Wildfires and bud rot

[Grandma Weedstein]

During the Oregon wildfires last month, my plants got covered in ash despite being in a hoophouse.

Folks advised me to wash it off but I was reluctant to do so, due to fear of bud rot from getting the plants wet. They were already flowering pretty heavily.

Now we had a few days of rain and I’ve got bud rot out the wazoo, even though my plants are covered.

Is it likely that the ash got stuck in the buds as they grew and then absorbed moisture, adding to the problem?

I am at a loss why else the bus rot problem would be so severe. It was less severe last year even though my crop was directly rained upon before I built the hoophouse.

The varieties were similar in that they were the parents of this year’s cultivars. I wouldn’t expect the progeny to be more susceptible than the parents.

 

[TorturedSoul]

During the Oregon wildfires last month, my plants got covered in ash despite being in a hoophouse.

Folks advised me to wash it off but I was reluctant to do so, due to fear of bud rot from getting the plants wet. They were already flowering pretty heavily.

Now we had a few days of rain and I’ve got bud rot out the wazoo, even though my plants are covered.

Is it likely that the ash got stuck in the buds as they grew and then absorbed moisture, adding to the problem?

I don't know whether it's likely, because I've not had to suffer the experience of nearby wildfires. But it does seem to be a logical conclusion. The ash might have acted as a sponge, of sorts. And there's all kinds of crap floating around in the air on even a good day. If it ended up getting attached to the ash particulate, it would have then landed on your plants with that ash. Even snowflakes tend to have bacteria in them.

Snowflakes Aren’t Innocent and Fluffy—They’re Bacteria Bombs from the Sky

Snowflakes Aren’t Innocent and Fluffy—They’re Bacteria Bombs from the Sky

www.discovermagazine.com

Do Microbes Make Snow?

Scientists discover microbes in snows sampled from different parts of the world--and show how microorganisms might be the catalyst

www.scientificamerican.com

Even if your plants weren't directly infected, the event still could have played a part, by facilitating the infection of other plants in your area (and then the crap on those plants would have released spores of its own).

 

[bluter]

fire and bud rot.

somebody just fuckin shoot 2020 dead already.

 

[nivek]

fire and bud rot.

somebody just fuckin shoot 2020 dead already.

still one quarter of it to go,, what we all gonna do with three dead months??

 

[Carcass]

It was less severe last year even though my crop was directly rained upon before I built the hoophouse.

How's the air circulation in the hoophouse? Little or no circulation will give bud rot a chance to settle in...

Caterpillar damage can also cause rot- dig in to one of the affected buds- you may find a little caterpillar has turned the bud into his own little personal food supply/toilet... it's the "toilet" part that will cause the buds to rot from the inside out.
Spraying the plants with something containing BTI will keep them in check, but it may be too late for it to help much- if they're already in the buds..