Well, I have an update sooner than planned. I came home tonight and noticed a white residue on some of my plant leaves in the back. It looks like that nasty white mold I have read about. ARGH! I removed the leaves and sprayed it with water/neem oil. Tomorrow morning I will spray it with a 40% milk to 60% water mixture as that has been mentioned as a great remedy for this type of problem. I suspect the jump from high 60 to low 70 degree weather to high 80 degree weather probably brought this about. I've never run into this problem before and I hope I can nip it in the bud. I included some embedded pics so you can see the closeup and offer opinions/feedback. . . -TPM
Yet another update: I didn't want to wait until tomorrow so I made my diluted milk mixture and sprayed the CRAP out of the leaves, both sides. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that with my earlier Neem treatment and now milk treatment, the fungus goes away. -TPM
Hi PurpleMonkey, Sorry to hear about the white stuff, I'm surprised that mold would grow given that your RH doesn't appear to have risen above 30% and you have good air flow with the ocilating fan running. Does the RH rise significantly during lights out? What is the texture of the mold like? Did it hit all the plants or one in particular? Have you been doing any foliar feeding or misting? I have no experience with mold so can't really be of help. What is the "milk" you speak of? Pahly
Hi Pahly, I am surprised as well because, as you noted, my RH has been pretty low. It makes no sense! The light has been close to the plant, I do NOT foliar feed/spray, my intake is at 170cfm, and I have that nice oscillating fan going 24/7. The RH stays sable at night and does not rise at all. I think the mold-if that is indeed what it is-only got to my back two plants. One had a few leaves, the other just one. I too am inexperienced with mold/fungi issues: this is the first time I have ever encountered this. I SUSPECT that I may have carried something in from outside, or one of my dogs did. The milk solution I used is actually just a 40%milk to 60% water solution. There is a lot of science behind this and it is an established method. Here is an excerpt from an article I was reading: I use neem oil diluted in water as a preventative measure against pests/bugs and I had read somewhere it helps with fungus. That said, I can't find any scientific data to back this up and I have come across conflicting articles that both praise and decry the use of neem as a fungal preventative. Regardless, I gave them a neem spray last night for pests, waited for it to dry, then sprayed it with my milk solution. On the bright side, this makes for some interesting reading in a real time grow journal. I'm not afraid to show my failures in the hopes that others will read it and avoid any mistakes I may have made. Let's hope this doesn't turn into a failure! -TPM
Hey PurpleMonkey, This is the first I've heard of milk sprays, what kind of milk do you use? Does any milk work or does it have to be skim? It's odd because last night I took cuttings and immersed them in water while I made the diagonal cut before dipping them in the rooting hormone, today when I checked on them a few leaves had a tiny bit of white powdery substance on them that looks very similar to your pics. I'm going to be keeping an eye on this to see if it spreads any further. I don't have neem so if it spreads I'll have to try the milk spray. I'm going to do a search on them, see what I can find. What was your source for info on them? Pahly
Hi Pahly. Hmmmmm, I'd keep on eye on those but at the same time, cuttings tend to change color, shrivel, droop, and otherwise look "sad". They perk up once they sprout roots, but for the most part they tend to look unhealthy up until that point. Keep an eye on it ant let me know if it spreads. I read that you are supposed to use low fat milk so I filled a spray bottle to 40% capacity with the milk and the rest with water. I have some milk residue leftover on my leaves, but that will go away. If not, a damp paper towel or sponge will do the trick to cleanse the leaves. They do sell commercial fungi/mold sprays, but I'm trying to go the natural route before resorting to those methods. On my end, I think I caught it early enough. I'll post pics later tonight and post my updates. -TPM
DAY 16 and 17 (DAY 17 of VEG STAGE/ 18 onx6 off) CURRENT PPM: 920 CURRENT PH: 5.8 PH CHANGE OVER THE PAST 12 HOURS: .01 (from 5.8 to 5.9) CURRENT WATER LEVEL: Getting low. I will add around 3 gallons tonight and adjust the PPM's to 900 – 950.. CURRENT TEMPS: RH: 35% Cab temp: 84F HEIGHT: All of the plants are sitting at 11 - 12 inches tall. JOURNAL ENTRY It looks like the mold/fungi is gone. I will keep and eye\\ on it and give the ladies another milk spray in a few days just to be sure. The new leaves are nice and green but the older leaves have a residues due to the milk solution. SO long as the fungi-if that is what is was-is gone, I don't care if there is a milk residue on the fan leaves. I am lucky I am doing this in veg and not in flower. The PPM's rose slightly and he PH also rose by .01 after days of stability. The lower water level and these new changes tell me the plants are gulping up the water. I am going to add several gallons of tap water and then adjust the nutrient level to 900 – 950 PPM. The plants are starting to bush out like crazy. They have also reached the 1 foot mark. This is where I need to be very cautious and make sure I start flower before they reach 2 feet. These plants TRIPPLE in size when they flower and I have a 7 foot max. The light hangs down a foot or so, which means I really only have 6 feet before I run into issues, so I want to make sure they don't get too big. I will start tying and bending soon, which will help. One thing I will note here is that I am very pleased with the near equal growth my plants are taking. I believe in my previous grow my light was off balance and favored the front of the cabinet. Because of this, the front row gre a bit faster, taller, and bushier than the back row. This time around, after some adjustments to the light, I see all 4 plants of nearly equal size and breadth. -TPM
Hey PurpleMonkey, Your plants have really blown up in the last couple of days, The difference is dramatic. I'm glad the milk spray is working and there hasn't been an outbreak. The white fuzz on the clones hasn't progressed and no new spots have shown up, but I'm staying vigilant. Keep up the good work. Pahly B)
Hi. I've never heard of the milk thing before either. Do u think it worked? How long r u planning on vegging ? Im just getting started w blue dream as well. (Humboldt). My mom's are raging . Seems like a really nice strain so far. Resistant and has a great appetite for nutes.
DAY 18 (DAY 18 of VEG STAGE/ 18 onx6 off) CURRENT PPM: 890 CURRENT PH: 5.8 PH CHANGE OVER THE PAST 12 HOURS: .01 (from 5.8 to 5.9) CURRENT WATER LEVEL: I just topped off my res last night so it is pretty full. I added regular tap water that had been sitting in a tank for the past two weeks. No nutes; I may add some tonight or tomorrow. CURRENT TEMPS: RH: 40% (it's been raining all day where I live). Cab temp: 82F HEIGHT: All of the plants are sitting at 12 - 13 inches tall. JOURNAL ENTRY Nothing exciting going on today. The plants continue to bush the heck out and continue to grow upwards. No sign of mold/fungi but I'm giving the ladies another milk bath in a few days just to be sure. The only thing to note is that there is a distinct skunky smell starting to come from the plants. This is always a good sign J -TPM
Hi jerryg420. Yeah, I had never heard of the milk spray either, however this was the first time I had ever encountered the fungi. A quick internet search will reveal some interesting info that seems to make scientific sense. Apparently, this is a well-known farming technique. I liked it because I was desperate and the two ingredients were right in my fridge so I could implement it right away. I do think it worked but I'm going to keep a close eye on the situation and see what happens. I plan to flower once the plants reach about 1 ½ to 2 feet, somewhere in that neighborhood. I can't let them get higher than 2 feet (24 inches) because they will triple in height and I only have 6 feet of real space to work with (I technically have 7 feet but the light takes up a foot of space). I bet by the middle or end of week 4 I'll have begun my flower. NOT LONG NOW I grew Blue Dream with a partner of mine for almost a year straight. It is/was a highly aggressive and strong strain. Not only does it gobble up nutes, it can take a beating and does well in conditions some plants might otherwise do poorly in. It is a MASSIVE producer if you let it go wild, and it bushes out and upwards like you wouldn't believe (80% sativa and 20% indica). It also produces some monster colas (you can see them in my 2010 BD/GDP grow in my sig) and is a great strain for LST method. I was devastated when my clones didn't make it (I don't have a mother plant; no space) and I was forced to look for new genetics. I've been looking for it ever since. You are going to love this potent strain. -TPM
Jerryg420, I'm not sure which breeder they are from. I got them from a well known genetics shop that people from all over the state drive down to pick up clones. I've been going here for years--except for the one grow I did from seed--and their genetics are top notch. I had to laugh while I was in there looking over my clone options when the "salesman" started rattling off prices if I bought over 50 or over 100 clones. I was only there to buy 4 clones, but people were walking out with 100+ clones. -TPM
Damn. Sounds like that place is moving some clones. Must be so nice to be able to go buy clones at a fucking store ! My state is moving a lil slow in that dept but getting there. Ive seen a few different versions of the strain which seemed to vary sativa % . I actually bought the strain years ago in Switzerland before it was a popular strain. I think its better today for the most part. Humboldt has really good genitics, which is where mine r from. I'm just about to get rolling. I have couple massive moms from seeds and rooted clones ready to rock. Ill definitely stick around to admire your progress.
Jerryg420, yeah I don't take for granted that I live in an area where there are countless medical marijuana dispensaries and genetics shop. Growing from seed costs you at least one month of potentially wasted effort and is always a gamble. I am very fortunate. I am taking clones this grow and either keeping them until I can star grow number 2 (for this season) or giving it to a friend to grow so I can take more clones in a few months. I try not to depend on third parties for my medicine as much as possible. -TPM
DAY 22 (DAY 22 of VEG STAGE/ 18 onx6 off) CURRENT PPM: 880 CURRENT PH: 5.8 PH CHANGE OVER THE PAST 12 HOURS: .01 (from 5.8 to 5.9) CURRENT WATER LEVEL: Water level is getting low again. The plants are gulping the water AND nutes, causing a SLIGHT increase (.01) to my PH and a slight decrease to the PPM's. ALL good signs. CURRENT TEMPS: RH: 40% (The rain is over so I expect this to fall dramatically today). Cab temp: 71F (It was very cold this morning so I am sure it will eventually settle into the high 70's as the day progresses) HEIGHT: All of the plants are sitting at 13 - 15 inches tall. JOURNAL ENTRY Blue Dream is starting to really take off as demonstrated in the pictures. Their water/nute intake is incredible and they are literally growing an inch a day (or just about). No signs of fungi, just some leftover milk residue from my milk spray. I will give them another bath either tonight or tomorrow just to be safe. I MAY extend my veg by a few days because I do plan to take about 4 – 6 clones and I want to give the plants time to recover before I start the flower. I still have some time…just under 10 inches worth of time, to be exact. Unlike most of my previous grows, I am not topping, LST'ing, or anything special of the sort. I will be bending and twisting in short order, once they reach my support strings (at about a foot and a half or so) but I just don't have the setup/access to do all that fun stuff. Which is too bad, because blue dream is a great strain for LST. I may have become confused a bit on my timing: I started this grow on Dec. 22<sup>nd</sup> which places me at day 22. I may have mislabeled some of my journal entries due to this confusion. -TPM
DAY 23 (DAY 23 of VEG STAGE/ 18 onx6 off) CURRENT PPM: 830 CURRENT PH: 5.8 PH CHANGE OVER THE PAST 12 HOURS: .N/A CURRENT WATER LEVEL: Full (see journal entry). CURRENT TEMPS: RH: 47% (See journal entry) 72F. HEIGHT: All of the plants are sitting at 16 - 17 inches tall. JOURNAL ENTRY I accomplished some things today and screwed up some others. I decided to shut off my pump so that I could reach into my reservoir, unhook it, and clean it. I did just that and it was a good thing as it had some good buildup at the intake. After I hooked the pump back up, I decided to add about 4 gallons of water to my res. BIG MISTAKE. I completely overestimated how much water to add and my buckets began to overflow! I had to grab an empty 5 gal bucket and begin taking water out of my res. It took two large towels and almost an entire roll of paper towels to clean up the water in my tent. Nothing was damaged or ruined, but it was a major nuisance. I added a fat teaspoon of my dry nutes to my res and my PPM is sitting at around 830 right now. I'm going to see if I can edge that up to 900 – 950 in a minute. . -TPM
I was able to get my PPM's up to around 880 and I'm going to nudge them up to 900 when I get home. I'll also take a pic of the roots. I took a look at them today and they are massive! -TPM