Quest for mold-resistant strains, Hawaii outdoor greenhouse grow

[cbdhemp808]

Lovely plant you got there and 30:1 CBD is exactly what I’m looking for my wife as she can’t take THC, it is possible you share the site where I can get one? That would be much appreciated.

OK, so I've got two CBDs going... Seedsman 30:1 and Sweet Critical. The Seedsman is sativa dominant and the buds have a sweet/fruity fragrance. Sweet Critical is a 50/50 hybrid, but perhaps leaning a little toward indica, and the flowers have matured faster than the Seedsman. Sweet Critical buds have a fragrance more like a kush... spicy and a little sweet.

I got seeds for these from ex-sponsor, Coffee Shop. You can search for: Doctor Seedsman 30:1 CBD, and Sweet Critical CBD.

I will be sending buds from each to the lab for cannabinoid analysis.

On another note I wanted to share a picture of the one jar I have from last season still viable, it’s a mix of all herbs and weeds; sage, horsetail, rosemary, thyme, dandelion, willow, comfrey, nettle, and so on…

Super juice!

 

[cbdhemp808]

IIRC, Dinafem got caught for something.
You can get their seeds from other seedbanks like Herbies, but a lot of them are out of stock.

Everyone I have checked is out of stock. I guess I'll just type in my email address "to be notified".

 

[InTheShed]

I will be sending buds from each to the lab for cannabinoid analysis.

As I recall the test results are actually 15:0.5. I'm looking forward to seeing how yours turn out.

 

[cbdhemp808]

As I recall the test results are actually 15:0.5. I'm looking forward to seeing how yours turn out.

The subject of CBD/THC ratios in CBD strains is a can of worms!

So... there are claims of 20:1, 30:1, even 50:1, on various CBD strains. Yes, it's possible 30:1 means 15% CBD to 0.5% THC. That's actually very good, compared to what I've grown so far. My legacy CBD phenos run around 10% CBD. Generally, I think cannabis chemotype 3, which is the high-CBD/low-THC chemotype, usually means that at peak ripeness, THC will be no more than 1%. I think it would be rare that at peak ripeness, THC would be 0.5% or lower. Generally speaking, it would be closer to 1%.

So, in terms of wild claims, or reasonable claims... I think 20:1 is the most accurate, because at 1% THC, CBD would be 20%... that's totally believable. CBD could even be up to 24% – that seems to be the upper limit. Claims of anything higher than 20:1 are probably just bogus... we'll see what my test results are.

The Seedsman 30:1 CBD is advertised with 3 different lab test results showing CBD over 20%. This doesn't necessarily mean all phenos will be that high – maybe the higher CBD phenos are rare. I will be happily amazed if my buds are that high. I didn't see any lab test results for Sweet Critical, but it's advertised as producing between 18 and 22%, while THC is around 0.3%. Again, I will be happily amazed if it produces 18-22%, and I don't care what level the THC is at, because it won't be more than 1%.

 

[cbdhemp808]

Hey Growmies,

I was looking for a source for buying Trichoderma, and then things got complicated & interesting... enjoy!

*****​

I found some very cool information about Trichoderma, which is the beneficial fungus used as a bio-fungicide. This is the one I mentioned that's contained in some mycorrhiza products (e.g. Great White, etc.) Unfortunately, those products are not allowed to be sold in Hawaii due to the state's list of restricted microorganisms. However, I did find that the bio-fungicide product, RootShield by BioWorks, is licensed to be sold in Hawaii for general use.

Trichoderma interacts with roots similarly as mycorrhizal fungi, in symbiosis with the plant. But Trichoderma is different, and does some magic that mycorrhizal fungi doesn't do, to my knowledge – Trichoderma knows how to "talk to the plant"... more on this below.

There are many species of Trichoderma, and specific ones are used in some commercial products, due to their unique qualities. One type I read about not only interacts with the roots, but actually infiltrates the root cells. Another one seems to be a major one of choice, which is Trichoderma harzianum, strain T-22. This strain doesn't infiltrate the root cells. (T-22 was the result of a 15-year breeding effort by Prof. Gary Harman at Cornell University.)

The product, RootShield, is based on Trichoderma harzianum, strain T-22.

I found a very interesting scientific paper from 2016 on Trichoderma T-22...

Trichoderma harzianum T-22 Induces Systemic Resistance in Tomato Infected by Cucumber mosaic virus​

From the paper:

"...after the colonization of roots, Trichoderma spp., are able to chemically communicate with the plant and, sometimes, they act as endophytic symbionts [living inside the plant]. They are thus capable of correctly altering the expression of various plant genes and, as a consequence, plant physiology..."​

The paper's research included measuring the effect of T22 on the quantities of plant hormones in the leaves and roots, in response to the infection of the plant by a virus. These are the hormones I mentioned before... salicylic acid and jasmonic acid. The article states, "The analysis of plant hormones demonstrated that treating with T22 before or simultaneously to [virus] infection, led to a systemic resistance by jasmonic acid/ethylene and salicylic acid signaling pathways."

The results were amazing. Salicylic acid levels in leaves and roots were higher with the addition of T22. Here's the result for the leaves...

PA is the control... no T22 was given, and no virus infection.

PD is plants treated with T22 and, a week later, inoculated with the virus. PE is plants simultaneously treated and inoculated with T22 and the virus.

With PD there's a huge spike in the amount of salicylic acid in the leaves.

Well, now I'm encouraged to maybe try out some RootShield wettable product. It's not cheap... a pound costs $132-$145 plus shipping. Keeps for months if frozen or refrigerated.

 

[Azimuth]

This I would probably dilute, it doesn’t smell bad at all despite being at least 6 months old. You will notice Willow tea actually has a fragrance.

I find the Jadam extract smell will mellow with age. Still not pleasant, but less "in your face" bad.

So... there are claims of 20:1, 30:1, even 50:1, on various CBD strains. Yes, it's possible 30:1 means 15% CBD to 0.5% THC. That's actually very good, compared to what I've grown so far. My legacy CBD phenos run around 10% CBD. Generally, I think cannabis chemotype 3, which is the high-CBD/low-THC chemotype, usually means that at peak ripeness, THC will be no more than 1%. I think it would be rare that at peak ripeness, THC would be 0.5% or lower. Generally speaking, it would be closer to 1%.

I'm growing a Strawberry CBD which WSE claims to be 15% CBD and less than 0.3% THC. That one is an Indica dominant variety which replaces my ACDC that's supposed to have similar numbers but in a sativa dominant profile.

 

[cbdhemp808]

But wait, there's more!

I found out that it's relatively easy to propagate Trichoderma on cooked rice. You just need some starter.

I also found out that Trichoderma harzianum T22 is used as a foliar spray... the organism is able to colonize the phyllosphere [total above-ground surface of a plant]. Once established, it feeds on the bad guys. What a fricken amazing thing... it can live in the soil, among the roots (where it does magic), and all over the plant. It enhances plant growth and yield (it's a biostimulant), fights pathogens directly, and boosts the "immune system" of plants. Root systems are able to grow bigger and better.

As a foliar spray it is used as a treatment for botrytis (the bud rot fungus). Best to treat early and regularly, during the whole plant life cycle up to bud formation.

And this part I really love... Trichoderma likes humidity just like any other fungus, when getting established on leaf surfaces. Woohoo!!

Humboldt Seed Organization has a good article on Trichoderma. Dinafem also.

 

[Danishoes21]

But wait, there's more!

I found out that it's relatively easy to propagate Trichoderma on cooked rice. You just need some starter.

I also found out that Trichoderma harzianum T22 is used as a foliar spray... the organism is able to colonize the phyllosphere [total above-ground surface of a plant]. Once established, it feeds on the bad guys. What a fricken amazing thing... it can live in the soil, among the roots (where it does magic), and all over the plant. It enhances plant growth and yield (it's a biostimulant), fights pathogens directly, and boosts the "immune system" of plants. Root systems are able to grow bigger and better.

As a foliar spray it is used as a treatment for botrytis (the bud rot fungus). Best to treat early and regularly, during the whole plant life cycle up to bud formation.

And this part I really love... Trichoderma likes humidity just like any other fungus, when getting established on leaf surfaces. Woohoo!!

Humboldt Seed Organization has a good article on Trichoderma. Dinafem also.

Findings are getting better and better.

 

[cbdhemp808]

Greetings Growmies,

Here's an update with some pics from tonight.

I've got a bit of a complicated harvest about to happen, and at the same time, trouble with a couple plants in the veg house. Both of these things are going to require some anti-fungal tea, so I'm going to make 3 different types of tea, just to mix it up and try some different things...

TEA #1) An aerated worm compost tea, featuring worm castings, willow bark powder, kelp meal, potassium sulfate, and apple juice (for sugar). For this I'm going to brew up about 4 gallons of concentrate using my air stone setup (I'm pre-soaking the stone tonight). This tea will be used in a foliar spray as well as in a drench. I consider this one to be nutritive, microbial, and anti-fungal. I will maybe add a little bit of Bronner's peppermint soap as a wetting agent/surfactant to the foliar spray version... what do you think?​

​

TEA #2) An anaerobic tea, featuring willow bark powder and worm castings, 1 qt. This one will be for a foliar spray, and is microbial and anti-fungal. I will maybe add a little bit of Bronner's peppermint soap as a wetting agent/surfactant... what do you think?​

​

TEA #3) An infusion, featuring willow bark powder, thyme, rosemary, fennel seed, and cumin, 1/2 gal. I'm going to pour boiling water over the herbs in a 1/2 gal. jar. This one will be for a foliar spray, and is anti-fungal. I'll make this tea tonight, so it's ready in the morning. I'll add a little bit of Bronner's peppermint soap as a wetting agent/surfactant.​

I will measure the ppm and pH of each tea when they are ready.

Flower House

In the flower house, I've got 3 plants that are near to harvest: HI-BISCUS, Blueberry, and Sweet Critical CBD.

For bud rot prevention...

The HI-BISCUS is almost ready and has no sign of bud rot. I may harvest it tomorrow, or wait a bit longer, depending on how it looks. I'll give it a foliar spray of TEA #3 in the morning.​

​

The Sweet Critical is a bit less ready than HI-BISCUS. She had some minor signs of bud rot today, which I clipped off. She'll also get some TEA #3 tomorrow.​

​

Lastly, the Blueberry is looking spectacular, but still has a ways to go, and is also showing a little bit of minor bud rot, which I clipped off. She'll also get some TEA #3 tomorrow, and then I'll reassess what she might need Sunday or Monday.​

For leaf mold spots...

The above 3 plants, plus Seedsman 30:1 CBD and Blue Widow, will also get TEA #3 sprayed on their leaves. So this will be a first test to see if willow bark and the other high-salicylate herbs will have an effect on the downy mildew I've been seeing. Note that I'm also seeing a bit of septoria leaf spot fungus, but only a minor amount. I will also try TEA #1 and #2 as needed on the leaf spot organisms, when those teas are ready.​

Veg House

The below pics show the situation in the veg house. The two plants that need help are a Blueberry clone and a Grape Ape clone.

Here's the Grape Ape clone. Some of this droop is due to nighttime, but she droops some in the day as well. Her color is way off, she's somewhat limp, and she's just not growing normally. I'm sensing that a pathogenic soil fungus is disrupting root growth and nutrient uptake. She is not drinking and feeding normally, and the pot tends to stay wet too long (even though I've kept to the wet/dry cycle). I'm planning on giving her some healthy doses of TEA #1 – nutritive, microbial, and anti-fungal – as both a foliar spray and a soil drench.

Leaf clawing on the Grape Ape.

A Blueberry clone. She's in similar shape as the Grape Ape, but not as bad. Her color is off * and she's not growing very fast. She's a lot more perky than the Grape Ape, so hopefully this is a minor problem. I'm hoping she will also respond to TEA #1.
(* Her mom in the flower house has always had deep green leaves.)

In comparison, here's a Humboldt Dream clone... she's doing just fine.

Here's my DBL CBG seedling, showing a little nighttime droop. She's also doing just fine.

Top view of the DBL CBG. (This is the sativa-leaning pheno.)

Here's a clone of my legacy CBD #18 pheno... the queen of green. She's small and always loaded with deep green leaves.

That's all for tonight! Have a great weekend.

 

[Danishoes21]

Excited for the test and result. Interested in the ppm and ph reading of all 3 teas. They all sound good

 

[Azimuth]

Looking good (mostly )

I say yes to the Bronners soap for the foliars.

 

[cbdhemp808]

Found this yesterday in the flower house. Anyone know what bug does this? I'm totally amazed by this... the eggs laid perfectly against the main leaf vein, in a telephone pole ladder formation. And what the heck is the purpose of the chevron trails?!

 

[InTheShed]

Anyone know what bug does this

I can only guess they're Nazcan! That's crazy.

 

[cbdhemp808]

Here's the outcome of TEA #3 infusion – salicylic acid anti-fungal – soaked overnight in 1/2 gal container. The yield was a bit over 1 qt. I ran it first through a strainer to get out the big stuff, and then through a nylon juicing bag. I used the following amounts of dried herb... about 1 cup each of thyme, rosemary, and fennel seed; and then about 1/4 cup each of willow bark powder and cumin powder.

Here's a sample of the full-strength concentrate, and the dilution I used for foliar spray. Dilution was 4 fl oz of concentrate in 1/2 gal rainwater, in the pump sprayer. I added 12 drops Bronner's soap as a wetting agent. I measured the concentrate at 1,080 ppm (sediment settled), and the dilution at 150 ppm. Concentrate pH 5.7. Rainwater pH 7.0. Dilution pH 6.7.

Here's the Blueberry after her tea bath. Next time around I would not use cumin... it smells a bit too strong. She's doing OK bud rot wise... I picked off a few dead bracts and trimmed out only a small amount of bud rot. If there's good sun tomorrow, I might give her another dose.

Blueberry with heavy colas leaning over. I think these are the largest, most abundant colas on any plant I've grown – very curious to find out the dry weight of the harvest. She was topped in veg and 3 out of the 4 main branches are thick with big colas. COME ON SUNSHINE!

 

[Danishoes21]

Here's the outcome of TEA #3 infusion – salicylic acid anti-fungal – soaked overnight in 1/2 gal container. The yield was a bit over 1 qt. I ran it first through a strainer to get out the big stuff, and then through a nylon juicing bag. I used the following amounts of dried herb... about 1 cup each of thyme, rosemary, and fennel seed; and then about 1/4 cup each of willow bark powder and cumin powder.

Here's a sample of the full-strength concentrate, and the dilution I used for foliar spray. Dilution was 4 fl oz of concentrate in 1/2 gal rainwater, in the pump sprayer. I added 12 drops Bronner's soap as a wetting agent. I measured the concentrate at 1,080 ppm (sediment settled), and the dilution at 150 ppm. Concentrate pH 5.7. Rainwater pH 7.0. Dilution pH 6.7.

Here's the Blueberry after her tea bath. Next time around I would not use cumin... it smells a bit too strong. She's doing OK bud rot wise... I picked off a few dead bracts and trimmed out only a small amount of bud rot. If there's good sun tomorrow, I might give her another dose.

Blueberry with heavy colas leaning over. I think these are the largest, most abundant colas on any plant I've grown – very curious to find out the dry weight of the harvest. She was topped in veg and 3 out of the 4 main branches are thick with big colas. COME ON SUNSHINE!

Nice job

 

[cbdhemp808]

Quick update...

I found one of the top colas on the Blueberry (BB) had a small but significant area of bud rot... I had to clip off the top of the cola. The HI-BISCUS was clean. So was the Sweet Critical CBD (SC), except for a couple very minor spots, and some dead bracts. SC's got some slight signs of senescence setting in.

I felt like I couldn't see any improvement since yesterday's application of TEA #3, but it's hard to say. I didn't spray again today because there wasn't much sun to dry out the plants. It looks like maybe tomorrow there will be more sun... keeping fingers crossed.

RE: TEA #3. Salicylic acid should be effective against leaf-invading mildew, but I'm not sure about bud rot. @danishoes21 says yes. I read that a foliar spray of Trichoderma is effective against bud rot. Trichoderma activates the jasmonic acid pathway... "it's the jasmonic acid pathway/route that's involved in fighting fungi that live on dead material, for example botrytis (the bud rot fungus)".

I was able to order a product that contains 3 species of Trichoderma... it's called Mikrobs Microbial Superpack. Hopefully it will arrive by Friday. I *really* need it for the root problems in the veg house. Sadly, the product isn't pure Trichoderma – there's other microbes in there, so I don't know if it can be cultured.

I'm concerned about BB's bud rot... she's just packed with fat buds, so there's a lot of material there for bud rot to get started on. I think she's doing great so far... but it's making me nervous.

I'll do another trichome check on HI-BISCUS, SC, and BB tomorrow. If BB isn't ready, and the sun is bright, I may spray her again... with either peroxide or TEA #3, or – crazy idea – a mixture of the two.

EDIT: I forgot to mention... I should be getting a pound of dry horsetail leaf on Tuesday.

As always, thanks for your comments and likes.

 

[Danishoes21]

Quick update...

I found one of the top colas on the Blueberry (BB) had a small but significant area of bud rot... I had to clip off the top of the cola. The HI-BISCUS was clean. So was the Sweet Critical CBD (SC), except for a couple very minor spots, and some dead bracts. SC's got some slight signs of senescence setting in.

I felt like I couldn't see any improvement since yesterday's application of TEA #3, but it's hard to say. I didn't spray again today because there wasn't much sun to dry out the plants. It looks like maybe tomorrow there will be more sun... keeping fingers crossed.

RE: TEA #3. Salicylic acid should be effective against leaf-invading mildew, but I'm not sure about bud rot. @danishoes21 says yes. I read that a foliar spray of Trichoderma is effective against bud rot. Trichoderma activates the jasmonic acid pathway... "it's the jasmonic acid pathway/route that's involved in fighting fungi that live on dead material, for example botrytis (the bud rot fungus)".

I was able to order a product that contains 3 species of Trichoderma... it's called Mikrobs Microbial Superpack. Hopefully it will arrive by Friday. I *really* need it for the root problems in the veg house. Sadly, the product isn't pure Trichoderma – there's other microbes in there, so I don't know if it can be cultured.

I'm concerned about BB's bud rot... she's just packed with fat buds, so there's a lot of material there for bud rot to get started on. I think she's doing great so far... but it's making me nervous.

I'll do another trichome check on HI-BISCUS, SC, and BB tomorrow. If BB isn't ready, and the sun is bright, I may spray her again... with either peroxide or TEA #3, or – crazy idea – a mixture of the two.

EDIT: I forgot to mention... I should be getting a pound of dry horsetail leaf on Tuesday.

As always, thanks for your comments and likes.

Sorry to hear about the clipping and lost material, bud rot is a serious case, Its not easy to cure once its well stablished and spreads. I must add that these methods can be started before the first appearance of rot, Its better to prevent than to cure.

I have found a nice piece on Horsetail, which looks like you are about to start using. Horsetail is a fungicide besides many other things, if you make the tea spray with no dilution (I have done that). I harvest my horsetail yesterday I am starting my tea today.

BASIC SUBSTANCES

Our basic substances are produced by means of hot infusions or decoctions with the selected plants. They are listed in Appendix I of the European regulation 1107/2009, translated as NATURAL EXTRACTS (low-risk natural substances) in French law. They have therefore been officially authorized...

www.biovitis.fr

Dont lose faith, it takes time and repetition. You have the right tools to fight fungal problems.

All the best

 

[cbdhemp808]

Sorry to hear about the clipping and lost material, bud rot is a serious case, Its not easy to cure once its well stablished and spreads. I must add that these methods can be started before the first appearance of rot, Its better to prevent than to cure.

Thanks. I am aware about starting early, but I'm also trying to reveal natural resistance.

The Blueberry has scary amounts of bud rot today... going out to chop soon. We're having damp weather once again. Also harvesting the Sweet Critical.

 

[cbdhemp808]

Hey Growmies,

Greetings from moldsville

Sunday morning, the Blueberry had hardly any detectable bud rot, and I looked very closely.

Monday afternoon I had to harvest the Blueberry and Sweet Critical CBD prior to trichomes being ready, due to onset of bud rot. Both were salvage harvests – a lot was lost to bud rot. For the Blueberry, the rot was all over the place – crazy rapid onset. For the Sweet Critical, her buds were much smaller and she was more resistant – it was the kind of bud rot that is just barely starting to develop on dead bracts inside the buds. This, too, was all over the place. Fortunately, I got a good sample of both and the buds are now drying.

Keep in mind... I'm doing research, not production. I'm looking for strains that have natural resistance to bud rot. In order to find that out, I am purposefully not pampering them too much. The two CBD strains that I'm trying out aren't really part of this Quest... they're on another track... I'm trying to find CBDs that will come in close to 20% CBD.

The Blueberry, however, was adopted into the Quest (as a freebie), and I will likely grow her again from one of the clones, and this time I'll pay a lot more attention to her, including inoculating the soil with some beneficial microbes including trichoderma, and use a 15 gal fabric pot. She was just an awesome plant – very vigorous, dark green leaves, and heavy producer.

Here's tonight's harvest report for the Blueberry...

Blueberry (80% indica)

category	score
Leaf mold resistance* (low, med, high): med+	2.5
Bud rot resistance* (low, med, high): low	1
Bug resistance (low, med, high): low	1
Resin production (low, med, high): med+	2.5
Fragrance: sweet, slightly spicy	--
Harvest status (minus, neutral, plus): minus harvested early due to bud rot	1
Yield (low, med, high): med+ ignoring the rot	2.5
Overall rating:	10.5/18 = 58%

* Low and med resistance implies peroxide or some other foliar spray was used on leaves and/or buds.

Blueberry colas would have been awesome... here's the best, with rotten buds clipped out.

This is all I was able to salvage.

Trichomes were premature... some are milky. Lots of resin and very sticky.

Sweet Critical CBD (50/50 hybrid).

No harvest report for this one. I'll be sending a bud sample to the lab soon to check CBD content.

Small buds with some bud rot resistance. If harvested a couple days ago, would have been OK.

Here's what I was able to salvage... could have got some more, but searching for infected dead bracts inside buds just 'aint worth it.

This stuff...

Buds were small but with good trichome production. Mild spicy/herbal fragrance. Not very sticky.

Sweet Critical CBD trichomes.

 

[cbdhemp808]

Tuesday morning/afternoon I'll harvest the HI-BISCUS. At this point, she looks rot free, and trichomes are ready.

Both Humboldt Dream – which has been very mold resistant – and HI-BISCUS are bred by Humboldt Seed Company. By "mold resistant" I mean bud rot resistant... fungus that takes hold on dead material.

I'm getting the feeling now that mold resistance may not be found by just looking for seeds for whatever particular well-known strain, from whatever particular seed seller, that may be known to be mold resistant; however, instead looking for seed from expert breeders who specifically make stable seed lines that include mold resistance. Humboldt Dream is a perfect example... it's not just a Blue Dream, it's a stable line created from Blue Dream x PPD. PPD = Matanuska Mist x Oregon Grape x Purple Haze. It's exceptionally high in myrcene.