Powdery Mildew - Last week of flower - What can I do to salvage my meds?

[Fraggle Rock]

I have posted about PM and have done a lot of research on here to keep the PM from returning on my next grow....I have maybe 10 or so days until my current harvest is ready. I think I may cut down early because every few days the PM starts back up....I am sick of cleaning the PM off just to have it return this late in flowering.....SOOOOOOOOOOOOO what can I do to clean the PM after I harvest? Or what would you all do in this situation? Should I celan the PM the best I can one last time this week and then harvest the crop a few days later?? This is my personal stash and I don't want to lose any more than the yield has suffered...Thanks everyone!!

 

[Norkali]

Royal pain-in-the-fucking-ass huh?

The safest thing (I believe) I found was Potassium Bicarbonate, can be found pretty cheaply as well. As far as after the grow, look for some Physan 20, I haven't used it but it's supposed to be THE SHIT when it comes to cleaning grow areas.

Just sprayed some JMS Stylet Oil last night on my vegging plants....don't see a trace of the pm at all today. Here's to all of ICmag kicking powdery mildew in the nuts.

 

[GIS]

I've had the best results with neem oil. I just get it at the regular neighborhood garden store. It's organic, and it works well. Don't get it in the retail bottle with a sprayer, that will help but won't work as well as if you get the concentrate, and get one of those real garden sprayers (like used to kill weeds, or with bug spray). This way you can get to all parts of your garden, and you can use the tip to really spray inside of places where a handheld bottle of spray can't get. You can spray neem oil on them, and they will not show any signs of damage or anything, this is what makes it such a great treatment. You will not taste it at the end, either. I've tried sulfur burners, and serenade, and neem oil is my favorite by far. It has a sweet organic smell to it, hey, eventually you might grow to like it (yuck), like I did. I made the mistake of spraying serenade on a late flowering plant, not only does it smell worse than neem, it discolored the flowers quite a bit.
It took me a while to learn the hard way to completely soak any new clones coming into my gardens in neem oil. This has worked 100% and I haven't had problems since utilizing this simple strategy. IMHO, neem is a great way of controlling PM in late flower since it does not damage to the plant, is organic, and can not be tasted or smelled even if sprayed right before harvest. You can use the tip of the garden sprayer to get inside of buds even, and get the stems in there. PM can be a bitch on stems as well as leaves. PM is a curse, I feel for you. Neem oil, it worked for me!

 

[sneakinman13]

you should search up dutch master zone and penetrator here on the forums... thats what ive been using and it works great! if you have alot of plants.. it will be a choir tho... sinse you have to dunk the plants to reallly get rid of it...

also. idk how much it will help you this late in flowering... but for your next round. make sure you dunk your plants 4-5 times in veg. once every 4-5 days.. and you should beat your pm problemmm.

good luck there and i would def search the zone and penetrator if i was you!

 

[Fraggle Rock]

Royal pain-in-the-fucking-ass huh?

The safest thing (I believe) I found was Potassium Bicarbonate, can be found pretty cheaply as well. As far as after the grow, look for some Physan 20, I haven't used it but it's supposed to be THE SHIT when it comes to cleaning grow areas.

Just sprayed some JMS Stylet Oil last night on my vegging plants....don't see a trace of the pm at all today. Here's to all of ICmag kicking powdery mildew in the nuts.

Yes I think the Potassium Bicarb would work well this late in flowering and I will be picking up some Physan 20 to keep the room spik-n-span all the time! Thanks for the input!!

I've had the best results with neem oil. I just get it at the regular neighborhood garden store. It's organic, and it works well. Don't get it in the retail bottle with a sprayer, that will help but won't work as well as if you get the concentrate, and get one of those real garden sprayers (like used to kill weeds, or with bug spray). This way you can get to all parts of your garden, and you can use the tip to really spray inside of places where a handheld bottle of spray can't get. You can spray neem oil on them, and they will not show any signs of damage or anything, this is what makes it such a great treatment. You will not taste it at the end, either. I've tried sulfur burners, and serenade, and neem oil is my favorite by far. It has a sweet organic smell to it, hey, eventually you might grow to like it (yuck), like I did. I made the mistake of spraying serenade on a late flowering plant, not only does it smell worse than neem, it discolored the flowers quite a bit.
It took me a while to learn the hard way to completely soak any new clones coming into my gardens in neem oil. This has worked 100% and I haven't had problems since utilizing this simple strategy. IMHO, neem is a great way of controlling PM in late flower since it does not damage to the plant, is organic, and can not be tasted or smelled even if sprayed right before harvest. You can use the tip of the garden sprayer to get inside of buds even, and get the stems in there. PM can be a bitch on stems as well as leaves. PM is a curse, I feel for you. Neem oil, it worked for me!

Yes, I feel like it is the PLAGUE for sure!! Need to keep everything in check during the next run and hopefully not pick this up again!! I will be using some Neem oil on them...I should of mentioned that I have some of that....I'm just nervous about using sprays this late in flower. I will use the neem though!!!

you should search up dutch master zone and penetrator here on the forums... thats what ive been using and it works great! if you have alot of plants.. it will be a choir tho... sinse you have to dunk the plants to reallly get rid of it...

also. idk how much it will help you this late in flowering... but for your next round. make sure you dunk your plants 4-5 times in veg. once every 4-5 days.. and you should beat your pm problemmm.

good luck there and i would def search the zone and penetrator if i was you!

Thanks for the input on this!! Its funny becuase I just picked up some of that. I think the best approach is to use these products in veg like you mentioned...much easier to manage and prevent. I will be using the DM and neem heavy in veg next cycle...amongst keeping the environment in check 100% of the time.

 

[Momerath]

For a more organic natural way to go, I've found using diluted skim milk (MUST be skim, 0 percent milkfat or it will rot/mold) works great. Diluting to a concentration of about 1:5 or 1:10 (milk:water) works fine. Its damn near impossible to get rid of PM once you have it, especially in flowering, but it can be fought and controlled. I used the milk solution on my outdoor plants this year that had PM and while it did not make it go away, it controlled it enough to where I safely harvested all of my buds, and lost none to it. Also, has zero affect on taste, no unknown/nasty chemicals, and washes cleanly away. Theres many remedies for PM, I've tried this one, as well as neem oil. Both worked, but the smell of the neem can be unsettling, especially when its dripping off of your nearly ripe buds. I liked the milk trick best. Be sure to shake off the excess moisture from your plants after spraying, otherwise you could get mold forming in the inner regions.
And I agree with GIS that one of those hand-pumped sprayers really are best, they make a nice mist/spray and can easily cover every surface. Good luck with the "herpes" of the herb world

 

[Merman]

Royal pain-in-the-fucking-ass huh?
Here's to all of ICmag kicking powdery mildew in the nuts.

Fraggle.....Unfortunately, I think yer screwed.... Erysiphaceae has taken over! Its a terminal infection!

There is no way to 'clean' PM from buds...its in every nook and cranny of your nuggs. Wouldn't want to be smokin' that sh#t! You're bound to inhale some spores and who knows what else...

Harvest early and toss the nuggs with PM... I hear some folks will put bud through bubble bags, but that still sound really sketchy to me.

There are many ways to prevent PM and I'm sure you'll see them all listed and criticized on your thread and other PM threads... to each his own...

Here's my preventative PM program (from someone who's dealt with PM several times and prone to PM due to my environmental location, ie high humidity).

1. Airflow, airflow, airflow = get a fan on plants early and keep the air moving all the time.
2. Humidity = keep it 40 - 60% max. If you don't have a humidity measuring device, get one.
3. Soil, hydro, or coco = use some kind of silicon protective supplement like 'Pro-Tekt' throughout plant life.
4. *Foliar spray = **Serenade...early, throughout veg (one a week or so), and first two weeks of flower.

*There are as many answers to this as there are foliar treatments: homemade or commercial.

**I'm sure to get bashed on this... many folks say it doesn't work or causes problems, or whatever.... I'm just saying it works for me and that's it. Theoretically you can use Serenade right up to harvest, but I stop just as budset is happening.

Post infection = Clean up everything with mild bleach solution. Check your air intakes and any fan. The spores are everywhere!

GOOD LUCK!

 

[Momerath]

I have heard many good things about Seranade from many people. It may not always be the best choice for your environment as they are as different as the individuals growing in them, but there has to be something to it if people continue to use it. Find what works good for your grow room!

 

[Fraggle Rock]

For a more organic natural way to go, I've found using diluted skim milk (MUST be skim, 0 percent milkfat or it will rot/mold) works great. Diluting to a concentration of about 1:5 or 1:10 (milk:water) works fine. Its damn near impossible to get rid of PM once you have it, especially in flowering, but it can be fought and controlled. I used the milk solution on my outdoor plants this year that had PM and while it did not make it go away, it controlled it enough to where I safely harvested all of my buds, and lost none to it. Also, has zero affect on taste, no unknown/nasty chemicals, and washes cleanly away. Theres many remedies for PM, I've tried this one, as well as neem oil. Both worked, but the smell of the neem can be unsettling, especially when its dripping off of your nearly ripe buds. I liked the milk trick best. Be sure to shake off the excess moisture from your plants after spraying, otherwise you could get mold forming in the inner regions.
And I agree with GIS that one of those hand-pumped sprayers really are best, they make a nice mist/spray and can easily cover every surface. Good luck with the "herpes" of the herb world

I think I will give this a try, it cant hurt!!! I just cant wait to start over!! Thanks for your reply!

Fraggle.....Unfortunately, I think yer screwed.... Erysiphaceae has taken over! Its a terminal infection!

There is no way to 'clean' PM from buds...its in every nook and cranny of your nuggs. Wouldn't want to be smokin' that sh#t! You're bound to inhale some spores and who knows what else...

Harvest early and toss the nuggs with PM... I hear some folks will put bud through bubble bags, but that still sound really sketchy to me.

There are many ways to prevent PM and I'm sure you'll see them all listed and criticized on your thread and other PM threads... to each his own...

Here's my preventative PM program (from someone who's dealt with PM several times and prone to PM due to my environmental location, ie high humidity).

1. Airflow, airflow, airflow = get a fan on plants early and keep the air moving all the time.
2. Humidity = keep it 40 - 60% max. If you don't have a humidity measuring device, get one.
3. Soil, hydro, or coco = use some kind of silicon protective supplement like 'Pro-Tekt' throughout plant life.
4. *Foliar spray = **Serenade...early, throughout veg (one a week or so), and first two weeks of flower.

*There are as many answers to this as there are foliar treatments: homemade or commercial.

**I'm sure to get bashed on this... many folks say it doesn't work or causes problems, or whatever.... I'm just saying it works for me and that's it. Theoretically you can use Serenage right up to harvest, but I stop just as budset is happening.

Post infection = Clean up everything with mild bleach solution. Check your air intakes and any fan. The spores are everywhere!

GOOD LUCK!

Yea I agree, I am screwed!! This is my personal stash though and as you all know how much time and effort can be devoted to a crop!!! I don't want to just toss all my nuggs!! I thought I would at least be able to clean off the "powdery" substance. I know the hypae still lives in the cells of the plant tissue, but that can't be as bad to smoke as the actual powdery mildew spores you see on the bud....So can't I clean that off and salvage something? I have had some PM on all the plants under my 1k - I would be tossing out a lot of nuggs when I wouldn't even be able to see any PM on them if I took your advice...I just don't want to go buy anymore meds!!!! This stuff is too expensive to waste.

I did hear a lot about using Dutch Master's Zone and Penetrator products which supposedly if used during clone and veg stage it will kill all the hypae that you can not see and prevent PM from occurring (in conjunction to a good environment as well.)

Either way, I know this crop is screwed to be 100% perfect and I will hope to take all the measures necessary for the next cycle so I don't go through this again!!

I have heard many good things about Seranade from many people. It may not always be the best choice for your environment as they are as different as the individuals growing in them, but there has to be something to it if people continue to use it. Find what works good for your grow room!

I have heard about Serenade working. I used it a long time ago when I helped a friend and it seemed to work. He was early flower though and I know the active ingredient in Serenade is sulfur. I think I am going to try the milk and neem to clean these girls the best I can...Cut down a week/few days early!! Thanks again!!

 

[gaiusmarius]

PM(powdery mildew) is a real bitch. fighting this battle too

i could be wrong but it seems to me that some strains are more and some less prone to this infection. but once a plant has it, you can't fully get rid of it. i have a top 44 clone running, which is infected and even if you get it to disappear in veg, it comes back in flowering. so the only thing to do is treat the plants right up till they start making pistil bushels. i have used a powder called pirox and it cleaned the vegging plants nice, but the effect didn't last alas. wouldn't feel comfortable using it on visible budding plants. my guy told me he had something organic for pm coming this week, i forget the name but intend to pick some up will let you know if it's any good.

if you have pm only on the fan leaves at harvest, you can use the bud, imo. you just have to be through in the trim to get all the contaminated leaves. but if some buds are covered in pm you have no choice but to shave those buds and put aside for bubble.

spaying down with milky water sounds interesting too if close to harvest.

peace

 

[Fraggle Rock]

On the note of buds that are ruined by PM...I would never want to smoke anything contained with PM. I picked up some White Widow recently and the look and smell was amazing. The bud burned very smoothly and dusted into a nice white ash. When I was looking at the nuggs closely with a magnifier I realized there was PM on the stalks. So I realized this harvest had been dealing with PM. I knew the guy, so I asked him if he dealt with that and he did. This is some great smoke, besides the PM. I would never ever WANT to smoke PM, but I did and didn't know it at first. If I didn't know about PM in the first place I would never know it was there in this bud. It makes me think of all the years I have smoked, I probably have smoked PM and other various bad things as well. Its hard to throw away good smelling and tasting bud....I never really knew ALL the variables that go into 100% good smoke until I tried to manage these variables. I just want to get to the 100% point for my personal meds ASAP!!! On to the next grow!!!

 

[Relentless]

same situation right now. this blows hard

 

[gaiusmarius]

i sometimes wonder if pm isn't some kind of genetically manipulated anti grower virus roflmao.

the one remedy i didn't mention above, which is the only one that really works, is dumping all infested plants and starting fresh

peace

 

[Lloyd_Christmas]

That late in flower PM can prove to be a true pain. I've found that Serinade does the job great, it doesn't kill the mildew, but it does know it back. Also, has zero effect on the buds. Can be used up until the day of harvest, if you were inclined...

I try to avoid any potasium bicarbonate stuff in flower, burns the shit out of the pistils...

 

[Fraggle Rock]

Well I started cutting down the plants! So far I have been able to trim each and every fan leaf that I saw with PM. I haven't noticed any on the stalks or the bud. Seems okay so far.

 

[Bud Bug]

Spaying penetrator by its self will work. Also SM -90 works good and Sayonara from Super Natural..

 

[gaiusmarius]

anyone ever use Fenicur?

 

[Fraggle Rock]

Never used Fenicur - But I hope the next cycle I don't have to deal with PM. It has been a royal PITA so far. I am changing strains and I am running less plants this time with more ventilation through the canopy. Also plan on adding a portable AC/Dehumidifier....So far I have cut down half my crop about a week or so early. I have been able to trim off all the leaf material that has visible PM. I don't see any PM on the stalks/buds.....Another royal PITA to trim every single little leaf that has a spec of PM.

PM IS THE PLAGUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Yes4Prop215]

FUck PM and fuck God for inventing it.

your basicaly SOL man unless you feel like spraying your nugs with chemicals.

i saw some of my fan leaves showing PM about 2 weeks from harvest, i ended up just chopping early.

what i did to try and strech out a few days was to cut off all the fan leaves that had spores. i also stopped watering to keep the humidity down. i let the buds grow for like 2-3 more days with the chopped fan leaves, then i took trimmers and did the closest trim job ever, took me a loong time but i got all that shit off, and luckily my buds are looking nice..

 

[Yes4Prop215]

Never used Fenicur - But I hope the next cycle I don't have to deal with PM. It has been a royal PITA so far. I am changing strains and I am running less plants this time with more ventilation through the canopy. Also plan on adding a portable AC/Dehumidifier....So far I have cut down half my crop about a week or so early. I have been able to trim off all the leaf material that has visible PM. I don't see any PM on the stalks/buds.....Another royal PITA to trim every single little leaf that has a spec of PM.

PM IS THE PLAGUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

im doing basically the same thing man, less plants, more pruning, de-humidifier, combined with 2-3 neem/sulfur dunks in veg stage...not to mention a total bleach/sulfur spray in the room..

it sucks to throw out all the frosty leaves but whatever better than losing buds..