Sulfur burners don't work?

[LumpStatus]

I have been trying everything I can to combat this powdery mildew. I am 3 weeks into flowering and am just barely getting this powdery mildew returning from my last harvest. I have tried the following:

Serenade - seems to work, but stinks BADLY and also seems to burn hairs. I did spray with lights on, that may have been the issue, if anyone has experience with this please advise.

Zone/Penetrator - seems to work, but also seems to burns the hairs, this was spray tested on one plant that was kept in complete darkness until completely dry. I used 10ml/gal of zone and penetrator per the labels instructions. This did the least damage to the plants out of the sprays i used. Though it did not completely burn the hairs, some (not all) turned orange on me.

GreenCure - seems to work, but absolutley burnt every hair it touched. This is a potassium bicarbonate product (baking soda type product) that also contains a wetting agent. I had high hopes for this product, but I think it burnt the hairs worse than anything else I tried, didn't just turn the hairs orange, they went DARK brown.

Sulfur Burner - this was my last hope. Even though the mildew is not really bad (yet) the sulfur burner seems to be doing nothing at all. I have tried using it once per week for a few hours at a time, and recently started burning sulfur EVERY night for 5 hours per night for the last 3 nights and the mold seems to be doing just fine. How do I know if the sulfur burner is "killing" the mold or does it just prevent the mold from spreading?

The zone/penetrator seems to do the least damage to the plants. Does "burning" the hairs stunt the growth of the plant in any way?

What would you folks recommend. I am willing to try anything. I will test it on one plant before doing the whole garden of course. I have SM90, which works on powdery mildew, but afraid to use it in flowering.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[BiG H3rB Tr3E]

First of all you have to realize what causes powedery mildew and that is high RH levels.

That is the first problem you have to correct. A friend of mine kept getting PM and every time he would bring me over, the room was perfect conditions, so I thought maybe he was pulling in PM through his intake.

Nope.

What had happened was when his (portable) A/C would kick on to cool the room, it would cool for about 45 minuts, then continue to blow stank hot humid air into the room.... jumping his RH levels in the 70-90% range,,,seomtimes even close to 100%....

So first you have to look around and make sure you have your enviormental parameters dialed in before you start going though all the process of eliminating PM. and at this stage (3-4 weeks into flower) you have about run out of time to remedy the plants. if you continue to do so you will be contaminating your plants. at this point, i really cant advise you which would be more hazardous, cannabis afflicted with pm,,, or cannabis that has been treated with very harsh chemicals...

My advice before you start up another cycle:::

1. Clean the room.
2. Clean the room again.
3. Clean all of your equipment.
4. Spray all your vegging plants with ZONE+PENETRATOR 2-4x per week
5. Run the sulphur burner on the days when you are not spraying Z+P

Also, remeber that you CAN draw PM inside from plants surrounding your house.

And you have to account for the fact that when you are spraying these solutions on your plant you are also raising up the RH level as well,,sort of a double-edged sword, so you have to be cautious.

If you have any more questions feel free to ask em,, I have had to deal with PM more then once in my life

 

[LumpStatus]

Forgot to mention one thing.... My sulfur burner is running every night for 5 hours on a timer, however I don't have a timer that shuts off my fans, so while the sulfur is vaporizing, my fans are running. Is this a problem?

I would like to get the sulfur burner to work properly. It seems to be most folks end all for the mildew.

Also would like to mention that I am operating a sealed room. Running an 1100 watt dehumidifier during the dark cycle, so humidity NEVER goes above 50%. I have 5 oscilating fans running 24 hours a day. Temp ranges from 70-78 F at ALL times. Also, there is no intake or exaust, so nothing being brought in from outside unless it is attached to me. Which I try to avoid...

 

[LumpStatus]

Thanks for the reply...

Do you really think that if I am spraying 2-4x per week that I would still need to burn sulfur? Seems a little excessive! I have read so many times that people have such success with a sulfur burner alone, any clue why I am not having the same success?

 

[Clackamas Coot]

Neem seed oil - apply twice a week.

And this is from one of the epicenters of powdery mildew, i.e. Oregon's Willamette Valley

Neem seed oil works especially when used in conjunction with compost teas.

HTH

CC

 

[LumpStatus]

I have heard neem oil works great, however.... I have heard numerous reports against using it during flowering. I Wonder if it burns the hairs.... I guess it would be worth a try. I don't want to use anything that will harm anyone once it is finished. I am early enough into it at this point that I think it would be ok to use certain products as a spray. I just want something that will work.

 

[LumpStatus]

Doing some research I came across this information...

Aside from the serenade, have you guys tried using any other bacillus subtilus products?

Here is something interesting:

Foliar Sprays – Both Hydroguard and Subculture can be used as a foliar spray to help control mildew that attack the leaves, stems, flowers and fruits of plants. Serenade is another product which contains only Bacillus subtilus. These bacteria will effectively control most leaf fungi pathogens.

The only problem is that hydroguard does NOT give foliar directions. I would think that these bacteria alternatives would be much better to use on flowering plants due to the fact that once the plant is done and dried the bacteria will be dead and i would assume harmless. I think serenade is a great product, but WHY DOES IT HAVE TO SMELL SO BAD?

 

[shopvac]

Sulfur burners work great, yes you do need to turn off the fans.

It was the only thing I could rid my PM with, I only used it 3 times for about 4-7 hours 1 week apart, worked great.

But as big said, make sure the RH is under control and there is VERY good airflow throughout the cab.

 

[bleezie]

isnt sulfur kinda poisonous? im thinking perhaps itll be like smoking sulfur buds? just because its "organic" it doesnt always mean its safe.

 

[Colina]

Sulfur is a necessary element for plant growth and burning sulfur works great. It's not much different than the folks using teas as far as being dangerous. I wouldn't use any method too far into budding though. Fans should certainly be off during burning and for a while after. It will not make a problem disappear once damage is done but should kill it and stop it from spreading. When properly used, plant surfaces should stay at too low a pH level for PM to live. Sulfur burners work particularly well because the fumes penetrate the room and full plant coverage is easily obtained without much room for human error. It's an easier program than most other options too, in my opinion.

 

[Clackamas Coot]

I have heard neem oil works great, however.... I have heard numerous reports against using it during flowering. I Wonder if it burns the hairs.... I guess it would be worth a try. I don't want to use anything that will harm anyone once it is finished. I am early enough into it at this point that I think it would be ok to use certain products as a spray. I just want something that will work.

LumpStatus

I've used neem seed oil for several months. Keep in mind that I live in the 'powdery mildew' capital of the universe, i.e. Oregon's Willamette Valley.

Neem seed oil works - big time. It's effective against powdery mildew, mites, thrips, white flies, gnats, etc.

It's very, very cost effective. I wouldn't grow without this product.

YMMV

CC

 

[Greyskull]

sulpher burners are great.
turn off yor fans and exhaust while you are vaporizing.
the sulpher vapor is done at night (light out) so the vapor can cling to the dew & water on leaves.... so give them a spray of water before your start your burn and the vapor will be ble to "grab onto" the plants better. it sounds weird but trust me it works.
5hr is a little much time wise... 3-4hrs max.
how much sulpher are you using per cup? 2-3tablesponns will work great for 3-4hr burns.

good luck

 

[LumpStatus]

Thanks for the information fellas...

I am doing a fairly large room... about 12x26x10 to be exact. Before I saw your post I ran the burner for about 10 hours straight, with fans off, and I do NOT have any exaust, so that wasn't an issue. The room is a sealed room.

1. How long would you say this 10 hour burn should last me?

2. How often should I burn the sulfur?

3. Will the mildew on the plants at this time go away, or will it remain on the leaves but die?

Also, I would like to mention that even after this 10 hour burn, there was still a ton of sulfur left in the cup. I filled the cup a little less than half way and burned for 10 hours and there is probably only a little less than when I started!

4. Is this normal?

I am concerned that the room smells terrible now. You can definatley smell the sulfur. Now, the smell doesn't bother me because this is not in any way in my house, but if it doesn't clear out, my stuff will end up smelling like that.

5. Will the smell eventually go away?

Something that I would like to mention to you all is that the sulfur is definatley having a chemical reaction to the copper piping running to my air handler as well as the copper in my dehumidifier. It has turned the copper completely BLACK!

6. Has anyone experienced this!?

WARNING TO EVERYONE: Sulfur and copper don't mix. I am reading tons of reports of corrosion coming from the mixture of these two. In fact, I am hearing of people actually having to REPLACE their AC coils due to the corrosion caused by SULFUR that is inside drywall (sheetrock) that comes from.....wait.....take a guess.....where is the drywall coming from? CHINA!

Hope I don't have to replace my coils!

 

[LumpStatus]

oops...double post!

 

[THC123]

Well actually , powerdy midlew thrives in hot dry conditions , not humid.

I just keep spraying my plants with a bayer product when they are in veg and then as soon as flowering begins i stop treating the plants.

I have had to combat powdery mildew for 5 years now and the last 2 years i won using this strategy

 

[baccas125]

The best product i have found for powder mildew is called Sovran by BASF chemical. It is a systematic PM control used in the grape growing industry. I do agree you need to lower humidity also.

 

[planted1]

after taking all your environmental conditions into mind, running your sulfur burner for 5 hours at a time doesnt really do a whole lot. if theres an issue in my garden i run mine for 4 night in a row for 6 or 7 hours. after the 4 days i run it once a week and use serenade in between, to fight it from two sides. i run my sulfur burner at this point once a month, as preventative maintenance, and spray serenade in between very lightly even though i don't need too. non of these things will work unless your enviro conditions are monitored and kept in check. it might be necessary to get a dehumidifier, to battle high RH. DONT USE SERENADE WHILE YOUR LIGHTS ARE ON. i do it in the last few minute of light so i can see and spray thoroughly. the only reason i can see this process not working, is because your humidity is too high or you have an infection point some where in your room, i.e ventilation without hepa filter, unsealed room, carpet, yourself. dont give up on the sulphur burner or the serenade. in my opinion there your only help. hydrogen peroxide works well to for smaller problems, what i use for clones and smaller plants before the problem gets out of control. Focus on the basics everything else will follow.

 

[planted1]

Turn your ventilation off you want the room to be saturated in sulfur fumes for the whole time your running it.

 

[Kcar]

I used 25% milk 75% water with great effect.
Leaves crusty white flakey milk chips on your leaves though.

 

[ballabuds]

I have a friend that got rid of the problem by doing this:
not sure about the grow room size and for how long, I'll have to ask him.
Sulpher burner everyday for 1 week
Sulpher burner 3x and neem 3x for 1 week

got rid of it all and I forgot to mention that before he did this he found hid source. he was blowing it in.

Anyways, now he does it 1x a week and stops 3-4 weeks before harvest just for preventive measures. Which he seems to enjoy doing, due to the stress he went through when he got it.