Alien OG Outdoors

I’m an experienced gardener, but only my 3rd attempt growing cannibis outdoors. My climate (Zone 8) isn’t ideal due to high humidity and rarely any wind. In late August I was hit with bud rot. Even after removing the damage, it kept spreading. Any recommendations on prevention or better strain for my climate

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PacWest was hit with some abnormally high humidity this year from all the moisture…more than usual
Wa, Or are big grow communities but many suffered the indignity of mold / bud rot
hints - smaller buds…big buds = more opportunity for bud rot…Air circulation…no reason you cannot put a pedestal fan outside. Doesn’t have to be a giant fan like hoop growers use and the end / beginning of their tubes but a decent fan…enough to move air
Strain…more sativa dominant so the buds are thinner, wispier…less dense than indica buds
Frankenstein, Frankenstein Auto, GDP/GG4, GG4/WW, Critical Purple, Purple Haze, Jamaican, Jamaican blends…Early Miss auto…
The blueberry family tens to be more mold resistant
and lastly
a nano-micelle solution that can protect / prevent and stop mold,sprayed regularly on a daily basis, all the way up to and including flower / harvest
you can ask me privately about this solution

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Welcome to the forum. You have the same problem that I have near Seattle. My bum only grows in the sun. I only run lights in the winter to nurture my keepers clones until the next season.

I keep impeccable notes. The best mold strains for me have been Durban Poison (yea old reliable), blueberry (dj short), sour diesel, black cherry soda, jilly bean, aloha grape stomper, San Fernando valley OG, strawberry cough, and dutch treat. I have been told by a grower I respect that kalimist and sweet island skunk does great too. Once I get a mold winner I cross it to all my other winners and then pheno hunt for….mold resistance.

Stay away from: agent orange, bubba kush, grand daddy purple (most purps), hash plant, and affgooey. Nothing but moldy mushy messes the first morning dew on big nugs.:confused:

Generally I stay away from short squat indicas. They can take the cold but not the wet. Same on hybrids that tend to lean indica (short squat plants w fat leaves). The sativa leaning hybrids seem to take wet and moist much better. I have tried hundreds of pedigree seeds from many banks. When hunting individual seed packs I pick the sisters that lean to the Sativa side of the phenotype hunt. That way you can still get a indica smoke on a Sativa looking plants.

The true sativa (landrace and landrace crosses) all take the wet well. Their biggest problem is way too long flower times and overly extra tall floppy plants. Durban is an exception to this and one of the best against mold.

Keep in mind that does not mean mold proof. It just means not moldy on the first morning dew after Labor Day. It’s a rare year I have to worry about % milky trichomes. I harvest at the first sign of botrytis.

I have to say the dj short blueberry is the most resistant strain I have ever seen. The beans are too much $$ so I never could spend that much on seeds. Never bought into the hype. I was gifted a cut last year and it is my new favorite. I forgot about it in the rain last year for a month while growing in its prove it pot. It was trim season. (Plants have “to prove it” before they get to nestle their roots in my raised beds.) Anyway, not a spot of mold. Unreal mold resistance. In a class by itself. I could have grown it underwater in a fish tank.:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: The magic 8 ball says the blueberry and I have a bright and mold free future together.

My final thoughts, I have to expand on what Mike (mrb53004) said. He is spot on. Big top coals on Christmas tree (natural growth form for most strains)
Is just asking for botrytis. It is too big and dense and traps moisture. Not enough air flow. Topping the plant into a multi top bush is always a better idea. You usually get more weight from the multi tops added together anyway. The smaller tops just don’t trap as much moisture. If the cola gets much bigger than your forearm some individual bud reduction is helpful too. I just clip out some of the flower clusters from a node that opens up some air flow. Some is better than none. I have also used half popsicle sticks and straws to bend the buds out from the tight cola. This allows for airflow too. You just have to look how the buds grow to see which is best to do. Clips or sticks if that makes sense? Blue dream fits this perfect. Top bud is a moldy bud, multitop bush gets to smoke.

The only strain I have ever seen fucked up by topping into a multitop bush was an old TGA named mothertongue. It was a watermelon flavored kush. It did not like topping. I ran it enough times to make sure. Fucked it up every time.
Never seen that since.:point_left:

To answer your last question, once you see bud rot just harvest. It will keep spreading no matter what you try if a humid region was a factor. I even cut related sisters in the garden if I see it on another plant. Let unrelated strains to continue to flower. But 1 spot of bud rot cut it out and harvest.

Take notes, it is a must if you want to improve your growing.

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Was your alien og light deprived or an autoflower? Nothing to do with mold. I am just curious.

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Not auto flower. My plants were getting 7 hours of sun per day.