Bud Rot resistant strains for indoor

Indoor Growing
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@Nicky @Hellraiser @Caligurl @emgoldslo @Covertgrower @Coen3440 @Spiney_norman @Myfriendis410 @neofirebird @MaD-VapoR

So at this point I’ve got some experience with a few ILGM strains, and also some unfortunate experience with bud rot. It seems the bigger the buds get (with 1 exception) the more susceptible to bud rot.

I really don’t need to grow a bunch of strains, and I’m looking to settle into 1 or 2 strains and then maybe pheno hunt. But first the strains to settle into.

I have a preference for high THC strains.

I have issues with dampness in my basement

My ceilings are maybe 7 feet, so nothing too tall.

From what I’ve experienced so far, it seems Zkittlez and White Widow are very susceptible to bud rot, and I think I’m done trying those. It’s too bad because the Zkittlez smells and tastes great.

Bruce Banner has given me smaller yields but smaller buds with no rot at all and it is short and bushy even though the site says tall, and I like the potency.

Gorilla Glue seems to be my favorite so far with big yields, some big buds, nice potency, short and bushy, and minimal rot.

I’ve picked up a few others to try:

Girl scout cookies extreme seems to be very virulent but it’s growing really tall in veg. I have not flowered this strain yet. Clones well though with the testing I’ve done. The verdict is out on this, if I can keep it short I might consider it, but it’s not a frontrunner because of the height issue.

Skywalker OG also seems to get tall and does not seem to be as virulent. I’ve tested cloning all strains I have to see if they are good candidates and this is the worst for growing roots. It’s a water hog too. Haven’t flowered this yet either but even if it’s bud rot resistant I don’t think this is the one for me. Maybe a bad pheno though as I only tested 1.

Black Widow I have in veg too, seems great, very much like Gorilla Glue in veg. Right height, growing robustly, testing clones - good root development. But I haven’t flowered it yet and I’m worried it will be susceptible to rot since it’s related (super charged?) White Widow from what I understand.

My final current candidate is Banana Kush, but I have not done anything with this strain yet. When I move Skywalker out, I’ll be able to give this a shot. I’m limited on the number I can grow at once with my medical card.

So please… share your experience. Are there certain strains you recommend avoiding if bud rot is an issue? Certain strains that you think are bud rot resistant? I’m trying to deal with the moisture/humidity issues, but my basement has moisture issues every spring and after big rains in the summer, so I want to try to get ahead of it by growing the best strains for my conditions.

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I have had good luck and no mold issues with Girl Scout cookies and northern lights.

I ended up with wpm on my purple and og kush so avoid those if you have dampness issues.

Also increase airflow. Maybe add another fan to keep the air moving.

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Thanks for the tag…I’ll be watching. Would be nice to know of any resistant strains, but my bud rot was entirely my fault.

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I live in the desert with low humidity, every strain is bud rot resistant for me LOL so it’s hard for me to recommend as I’ve never had bud rot in 30 years of indoor growing. Had WPM once early in my growing, then learned to keep the exhaust on during the dark cycle.

How about a dehumidifier?

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Most seed banks let you filter by traits.

If your going to stick to one strain I would try and focus on something that has a good well bred genetic, which then you can hunt for phenos.
well known top mold resistant strains:

Moby Dick
Super Silver Haze
Sour Diesel
Pour Plant
Durban Poisen
Strawberry Caugh

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That’s exactly how I will combat bud rot. Don’t need one now, but in not too many weeks from now I’ll be needing one. I have found several I’ll be researching…

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If you are running high humidity frankly anything you try is going to be susceptible to bud rot. That said; sativa-leaning strains produce a ‘looser’ more open flower which is genetically evolved to deal with Equatorial American temps and humidity. Indica is evolved for higher elevations with lower temps and RH. So I’d lean towards them.

Sour Diesel would be on the top of my list.

You will likely never find much improvement until you learn to manage your humidity.

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Here is a list. ILGM seems to have a few here too. Happy anniversary @Myfriendis410 :grin:

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410 is right. I never worry about bud rot with good airflow and proper training but I work with smaller spaces than most. Imo do what you can to open your girls up and you should be ok. Worse case scenario throw in a dehumidifier and give em lots of air.

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Could something like this help lower the humidity in your basement…?

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U might as well get a dehumidifier imo. You might be buying a whole lotta these vs dropping some bread on something u know will work. How big is your space? Ceilings 7ft but what about L,W? Also what’s your situation look like with lights on full power etc? Amazon even had like small dehums though I’d just get a big one off the muscle with 7 ft ceilings. I mean if you grow big plants their gonna create a lot of moisture through transpiration. And I say this only cuz I am the master of trying to find a cheap way of doing something only to realize I shoulda just did it right the first time.

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@Spiney_norman

It probably would help, I’ve had issues with moisture down there since my home inspection when I bought it after a credit for water issues.
Window wells filled with water and leaked, so I dug all the way down to the drain tile and put drains in the window wells. I diverted the gutters away from the foundation and graded the soil down from the sides of the house.

At this point no more water comes in, but I had a guy out who essentially told me the water table is high, and there is wet muck under most of my house. So it’s seeping in through the concrete and cracks in the concrete.

I do have a dehumidifier down there that was set to 50, it makes it decent down there, but it’s humidity sensor isn’t very sensitive. I turned it down to 40 and put it in my grow room but my hygrometers say the humidity gets into the high 50’s which I believe is why I have mold.

I didn’t even know what bud rot was until my first harvest. Obviously my basement isn’t ideal for growing, but it’s what I have to work with. I was thinking of moving my grow into my garden house (glorified shed) but I’m afraid it gets too hot in the summer.

I don’t have time to organize my entire basement and paint 1500 sq feet with dry lock right now, I just started a new job and things are hectic, but I’ll keep it in mind and pick up another dehumidifier.

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@TheAlchemist so I have a 1500 sq ft basement. I was growing in an 8 x 16 closet in the back, but just started using tents to try to manage the environment better.

I’m running 720 watts in a 4 x 4 tent starting up currently, while my closet grow winds down.

I was using a dehumidifier but it doesn’t seem to be sensing the RH properly. My hygrometers say the humidity is much higher than the dehumidifier.

I will definitely pick up a new dehumidifier though.

And yes I’m growing some pretty big plants, I took this guy down this morning.

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And I lost these 2 big colas plus a few smaller ones to the rot.

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I don’t really understand how these buds could exist without being moist on the inside.

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I would think with the dryloc, or another similar product, and some other measures you could get into a better situation. My space is actually too dry so I have to run a humidifier thru veg to get good growth.
I used to paint commercially and Sherwin Williams had a similar product. Loxon is theirs. Flows into cracks and seals them. Even if you don’t see water the blocks transpire a large amount of moisture to the air.

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Run that mf nonstop and double up on dehums if needed? If I hear u right it sounds like u just tryna get through flower? Prob a quick fix solution. I wouldn’t gaf about low rH if I’m fighting mold potential or PM. I’d just adjust my nutrient solution for higher uptake. But others may have some better ideas to get u thru with minimal damage.

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Yeah they looking great bro I’d be all about ensuring a low rH by any means necessary lol but I’m also impulsive lol. I’d drop another couple Bill’s on a second dehumidifier and comfort myself after :sweat_smile:

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@TheAlchemist yeah, you’re right. I’ll get a second one this weekend and put it right outside my tent.

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Yeah they’re beautiful bro. Look at it like insurance. And if u wanna be petty u could always return it after the fact :rofl::rofl::rofl: but I got a feeling it’s likely a good investment. Messing with foundations and all that? I’m out lol. Itd be like an episode of Tool Time messing with me.

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I would suspect that you have active mold in the basement and it is inoculating your plants with mold spores.

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@Myfriendis410

Haha, you sound like my dad. He’s a doctor and loves to say how stupid everyone is for thinking cold weather causes colds.

“Viruses cause colds not cold weather dummy”

True true, there are mold spores either in my basement or compost, and the humidity and warmth in my grow room give them ideal conditions time grow.

But mold spores are literally everywhere. I used to work for a company that compounded medications, we had blue sticky mats and magnetic curtains to try to keep stuff like mold spores out. Even if I sterilize my basement spores will inevitably get down there again almost immediately through my dusty hvac ducts.

I think a multifaceted approach is needed to try to minimize exposure and mitigate favorable conditions and finally grow resistant strains. But I agree with you, I just don’t know how to address the spores in a 65 year old house, but I don’t have mold growing on anything in my house that I have seen in 6 years except on these buds. Mildew yes, but mold no.

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