Planthoppers can attack and infest cannabis, leaving a unique cotton-like growth while they suck the life out of your plants! Planthoppers also spread plant diseases, so you want them away from your plants as soon as possible.

Example of leaf damage from planthoppers. (Thanks to George4green for several of the awesome planthopper pics)

Melanoliarus planthopper on a cannabis leaf (Source: Whitney Cranshaw)

Often one of the main symptoms is a white fuzzy growth that is commonly mistaken for mold or white powdery mildew. However, it is actually a secretion from the planthopper. The bugs themselves can look very different depending on the stage of life, I’ll show pictures below!

Planthoppers can leave secretions that resemble cotton or fuzzy white mold. They generally walk slowly, but can also jump surprisingly far (which is likely how they got their name).

Their nymphs (baby planthoppers) may have beedy red eyes, and I’ve heard a grower desribe them as looking like a hermit crab

Their larva also produce the white waxy secretions. This repells water and offers protection.

Adult planthoppers may be more familiar to you

There are several different species of planthopper that all look a little different (they’re usually green, though some are pink or other colors), but the general shape/form is often the same – they usually look like they’re trying to mimic a leaf or some other part of a plant.

Sometimes the form is a bit different

Solution: How to Get Rid of Planthoppers on Cannabis​

Planthoppers aren’t too serious, but a lot of them will start to suck the life out of your marijuana. You don’t want that! If it’s just a few bugs you may not notice any symptoms but if your plants start getting infested with plant hoppers you’ll notice your plants start turning sickly and yellow.

1.) Check regularly for signs of planthoppers, especially when it’s dry

The best way to prevent a planthopper infestation (or any bug infestation really) is to catch them as soon as possible. Planthoppers will suck sap moisture out of cannabis leaves most often when it’s dry, because they get thirsty, so that’s a good time to check.

Make sure to look under leaves and all around the plants, as they will try to hide from you, often gliding across the leaf to the other side so you can’t see it.

2.) Spinosad (not for commercial growers)

Spinosad Products (safe & organic) – Spinosad products are organic and completely harmless to pets, children, and plants. Spinosad products can be used directly to kill planthoppers on contact and should be sprayed liberally anywhere you see planthoppers and especially under the leaves. Although maybe not as strong against pests as some of the more harsh insecticides, it does work and it’s very safe for plants, animals and humans!

WARNING: Commercial growers click here!

Recommended: Monterey Garden Insect Spray with Spinosad

Spinosad is an organic insecticide made from the fermentation of a specific soil bacteria (actinomycete Saccharopolyspora spinosa) and kills planthoppers via ingestion or contact by effecting the insect’s nervous system. Spinosad can be a good choice for organic and outdoor growers, because it is very toxic to planthoppers, but is less toxic to many beneficial insects, bug predators and spiders.

Note: Most spinosad products are effective for only about 24 hours after being mixed with water, so only mix as much as you will need per application. Anything left over will be waste.

You will need a mister (also called a “One-Hand Pressure Sprayer”) to cover all the leaves evenly when spraying them with spinosad products.

3.) Insecticidal soaps

Fatty acid salts or insecticidal soaps can be a good choice against planthoppers. They weaken the outer shell of planthoppers but are safe to use on your plants and they don’t leave much of a residue which could kill beneficial bugs in your garden.

With soaps, coverage is very important as it does not stay on your plant for long, so follow-up applications may be necessary. Although this is considered safe, avoid getting any on your buds!

Natria is a proven insecticidal soap

4.) ​Neem Oil

Neem Oil will leave an unpleasant taste/smell on buds when used to treat flowering plants, so again, don’t let this stuff get near your buds! There’s also some evidence Neem oil may be harmful to humans so use with care. That being said, Neem oil is an all-natural remedy that is very effective against many different types of bugs and mold, including planthoppers. You will need a mister (also called a “One-Hand Pressure Sprayer”) to spray all the leaves evenly, since neem oil and water can separate easily.

5.) Beneficial Insects

Beneficial insects, such as lady beetles, parasitic wasps, lady bugs, and lacewings may eat large numbers of planthoppers and are welcome guests in the garden. Although you can order ladybugs to release around your plants, the bad part is they do tend to fly away in just a day or two.

Ladybugs are good to have around the garden. Lady bugs eat planthoppers and other annoying cannabis pests!

6.) Floating row covers

These may not be the best choice for all cannabis growers, but these are very cheap and effective against planthoppers because it physically prevents them from getting to your plants, while still letting light in to your plants. You can also water your plants through the netting. These are sometimes used to make mini “green houses” on the plants, or some grower will just drap them over the plant as they’re so light and airy they don’t really bother the plant.

However, these are much easier to use and are more effective with smaller plants, as it becomes difficult to fully cover larger plants. However, for young plants these can be great! They also protect your plant from wind and some harsh conditions.

Floating row covers look like thin netting or mesh

7.) Pyrethrin

Pyrethrin-based insecticides are not very toxic for humans, and therefore they’re commonly recommended for vegetable gardens. You will need a mister (also called a “One-Hand Pressure Sprayer”) to spray all the leaves evenly, since pyrethrin concentrate and water can separate easily.

Pyrethrin products break down quickly, over the course of just a day or two. The major problem with them is they are very toxic to bees. Although cannabis plants generally don’t attract a lot of bees, please use this as a last resort, and also try to use it right after the sun goes down because bees sleep at night. This lets it start to break down before they wake up.

Use pyrethrin products as the sun goes down to help reduce possible harm to bees.

A popular example is Bonide 857 Pyrethrin Spray Concentrate. Use 3 tablespoons of concentrate per gallon of water and apply carefully with a mister.

The post Planthoppers appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

Hemp russet mites are tiny bugs that attack cannabis plants. In fact, they are so small you can only see them with a magnifier unless there are thousands of them infesting your marijuana plant. They live the crevices of leaves, stems, or buds, and the initial symptoms are not that serious. Many cannabis growers may not realize they have a bug infestation of hemp russet mites, and it’s common for growers to confuse the symptoms for other problems such as mold, fusarium, pollen, tobacco mosaic virus, overwatering, a nutrient deficiency or heat damage.

Hemp russet mites often cause curling on the edges of cannabis leaves. Another symptom of hemp russet mites is buds start dying. (Hemp russet mite leaf damage picture by thehumboldtlocal)

Hemp russet mites are tiny. You often won’t see them until you have a full infestation. They may appear as a beige or yellow mass (typically towards the tops of the plant). This yellow fuzz is sometimes confused for yellow mold, but it’s not mold. The yellow stuff is actually a result of the hemp russet mites. This cannabis hemp russet mites picture is by grow.nation.

This picture by Whitney Cranshaw shows the distortions you may see on cannabis buds and new leaves as a result of hemp russet mites. Click for closeup!

Here’s another picture of hemp russet mite damage on cannabis plants by Whitney Cranshaw. Note: The black and yellow bug in the picture is a ladybug nymph. It’s likely there trying to eat all the hemp russet mites!

If you see ladybug babies like the nymph in the above picture, don’t kill them! Ladybugs eat cannabis pests like hemp russet mites.

The following two pictures of Hemp Russet Mites (Aculops cannabicola) were taken in Bloomington, Indiana by Karl Hillig. This picture shows hundreds of microscopic hemp russet mites on the petiole of a cannabis leaf.

These microscopic four-legged mites infested cannabis hemp plants in a greenhouse at Indiana University. This picture shows hemp russet mites on a leaf petiole that was about 2 mm wide. By Karl Hillig.

Hemp russet mite damage on left leaf, healthy cannabis leaf on right (picture by Whitney Cranshaw of Colorado State University) – Click for closeup!

Symptoms of hemp russet mites on cannabis include:

• Symptoms often worst towards the tops of the plant
• Bugs are pale, typically either tan or yellow. In big enough numbers they can cause parts of the cannabis plant to look beige or yellow.
• Can spread through the wind
• Sometimes mistaken for fungus, mold, or pollen.
• Tops of plants droop, especially where there is a big infestation
• Curling of the leaf edges (on some plants)
• Dull-colored leaves or stems that may become brittle. These affected areas are where bugs are living inside the plant tissue.
• Brown or yellow spots (from leaf stress, not visible bites)

An intense hemp russet mite infestation on cannabis plants can be difficult to diagnose because it’s hard to see the individual bugs and is often confused for mold, underwatering, root problems, or other environmental cause.

The yellow mass of the tops of this cannabis plant isn’t mold or pollen. It’s actually an infestation of hemp russet mites.

About hemp russet mites

• Can reproduce and attack cannabis plants all year round
• Most harmful in the flowering stage when buds get infested
• Indoors, fans can spread mites

Unfortunately, hemp russet mites are one of the toughest cannabis pests to get rid of. They lay their eggs inside the plant which makes it very difficult to kill their eggs.

Prevention

• Grow from seeds (hemp mites and eggs cannot survive on seeds). If you start from seeds, your plants will not get hemp russet mites unless they get infected by some other source
• Treat and quarantine all new plants (even if they seem healthy) to ensure they don’t have hemp russet mites (or spider mites)

Time to get rid of hemp russet mites for good.

Solution: How to Get Rid of Hemp Russet Mites On Cannabis

Once you’ve actually identified that the bugs you have on your cannabis are hemp russet mites, it’s time to get rid of them! When it comes to hemp russet mites, a lot of the “standard” miticides are not as effective and you’ll notice these particular mites aren’t listed on the labels.

Hemp russet mites can be one of the toughest marijuana pests to get rid of, but it can be done if you stay vigilant!

• Consider tossing your plants – I know it can be a hard pill to swallow, but if you have an intense infestation, sometimes the easiest thing to do is to get rid of the plants, treat the room thoroughly, and start over. However, make sure you know where you got the mites in the first place or you may end up infected again!
• Treat often – You may have to treat several times a week or even daily if you have a terrible infestation that won’t go away. This can be very difficult on your plants.
• Spray Before Lights Go Out – Whenever treating plants with a spray, do it before the lights go off so that your plant is less likely to get burned!
• Read Instructions – Make sure to read the full instructions of each bottle and follow them when treating your plants. You will save yourself a lot of big headaches!
• Repeat treatments weekly for 5 more weeks after mites are gone – After you think hemp russet mites are completely gone, don’t stop! Treat your plant with a different treatment at least once a week for 5 additional weeks. If you don’t completely eradicate them they’ll come back with a vengeance and be even more resistant to whatever you throw at them.

1.) Neem Oil

Neem Oil will leave an unpleasant taste/smell on buds when used to treat flowering plants, so again, don’t let this stuff get near your buds! There’s also some evidence Neem oil may be harmful to humans so use with care! That being said, Neem oil is an all-natural remedy that is very effective against many different types of bugs and mold, including hemp russet mites.

Neem oil can be rough on your plants so you don’t want to use it more often than you have to because your plants will suffer. However, if you get desperate, treating plants daily with Neem oil is very effective at killing hemp russet mites when nothing seems to be working.

You will need a mister (also called a “One-Hand Pressure Sprayer”) to spray all the leaves evenly since neem oil and water can separate easily. A mister helps you get full and even coverage on all parts of the plant.

2.) Insecticidal soaps

Fatty acid salts or insecticidal soaps can be a good choice against hemp russet mites. They weaken the outer shell of hemp russet mites but are safe to use on your plants and they don’t leave much of a residue which could kill beneficial bugs in your garden.

With soaps, just like horticultural oils, coverage is very important as it does not stay on your plant for long, so follow-up applications may be necessary. Although this is considered safe, avoid getting any on your buds!

This will not get rid of hemp russet mites on its own, but it is less harsh on your plants than some of the other options and so it can be a great way to supplement the other treatments you’re doing.

Natria Insecticidal Soap Insect Killer

3.) Mighty Wash 

Mighty Wash may help rid your grow room of hemp russet mites. Spray plants 15 minutes before lights out, making sure to drench the foliage under the leaves as well as the top of your soil. You want to use a spray bottle or mister. Use a fan to blow on your leaves to help things dry. Treat your room more than once, even if you believe the hemp russet mites are gone.

Use Mighty Wash with a One-Handed Power Sprayer for the best results!

4.) Avid

Avid miticide is strong stuff with harsh chemicals, and is incredibly expensive, but it can sometimes do the job when nothing else is working. This is a systemic insecticide, which means it works by infiltrating the inside of plant tissue and killing bugs that way. Because of that it should NOT be using in the flowering stage (you don’t want this stuff inside your buds). However, many growers report that this is the only thing that consistently works for them. Always use Avid as directed and only as a last resort! You will need a mister (also called a “One-Hand Pressure Sprayer”) to spray all the leaves evenly.

Don’t use this product more than once or twice in a row or your mites may become resistant. This should stay in your plant’s system for several weeks. If you’re going to be using systemic insecticides, switch back and forth between this and another one like Forbid. Make sure to follow the instructions!

5.) Forbid

Forbid miticide is sort of like Avid in that it is made of strong stuff with harsh chemicals and is even more expensive. This is a systemic insecticide, which means it works by infiltrating the inside of plant tissue and killing bugs that way. Because of that it should NOT be using in the flowering stage (you don’t want this stuff inside your buds). However, many growers report that this can be the only thing that consistently works for them. Always use Forbid as directed and only as a last resort! You will need a mister (also called a “One-Hand Pressure Sprayer”) to spray all the leaves evenly.

Don’t use this product more than once or twice in a row or your mites may become resistant. This should stay in your plant’s system for several weeks. If you’re going to be using systemic insecticides, switch back and forth between this and another one like Avid. Make sure to follow the instructions!

6.) Diatomaceous Earth 

Diatomaceous Earth is basically fossil dust which you mix in with the top of your soil, and anywhere else in your room (window sills, doorways, etc). This powder-like substance is harmless to mammals and plants, but is incredibly sharp at the microscopic level. Therefore it will tear and dehydrate hemp russet mites on physical contact. This will not get rid of an infestation, but can help prevent, control and slow things down when used effectively! When it comes to hemp russet mites, you want to use every tool you can!

7.) Heat

Hemp russet mites don’t like the heat. Some growers will try to get rid of them by on small plants or clones by dunking the plants in hot water (105°F / 40°C) for 10-20 minutes. I’ve also heard of growers try to reduce their number by overheating the grow space to 115°F (46°F) for an hour. Be careful as this can be dangerous if you don’t take safety precautions, and any heat method strong enough to kill the mites will likely hurt your plants.

8.) Predatory Mites

Some types of predatory mites, like Amblysieus andersoni mites, may target hemp russet mites. Supplementing your garden with extra predators can help bring down hemp russet mite numbers. However, it’s not enough to fix the problem on their own and unfortunately a lot of the other remedies on this page may also kill predatory mites.

If you don’t want to use any pesticides, get predatory mites to help eat all your hemp russet mites!

9.) AgroMagen GrowSafe (Organic)

GrowSafe by AgroMagen is a natural miticide that claims to be effective against hemp russet mites. I am not very familiar with this product, but have heard good things about it. Given how tough this pest can be to get rid of, I wanted to make sure I included every possible option. From what I understand you will need to spray more than once and this is best combined with at least one other treatment. You will need a mister (also called a “One-Hand Pressure Sprayer”) to spray all the leaves evenly.

GrowSafe (plus a mister) kills hemp russet mites and almost any mite (including broad mites and spider mites)

More Cannabis Pests, Bugs & Viruses

The post Hemp Russet Mites appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

Have you seen white spots on your leaves? Are your leaves dusted with round patches of powder that look like flour?

If so, you’re most likely dealing with White Powdery Mildew, also known as White Powdery Mold or just “WPM” to cannabis growers.

White Powdery Mildew is usually a minor annoyance that can be easily fixed, but if you don’t catch it early, WPM can turn into a catastrophe that ruins an entire marijuana harvest!

For those who haven’t experienced WPM, imagine circular patches of a living, breathing, fuzzy, flour-looking substance showing up on your plant’s leaves without any warning. From there, the mildew can easily spread to other leaves and buds, rendering the buds unusable.

You’ll see “powder” on your leaves…

White Powdery Mildew has such an easy time spreading that even careful growers who take proper precautions can still experience it.

Picture courtesy of Outer Elements Photography (Instagram)

Luckily, the issue in the picture above was easily resolved because it was caught early and because White Powdery Mildew is completely reversible up to a point.

This article will arm you with the information to stop WPM’s proliferation before it even has a chance to take hold!

Picture courtesy of Outer Elements Photography (Instagram)

What IS White Powdery Mildew?

White Powdery Mildew is a rapidly reproducing (both sexually AND asexually) fungus that only knows how to do two things:

1. Eat your plants
2. Make more White Powdery Mildew

Fortunately, White Powdery Mildew is easy to spot since it creates white patches of fungal growth that stand out against the green leaves of a cannabis plant.

It can be removed from plants with proper treatment if spotted early on, but any buds with WPM should be discarded as they most likely contain many more spores than your eyes can see.

What causes White Powdery Mildew?

High Humidity

• WPM needs moisture to thrive, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it needs water. Having a grow area with high humidity is all WPM needs to get started. This seems to be a bit problematic since young cannabis plants grow best in relatively humid environments (40% -60% RH). Luckily, high humidity usually only becomes an issue when it’s combined with the next cause (low/no airflow).

• People who live in environments with extremely high humidity (such as the southern US or anywhere in the UK) can purchase a dehumidifier to control humidity in the grow area. This is especially important during the flowering phase when humidity needs to be much lower (45% rh) to prevent the rampant growth of WPM and bud mold.

Low/No Airflow

• White Powdery Mildew has a hard time settling in a grow room where the air is being moved. High humidity will give WPM the conditions it needs to survive, but poor airflow is what gives it the ability to settle down in the first place. In fact, a small (preferably oscillating) fan moving air in a grow area will prevent the vast majority of White Powdery Mildew woes.

Poor Ventilation

• If you have WPM spores in your grow area and the air in grow area is never exchanged for fresh air, the spores get multiple chances to land on your plants and reproduce. This happens most often in conditions where cannabis is being grown in a closed, unventilated space – such as a closet – and precautions aren’t taken to exchange old stale air for new fresh air.

Leaf-on-Leaf Contact

• Leaves that are touching each other will form moisture between them, and thus they become more likely to contract WPM. Untrained bushy/leafy plants with lots of new vegetative growth are especially prone since they will often have their leaves mashed up against each other as they try to reach toward the light.

• Advanced growers can defoliate some of the fan leaves that are completely shaded from the grow light to make fewer choice landing spots for White Powdery Mildew. Also, defoliation frees up energy for the plant to use when done correctly and increases yields! See our article on defoliation for more info.

How to Eliminate White Powdery Mildew

As I mentioned earlier, I recently had a battle with White Powdery Mildew. Rather, it might have been a battle if I noticed it later or waited to fix the problem. That’s the one good thing about WPM: in most cases when WPM is caught early, you can remove all traces of the mildew without harming your plants.

There are quite a few products and homemade concoctions people use to treat WPM. Among the effective treatments are:

• Milk – Mix 1 part milk to 3 parts water and spray liberally while your grow lights are on. The type of milk (skim, 2%, whole, etc.) doesn’t matter. Wet both sides of leaves if possible.
• Potassium bicarbonate – Dissolve 1 tbsp of potassium bicarbonate in 1 gallon of water. Optional: Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil and 3 drops of liquid dish soap. Spray plants lightly but evenly
• Baking soda (not as effective as the other 2)- Mix 1 tbsp baking soda, 1 tsp liquid dish soap, and 1 gallon of water. Spray all the leaves top and bottom

Here’s the simple strategy I use that gets rid of White Powdery Mildew on the first try, every time! Here’s my trusted 3-Step White Powdery Mold cure:

1. Remove White Powdery Mildew from leaves – Get some water (tap water works fine) and some paper towels. Wet the paper towels and use them to gently wipe the mildew off the affected leaves whilst being careful not to jostle any leaves with spores on them. Using a wet cloth will ensure that more spores stick to the cloth instead of becoming airborne. Note: While it isn’t necessary to use paper towels, their disposability helps to curb the spread of spores from one leaf to another.

2. Ensure plants have proper airflow and ventilation – Even if you have absolutely no airflow or ventilation in your grow room, having just two fans will drastically reduce your chances of encountering WPM while also benefitting your plant’s overall health. One fan should be oscillating if possible and should gently blow air over your plants. All the plants need is enough air to gently rustle their leaves which will make it hard for WPM to settle down. The second fan should be in your grow room pointing outward to exchange old air with fresh air. Having a fan pointing out of your grow room will force old air out of the room, and in turn, pull new air into the room. At this point, you’ll have new air coming in, being used and circulated, then kicked out. Keep in mind that two fans is a minimum.

3. Treat the infected plant with one of the options below to kill spores prevent future growth – Mix up your treatment of choice in a clean sprayer/mister. Spray all the leaves top and bottom, even if you don’t see WPM on them.

There you have it! If you end up running into White Powdery Mildew, give this advice a shot and you won’t have to deal with it past that first day. If you do end up using these steps, feel free to let us know if it helped you or not, or how you did it differently. When growers know just a little bit about this plant disease, it doesn’t have a chance!

White Powdery Mildew Defense

What’s the easiest way to fight against White Powdery Mildew?

Have it completely outgunned!

Get the right stuff to let White Powdery Mildew know that your grow room is off-limits.

Handheld Mister/Sprayer – A mister is awesome for applying treatment. Also, it’s the best way to foliar feed your plants.

Here are the most common white powdery mildew remedies:

Milk – Mix 1 part milk to 3 parts water and spray liberally while your grow lights are on. The type of milk (skim, 2%, whole, etc.) doesn’t matter. Wet both sides of leaves if possible.

Potassium bicarbonate – Dissolve 1 tbsp of potassium bicarbonate in 1 gallon of water. Optional: Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil and 3 drops of liquid dish soap. Spray plants lightly but evenly. Do this during lights off.

Baking soda (not as effective as milk or Potassium bicarbonate )- Mix 1 tbsp baking soda, 1 tsp liquid dish soap, and 1 gallon of water. Spray all the leaves top and bottom.

Now on to some bottled cures…

Garden Safe Brand Fungicide3 – Organic (OMRI listed) – Follow the instructions on the label

Lost Coast Plant Therapy (expensive) – Kills white powdery mildew as well as several other pests and it’s safe for flowers, pets, and people. Handy to have around the grow room.

GrowSafe (expensive) – Another safe-for-buds pesticide that kills WPM and other pests. OMRI-listed as organic

Note: SM-90 is no longer available! Find out more here: What happened to SM-90?

Bonus: Glookies strain is resistant to mold and poor environmental conditions. This one survived high humidity to produce great yields with strong bud effects.

The post White Powdery Mildew appeared first on Grow Weed Easy.

by Nebula Haze

Cannabis bud rot (aka “Big Bud Disease” or “The Curse of the Successful Grower”) attacks your fattest, biggest marijuana buds right as they start to approach harvest time.

Too cruel… Bud rot attacks and kills your biggest, thickest buds. Often the first sign of cannabis bud rot is the leaves on a big bud suddenly die or turn yellow often over the course of 1-2 days. The base of these discolored leaves is where the bud is rotting. If you investigate closer, you will often be able to see the mold.

by Nebula Haze

How to Prevent & Stop Cannabis Bud Rot (quick summary)

• Avoid wet buds & high humidity – Bud rot is a fungus, and like all fungi, its spores needs a wet, humid place to germinate and grow. About 40-50% RH is ideal for the cannabis flowering stage (both for dense buds and to prevent bud rot). A humidity above 60% RH puts you at major risk of bud rot and mold, especially if you have lot of thick buds. Don’t allow buds to sit in damp or overly humid conditions for long. Indoor growers can use a strong dehumidifier to reduce humidity in the grow space if necessary. Outdoor growers can cover plants when it rains and shake them off when they’re wet. Another strategy for outdoor growers is to get short-flowering (ex: Pineapple Express) or auto-flowering (ex: Purple Punch Auto) strains so their plants are ready to harvest before the start of the local rainy season.

• Great air circulation – Air should be moving over the buds and leaves as well as through the plant. Fans are a huge help indoors, especially if you set up an exhaust fan to vent hot humid air away from your plants. Oscillating fans can help prevent humid spots but only blow air around so they can’t lower the overall humidity. Outdoor growers can move potted plants to a breezier location but if plants are in the ground, unfortunately, there’s not much you can do to increase air circulation.

• Defoliate extremely bushy plants – Each leaf is constantly adding water vapor to the air. That means removing leaves can help lower the humidity through and around the plant, especially in a small growing space. If you decide to defoliate because plants are covered in tons of leaves and the humidity is high, remove leaves that aren’t getting much light (typically the middle and bottom of the plant) since they aren’t making food for the plant anyway. 

• Watch long, dense buds for signs of discoloration – Almost like a cruel joke, bud rot usually attacks your biggest and most impressive colas 🙁 That’s why cannabis bud rot is sometimes known as “The Curse of the Successful Grower”.

• Remove all buds affected by bud rot immediately – Carefully remove and discard all buds with bud rot, as well as nearby buds. This is a fungus that can spread quickly. Don’t let any of the dusty rot touch other parts of your plant to avoid spreading mold spores.

• Consider harvesting early – If you can’t fix the environmental conditions that caused the bud rot (for example if it’s wet or humid and you can’t do anything about it), sometimes the best option is to harvest plants a little early to avoid further losses.

“When I had to throw away most of my plant due to bud rot, I cried a little, on the inside.”
~ Cannabis Grower

Table of Contents

What Does Cannabis Bud Rot Look Like?

What Causes Bud Rot?

• How does the Botrytis fungus get to my plants?

How Do I Control Bud Rot?

• Prevention
• Treatment
• Mold-Resistant Strains

What Does Bud Rot Look Like?

Usually, a bud rot infection becomes visible on just certain parts of your cannabis plants. Indoors, it’s often the bigger and denser buds that get affected first. Outdoors you may get patches all over the plant, even on smaller buds, especially after a few rainy days.

With bud rot, certain areas on the colas (buds, hairs and/or attached leaves) start dying, in stark contrast to the rest of the buds. The changes happen quickly, within just a day or two. Affected buds may appear strangely colorful, yellow, or brown. Buds often appear dried up.

The deadened spots usually stand out and catch people’s attention, even if growers don’t know what’s wrong, they often instinctively know that something is wrong since the spots don’t look like the rest of the buds on the plant.

In addition to the rot itself, you may see white or gray fuzzy mold on the outside of the bud. With advanced bud rot, the bud will easily separate so you can see inside. When a bud with bud rot is inspected, it will be dark gray or brown on the inside, and possibly dusty (this “dust” is fungus spores).

Depending on the life stage or particular species of mold/fungi, bud rot can look…

• white and fluffy

• dark gray or brown (sometimes even dark purple)

• the buds can be full of dark speckled dust which easily blows away (fungus spores)

“I lost half my plants last year to bud rot…  After a couple of drizzly days, I noticed spots, and then I saw that it had spread to all my plants.”
~ Cannabis Grower

Sometimes you might see a few yellow leaves appear suddenly on some of your biggest colas. It can feel like it happens overnight. That could be a sign that there’s mold at the base of these leaves. Always investigate any cola with yellowing leaves ASAP. If there’s mold you will be able to see the leaves are basically falling out, with mold or brown spots being revealed in the middle 🙁

Usually, the bud easily splits at the base of the sick leaves to reveal the rot inside. At this point, there was still white mold inside, but within a day it would have darkened and the inside would look brown or gray.

Another example of marijuana bud rot from afar… (it’s that brown dead patch on the bottom half)

And here’s that same bud rot up close.

What Causes Bud Rot?

Cannabis bud rot is caused by a type of fungus known as Botrytis cinerea. Sometimes you may get another type of fungus or mold that attacks the buds, but the cause, symptoms, and effects are usually similar.

In cannabis plants, Botrytis causes buds to rot out from the inside, hence the name “bud rot.” If you crack open an infected bud, the inside will be a moldy dark gray or brown.

Bud rot can cause different symptoms on different plants. For example, this cola (big main bud) responded to bud rot by turning purple and mushy. The leaves became crispy and started dying alongside the buds. This is what the grower came back to find after a few days of rain.

Did you know? In addition to cannabis bud rot, Botrytis causes problems for many different types of plants, including wine grapes, strawberries, and peonies.

The Botrytis fungus is sometimes referred to as “botrytis bunch rot,” “botrytis blight,” “bud rot,” “grey mould” or “gray mold.” When it comes to cannabis, it is often only called “Bud Rot” since that’s the main symptom cannabis growers are worried about.

Any part of the cannabis plant affected by bud rot should be discarded immediately! This helps prevent further infection and all buds touched by this toxic fungus should never be smoked or used.

Throw Away All Buds with Any Sign of Bud Rot! (brown is not a healthy bud color)

This is bud rot after the buds are broken apart. Not safe to consume.

There are different stages of Botrytis as it matures and tries to release spores. An infection starts as fluffy white mold (or brown mold) and then spreads throughout the inside of vulnerable buds. The inside of those parts of the colas darken to gray or brown. Once that has settled in, the mold tries to reproduce. The insides become filled with dark speckled dust that easily floats and spreads if the bud is cracked open. These are the spores of the fungus, so be careful to avoid breathing in letting this speckled dust ever touch other parts of your plants.

Luckily, healthy cannabis plants will usually not develop bud rot unless exposed to stagnant air and wet conditions or high humidity for an extended period of time. Your plants are also more susceptible to bud rot, fungus, or mold when the temperature is hot or cold. Aim for a temperature of 75°F (24°C) in the late flowering stage if possible (this also helps produce the highest quality buds).

How does the Botrytis fungus get to my plants?

Bud rot is spread to plants by dusty gray spores, usually in wind or water. If your plants are never exposed to these spores, they will never get bud rot.

Unfortunately, the spores can easily be carried to your plant by a breeze, rain, from contact with animals, or even by clones from another grow room. Indoors they may be floating around the air. Dormant spores can survive in many conditions only to affect your crops another time. It’s much more effective to try to prevent the conditions that allow bud rot to grow than to try to protect your buds from any contact with spores. That being said, infected buds can spread millions of spores and must be immediately and carefully moved away from your plants.

If you see rot like this, toss carefully so the rot can’t spread millions of spores over your other buds.

The fungus will never germinate if you keep buds in great environmental conditions. The spores are also more likely to take residence in your buds if there is some sort of “wound” on the plant. Possible wounds that can let Bud Rot fungus in include cracks in the stem from wind or over-training, damage from caterpillars, snails, worms, white powdery mildew, other pests, and larva. Any injury or weak point can be a good point of entry for bud rot spores into the plant.

Bud Rot needs wet or humid conditions to thrive. Even if your plant gets exposed to spores, you can usually prevent a bud rot infection by providing your cannabis with a moderate, dry, breezy environment (much easier indoors than outdoors).

What triggers spores to grow into a full-blown case of bud rot?

Wetness or High Humidity <– MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR, DON’T IGNORE THIS!

This is the most important factor. If you’re suffering from bud rot or mold, even if you remove the affected buds, it will likely keep spreading until you fix the humidity and keep buds dry.

• High humidity (above 55-60% RH) is the biggest contributor to mold growth and bud rot
• Leaves should not be touching each other creating wet spots (defoliate plants that are too bushy)
• Any situation where buds remain wet or in humid air for several continuous hours can be a trigger for bud rot
• Great air circulation in the grow space helps prevent any mold or fungus from growing

Outdoor

• Bud rot is often triggered by rainy or humid weather, especially if it lasts for days in a row
• If outdoor plants collect dew during the night or get rained on, consider shaking plants to remove as much moisture as possible
• Frost can also trigger bud rot because it creates wet spots when it melts

Cool Air Below 60°F (15°C) Can Trigger Bud Rot

• The Botrytis fungus thrives in the 50-60°F (10-15°C) temperature range. So if you have a bunch of cool, rainy days, it creates the absolute perfect home for Botrytus to grow.

Freezing Temperatures Can Trigger Bud Rot Outdoors

• When temperatures fall, you may see frost on your leaves. The freezing temperatures are hard on your plants already, and then when the frost melts it creates an ideal environment for spore germination of the Botrytis fungus on outdoor plants. It’s common to get bud rot outdoors if it’s hitting freezing temperatures (or close to it), and causes freeze/melt cycles. Protect plants from frost in the flowering stage if at all possible. If you do get frost and it melts, make sure to shake the plants to get rid of excess moisture on the leaves or buds (just like you would after dew or rain). If the weather is not going to improve, it may be a good idea to harvest now.

Heat Triggers Mold and Fungi When Combined with High Humidity

• Many different types of mold can strike thick buds with symptoms similar to Botrytis, and warm temperatures are ideal for most other relevant species of mold that cause bud rot. Every degree above 75°F or 24°C tends to increase the chance of many kinds of mold especially in high humidity (mold typically won’t grow below those temperatures indoors). Since botrytis can strike at lower temperatures, it’s recommended to aim for a medium of about for 70-75°F or 20-24°C if possible if it’s humid and you’re worried about bud rot or mold in the late flowering stage.

Bad Air circulation

• Stagnant air invites bud mold. The lack of wind or air circulation over the top, underneath, and/or through the inside of the plant, helps provide fungus and mold a good place to grow

• Leafy plants tend to collect water in between leaves and create humid pockets of air. This can cause wet spots and prevent air circulation through the plant, which also makes a good environment for mold or fungus.

“My fan could not circulate the air behind those colas. I thought it would be okay, but then I noticed super white fuzzy areas. Next thing I knew, half the colas had dead spots.”
~  Cannabis Grower

Big Fat Buds

• Massive colas have moist conditions on the inside which don’t get exposed to air. This makes them a prime target for Botrytis bud rot or other types of mold.

• It’s a cruel irony that you usually only get attacked by bud rot after producing lots of big buds. Bud rot has earned the moniker “Curse of the Successful Grower”.

Sick Plants

• Many types of stress, including bud rot, are more likely to hit your cannabis plant if it’s sick or suffering from nutrient deficiencies.

Certain strains are more susceptible than others to bud rot

• Some strains are very mold-resistant, while others have little defense.

• Here’s a list of a few mold-resistant strains

How to Control Bud Rot (these are most important!)

Focus on keeping the humidity under 50-55% (most important!) and give plants plenty of air movement in a moderate environment.

How to Prevent Bud Rot

These are the most important points to remember…

• Keep humidity under 50-55% RH (Most important!) – This is the most important thing you can do to prevent bud rot from growing. It’s extremely rare to see Botrytis in dry conditions. Learn how to control the humidity. If you don’t fix high humidity, the bud rot will likely keep spreading even after you’ve removed all the affected buds.

• Good air movement – Create good air circulation and make sure there’s always plenty of air moving over all the buds and leaves. Make sure your plants are getting access to cool, fresh air.

• Protect plants from heat/cold or big temperature swings – Controlling temperature and keeping the grow space from experiencing big temperature changes can go a long way. Aim for 75°F or 24°C when you’re worried about bud rot, and avoid letting plants get overly hot or cool.

• Avoid letting buds get exposed to wetness – Don’t allow buds to sit in damp or overly humid conditions for long. Protect your plants from rain and shake them if you notice they’re wet from rain or covered with dew.

• Remove all affected buds immediately – Carefully remove and discard any and all buds that have possibly been affected by bud rot. Don’t let any rot touch other parts of your plant. This helps prevent bud rot from spreading, but it’s not enough if you don’t take care of the environment. Remember, the spores are always around, and it’s just a matter of whether they get the right conditions to grow.

Other tips to help prevent bud rot…

Avoid plant wounds. Avoid injuring your plants, especially in the flowering stage. Don’t leave open wounds to seep out water and nutrients. Instead, cover any open injuries with tape or some other “cast” until the injury closes up. Avoid pests like caterpillars or broad mites which burrow inside the plant, and overall try to keep plants healthy. A healthy plant is much less susceptible to all kinds of infections.

Keep some space between big buds. Cramming a bunch of plants with a lot of buds in a small space can increase the chance of bud rot. Buds should never be touching each other. Try to make sure every big bud has a little “breathing room” to itself.

Defoliate leafy plants. Remove some leaves on excessively leafy plants to help lower the humidity and overall moisture levels within the plant and around the buds. This is most effective indoors in a small space where the plant is greatly raising the humidity, but it can also be helpful outdoors. Remove any leaves are touching each other creating wet spots between them, or any big leaves that are covering or touching bud sites. Your plant won’t “mind” if you only remove leaves from leafy areas.

Watch out for symptoms of bud rot. Watch plants closely for signs of bud rot in the late flowering stage, especially on large or dense buds, and especially after humid or wet weather. If you notice leaves dying in patches on your plants, don’t wait. Investigate immediately.

When growing outdoors…

Get a strain meant for your local climate. If you live in a place with short summers and gets humid or rainy early in the fall, don’t get a strain that was developed near the equator.

There are fast-flowering, mold-resistant cannabis strains that are designed for growing outdoors in more rainy climates. For example, many auto-flowering strains have quick lives; perfect for a short summer before the Autumn rain or frost.

A good outdoor strain for those worrying about bud rot might be Pineapple Express, an award-winning, mold-resistant strain that performs well outdoors. This strain is fast-flowering and ready to harvest only 50 days after it starts flowering.

Purple Punch Auto is a great outdoor auto-flowering choice. Just plant seeds after the last frost in the Spring, then harvest about 2 months later (long before the rainy season in many climates).

Purple Punch Auto is resistant to fungus like bud rot. This strain is quick to harvest and will grow in any climate that has (at least) 2 warm summer months before it starts getting cold or raining.

Breezy location – Try to put your plants in a grow spot with a breeze, but not too much wind. This can be tricky, and it may mean visiting the grow spot a few times before planting.

Protect your buds from rain. If you know there will be drizzly conditions, cover your plants with a tarp to protect them from most of the rain. Don’t put tarp directly on plants or you’ll hurt your buds. Install the tarp up above the plants, and make sure it’s held up by the center part, that makes it so rain runs off the sides of the tarp instead of collecting in the middle.

Shake plants. Some growers shake their plants on dewy mornings or after rain, so any water drops that form on the leaves don’t become breeding grounds for spores.

Fungicides, Neem Oil & Burning Sulfur

In the flowering stage, never use fungicides, spray affected buds with anything including Neem oil, or burn sulfur.

These common tactics are not effective at stopping bud rot and will make your buds taste, smell, and look terrible.

Some growers use fungicides made specifically for Botrytis in the vegetative stage. But when it comes to cannabis, fungicides can only be used as a preventative before any buds have formed.

If you already have bud rot and can’t fix your environment (which is the best way to kill Botrytis), I highly recommend cutting your losses and taking down the plant.

• Most fungicides are not effective for bud rot. If you do plant to spray plants, it’s recommended to get one that’s specifically been developed to combat Botrytis.

• Any treatments for Bud Rot should be applied in the vegetative stage as a preventative.

• There’s nothing you can spray on your plants after bud rot has already formed. Unfortunately, there aren’t any effective fungicides or other treatments that are safe to use with cannabis in the flowering stage

How to Stop Bud Rot from Spreading

The inside of a dense bud provides a great place for Bud Rot spores to grow, and that’s the main place you’ll find developed Bud Rot on cannabis plants. Once you’ve spotted bud rot, it’s important to act immediately.

As soon as even one part of a single bud starts showing signs of grey mold, the rot can spread to the rest of the cola and then to other buds on the plant. If triggering conditions (lack of airflow, wetness) have not improved, a single point of infection can quickly ruin the harvest of an entire plant.

Never Spray Your Buds with Anything!

Bud Rot Removal

• Immediately remove all rotted parts and nearby areas. The only way to stop the spread is to remove all signs of mold from the plant, then move plants to a cool, dry area with a nice breeze.
• Be extremely careful not to let any rot touch any part of the rest of your plant.

What Happens Next?

You can either…

• harvest the cannabis plant now
• let it continue to ripen, but only if you fix the environment

If your plant has been affected by bud rot, it means they need less dampness and air that’s more dry. If you can improve the environment, you can allow the plant to continue ripening after you’ve removed the infected buds. However, if you don’t fix the environment it will usually come right back, sometimes even attacking other buds overnight.

Here’s how to fix the environment:

• add additional air circulation
• lower the humidity (50% RH or lower is optimal if you’ve already seen bud rot, otherwise 55% should be low enough to prevent it)
• defoliate leafy plants (remove leaves covering bud sites, through the middle of the plant, and any leaves that aren’t getting light anyway)
• prevent wet spots on plant

If you can’t fix the environment, I highly recommend you cut your losses and harvest plants early. If you know that it’s still going to be cool, humid, or wet for your plants, your goal is to prevent further buds from becoming infected. Buds harvested early are better than moldy buds.

Whenever you do harvest your healthy buds, be extremely careful during the drying process. Normally growers want to slow dry buds, but if you’re worried about mold it’s better to dry them with plenty of air circulation and movement.

Jump to…

Cannabis Temperature Tutorial

Controlling Humidity in the Grow Room

Air Circulation & Exhaust Tutorial

Other Cannabis Pests, Bugs & Viruses

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How to Get Rid of Mealybugs on Your Cannabis!

These white and hairy bugs enjoy warm temperatures and don’t tolerate the cold. They have even been known to grow and spread even on a drying plant after harvest, so watch out! They also leave patches of what appears to be white mold (sometimes confused with WPM), powder or webbing.

Like aphids and scales, mealybugs produce a sweet liquid known as honeydew which can cause sooty mold to grow on the leaves as well as attract ants.

Adult mealybug

A white hairy mealybug crawling on a cannabis leaf

Another mealybug on cannabis closeup (thanks PokerJoker66 for the picture!)

Mealybugs leave white patches almost like mold, powder, or webbing. Check out the video on Youtube to see what they look like when they’re moving.

Immature mealy bug

Mealybugs produce a sweet sap-like substance called honeydew

If you see bugs that looks similar except they’re dark and unmoving, you actually have scales (a related insect but it doesn’t crawl around like mealybugs do)

Solution to Mealybugs

You may need to reapply soaps or oil if mealybugs come back. It may help to try more than one method, and if you see mealybugs again, definitely reapply immediately. Consistently treating your plants will get rid of them, even if it takes a few attemps (and a little patience).

Don’t spray with everything at the same time. Do them one at a time in succession. Do the insecticidal soap one day, then alcohol, then neem oil, all on differnt days. These treatments can be hard on your plant and a lot at once can be too much, so you don’t want to go overboard.

1.) Remove as many as you can with a water spray or otherwise manually remove them to get numbers down before you start with other methods

If you blast the plant with a strong stream of water outside, trying to blast off all the bugs, that can be a good way to get their numbers down dramatically before you start with one of the other treatments.

Doing this regularly can definitely help, but should be combined with at least one of the other methods to just make sure you’re getting all of them.

If possible, spray off as many bugs as you can. An adjustable mister like this one works great because it lets you adjust the power of the spray.

2.) Insecticidal soaps

Fatty acid salts or insecticidal soaps can be a good choice against mealybugs. They weaken the outer shell but are safe to use on your plants and they don’t leave much of a residue.

With soaps, coverage is very important as it does not stay on your plant for long, so follow-up applications may be necessary. Although this is considered safe, avoid getting any on your buds!

Natria is a good example of an insecticidal soap

3.) ​Neem Oil

Neem Oil will leave an unpleasant taste/smell on buds when used to treat flowering plants, so again, don’t let this stuff get near your buds! There’s also some evidence Neem oil may be harmful to humans so use with care! That being said, Neem oil is an all-natural remedy that is very effective against many different types of bugs and mold including mealybugs. You will need a mister (also called a “One-Hand Pressure Sprayer”) to spray all the leaves evenly, since neem oil and water can separate easily.

4.) Alcohol

Alcohol tried out the waxy outer coating that protects mealybugs, so there’s a few differenct ways to use alcohol to kill them.

If it’s a small plant, you might be able to put rubbing alcohol on a cotten swab and use it to kill each bug one at a time, to immediately get rid of most of the adults. This might be an option if you’ve only got a few, or in addition to another method.

You can also make an alcohol-water spray, and use a mister (also called a “One-Hand Pressure Sprayer”) to spray all the bugs on the plant.

Make a solution of 9 parts water to 1 part rubbing alcohol and spray plant once a week until mealybugs are gone. With an alcohol-water mixture, the goal is to spray the mealybugs directly to kill them. Since all the alcohol will evaporate into the air within minutes, it won’t give your plant a protective “coating” like soaps or oils.

5.) Beneficial Insects

Beneficial insects, such as lady beetles, lady bugs, and lacewings may eat large numbers of mealybugs and are welcome guests in the garden. Although you can order ladybugs to release around your plants, they tend to fly away in just a day or two. Additionally, the reproductive capability of mealybugs is so great that the impact of the natural enemies may not be enough keep mealybugs at or below acceptable levels after an infestation has already gotten started. But they definitely don’t hurt!

Ladybugs are good to have around the garden. Lady bugs eat not only mealybugs but other annoying cannabis pests, too!

6.) Diatomaceous Earth

Sprinkle food-grade diatomaceous earth over exposed parts of soil. This will help kill the mealybugs and will also help prevent infestations in the future. While not completely necessary, adding diatomaceous earth is a great step to take to help get rid of the mealybugs and their young as fast as possible

Diatomaceous earth is an organic insect killer made of fossilized shells. It is sharp on the microscopic level and works by puncturing the exoskeleton of insects (draining them of their body fluids), but poses no harm to humans or pets and can even be eaten.

Get Diatomaceous Earth On Amazon (this particular bag comes with a powder duster which makes it easier to apply)

More Cannabis Pests, Bugs & Viruses

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