@NuggetJuggler Good job... Those buds are looking very nice!
I'm in a tropical area and I'm very familiar with mold, and still learning the best ways to deal with it, and looking for strains that are the most mold-resistant. I've got 6 plants in flower right now, and they've been fairly hard hit with mold, and still have at least a couple weeks to go. In general, I've had less of a problem with mold with sativa-leaning plants. The thing with mold is that, if you don't deal with it, you could literally lose all your buds. It sneaks up. By keeping a close eye on things, you can avert disaster.
We have a lot of rain where I am, and all my growing is done inside of a greenhouse. Plants that aren't wet all the time are obviously going to be less susceptible to mold. The other main reason I'm doing the greenhouse is to provide photoperiod lighting to control flowering.
If you could find a piece of clear plastic roofing you could rig up something, or plexiglass, or even an old window (although glass isn't the greatest), or you could maybe get a mini pop-up as zigzagman suggested. Or you could take your chances, keeping an eye on the situation.
I recommending checking every day for mold, especially for spots on the underside of the leaves. Also check for white powdery mildew. On my plants, the mold appears as dark grey-brown spots on the underside of the leaves. The top side of the leaf above these spots will have discoloration, so that's another way to detect mold. I pluck or clip off any leaves that are showing this. I also spray the whole plant with hydrogen peroxide solution.
Since you've already seen bud rot, I recommend spraying (mist) with a solution of hydrogen peroxide (3%, drugstore): 6 fl oz (12 TBS) peroxide mixed in 1/2 gal. distilled water. Purified or clean filtered water is OK. I recommend a pump sprayer like
this one. Spray the whole plant, top and undersides of leaves, everything. I have really seen no downside to spraying with this stuff, and you can do it every day, or every other day, or as needed – whatever you think is best. The best time to spray is probably in the morning.
The peroxide idea is a quick solution; however, there are systemic ways to treat for mold. One method is to make aerated worm compost tea, and then use it as a foliar spray. This introduces beneficial microbes to the leaf surface to help keep the mold away (it probably also changes the pH of the leaf surface). Another method is to make a lactic acid bacterium serum (LAB) and use that as a foliar spray – I'm just learning about this one.
In situations where mold is a problem, keep in mind that mold likes to get started on dead material. So, as the stigmas (white hairs) turn brown, this means dead material is developing – dead stigmas. This is an invitation for mold to start growing on the dead stigmas. I sometimes harvest early (depends on the season) when I see 1/4 to 1/2 of the stigmas have turned brown. At this point, I'll often see only the beginning of trichomes turning milky. This is not an optimum time to harvest; however, if it means avoiding bud rot, it's an option to consider.
good luck!
