Powder Mildew

[sknkwrks]

ok the mildew is back and im week 2 day 4 of flower what should i do? I remember when i first posted on this issue a reply was made not to use neem in the flowering stage. now i have neemed the hell out of these girls and it seemed to have controled the issue. i stoped the neem treatments b4 i went into flowering the last spray down was 3 days b4 the light switch. last night b4 i put the ladies to bed i noticed a little spot on my skunk but did not see any other areas on any of my ladies so it has not gotten to bad but i can not have this. what can i do that will not harm the fruits of my labor? A month or so ago i picked up a couple whiteberry clones from "royal smoke" the seemed to be ok but come to find out they where the source of the powdery mildew thats how the other ladies became infected with this horrid filth. i guess its my fault for not hitting them with neem b4 i moved them into the vegging room. if u look at some of royal smokes post he has sum pics of his grow and u can see the mildew all over the plants i do not want that crap crawling all over my plants. HELP HELP HELP!!!!!!

[AbsoluteRoyal]

You need to use a sulfer burner in my experience. I did two treatments in both my flower and veg rooms and have seen no trace for 4 weeks now and im just about to run it again for a little pre-emptive strike. Anyway I tore apart a cheap $7.00 walmart lamp screwed it inside a couple of coffee cans lengthwise(1 can had bottom cutout, taped togather with aluminum tape). Bought a 85w green spotlight screwed it in the socket paid $6-7 for the bulb. 3 screws in the middle of the cans to hold up a ring made by cutting the center from the bottom of the coffee can(The center cut just bigger then a soup can). paid about $28 with shipping for a giant bag of tiny sulfer pellets, I filled the can about 1/16" high with sulfer and turn on the bulb. It takes about 10 minutes to get hot enough and start noticable emmitting vapor.

 

Also in Brandan's peretual grow he makes a different DIY sulfer burner that looks pretty easy as well.

 

cant get the link to work

 

PM me if you need help with one of these methods

[sknkwrks]

what if using a sulfur burner is not an option. i have a bun in the oven and the wife would rather not have that in the house and that is one battle i will not win so i need to try sum thing different. i am thinking about the water and skim milk spray. so if i do this will it really help? i figured i would spray them down let em drip for a few and set them in front of a fan to air them out. my only concern is damaging the bud. like i mentioned in the previous post im only in the mid of my second week of flower so not much bud yet just mostly a lot of hair and they are doing there strech. what are every ones thoughts about hitting them with the neem once or twice mor before the bud really starts to fill in? then if needed i can start with the milk spray. i just cant figure out why its back. i have very good air flow/circulation i cleanded the hell out of every thing with a very strong bleach water mix and it seemed to be gone for a month or 2 then bam its back

[David Son]

I just read this great post about PM and Cannabis. It may help calm your worries about controlling PM.

 

https://www.greenpassion.org/index.php?/topic/17610-powdery-mildew-problems-and-cures/"]powdery mildew problems and cures

 

From reading I would say the least destructive solutions would be to raise the temp to 100 degrees for 1 hour, or add a natural ph-up to some water so that it is above 8.0 and spray the infected areas. The cinnamon oil spray sounded interesting. The post said that highly alkaline or acidic will destroy the mildew.

 

At only 2 weeks in you could still neem and do a treatment with the sulphur burners. Not much later than this though.

[AbsoluteRoyal]

I struggled with the milk spray and bleaching my rooms every week only to keep the Powdery Mildew at bay. As soon as you stop spraying it will come back. It gets to be really time consuming as well when the plants get bigger.

[sknkwrks]

I just read this great post about PM and Cannabis. It may help calm your worries about controlling PM.

 

https://www.greenpassion.org/index.php?/topic/17610-powdery-mildew-problems-and-cures/"]powdery mildew problems and cures

 

From reading I would say the least destructive solutions would be to raise the temp to 100 degrees for 1 hour, or add a natural ph-up to some water so that it is above 8.0 and spray the infected areas. The cinnamon oil spray sounded interesting. The post said that highly alkaline or acidic will destroy the mildew.

 

At only 2 weeks in you could still neem and do a treatment with the sulphur burners. Not much later than this though.

 

interesting information. it seems that the best way is to make everything very alkaline. so that would make me think about mixing a little hydrogen peroxide with baking soda. if i have to get in there every couple days to spray and wipe i got no probles doing that i just need to keep it under control so it dont kill my ladies or hurt the bud

[David Son]

The article pointed out that there are more "natural" ways to raise the ph of the water. I had a little outbreak because of a wet, moldy towel in my room(yeah ...i know) I used Earth Juice ph up and worked fine. My water is already high alkaline so i needed very little up. I would be cautious with the baking soda and peroxide, seems like a last resort. Milk would be better? Have you read where someone toasted their plants with baking soda spray?

[+ProPlayer420]

For me personally I went out and bought a Sulfer Burner and I'm glad I did. Haven't seen any powdery mildew since I used it about 6 weeks ago. Make sure to burn at night. There are DIY sulfer burners but found it much easier spending the 120.00 at Bestes Hydroponics and it works great and the smell isn't to bad.

 

But if you don't have the cash then for sure try the DIY selfers.

 

Here is a list of things that could work in your garden.

 

Remember all powdery mildews aren't the same and will build up resistence to same products if only using one. Make sure to switch products.

 

Powdery mildew is sensitive to heat. Neither species will grow at 90F (32C). and will quickly perish when above 100F (38C).

To get a complete kill maintain the temperature for an hour. This may not be a feasible option in most indoor gardens for several reasons. The first is that it may be difficult to heat the space to such a high temperature. The second is that even a single peak of 100 F (38C) affects the growth of plants. Vegetative plants with flowers or fruits in mid stage growth (weeks 3-7) may stretch a little from the experience. The heat treatment has relatively little effect on first and second week flowers or flowers nearing maturity.

You can minimize heat's impact on plants in several ways. Heat the garden at the end of the day, as the lights are turned off. Since the plants are not photosynthesizing, they have lower water needs.

If the plants are being grown hydroponically, lower the temperature of the water to 60 degrees. Keeping the roots cool will help the upper plant parts beat the heat. It's not difficult to do this, even if you don,t have a water chiller. Just add ice to the reservoir or flow through system. Roots of plants growing in soil can also be cooled using thermal ice packs at the base of the stem.

The heat treatment should kill off most of the fungus and its spores. The chances are there will still be some fungal re-growth. These can be eliminated using spot treatments.

Pruning

 

If one particular plant seems to be infected with a few tiny white spots on a few of its leaves, get a bag large enough to drop the leaves into and then cut them off into the bag. Remove the bag from the room. This prevents spores, the white powder on top of the leaves, from becoming airborne while being removed. Remember to wash your hands and clean the scissors or knife with soap and water, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol or bleach. Spray the plant with one of the sprays listed below after pruning to prevent re-infection and encourage healing.

If, you notice a re-infection a few days later, there is a good chance that this plant is very susceptible to powdery mildew and presents a good location for the infection to start and spread from. The plant should be removed immediately by placing a bag over it and removing it from the space. Then the space should be sprayed with one of the sprays listed below.

ORGANIC and IPM CONTROL

 

 

Here are some sprays that you can use to control the powdery mildew in your crop. All of these are safe to use for herb or for edible crops. Sprays are washed away by water, including rain.

 

Cinnamon Oil and Tea

Cinnamon is an effective destroyer of powdery mildew, with an effectiveness rate of 50-70%. It won't kill it completely but it will keep it in check somewhat. It also potentiates other suppressive sprays so it is good to use in combination. To make your own, boil water, turn off the heat and add one ounce of ground cinnamon to one and a half pints water. Let the tea cool to room temperature. Add half a pint of 100 proof grain alcohol or rubbing alcohol and let sit. Strain the cinnamon. The spray is ready to use. A faster method is to add 2 teaspoons cinnamon oil to one pint of water and a dash of castile soap. Other herbs are also fungicidal. Clove, rosemary, and wintergreen oils are used in some botanical fungicides. The solution should consist of no more than 2% oil.

 

Garlic

Garlic is antifungal and anti-bacterial and has several pathways for destroying fungi including its high sulfur content. It can also be added to other anti-fungal sprays. Several garlic sprays are available commercially.

A homemade formula: Soak three ounces of crushed garlic in one ounce of neem or sesame oil and 100 proof or higher drinking alcohol or 70% or higher rubbing alcohol for a day or two. Strain. Then soak the garlic in a cup of water for a day. Strain. Mix the oil/alcohol, soaked water and 1 tablespoon liquid castile soap in a gallon container. Then fill with water and shake. The formula is ready to use.

A simpler brew consists of a teaspoon of garlic oil in a pint of water. To keep the oil and water mixed add a 1/8teaspoon of soap. Use garlic as a vaccination. Spray on new growth before there is a sign of infection.

Garlic is a general purpose insecticide as well as fungicide, so it should be used with caution on outdoor plants. It kills beneficial insects as well as plant pests.

 

Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide (hp) is a contact fungicide that leaves no residue. It is an oxidized product of water and has an extra oxygen atom that is slightly negatively charged. When it comes in contact with the fungi the oxygen atoms attach to molecules on the cell walls, oxidizing or burning them.

Household hp sold in drug stores has a concentration of 3%. Garden shops sell 10% hp. Zerotol contains 27% hydrogen peroxide and an unstated amount of peroxyacetic acid. Together they have a more potent chemistry than hp, with an activity of about 40% hp. It is considered hazardous because it can cause skin burn similar to that caused by concentrated acids.

To treat plants with drug store grade 3% hp use 4 1/2 tablespoons and fill to make a pint of solution, or a quart of hp to 3 quarts of water. With horticultural grade 10% hp use about 4 teaspoons per pint, 5 ounces per gallon. With Zerotol use about 1 teaspoon per pint, 2 1/2 tablespoons per gallon.

 

Limonene

Limonene is refined from the oil of citrus rinds. It has a pleasant citrus odor and is the active ingredient in many of the new cleaning products. It also has fungicidal qualities. I've used pure diluted limonene and it controlled powdery mildew, but did not eradicate it. Perhaps a higher concentration would have been more successful. Start using 0.5-1% limonene in water 1/2-1 teaspoon per pint.

 

lowfat or skim Milk

Milk kills powdery mildew so well that both home and commercial rose growers all over the world have adopted it for their fungicidal sprays. Use one part skim or lowfat milk to nine parts water. I've only used 1% milk, but other recipes call for either whole or skim milk and use up to 1 part in 5 milk. Some recipes add garlic or cinnamon to the mix. When using more than 30% milk, a benign mold is reported to grow on top of the leaves. Use a milk spray at the first sign of infection then protect the new growth weekly.

 

Messenger

Messenger's active ingredient is a naturally occurring protein called harpin that stimulates the plant's own natural defense system. It has been proven to promote more vigorous hardier plants that are more resistant to disease and have increased yields. It is used to prevent infection and decrease its virulence

 

Neem Oil

Neem oil is pressed from the seed of the neem tree (Azadirachta indica), native to Southeast Asia, but now cultivated worldwide. Neem oil has low mammalian toxicity. It degrades rapidly once it is applied so it is safe for the environment including non-target species and beneficial insects.

Neem oil protects plants with its fungicidal properties: it disrupts the organism�s metabolism on contact, forms a barrier between the plant and the invading fungus, and it inhibits spore germination. It has translinear action, that is, it is absorbed by the leaf and moves around using the leaf's circulatory system it can also be used as a systemic. When it is applied to the irrigation water it is absorbed by the roots and delivered throughout the plant. Adding a 0.5% solution, about 1 teaspoon per quart, to the irrigation water will protect the plant from infection.

Neem oil is best used before the plant or the garden exhibits a major infection. By using it before powdery mildew appears, it prevents the spores from germinating. It should not be used on buds or flowers.

 

Oil Spray

 

Growers have used different oil sprays to prevent and cure fungal infections. Until recently most horticultural oil sprays were made from petroleum distillates. However, most organic growers have switched to using botanical oils. Aside from the safety factor botanicals such as cottonseed, jojoba, neem and sesame oils have fungicidal properties. They can be used in combination with other spray ingredients listed here. The oils are mixed at about 1-2% concentrations. A 1% solution is about a teaspoon per pint or 3 tablespoons per gallon. Add castile soap to help the ingredients mix. Oil sprays should only be used on the leaves, not the buds or flowers. Use weekly on new growth.

 

pH Up

pH-Up is a generic term for alkaline pH adjustors, used to increase water pH in indoor gardens. They come as either a powder or liquid. Its active ingredient is usually lye (KOH) or potash (K2CO3).

Fungi require an acidic environment to grow and die in alkaline environments. Changing the leaf surface environment from acidic to alkaline clears up the infection. An alkaline solution with a pH of 8 will make the environment inhospitable for the fungus and will stop its growth. This is one of the simplest means of controlling the fungus. It can be used on critically infected plants.

Potassium/Sodium Bicarbonate

Potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3) and Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) are wettable powders that change the pH of the leaf surface toward alkaline. Another reaction takes place; the fungus cell wall actually bursts in the presence of bicarbonate. Potassium is one of the macro-nutrients used by plants and therefore is preferred over sodium, as sodium can build up in the soil. Sodium bicarbonate can be found in your kitchen (baking soda), so some prefer it for ease of obtaining. Both are more effective when used with an oil and spreader such as castile soap. They can be used to cure bad infections and prevents new ones.

Use one teaspoon of bicarbonate powder, a teaspoon of oil and a few drops of castile soap in a pint of water, or 3 tablespoons each potassium bicarbonate and oil and a half teaspoon soap in a gallon of water. Spray on new growth.

 

Serenade and Sonata

Serenade and Sonata are composed of different bacteria. They use different pathways to stop mycellial growth. They are considered totally safe to humans and animals since the bacteria attack only fungi. Watch out if you are a mushroom, otherwise you are safe. The two bacteria work well together.

They are easy to use, quite safe and effective.

 

Sulfur

Sulfur has been used to control powdery mildew for centuries. Sulfur sprays can be used indoors but they are not popular because of residue that remains on the plant. In greenhouses gardeners use sulfur vaporizers that heat elemental sulfur to the point of vaporization. The sulfur condenses on all surfaces including the leaves. A fine deposit of very low pH sulfur granules covers the leaf surfaces. The low pH environment inhibits fungal growth. The heaters use a 60 watt light bulb to heat sulfur which is held in a container above the light. The bulb supplies enough heat to evaporate the sulfur, but not enough for it to ignite. The problem with vaporizers is that they also leave a fine sulfur film on the leaves and flowers.

Active mildew: 7 to 8 hours per night 1 to 2 times a week.

 

Preventative maintenance: 4 to 5 hours once a week

 

Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar is toxic to powdery mildew because of its high acidity (low pH). Use it at the rate of 1 tablespoon per quart of water several times a week . Some gardeners recommend alternating using vinegar with potassium bicarbonate and milk.

 

PREVENTION

•Isolate all new plants in a separate area where they can't infect other plants.

 

•Filter incoming air to prevent spores from entering the room in the airstream.

 

•Install a germicidal UVC light, like the ones used in food handling areas. The light is fatal to all airborne organisms passing through the appliance. This will kill powdery mildew spores that are airborne.

 

•Spray the leaves with neem oil weekly. Neem oil presents both a physical barrier and a chemical deterrent.

 

•Cinnamon oil and cinnamon tea can also be sprayed as a powdery mildew preventative. If you are using cinnamon oil use 1 part oil to 200 parts water. (1 teaspoon oil in a liter of water.)

[Royal Smoke]

interesting information. it seems that the best way is to make everything very alkaline. so that would make me think about mixing a little hydrogen peroxide with baking soda. if i have to get in there every couple days to spray and wipe i got no probles doing that i just need to keep it under control so it dont kill my ladies or hurt the bud

 

Hey Boss, I'm sorry to have done this to you. I hate this mildew! I'm still battling it myself. I've got it on the 2 White Berry plants I have. It broke out big time on my White Widow and Strawberry Chronic! For some reason, it didn't mess with the Lemon Cake plants.

 

 

I wouldn't use the baking powder, water, and soap concoction. It really fried my plants. I literally brought them to the brink of death. They are doing better now, but I had to throw them back in Veg and baby them.

 

I ordered the supplies I need to do a sulfur burn in my grow room, but am still waiting on all of the items to ship.

 

 

Once I'm through with the Sulfur burner, I could let you borrow it. Again, I'm sorry man. I wouldn't wish this disgusting stuff on anyone.

[sknkwrks]

no worries man im fighting it. these things happen i gave em a spray of milk and water from top to bottom it was not to out of control yet. my skunk was the 1 that was getting bad. thats odd that your lemon cake didnt catch it my lemon cake was showing sum spots my strawbery cough is the 1 that it has not came back on but i hit it with the milk any way.

[sknkwrks]

no worries man im fighting it. these things happen i gave em a spray of milk and water from top to bottom it was not to out of control yet. my skunk was the 1 that was getting bad. thats odd that your lemon cake didnt catch it my lemon cake was showing sum spots my strawbery cough is the 1 that it has not came back on but i hit it with the milk any way.

[SublimeWind]

 

Smells like beer/bread

[Afi]

 

Smells like beer/bread

This stuff works well before you get it bad but once you have it bad in my experience it will kill infected parts of the plant. I would make sure you do a test spot first. I use Garden Safe Fungicide 3. Make sure to kick up your fans to where every leaf on your plants are moving constantly and make sure your temps stay warm at night a big drop in temps at night causes p.m. to explode. Good luck P.M Sucks

[sknkwrks]

I gave the ladies a misting of milk and water on sunday was thinking of hitting them again tomorow be for i feed them. I also made sum garlic spray was wondering if i should use that instead of the milk alternate the treatments? or should i just stick with the milk? any opinions as to wich works best?

[AbsoluteRoyal]

I had to alternate water every spray and wipe the leaves by hand to stop the milk from accumulating

[Captain Obvious]

Great thread, lots of good info,

 

Thanks

[HerbanLegendSeeds]

SM-90 will work as well, when mixed it has a very high ph, it will also help prevent spider mites.

[sknkwrks]

so far so good. i switched things up a little yesterday and used the garlic spray insted of the milk as i did on sunday. i left the strawberry cough alone she was doing ok and figured i would leave well enough alone. if i dont see any more signs of the mildew i wont spray them any more. tuesday starts week 4 and the nuggs are starting to fill in and i dont want to take a chance and F*** them up. ill do a little update in a couple days.

[Brandan]

Hey man, i had the infectious powdery mildew, i tried all the sprays and washes, but the sulfur burner was the one thing that got the job done.. check it out:

 

 

So here is my ultra budget sulfur burner. From what i have read this should work fine. All it is is a ceramic 100 watt heat emiter( $28.00), a lizard tank light fixture and a can. The ceramic heat thing heats up can which has sulfur in it, sulfur gets hot and starts to smoke and buh bye mildew!! The guy at the hydro store is ordering me the sulfur (wont be in till friday) only $16. FOR LIKE 2LBS.. He even looked up the heat elements for actual sulfur burners and they too are 100 watt have a little water in the ca just to see if the heat transfers like i want. Im sure it will, just curious lol. I think i

[Brandan]

So here is my ultra budget sulfur burner. From what i have read this should work fine. All it is is a ceramic 100 watt heat emiter( $28.00), a lizard tank light fixture and a can. The ceramic heat thing heats up can which has sulfur in it, sulfur gets hot and starts to smoke and buh bye mildew!! The guy at the hydro store is ordering me the sulfur (wont be in till friday) only $16. FOR LIKE 2LBS.. He even looked up the heat elements for actual sulfur burners and they too are 100 watt have a little water in the ca just to see if the heat transfers like i want. Im sure it will, just curious lol. I think i

 

 

so here is the burner and the sulfur, i put 2 tablespoons of the sulfur in it. i ran it for the last 40-60 min of my light cycle with no fans running. temps raise up a bit but nothing major. room was filled with the vapor stuff let it settle for about an hour after the lights and the burner went out Turned back on all my fans and let the room air out and get some needed fresh air. Everything I have read says this will be 100% effective.. Just smells funky now. not like rotten eggs but weird... so ok to the pics... here it is hanging and working lol hard to see the vapor stuff in the pic buts its flowing here is what it looks like inside of it real quick..

[LITLJON]

But if you don't have the cash then for sure try the DIY selfers.

 

Here is a list of things that could work in your garden.

 

Remember all powdery mildews aren't the same and will build up resistence to same products if only using one. Make sure to switch products.

Great list.

 

Where did you get your element?

[Royal Smoke]

Great list.

 

Where did you get your element?

 

 

The element can be found at pet stores. In the lizard section. I picked mine up off of Amazon. You'll probably pay about half price if you pick it up from Amazon.

[Goliegold29]

ok the mildew is back and im week 2 day 4 of flower what should i do? I remember when i first posted on this issue a reply was made not to use neem in the flowering stage. now i have neemed the hell out of these girls and it seemed to have controled the issue. i stoped the neem treatments b4 i went into flowering the last spray down was 3 days b4 the light switch. last night b4 i put the ladies to bed i noticed a little spot on my skunk but did not see any other areas on any of my ladies so it has not gotten to bad but i can not have this. what can i do that will not harm the fruits of my labor? A month or so ago i picked up a couple whiteberry clones from "royal smoke" the seemed to be ok but come to find out they where the source of the powdery mildew thats how the other ladies became infected with this horrid filth. i guess its my fault for not hitting them with neem b4 i moved them into the vegging room. if u look at some of royal smokes post he has sum pics of his grow and u can see the mildew all over the plants i do not want that crap crawling all over my plants. HELP HELP HELP!!!!!!

I got some clones from royal smoke too, a week later i had the meldew problem. So i cleaned my room out and poped some more Beans. I have extras

[Goliegold29]

what if using a sulfur burner is not an option. i have a bun in the oven and the wife would rather not have that in the house and that is one battle i will not win so i need to try sum thing different. i am thinking about the water and skim milk spray. so if i do this will it really help? i figured i would spray them down let em drip for a few and set them in front of a fan to air them out. my only concern is damaging the bud. like i mentioned in the previous post im only in the mid of my second week of flower so not much bud yet just mostly a lot of hair and they are doing there strech. what are every ones thoughts about hitting them with the neem once or twice mor before the bud really starts to fill in? then if needed i can start with the milk spray. i just cant figure out why its back. i have very good air flow/circulation i cleanded the hell out of every thing with a very strong bleach water mix and it seemed to be gone for a month or 2 then bam its back

It's hard to control it in flowering trust me.

[Seefdro]

Some strains are just susceptible to PM. To make a long story short some strains react different to PM and this also includes treatment for PM. If you have PM early with a long flowering strain immediately remove the infected areas and suck up the loss. Use some safe fungicides like neem or baking soda. Pray to the ganja God it will not come back, but praying does not always help. If PM comes back and ya really want to save the crop move on to Sulphor or attempt the heat treatment.

 

Remember PM for some strains is like super glue. There have been moments when I have looked in the grow room and most plants/strains looked good and sure enough one of the strains showed PM.

 

What is also possible.... Is PM will affect different parts of the plants pending on the strain your growing.... Some PM stays away from your leafs and will appear to affect the flower more so

 

Currently I have a haze "I" called Zuernica, she is my golden child and have been working on her for many years. I can put her in a room with PM and she will the resist the PM present. Now this is not to say she's guaranteed to be PM resistant but in my experiences and those who have shared her genetics she is not popular with the PM crowd. The other factor is there are many forms of PM so there not all created equal...SO, if you get a real nasty one you "may" be over your head.

 

Zuernica is NOT the only strain out there which can handle PM issues with some resilience. There are many others AND remember just because you grow out one that claims to be PM resistant IT VERY WELL MAY NOT. Many, many, variables when it come to growing out from seed with phenotypes. So if your fed up with PM get some good clones which are PM resistant OR can battle the PM with respect.

 

One last thought with PM.--- Those of you have fought PM are rewarded with the knowledge and experience of dealing with it.

 

In a paradox, it's a gift.