How to spot PM a lil extra early...

[johnnyballbag]

So i got to pop my PM cherry, yay! Been growing for a decade and have never seen PM unless it was in a picture. Got some cuts from a friend, and that's where i first noticed it. Now I'm an OCD freak, i keep things well regulated and clean. So i was looking at the interior of my canopy, the bottom part where it's not as well lit. I've got this little $10 LED flashlight that i picked up in the checkout lane at Home Depot. It throws out a white/slightly blue light. But i noticed it makes PM stand out like lint in a blacklight (remember those?). To test it, i chopped some branches that appeared to be clear of powdery mildew while inspecting them under hps lighting AND normal room lighting. When i shined the LED flashlight at the branches though, you could see the PM plain as day. This lil trick allows you to remove PM infected parts before you'd notice them with the "unaided" eye. It's helped me keep the PM at bay. It's like PM radar. Hope this can help some ppl!

 

[Pistil Pete]

That's a very useful tip. Thanks, johnnyballbag.

 

[WCC]

Also have to try and remember the spores are in the air all the time .. they just need the right conditions to take action ... ;)

 

[pimpin]

thanx for the info johnny

 

[kill-9]

I have one of these flashlights, thanks for the tip

 

[Somnambulist]

Good tip, Johnny! :)

 

[Chimera]

More importantly than spores being in the air, PM lives inside the plant- the white stuff you see on the leaves is essentially the flowering body of the already established hyphae of the fungus within the plant.

If you kept clones or the clone you brought in became a mother, you likely still have a pm infection even if you can't see it on your plants currently.

Sulphur will inhibit the growth of pm on the leaves, but is not actually a cure.

Check out a systemic-type fungicide called Meltatox which will kill off the pm in the plant. It's definitely not organic, and is intended for ornamentals and SHOULD NOT BE SPRAYED ON FLOWERING PLANTS!!!!!!

Meltatox can be used to eliminate pm from mothers or new clones introduced to the garden (which should then be allowed to grow out diluting any leftover residual chemical thus reducing the residual to negligible levels in the final product).

MSDS sheets are available online for Meltatox just google to track them down.

Of course some will argue that this product is not safe for food crops/ crops for consumption, and although I would agree that it should not be sprayed on plants in flowering or about to be induced to flower, to say that it cannot be used in a safe manner is IMO incorrect.

This product is not for everyone, and I REPEAT should not be used on plants that are in flowering, or about to be flowered.

Please do the necessary research on this product before hunting it down, andplese be responsible with it's use.

 

[mato]

I've come to find that PM does not grow on plants that are given neem via foliar or watering. I know Neem is itself a fungicide but I have come to believe that the plans absorb the neem oil which inhibits the fungus from being able to sustain itself, let alone form spores and release them. Kind of like how the chlorine and other chemicals in the pool do not allow algae and other growth. Neem has that effect on plants.

Good heads up with the LED flashlight "radar" technique. I'll be sure to inspect my friends garden, I was suspicious that he might have PM because of his high humidity levels......

 

[johnnyballbag]

Hey chimera, thanks for the input brotha. I've been growin for a decade and never even seen PM. One thing my research and knowledge DEF lacks in due to that. I killed the source Chemdog D cuts that brought it to my attention. Found a few patches on some flowering C99's of mine, never found a patch bigger than say a corn kernel on any of my plants ever. Does it typically only occur is small patches like that? I"ve got some cuts of C99 in my cloner that came from a friend's mom, and they've been sulfur vaped and have shown no signs visible signs of PM. Think they're safe to flower? The flashlight trick at least will allow you get an early jump on detection if nothing else.

 

[kill-9]

So if you have powdery mildew and your plants are already flowering, you're fucked?