Greetings . Months have passed and all the advice much appreciated has been put to use . Lets start by saying no chest infections at all . Let me also add I've wrecked on the proceeds which will keep me shite faced for many months to come . Conclusion . If you are in bud and see bud rot DO NOT THROW IT. Save the good looking buds and dry them . Select the worst and throw . Dry the rest and silk screen or bubble bag .. I'll duck down low avoiding the flack but quite frankly a lot of hot air, paranoia and snobbery was offered but also excellent advice given . For the scare mongers we walk around breathing spores,bacteria,yeasts and all sorts of microbes all day .Yes we also get chest infections specially at the end of year when many infections are around . Don't throw it process it .Not one of the very many has had a chest infection but have had some lovely happy heads on going home.
I'll stick my neck out and go down with ya, Maltman. I basically agree that bud rot is no reason to scrap the entire plant, at least not for me. Bud rot is a fact of life in some areas and some strains are particularly susceptible to it. Bud rot starts in wet weather usually late in the season, but if you are proactive you can stop it from claiming your entire plant. It is very difficult to detect because it starts from the inside and by the time you see it most of the bud is toast. Here's what I do: When I see it, I carefully remove the branch below the infected buds, being careful not to shake the branch and release more spores. Then I take the cut portion and see what I can salvage, keeping only clean good bud. If a bud is half affected, I use a sharp scissors to cut it down until I see only good green healthy bud. Then I quickly dry the salvaged bud and I also cure it in a separate location and in separate jars. I am the only one that smokes it, I don't share it with friends. I have never gotten sick, but then again I am healthy as a hoss and I have lungs of steel. Bud rot can appear and spread very quickly so you must check your plants at least daily late in the season. Some folks make bubble hash out of the affected buds, which separates the trichs from the plant matter.
For me this is a cross contamination issue. When doing the initial trim in the field, I discard any heavily molded bud basically any that are mush when squeezed. My main concern is that while in transport the buds will get pressed together and mold then easily spread to otherwise unaffected buds. I have made this mistake a couple of times. Once trimming if any further mold spots are discovered and you plan on keeping them they must be seperated from other buds imediately, and I like to clean scissors just to make sure. I guess this is the long way of saying One Bad Apple....... Yet I agree moldy bud not going to kill 99% of us.