November 23, 2022

When Cannabis Becomes Blighted

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There are a few words that can strike fear in the hearts of even seasoned cannabis growers. 

Mold. Mildew. Blight. 

These infections creep into healthy plants and cause destruction capable of ruining entire crop yields when left unchecked. In particular, blight is an insidious disease that many growers will face – and by the time it appears, it might already be too late.

What Is Blight?

Blight, blight disease, or “bud blight” is an umbrella term for withering conditions that affect a plant’s flower buds or other internal structures. Blight is usually caused by fungal infections, though blight can also occur through bacterial infection, extreme humidity, overcrowding, and more. The risks increase if the plant is damaged or wounded, as any injuries present an opening for blight spores to enter.

Blight is hard to treat once the damage sets in. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure here; growers should fully understand the risks of blight and how to reduce their risk throughout their growth cycles.

What Happens When Cannabis Becomes Blighted?

Blight can manifest through a variety of symptoms, depending on the age of the cannabis plant and the level of infection. Blight typically appears near harvest time, creating significant headaches for growers expecting a clean yield! The most common signs of blight include:

• Dark, blotchy spots on leaves
• Discolored leaf tips
• Reduced plant growth compared to averages
• Wilting or yellowing of leaves or stems
• Plant death

In younger plants, blight often manifests as stunted growth, delayed maturity, and deformed structures across buds and leaflets. Mature plans affected by blight will tend to wilt and bend over, with lesions appearing on leaves and flower buds.

Is Blight Disease Treatable?

To a certain degree. Introducing beneficial strains of bacteria can help counter disease spread in growth mediums. Bacillus subtilis is a naturally-occurring bacterium often used to fight off fungal infection, and often used to improve soil health when blight appears.

While soil conditioning can help protect unaffected plants from blight spores, it won’t do much for plants that are already affected. Assess the condition of each cannabis plant and identify the extent of the blight. It’s possible to harvest unaffected buds close to maturity, but note that mold and blight spores exist on a microscopic, unseeable level. As such, it’s usually safest to dispose of any plans affected by blight.

Even though blight is difficult to treat once decay sets in, it’s certainly possible to take steps to avoid bud rot and minimize the risk of lesions appearing. 

The first, and most important step here is air purification. But not just any purification will do the trick; even standard HEPA filters for grow rooms can reintroduce small amounts of particles back into the air.

For full protection from cannabis disease across blight, powdery mildew, and mold, growers need solutions that can minimize aerial mold spores and ensure a completely clean growing environment.

Reduce Infection and Maximize Crop Yields with Better Purification

Airoclean420 offers a cutting-edge way to maintain complete air purification, increase crop yields, and minimize cannabis disease outbreaks. Our solution was developed by NASA and features a bio-conversion reactor and photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) lamps to provide a level of air purification beyond basic grow operations.

If you’re concerned about blight or other plant diseases affecting your growth, contact AiroClean420! Prevention is the best way to protect your plants, and we’ll help you select a purification solution that gives you complete confidence in your growth strategy.