I’m growing outdoors in Minnesota. I have 5 plants and 3 of them are suddenly having a problem. No visual signs of insect infestation. The other 2 plants are beasts! Does anyone recognize this issue?
@Big123 may be able to help he’s an outstanding outdoor grower.
Welcome to the forum @PlacidHarbor! Tag a few more for ya. @Bentstick @plumbdand @David1974 @Superkurt420 @Happyday420 They do look pretty toasty. @PogueMahone who is the resident outdoor grower in yalls area?
Welcome to the forum @PlacidHarbor Looks like caterpillar damage but could be some other critters. Caterpillars burrow inside the colas and eat and poop their way to the tip. This causes mold and bud rot. Eventually they drop to the ground and become moths then they lay eggs. I would pull those dead and dying buds open and search. Also look on the under sides of the leaves for eggs.
May be Fusarium Wilt, or Nematodes, or something else affecting some of the roots?
Welcome aboard @PlacidHarbor 
I would trim off dead buds and leave only healthy foliage, perhaps feed them some microbes 
trichoderma, Rootwise bloom, or something else similar, neem cake good to build resistance to nematodes, and other goodnesses…
Thanks!
Will do and thank you! Didn’t see any caterpillars but I didn’t look on the underside of everything.
Thank you and thanks for the great info!
With a month left, if I remove the affected branches and treat the plant, what are my chances of recovery? The other 2 plants are only affected on 2 or 3 branches so far. Was considering an early harvest just to save what I can?
Thanks for the welcome and the tags!
It’s a tough call, I do think removing the damaged branches will help what is left grow healthier and better.
An early harvest might be in the cards, they look like they still have a ways to go to be in the harvest window.
Understood. I’ll see what I discover tomorrow. Thanks again!
You bet my friend. Hang around if ya like. This is a great place with kind people that genuinely just want to help folks grow.
I’m seeing that right away. Thanks again!
Caterpillars can be tiny usually 1/2 at the most and they are inside the buds
Welcome to the forum @PlacidHarbor
When Minnesota legalized cannabis, I planted outdoors. It was not a great success! Like this year, it was a hot and dry one. I was able to keep the girls hydrated and built a frame to provide 12 hours of darkness beginning mid-August. Then the caterpillars and bud rot hit. It seems that the caterpillars are the same little bastards that are called corn earworm. Minnesota is all corn!
My advice is to invest in indoor culture, it is far more reliable.
Welcome to the forum @PlacidHarbor I have no clue. I would look for a stalk borrer first they do the same as the catapillers only the stalk borrer drills a hole around the base or trunk of your plant and burrows it way too the top where it emerges from your top colas in the fall as a moth. Can’t do nothing now but remove the branch. Don’t give up growing out doors. I’ve grown indoors and outdoors and indoors has way more problem and cost allot more money.
I’m with @David1974 .Vine borer look just like a small green/white caterpillar.They eat a small hole near the base of plant.if you find this is your problem you can change hats and become a surgeon for a day.Cut a vertical line upwards from the entry point about an inch and a half,reach in with tweezers and hopefully pull worm out.Keep moving up if necessary.Spray with a anti fungal/bt product bandage for a week or so then remove bandage. Check YouTube for a video.
This took 5 from me this year.Before I figured out the problem. I managed to safe 3. I’ve previously done surgery on squash/pumpkin plants almost every year.
Cannibus plants are extremely resilient and tend to bounce back quickly.
Cut all the bud rot off .When I find budrot I spray the plant with a 50-50 mix of hydrogen peroxide/water then cut budrot off.The spray prevents spores from becoming airborne. Wrap the infected buds an trash them.Disinfecting the tools when done. After I spray them about every 3-4 days.It doesn’t stop the dreaded rot but IMO it slows it down.
Sure hope you get this figured out.Let us know how you make out.
@Mateo I’ve never done surgery lol from what I’ve read they enter the plant in June and early July and then start eating their way too the top where they emerge in the fall as moths. Those giant moths you see in the fall. My experience is usually i lose one branch or if it’s early in the season I’ve had to cut the plant in half and take the whole top. This year I think i lost an entire plant to one althoughI cannot find the entry hole