I live at the beach, and therefore, I am growing in low temps with high humidity. The high temps are anywhere from 58f to 75f in the day, and 87% to 100% humidity, although todays forecast predicts a low of 67% humidity later on. The humidity is heavy in the morning, and may or may not drop much as the sun rises and temps go up. (proportionately) I've read on here about moldy buds, but have yet to see any such thing. I have two plants that are 5 weeks into flowering and the buds are starting to thicken up and look like the real thing. But I'm scared after reading about mold, and I'm here looking for any tips on what I can do in the way of prevention. I'm growing in buckets with organic soil and perlite. I topped once, and lst'd from there. The other day I was counting buds and got lost at 25. Anyways, I vegged in my living room with CFL's for 2 months, then moved out to our storage shed for the dark cycle because there is absolutely no place in the house that works for staying in complete darkness for 12 hours. The shed is metal 10'x14' kit that you get from Home Depot and assemble at home. It's not designed to be air tight and at night if the lights are on it emits like a hundred moon beams in all directions. But I shut the lights off at night so that's no matter. I don't ever see any condensation in the shed. I have CFL's and a 14" oscillating fan set on low to blow just across the top of the canopy. On days when the sun comes out I move the plants outside for light and air, and I notice the soil dries out better when I move them outside. But on foggy days I just leave them in the shed under CFL light & fan. When I move the plants outside, I leave the fan on high inside the shed with the lights off just to make sure some air is exchanged. I'm thinking the fan moving air is the only prevention I have against mold. But I don't know, is that enough? Anyone know of any other simple ways to keep mold away from my flowers? Or am I just worrying too much? If I ever do see mold, is it too late at that point?
imo. as long as there is plenty of ventilation and airflow mold shouldn't be an issue. I have a high RH around 60-70 all year long, and just keep plenty of fresh air moving throughout. if you do see mold starting to form, you may need to look into some kinda setup for better ventilation. remove affected areas and get environment corrected.
I live by a beach too. 60-70% humidity minimum. Yes i see mold everywhere. But have not had any bud mold. For me, mold usually grows on top soil, near the cloner, reservoir etc. Neem oil is a good deterrent. Initially i got myself a de-humidifier, which didnt work out since it adds several degrees to ambient temps. I have an AC running 24hrs which cant lower humidity enough either. Lowest i get to is 60. And i get about 1-2 gallons of condensate every morning. On watering days, its even more humid ofcourse. Avoid standing water and continually refresh the air in your room and you should be fine. High humidity is also not good for late stages of flowering. Lower humidity encourages resin production. Unlessyou get a dehumidifier, its something youll have to live with. Stay vigilant and watch those buds like a hawk.
Thanx. That's all reassuring. I might try the dehumidifier over night to see how dry it keeps the leaky shed. I keep a dehumidifier in my bedroom and it has filled 5 gallons in a day, but the more I leave it on the longer it takes to fill.