or combination of fungicides.
However, Botrytis
can develop resistance to certain chemicals.
An ozone treatment is also an option, ozone is excellent for decimating spore counts in the grow room and a decent UV tube unit placed high in the room with a fan blowing through it can reduce dramatically the risk of botrytis.
Don't spray or burn Sulfer in the flowering stage! You will ruin your crop as Sulfer makes your bud taste really bad, like REALLY TERRIBLE.
However, it is safe to use sulfur in Veg to treat mold, before the buds have started forming. Sulfer seems to get right into the essence of the bud and the taste/smell is impossible to remove. Sulfure will TOTALLY ruin your crop if used in the flowering stage!
