Very Strange Rot Problem

[zspar]

Hello, my plants are all outdoor, in about week 3ish of flower and they are doing very well except occasionally a very strange powdery mold will appear on a stem or branch and just destroy it and everything above it will die. I have never heard of or experienced this.

This stem was just clipped off of a plant that is about 4-5 ft tall and 4-5 ft in diameter.

Any suggestions as to what it is and how to manage it are appreciated. Thanks

 

[Lester Freeman]

This is typical botrytis mold that can often times wipe out a crop. Have to be careful, it's the sort of thing that can be caused by 1) excess humidity in the environment (e.g. prolonged rains). And may also be promoted due to overwatering. Every once and awhile stem rot may occur, we do what we can to prevent this and avoid it as much as possible, even if that means defoliating a little bit of the underbrush to increase the air flow. Also there are some natural fungicides that can help make a plant more defensive against mold. Unfortunately botrytis mold is one of those challenging parts of outdoor gardening. There are good practices that can help one to avoid and prevent it. Definitelty cut away infected parts and throw away, to keep it from spreading. Also make sure not to overwater, and hope for dry days.

Hope this helps!

 

[zspar]

This is typical botrytis mold that can often times wipe out a crop. Have to be careful, it's the sort of thing that can be caused by 1) excess humidity in the environment (e.g. prolonged rains). And may also be promoted due to overwatering. Every once and awhile stem rot may occur, we do what we can to prevent this and avoid it as much as possible, even if that means defoliating a little bit of the underbrush to increase the air flow. Also there are some natural fungicides that can help make a plant more defensive against mold. Unfortunately botrytis mold is one of those challenging parts of outdoor gardening. There are good practices that can help one to avoid and prevent it. Definitelty cut away infected parts and throw away, to keep it from spreading. Also make sure not to overwater, and hope for dry days.

Hope this helps!

Is there any reason you think that it is only attacing the stems and not the bud itself like I've usually seen?

 

[Lester Freeman]

Is there any reason you think that it is only attacing the stems and not the bud itself like I've usually seen?

Botrytis mold more commonly infects inside the actual buds, it is less common for it to develop right on the stems. Whether spores germinate on the stems or inside the bud is simply up to probability and chance.