Battling Mold, it's a Buds Life!

Early detection is critical when it comes to growing plants indoors. If you are new to indoor gardening, it “mite” be hard for you to spot the early signs of damage. See what we did there? Mites, bugs and mold are just some of the things that can attack your plants. Although these pests can show up in both indoor and outdoor gardens, we believe that infestation indoors is definitely the worst. While it doesn’t take a scientist to figure out how to solve these problems, we’re happy to walk you through some solutions on inspecting your buds, when your crops are ready to be harvested and how using an LED illuminated loupe creates a huge difference in your gardening experience!

One of the crucial parts of hydroponic gardening is the maintenance. Although almost anything can be grown indoors, from tomatoes to lettuce to marijuana, not every plant will survive if pests and molds are present in your garden way before harvest time. Nothing sucks harder than dedicating your time and effort taking care of your plants and watch them die one day because you didn’t see it coming! So make sure to check your buds regularly. Molds can grow on buds, leaves, stems and it can kill your whole plant! Quick tip: If one of your buds is starting to grow mold quickly take action by cutting all of the affected buds off and harvest it immediately. Then proceed to checking out the other buds and find out why molds developed in the first place. Most likely your room is too humid so be sure to keep it no higher than 60% relative humidity during flower. No matter how long you have been a grower, there are still times when pests and molds will affect your crops. But hey, life is what you bake it!

Brace yourselves, harvest time is coming! So how do you know when it’s the perfect time to harvest? There are a couple of methods you can use to identify if your plants are ready to be harvested, especially your precious buds! Happy Hydro has a dual lens magnifying glass and led light which makes microscopic details easier to see, plus it’s very durable. It has a 30x and 60x setting, we recommend the 60x lens for checking out your trichomes.

Trichomes, also known as resin glands, are the crystals you see accumulating in the buds and leaves. Or the mushroom-looking growth that makes your buds sticky. Cannabis trichomes are impossible to see by the naked eye which is why the kind of jewelers loupe you use makes a huge difference. You can also use your phone to take macro shots from your loupe’s lenses to help you determine the trichomes color and shape better. If the trichomes are translucent and somewhat “clear” looking, then it is still too young to harvest. However, if the trichomes are mostly cloudy, then your crop is generally ready for harvest. If you’re growing vegetables, this long list from Organic Garden Supply on when and how to harvest is very helpful.

After harvesting, make sure to check your produce for any bugs or pesticide residue. This is very important especially to those who choose to grow fruits and vegetables like lettuce and peppers. If you want to learn more about Pesticide Residue and how to get rid of it, check out this awesome article from healthline!

We hope this article has helped you learn more about growing plants indoors. Liked this article? Share it with your friends or subscribe to our blog to have it delivered straight in your inbox! Stay tuned for more and happy growing!