# Mildew issue



## Hushpuppy (Sep 8, 2016)

I have been growing in my little "out-building" and I pull my intake air in through an adjacent building, but I have been fighting an ever increasing mildew issue since I began. During the summer its worse because of the high humidity but I am wondering if I use a T5HO UV light along with a ozone generator in the "adjacent" building will it kill off the mildew spore before it gets drawn into my grow space. Any suggestions?


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## zem (Sep 13, 2016)

hey HP, how are you dealing with that? are you certain that it has nothing to do with genetics? I have found strains that are way more prone to PM than others


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## Hushpuppy (Sep 13, 2016)

Hey Zem: I have been having some mildew issues all along because my space is so small and I have to circulate my air from outside, it makes it real hard to filter out the mildew spore that has been rampant this year in NC from having a pretty wet spring/summer. I have been fighting it with dry air/wind but I am still getting tiny amounts that get on the bud some. I have lost several oz of bud and about 60grams of hash because of it and mistakes.

I am going to look at a special setup with high intensity UV light on my intake air to kill the spore. 

I have this same mildew in all of my utility buildings, it gets on everything. I wish they made Eagle20 bombs that I could set off in each of my buildings but that may be too potent with residue on everything.


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## zem (Sep 14, 2016)

HP I happen to have extensive experience in growing inside small areas in humid climate. How small exactly is your flowering space? how do you ventilate it?


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## pcduck (Sep 14, 2016)

AEM works.


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## umbra (Sep 14, 2016)

Hey Hush there are a few approaches. I employ several for optimal results. I use an air cleaner that uses negative ions and uvb combined. It is called photohydroionization. And Duck is right EM1 rocks.


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## Hushpuppy (Sep 15, 2016)

Zem, My flower space is 4'x5' roughly and it is attached to another room that is my work room which is 8'x5'. I have a large Vortex fan that draws air from my flower space, through the lights, then through a pair of carbon filters and then exhaust out of building. My intake air comes in from outside through an adjacent utility building (that my grow room is built onto the side), and then it goes through an AC/dehumidifier before going through a hole in the wall to the workroom of my grow. The fresh air that goes into the workroom gets drawn into the flower room through low wall ports.

I was thinking about modifying the space around my AC to use something like the photohydroionization, figuring that I would be killing off the mildew as it is coming into the AC. Where would I find such a device? or could I get a ozone generator and a high intensity UV light. My AC is actually in the utility building on the other side of the wall from my grow.


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## zem (Sep 15, 2016)

There must be a way to bypass that nasty intake other than having to buy a device that filters air, something passive like an exceptionally long duct to somewhere with clean air


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## orangesunshine (Sep 15, 2016)

hey hush---the mildew spores are already in the room---your existing filtration for bringing in fresh air sounds solid---are you talking about powdery mildew here or some other---is the air in the plants room being circulated by a fan---what is the rh in the room---have you got a dehumidifier


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## umbra (Sep 15, 2016)

here you go:

http://www.rgf.com/products/air/guardian-air-desktop-air-purifier/


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## Hushpuppy (Sep 16, 2016)

Humidity has been a real problem for me here during the summer, on top of that we had a very wet spring/summer. My system struggled to keep the temps and humidity down. I ran upper 80s and 75%rh with an AC going. I have fought with mildew getting into my AC in my house all summer. Ive had to clean it out with chlorox spray 3x now. It seems like its in the air everywhere here this summer. Now that its dry and going to fall, I will have much less problem with it. I do have fans moving every bit of air in both rooms. I have one fan above the canopy of the flowers and one below the canopy to circulate good.

The only way to prevent mildew here is to have a closed atmosphere or serious filtration. My space is too small for a closed atmosphere. What Im getting is "standard grey mildew" Its everywhere in my outside environment as I am backed up to a large composting area of overgrowth, rotting barns, and deadfall that is on someone else's property.

Umbra I will check that out, thanks.


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## zem (Sep 16, 2016)

HP do you have a dehumidifier? I use one in humid seasons, indespensable


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## orangesunshine (Sep 16, 2016)

sounds like the easy fix would be a dehumidifier hush


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## Gooch (Sep 17, 2016)

HP a little know secret is getting calcium into the plant will strengthen it against pm, insects and all kinds of other issues. But just added calmag will not help that, you need to add amino acids, there are 2 specific ones that open ion channels for calcium and allow the plant to take it up 1000times faster. Also calcium is only taken up in the transpiration stream so its imperative to keep the humidity between 40-60 to keep the transpiration going.


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## Hushpuppy (Sep 17, 2016)

My AC is actually a dehumidifier as well. The problem is that it isn't strong enough to keep up with the 90f+ temps with 80%+ humidity all summer. Im actually looking into getting one of the special UV fixtures and set it up in my building so that can exterminate all the mildew spore that comes into the building, before it gets sucked into the AC. Also that will kill all of the mildew that is trying to grow in my building that is just for storage.


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## umbra (Sep 18, 2016)

Gooch said:


> HP a little know secret is getting calcium into the plant will strengthen it against pm, insects and all kinds of other issues. But just added calmag will not help that, you need to add amino acids, there are 2 specific ones that open ion channels for calcium and allow the plant to take it up 1000times faster. Also calcium is only taken up in the transpiration stream so its imperative to keep the humidity between 40-60 to keep the transpiration going.


 While this is correct, there are many ways to stimulate the stoma to open or stay open longer. I use sound waves.


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## zem (Sep 18, 2016)

HP your plan sounds very difficult to achieve, trying to eliminate ALL spores, maybe possible i don't know. AC units that have a "dry mode" are not as effective as a good stand alone dehumidifier.


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## Gooch (Sep 18, 2016)

umbra said:


> While this is correct, there are many ways to stimulate the stoma to open or stay open longer. I use sound waves.


this isnt a method to stimulate the stoma, calcium + pectan= calcium pectate very hard for pm  to penetrate before it dries up and dies. calcium is key if you want to grow quality.



zem said:


> HP your plan sounds very difficult to achieve, trying to eliminate ALL spores, maybe possible i don't know. AC units that have a "dry mode" are not as effective as a good stand alone dehumidifier.


 yea funny thing is it makes it more humid in my room when i use the dry function lol, i have an ac and a dehumidifier in the same room


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## umbra (Sep 18, 2016)

Gooch said:


> this isnt a method to stimulate the stoma, calcium + pectan= calcium pectate very hard for pm  to penetrate before it dries up and dies. calcium is key if you want to grow quality.
> 
> 
> yea funny thing is it makes it more humid in my room when i use the dry function lol, i have an ac and a dehumidifier in the same room



Well in order for transpiration to happen the stoma must open, by definition. I also run a mini split and a dehumidifier.


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## Gooch (Sep 19, 2016)

umbra said:


> Well in order for transpiration to happen the stoma must open, by definition. I also run a mini split and a dehumidifier.


Yes i agree but transpiration happens with humidity between 40-60% and then calcium is taken up however you stimulate the stoma is a good thing


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## Hushpuppy (Sep 19, 2016)

I just try to keep the girls comfortable and happy  When its not so blazing hot AND humid, the AC works well


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## umbra (Sep 19, 2016)

Gooch said:


> Yes i agree but transpiration happens with humidity between 40-60% and then calcium is taken up however you stimulate the stoma is a good thing


 I am able to by-pass vapor pressure deficit and open and close the stomata at will by using a sub sonic harmonic wave generator. Straight out of UC Davis think tank. Relative humidity means nothing without the temperature attached to it. I run my plants at 78* @ 30% Rh.


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## orangesunshine (Sep 19, 2016)

umbra said:


> I am able to by-pass vapor pressure deficit and open and close the stomata at will by using a sub sonic harmonic wave generator. Straight out of UC Davis think tank. Relative humidity means nothing without the temperature attached to it. I run my plants at 78* @ 30% Rh.



that's impressive umbra!!!!!


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## zem (Sep 19, 2016)

umbra said:


> I am able to by-pass vapor pressure deficit and open and close the stomata at will by using a sub sonic harmonic wave generator. Straight out of UC Davis think tank. Relative humidity means nothing without the temperature attached to it. I run my plants at 78* @ 30% Rh.



umbra did this tool really work? they claim 20% more yield and less pests


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## Gooch (Sep 19, 2016)

man i wish i had 1300 to drop on one, i would try it out, anything i can do to increase brix, within budget lol


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## umbra (Sep 19, 2016)

zem said:


> umbra did this tool really work? they claim 20% more yield and less pests


 Yes it works


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