Dr. Who
Well-Known Member
I happened to be out with the wife yesterday. She was shopping and I went to hide in the Barnes&Noble to read the funny papers (Cannabis magazines).
HT was it's normal dumb self. Same with a few others. THEN, I picked up the GROW mag. I always had higher hopes for this one but, mainly it gives great titles with lacking content..
I was rather interested in a theory by a commercial grower on PM and RH in his piece on the topic.
He feels that his past struggles with PM are due to the dry conditions he used for years in his grows (40 -50%)! He stated his PM issues have stopped once he actually adopted the VPD chart values and raised his RH to 70% (He holds 60-70%)!
This took me off guard! I shook my head and couldn't believe this idea had merit. What did he use to justify this idea? I dove into the whole article with expectations of vague answers and lacking reason....I was wrong.
He go's on to describe in interesting detail the wax layering on leave's and the rest of the plant, and how they help with everything from light protection to infections from parasites to molds and fungal's. My mind reeled. OMG, I haven't ever considered this as deeply as this guy has. He does have a valid point on just what this wax does for the plant...Now how is he going to tie this together.
He go's on to describe how this layer is effected by heat and RH. How low RH levels reduce the plants ability to actually build this layer and how the heat levels, in our growing practice, can climb to levels that actually burn off the layer that is made (generally in the canopy and some distance below).
This all began to make hort sense! There is this layer! Wintering extracts helps the later filtering to remove them from the extract! Could this really be that simple? Have we all for years made the wrong adjustment to RH to prevent it? (Yes, he is correct in saying that some level of higher RH does inhibit growth of the spores also.) Will increasing my RH allow this wax layer to properly form and do it's part in preventing PM?
You know what? I have always had far less PM issues in my veg room over my highly controlled RH bloom room's. Not to mention that any treatment to rid the veg room of any PM break out. Was always successful and easier to complete. Single treatments with minor sanitizing worked every time!
Let me take a moment to share his Bloom room stat's
He runs his temps at a set point of 72 (You must realize this is a room average. This is where his thermostat is set)
He controls his RH by setting the upper limit at 70% and then allowing the Dehuey to do it's thing by overrunning the setting to a -5% average on the whole or down to 65% if you will.
He states that this 72 deg F works better for preservation of the (wax) layer, over a 75 deg temp set he used to use.
He says that below 60% RH is non conductive to the layer being built properly on the plant surface's. It also increases the reduction of the layer by heat exposure.
This is a major finding! This he completed over time in his commercial operation. I find that doing that in a commercial setting as ballsy! Yet it validates his theory far better and with solid weight behind his work...
I don't know about you but, I'm going out this mourning and change over on one of my bloom rooms to these setting's and give it a shot! I have had a bit of PM attempting to resurge in this one room.....It drives me nuts and I hate to sulfur burn with plants so close to finish. Luckily, I have harvested those so close and ran the burner last night. This mourning is some minor sanitizing of a few hard to reach by burner area's and I'll reset to a lower temp (bout 3 deg.) and raise the RH to the 70%..
He does warn to be watchful for bud molds and says a solid cleaned area to start with, will help prevent that and to be mindful to not carry any in by contaminated anything's.
It's worth a good solid try!
Thought I would share this guys research and discovery with you too! It actually makes solid Horticultural sense!
HT was it's normal dumb self. Same with a few others. THEN, I picked up the GROW mag. I always had higher hopes for this one but, mainly it gives great titles with lacking content..
I was rather interested in a theory by a commercial grower on PM and RH in his piece on the topic.
He feels that his past struggles with PM are due to the dry conditions he used for years in his grows (40 -50%)! He stated his PM issues have stopped once he actually adopted the VPD chart values and raised his RH to 70% (He holds 60-70%)!
This took me off guard! I shook my head and couldn't believe this idea had merit. What did he use to justify this idea? I dove into the whole article with expectations of vague answers and lacking reason....I was wrong.
He go's on to describe in interesting detail the wax layering on leave's and the rest of the plant, and how they help with everything from light protection to infections from parasites to molds and fungal's. My mind reeled. OMG, I haven't ever considered this as deeply as this guy has. He does have a valid point on just what this wax does for the plant...Now how is he going to tie this together.
He go's on to describe how this layer is effected by heat and RH. How low RH levels reduce the plants ability to actually build this layer and how the heat levels, in our growing practice, can climb to levels that actually burn off the layer that is made (generally in the canopy and some distance below).
This all began to make hort sense! There is this layer! Wintering extracts helps the later filtering to remove them from the extract! Could this really be that simple? Have we all for years made the wrong adjustment to RH to prevent it? (Yes, he is correct in saying that some level of higher RH does inhibit growth of the spores also.) Will increasing my RH allow this wax layer to properly form and do it's part in preventing PM?
You know what? I have always had far less PM issues in my veg room over my highly controlled RH bloom room's. Not to mention that any treatment to rid the veg room of any PM break out. Was always successful and easier to complete. Single treatments with minor sanitizing worked every time!
Let me take a moment to share his Bloom room stat's
He runs his temps at a set point of 72 (You must realize this is a room average. This is where his thermostat is set)
He controls his RH by setting the upper limit at 70% and then allowing the Dehuey to do it's thing by overrunning the setting to a -5% average on the whole or down to 65% if you will.
He states that this 72 deg F works better for preservation of the (wax) layer, over a 75 deg temp set he used to use.
He says that below 60% RH is non conductive to the layer being built properly on the plant surface's. It also increases the reduction of the layer by heat exposure.
This is a major finding! This he completed over time in his commercial operation. I find that doing that in a commercial setting as ballsy! Yet it validates his theory far better and with solid weight behind his work...
I don't know about you but, I'm going out this mourning and change over on one of my bloom rooms to these setting's and give it a shot! I have had a bit of PM attempting to resurge in this one room.....It drives me nuts and I hate to sulfur burn with plants so close to finish. Luckily, I have harvested those so close and ran the burner last night. This mourning is some minor sanitizing of a few hard to reach by burner area's and I'll reset to a lower temp (bout 3 deg.) and raise the RH to the 70%..
He does warn to be watchful for bud molds and says a solid cleaned area to start with, will help prevent that and to be mindful to not carry any in by contaminated anything's.
It's worth a good solid try!
Thought I would share this guys research and discovery with you too! It actually makes solid Horticultural sense!
