Fungi and Diseases

Marijuana Horticulture

by Jorge Cervantes

Fungi are very primitive plants and do not produce chlorophyll, the substance that gives higher plants their green color. Fungi reproduce by spreading tiny microscopic spores rather than seeds. Countless fungal spores are present in the air at all times. When these microscopic airborne spores find the proper conditions, they will settle, take hold, and start growing. Some fungi, such as bud rotting gray mold (Botrytis) are so prolific that they can spread through an entire crop in a matter of days.

In fact, one grow room was located near a swamp and Botrytis spores were omnipresent in the environment. Buds and stems contracted gray mold quickly and were often reduced to a wisp of powdery foliage in short order. The grower lost four consecutive crops. Finally, the grower moved to a greener pastures and had no trouble with mold. Unsterile, soggy soil, coupled with humid, stagnant air, provides the environment most fungi need to thrive. Although there are many different types of fungi, they are usually prevented with similar methods.