Back when you are still studying, surely you have encountered a greenhouse or an enclosed garden, and you noticed that the plants have some sort of white dust. A pigment of white in its leaves and branches that is not dirt or dust that is a sign that there is mildew all over the garden. This can also happen to cannabis as well; powdery mildew cannabis is the term for it. In this article, you will learn how to deal with it and also what techniques can be done to avoid it.
What is Powdery Mildew Cannabis?
The first part of the plant that gets affected by this is the leaves; it starts as small pimple-like structures on the surface of the leaves, then it grows into a powdery compound that will cover the entire plant. This will destroy your harvest completely.
Spores are everywhere; this is a very undeniable fact. They are present and being carried by air. These spores can attach themselves everywhere, and when the environment is suitable and viable for them, they immediately grow and thrive without question.
It is an invisible enemy at first that strikes without warning, the best way to deal with these spores are not allowing them a chance to live in the first place. This is a matter that needs absolute attention and effort. Once it strikes, it is truly unstoppable.
How to Eliminate Powdery Mildew on Cannabis Plants
The powdery mildew can attack anytime, no matter how healthy your cannabis plantation is, if the environment allows the spores to live, then you will surely have a hard time stopping them, the best thing to do first is understand how spores can develop and also how they react to the environment.
Study it! Nature and Form
The best way to defeat an enemy is knowing their characteristics, movements as well as their strengths and weaknesses; in this way, you can easily produce a countermeasure for every attack. The same goes for powdery mildew, the best way to identify it is by appearance; you can never hide it because it is very white and deeply separates itself from the buds and leaves. It is highly noticeable when developed, but when in the form of spores, you can never see them.
Environment
Essentially, the spores come to life and begin to form as mildew when the humidity reaches a certain level; it is widely known to appear when the humidity goes up to 57% with minimal to nonexistent airflow in a particular room especially in your grow area. Thus, it lives and breathes in areas that are very damp and poorly ventilated grow areas, which is why your plants need the proper spacing to avoid the restriction of airflow. When the leaves of the cannabis plant have contact with other plants, the spread of powdery mildew is 100%.
Targets Younglings
The powdery mildew is a serial killer of young cannabis plants. It loves to target them because it can easily eat it up, including the stems. You will immediately notice this problem when the buds smell different than usual.
Fast Spreading
Once the powdery mildew reaches the buds of your cannabis plant, you can not do anything about it. Your harvest is practically destroyed. The plant will quickly entire its death stage by the rapid wilting of the whole plant.
Due to this, the observation of the plants is vital, having the ability to quickly notice the changes that your plant is encountering will surely help you to separate an infected plant to prevent the spread of the mildew.
Signs of Powdery Mildew
Fortunately, it’s easy to spot powdery mildew; if you took your time in patiently observing your plant for a long period, then this should not be a problem for you. Evident changes on the leaves can be seen as well as the flour-like substance that is covering the leaves. Once you identify this, you may also notice an irregular wilting and pigmentation of the leaves as well. At this point, you cannot take this lightly; you must also observe the buds for the presence of molds when mold is present, there is a huge chance of mildew as well.
You must also notice the discoloration of the leaves; usually, when a cannabis plant is healthy, the leaves are dark green. But with the presence of mildew, the leaves gradually turn yellow and will cause the leaves to bow; this means that they are already losing their life.
How to Eliminate It
The moment that you see any indication that there is mildew, you have to quickly eradicate it as soon as possible, there are several ways that you can remove immature mildew at the first sign of it. These are the things that you can do to remove them.
Homemade Sprays
A convenient and cost-effective way to remove powdery mildew is by preparing a famous homemade formula. It is a combination of one-quart water and two spoons of apple cider. Spray in on the plant just as spraying an orchid; this will prevent the mildew from spreading and thriving. You can also use this to coat the plants to prevent them from being infected.
Other Sprayable
Did you know that milk and water can prevent mildews? Just make a 60-40 water to milk spray, but only do this if you have bright growing lights or sunlight. Fish oil can also be sprayed to prevent any spread.
Water-Paper Towel Technique
This method is a no brainer. What you need is tap water, or if you like it fancy, you can use distilled water. Wet your paper towel with water and start wiping down the leaves gently until no traces of mildew. Remember not to use the same paper towel to other plants of leaves to prevent contamination. You can also upgrade this method by adding a sparingly amount of baking soda. A half teaspoon will surely suffice.
Summary
To ensure that mildew will not develop, you just have to create an environment where it will not thrive. A good example is a well-ventilated room with intake and exhaust fans as well as temperature and climate control units. In this way, you will have a perfect environment for your weed and an environment where spores cannot develop. That how to deal with powdery mildew cannabis!
