White Powdery Mildew Spores

Does anyone know how long spores stick around in a room? I had an entire grow destroyed by powdery mildew 3-4 months ago by PM. I only have one location in my house to grow. And I tried every single remedy suggested, and none worked.

I want to try and start up again. So do the spores last in an empty room weeks/months? It boggles me that I had such a bad problem with PM even when living in very dry conditions (25-35% humidity) in Colorado.

Topo said:

Does anyone know how long spores stick around in a room? I had an entire grow destroyed by powdery mildew 3-4 months ago by PM. I only have one location in my house to grow. And I tried every single remedy suggested, and none worked.

I want to try and start up again. So do the spores last in an empty room weeks/months? It boggles me that I had such a bad problem with PM even when living in very dry conditions (25-35% humidity) in Colorado.

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You should be able to clean the heck out of your grow space, sulfur burn the area and be ready to start growing. Maybe clean fully multiple times and sulfur burn multiple times. Also stay super clean while entering every time.

Thanks a mongo. The cleaning part is going to be a pain in the ass, but it's better than losing an entire crop in its 5th week of flowering.

I'm in Colorado too and had some WPM in my vegging closet I set up a few months back. I moved em to another room and sprayed em a few times with vinegar and the Green Crack didn't have it anymore, so I just chopped the other ones since I didn't want to keep spraying em. Green Crack is on day 63 of flower now, and her clone is happy in a different vegging tent I set up. I think my problem was the cold air from outside hitting em, cause the little closet I was using lets in air from the soffit vents. And it was getting pretty chilly in there. There is also a lot of that WPM just floating around the air around here now with so many people growing, especially people with greenhouses. I was worried I would have to stop or that it would be a constant battle, but so far so good. It's been like 5 months now and haven't seen it back. Good luck.

PadawanWarrior said:

I'm in Colorado too and had some WPM in my vegging closet I set up a few months back. I moved em to another room and sprayed em a few times with vinegar and the Green Crack didn't have it anymore, so I just chopped the other ones since I didn't want to keep spraying em. Green Crack is on day 63 of flower now, and her clone is happy in a different vegging tent I set up. I think my problem was the cold air from outside hitting em, cause the little closet I was using lets in air from the soffit vents. And it was getting pretty chilly in there. There is also a lot of that WPM just floating around the air around here now with so many people growing, especially people with greenhouses. I was worried I would have to stop or that it would be a constant battle, but so far so good. It's been like 5 months now and haven't seen it back. Good luck.

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Thanks bro!

Topo said:

Thanks bro!

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No problem fellow Coloradan.

10% bleach everything, burn or spray sulfur, or even utilize a UV light. Just be careful with the latter because it's really bad for your eyes and skin.

Also and keep in mind that the two most common vectors (besides yourself/clothing) are pets and carpet. I cringe every time someone post an indoor garden pic with a cat or dog in it.

SCJedi said:

10% bleach everything, burn or spray sulfur, or even utilize a UV light. Just be careful with the latter because it's really bad for your eyes and skin.

Also and keep in mind that the two most common vectors (besides yourself/clothing) are pets and carpet. I cringe every time someone post an indoor garden pic with a cat or dog in it.

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Thanks! I have 2 golden retrievers but they don't go in the growroom. The room is carpeted however. I'll be doing bleach and the sulfur.

Thank you Cindy. I must remain diligent as you were. I'm also hoping that the 3-4 months of a "dry room" will minimize the potential of a re-infestation.

Raise the room temp to 100 degrees for like 4 hours

Ed Rosenthal was the purveyor of the milk theory using lactobacillus from common milk products. I have never used liquid soap for anything other than as a surfactant for bugs. However, both plants and insects typically create a natural oil/wax layer for protection and something saponified breaks the surface water tension. It is easy to prove by taking two beetles and putting on in a glass of plain water and another in a glass of water with one drop of dish soap in it. One floats that the other sinks and dies.

There are RTU fungicide sprays that work well. Typically many cures have Potassium Bicarbonate (think alkaline ph changer like Green Cure) and some type of sticker like a small amount of oil or a surfactant like soap.

The real key is to start with engineering controls like @cindysid did. Improve your airflow both below and above canopy and control your relative humidity! Laboratories and clean rooms use UV for a reason because you can flip a switch for 30-60 minutes and kill!

Remember that if you are not in it for fun then you will easily make more work for yourself. Being diligent is very important.

I applaud those that go perpetual. I do it when I have larger spaces as it is nice to roll in/out 25% or 33% every 2-3 weeks and always have something fresh on the table.

I think this is a problem a lot of us growers in Colorado are dealing with early in the growing season when it’s gets cold and wet at night in Colorado. I’ve found spraying my plants with a baking soda mix gets rid of it for me tell the hotter temps start up. And keep the pm away

Thanks for the contributions everyone. My Super Skunk seeds are popping up, so now is the time to prep the room. I wanted to grow some outside too, but Colorado will put you in jail if you are caught. Kinda weird law; a pot state that doesn't allow outdoor grows .

SCJedi said:

10% bleach everything, burn or spray sulfur, or even utilize a UV light. Just be careful with the latter because it's really bad for your eyes and skin.

Also and keep in mind that the two most common vectors (besides yourself/clothing) are pets and carpet. I cringe every time someone post an indoor garden pic with a cat or dog in it.

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Or plants six weeks into flower, sitting on carpet, with a fan blowing lint around and sticking to the buds.

Topo said:

Thanks for the contributions everyone. My Super Skunk seeds are popping up, so now is the time to prep the room. I wanted to grow some outside too, but Colorado will put you in jail if you are caught. Kinda weird law; a pot state that doesn't allow outdoor grows .

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You can grow legally outdoors here. It just has to be fully enclosed and locked, or something like that. I don't think the plants can be visually seen though, so like a fully enclosed and locked greenhouse.

PadawanWarrior said:

You can grow legally outdoors here. It just has to be fully enclosed and locked, or something like that. I don't think the plants can be visually seen though, so like a fully enclosed and locked greenhouse.

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That is the same here too but my six are only locked by full sun and a delta breeze. Oops!

PadawanWarrior said:

You can grow legally outdoors here. It just has to be fully enclosed and locked, or something like that. I don't think the plants can be visually seen though, so like a fully enclosed and locked greenhouse.

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https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/marijuana/home-grow-laws

• Marijuana plants must be kept in an enclosed, locked area that can’t be viewed openly. This means the plants can’t be outside.
  
  • At homes with residents under 21, any marijuana grow area must be enclosed and locked in a separate space that minors can’t access.
  • At homes without residents under 21, extra precautions must be taken to make sure any visiting youth don’t have access to marijuana plants.
• Homegrown marijuana or marijuana products can’t be sold to anyone.
  • Only licensed grow establishments can sell marijuana products.

Topo said:

Thanks! I have 2 golden retrievers but they don't go in the growroom. The room is carpeted however. I'll be doing bleach and the sulfur.

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Get rid of the carpet. Bugs and whatever can travel through the carpet from one room to another.

Vinegar, spray your room down with vinegar it is natural. It will kill spors and as well hate it.

Air circulation is vital in late stages of flower. Make sure your are pulling air out during wake up and right after lights shut off as well.

Hope the Best.

You must change the environment if you can't change the location

Air movement is key and as stated get rid of the carpet, even if you have to cover it with a tarp