Fighting Pm With Uv

[slap14]

Happy New Year Farmers

I was wondering if anyone has used UV-C (germicidal) light to combat powdery mildew. I live in an area where it is very prevalent everywhere. I was wondering if I could use something like the light in the attached link. I am very aware of the dangers and no one would ever be in the grow room with the light on, EVER. My idea is the run the light for about 1 minute every third day.



This is a list of the different wattage lights available



The company that sells the light has stated to me that the light can cause sun burns in about 15 seconds depending how close to the light you are. They also stated it takes between 30 to 45 seconds to kill mold and or mildew. Some plants are more sensitive to UV than others so it may or may not work. The area I want to try and use the light in is 5' x 5' x 8' and would be about a foot from the top.

Any ideas are encouraged and appreciated

Slap

 

[cannabeans]

I have ZERO idea about your UV light, But I will say this....
Powdery mildew like to grow when there are vast flucuations in your night and daytime temps.
What I do to keep PM from growing is running a heater at night(lights out) keeping my room as close as possible to my daytime temps.80 to 85 degrees This method has worked for a very long time for me! I hope it will help you too!

 

[Savage Henry]

Possibly a simpler solution that worked for me:
Pm only lives on surfaces within a certain ph range. So I ph'd some water up to like 8 or 9 and misted the leaves with the pm whenever it showed up. Worked well for maintenance and no ill effects on the flowers.

 

[slap14]

I really appreciate the replies @Savage Henry and @cannabeans

I am able to keep the PM under control with Mildew Cure, Neem and Green Cure. My temps are good at about 79 lights on and about 65 with lights off. I always wear a cleanroom suit with hood and booties anytime I'm in the room. The problem is if you walk around my neighborhood you can see powdery mildew on about 25% of plants in peoples yards, It's just fucking everywhere.

Also have read where people are having good results with plants getting limited exposure to UV ie better potency and more frost.

I am just trying to find a way that I don't have to spray every week for just PM. Would rather be foliar feeding AACT or SST.

There is a product out called Clean Light (link Below) that is a UV hand held unit for eliminating PM but it is expensive and I really don't want to handle the UV if I can help it.

http://www.cleanlightdirect.com/en/

Thanks again

Slap

 

[We Solidarity]

the powdery in your neighbors is a completely different species all together; there are 200+ documented species of powdery mildew and the kind that affects cannabis only affects cannabis, no cross over from other crops.


uv light works but anywhere that's not getting hit by it will not be sanitized. There are definitely better routes to take, ozonating the room when it's empty is what works the best, if there are plants in the room I've seen sulphur burners/vaporizers get rid of and keep it away for good.

 

[slap14]

@We Solidarity

Thank you very much, great info. I believe what your saying about species but never dealt with PM till I moved to this area 3 years ago. I have used sulfur in the past but just didn't like using it. Don't like the residue and would never use into flower. Just looking for new and/or different options.

From what this company is saying with the reflective walls the UV light will bounce around and get just about every surface. Same thing they use in operating rooms to sterilize the entire room.

My main focus is trying to get away from any kind of chemical organic or otherwise as much as I possibly can when dealing with pests or mildew.

Thanks guys

 

[cannabeans]

My main focus is trying to get away from any kind of chemical organic or otherwise as much as I possibly can when dealing with pests or mildew.

Please try the heater... Keep room at constant 79degrees.

 

[Seamaiden]

the powdery in your neighbors is a completely different species all together; there are 200+ documented species of powdery mildew and the kind that affects cannabis only affects cannabis, no cross over from other crops.


uv light works but anywhere that's not getting hit by it will not be sanitized. There are definitely better routes to take, ozonating the room when it's empty is what works the best, if there are plants in the room I've seen sulphur burners/vaporizers get rid of and keep it away for good.

Agreed. And I've worked with UV sterilization as well as ozone, in this instance O3 generation presents just as many pros and cons, but the biggest pro is that it will absolutely hit *all* surfaces, the UV light being bounced around will not work as effectively.

My experience using these products is in aquatics, so it's easy to force the whole water column through a UV sterilizer or an ozonizer.

Both UV and O3 are features of the natural world, both are being artificially generated here.

What about burning S, at least in veg/early flower, here? An oldie but a goodie.

 

[slap14]

@Seamaiden

Thanks for the input.

I also use a UV for sterilization of my water. Talking to the manufacture they felt with the foil reflective surface that the light wavelength would hit just about every surface of the room without a problem. The real concern they had was the time needed for sterilization vs the health of the plants. As I stated earlier I really don't like using sulfur and am just trying to find ways to eliminate having to use any organic or non organic sprays other than AACT or SST.

Would like to hear more about JMS stylet oil that I see you use.

Thanks

Slap

 

[We Solidarity]

@Seamaiden

Thanks for the input.

I also use a UV for sterilization of my water. Talking to the manufacture they felt with the foil reflective surface that the light wavelength would hit just about every surface of the room without a problem. The real concern they had was the time needed for sterilization vs the health of the plants. As I stated earlier I really don't like using sulfur and am just trying to find ways to eliminate having to use any organic or non organic sprays other than AACT or SST.

Would like to hear more about JMS stylet oil that I see you use.

Thanks

Slap

of course the manufacturer would say that...unless your room is a completely and 100% empty box there will obviously be shadows...and if your room is 100% empty uv sterilization wont matter anyways because any equipment and gear you took in or out will also be contaminated. I like ozone because I can leave my room as is and treat it, I ozonate before I even clean (and once again after) just to make sure I'm not working around spores, eggs, or bugs. I place my generator in the center of the room 4-5 ft off the ground and run all my fans, making sure to completely seal the room (I even tape up the door)

 

[slap14]

@We Solidarity

What piece of equipment do you use to generate the ozone? Can you use that with the plants in the room or will the ozone harm them? I feel that even if I the light doesn't hit every single square inch using it every couple days would keep it from spreading especially if I move my plants around to eliminate permanent blind spots.

Thanks for the advice, love hearing different ideas

Slap

 

[We Solidarity]

@We Solidarity

What piece of equipment do you use to generate the ozone? Can you use that with the plants in the room or will the ozone harm them? I feel that even if I the light doesn't hit every single square inch using it every couple days would keep it from spreading especially if I move my plants around to eliminate permanent blind spots.

Thanks for the advice, love hearing different ideas

Slap

For sure. I use an ozone generator, here's a link:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0083...sr=8-33&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=ozone+machines


It wi kill plants very quick, its one of the most powerful sterilizers out there. Use it in empty rooms, if you want to combat it without spraying and without sulphur while there are plants in the room idk what to say...you've gotta be proactive. There is a reason people spray and use sulphur, because those are the only effective methods.

My favorite spray against PM is called Kapow, idk who makes it but it's natural soap, castor oil, and lemongrass oil. Smells super good when you spray it. I normally spray at a 4 day interval every other week up to week 2 flower, takes care of pretty much every problem preventatively. Between that and ozone in the empty rooms/equipment its smooth sailing.

 

[We Solidarity]

I should also mention that inhaling ozone is potentially lethal, hence why you seal the room. Do calculations on the cubic footage of your room and the power of the generator, then set a timer for it to run. I usually run it then let it sit for 3-4 hours, then I'll turn exhaust on and wait another 10-20 minutes before working.

 

[Seamaiden]

Back when I was using O3 generators fire was another issue. I was using them in aquatics, so getting ZAPPED was anotherh issue. But apparently I like getting zapped.

Would like to hear more about JMS stylet oil that I see you use.

I am a fan, indeed, but I wouldn't use it later in flower until I know factually that it's not going to leave a residue behind on the flowers. 1oz/gal for most uses, is effective for dealing with spider mites, and is also a tank mixing adjuvant (helps make products work better, also acts as a sticker-spreader).

Once, I tried a run in 10gal smarties. I couldn't move them without help. Some plants in the back got PM. I put isopropyl and water at 1:1 in my fogger, fogged the hell out of that room. It didn't cure the PM, but it really helped a lot without the stink of the S vaporizing.