# Need help with identifying white on leaves

**URL:** <https://ilgmforum.com/t/need-help-with-identifying-white-on-leaves/30362>\
**Category:** Grow Journals\
**Created:** [April 21, 2019, 4:00pm UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/need-help-with-identifying-white-on-leaves/30362 "2019-04-21T16:00:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Magilla12](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/magilla12/32/187176_2.png) [@Magilla12](https://ilgmforum.com/u/Magilla12)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2019, 4:00pm UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/need-help-with-identifying-white-on-leaves/30362/1 "2019-04-21T16:00:08Z")

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I can’t figure what this white stuff is. I think it’s WPM. It’s a WWA well into flower. RH is 35-40 temps att 82 day 60s at night. Input and exhaust fan and 3 other fans.

 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/original/3X/d/3/d3c8df85d33f37ea1a09a9b832ea367fdaf614c4.jpeg) ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/original/3X/b/e/be20ca740ff6a08e02c448984fd26a3a02366fb2.jpeg) ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/original/3X/a/f/af44342bcd51bac8393c7a27ce740197ecda10be.jpeg) ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/original/3X/a/3/a373a67edee7d6f2fedccd31739f5ec78fb42fc4.jpeg) ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/original/3X/0/9/09e4f6c4a7ee03598b292196fa6a61f5bbd267b0.jpeg) ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/original/3X/0/b/0b1992995ae4f517860a735a406762e8f6415b71.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![Magilla12](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/magilla12/32/187176_2.png) [@Magilla12](https://ilgmforum.com/u/Magilla12)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2019, 4:02pm UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/need-help-with-identifying-white-on-leaves/30362/2 "2019-04-21T16:02:44Z")

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Also I can’t see it under black light.

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**Author:** ![Budbrother](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/budbrother/32/144090_2.png) [@Budbrother](https://ilgmforum.com/u/Budbrother)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2019, 4:15pm UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/need-help-with-identifying-white-on-leaves/30362/3 "2019-04-21T16:15:55Z")

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Can you wipe it off with your finger? If it wipes off the leaves then it’s WPM

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**Author:** ![SlowOldGuy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/slowoldguy/32/170324_2.png) [@SlowOldGuy](https://ilgmforum.com/u/SlowOldGuy)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2019, 4:47pm UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/need-help-with-identifying-white-on-leaves/30362/4 "2019-04-21T16:47:54Z")

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> [@Magilla12](#):
>
> I can’t see it under black light.

this is a new tactic, i’ve never heard of looking for mildew under black light.???

the top pic looks like powdery mildew,  
i’ve never magnified it tho, interesting pics.!  
like Budbrother said, if it wipes off then it is WPM.

try a wet-able sulfur powder product,  
just follow the directions on the back.!!

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**Author:** ![Magilla12](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/magilla12/32/187176_2.png) [@Magilla12](https://ilgmforum.com/u/Magilla12)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2019, 5:11pm UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/need-help-with-identifying-white-on-leaves/30362/5 "2019-04-21T17:11:35Z")

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It will wipe off but not real easy. It’s seems to only around the buds.

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**Author:** ![Magilla12](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/magilla12/32/187176_2.png) [@Magilla12](https://ilgmforum.com/u/Magilla12)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2019, 5:27pm UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/need-help-with-identifying-white-on-leaves/30362/6 "2019-04-21T17:27:08Z")

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I’m not 100% sure it does but I have read lots on the wpm subject and some say it shows a yellow green under uv light.

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**Author:** ![Shatter](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/shatter/32/96002_2.png) [@Shatter](https://ilgmforum.com/u/Shatter)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2019, 6:02pm UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/need-help-with-identifying-white-on-leaves/30362/7 "2019-04-21T18:02:17Z")

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Is your relative humidity high? Dry air will prevent allot of infections like mildew, mold, and fungi.  
An AC unit will lower the humidity and temperature thereby creating optimal conditions.

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**Author:** ![Magilla12](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/magilla12/32/187176_2.png) [@Magilla12](https://ilgmforum.com/u/Magilla12)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2019, 6:16pm UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/need-help-with-identifying-white-on-leaves/30362/8 "2019-04-21T18:16:05Z")

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Rh under 45

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**Author:** ![garrigan62](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/garrigan62/32/82896_2.png) [@garrigan62](https://ilgmforum.com/u/garrigan62)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 11:55am UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/need-help-with-identifying-white-on-leaves/30362/10 "2019-04-22T11:55:05Z")

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@Magilla12

Your plant or plants have WPM

Here are a few pic’s of it and your solution to it.

 ![cannabis-white-powdery-mold-on-leaf](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/original/3X/9/6/9651acde98ca1ff144ce57352677c5906dd1eb7b.jpg)

![marijuana-leaves-white-powder-mold-xsm](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/original/3X/3/9/39b7844483ab9d3a69c1039707408e9c8792b722.jpeg)

What causes White Powdery Mildew?

High Humidity

WPM needs moisture to thrive, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it needs water.  
Having a grow area with  
high humidity is all WPM needs to grow. This seems to be a bit problematic since  
young cannabis plants  
grow best in relatively humid environments (40% -60% RH). Luckily, high humidity  
usually only becomes an  
issue when it’s combined with the next cause (low/no airflow).

People who live in environments with extremely high humidity (such as Florida  
and the UK) can purchase a  
dehumidifier to control humidity in the grow area. This is especially important  
during the flowering phase  
when humidity needs to be much lower (45% rh) to prevent rampant growth of WPM  
and bud mold.

Low/No Airflow

White Powdery Mildew has a hard time settling in a grow room where the air is  
being moved. High humidity  
will give WPM the conditions it needs to survive, but poor airflow is what gives  
it the ability to settle  
down in the first place. In fact, a small (preferably oscillating) fan moving air  
in a grow area will prevent  
the vast majority of White Powdery Mildew woes.

Poor Ventilation

If you have WPM spores in your grow area and the air in grow area is never  
exchanged for fresh air, the  
spores get multiple chances to land on your plants and reproduce. This happens  
most often in conditions  
where cannabis is being grown in a closed, unventilated space - such as a closet -  
and precautions aren’t  
taken to exchange old stale air for new fresh air.

Leaf-Leaf Contact

Leaf to leaf contact = moisture = White Powdery Mildew!Leaves that are touching  
each other will form  
moisture between them, and thus they become more likely to contract WPM. Untrained  
bushy/leafy plants  
with lots of new vegetative growth are especially prone since plants will often have  
leaves mashed up  
against each other as they try to reach the light.

Advanced growers can defoliate some of the fan leaves that are completely shaded  
from the grow light  
to make fewer choice landing spots for White Powdery Mildew. Also, defoliation  
frees up energy for the  
plant to use when done correctly and increases yields! See our article on  
defoliation for more info.

White powdery mold on the stem of an outdoor plant - White powdery mold can  
grow nearly anywhere on the  
plant that’s exposed to air.

How to Eliminate White Powdery Mildew

As I mentioned earlier, I recently had a battle with White Powdery Mildew. Rather,  
it might have been a  
battle if I noticed it later or waited to fix the problem. That’s the one good  
hing about WPM: in most  
cases when WPM is caught early, you can remove all traces of the mildew without  
harming your plants.

There are quite a few products and homemade concoctions people use to treat WPM.  
Among the effective treatments are:

Milk (1:9 ratio of milk to water)

Baking soda (2 tablespoons per gallon of water)

Neem Oil (4 teaspoons per gallon of water)

Hydrogen Peroxide (1 teaspoon per gallon of 35% H202)

SM-90 (1:5 ratio of SM-90 to water)

Rather than go into these methods, I’m going to give you the simple strategy I use  
that gets rid of White  
Powdery Mildew on the first try, every time! Here’s my trusted 3-Step White Powdery  
Mold cure:

1.White Powdery Mold: Ruiner of beautiful plants.Remove White Powdery Mildew from leaves -  
Get some water  
(tap water works fine) and some paper towels. Wet the paper towels and use them to g  
ently wipe the mildew  
off the affected leaves whilst being careful not to jostle any leaves with spores on  
them. Using a wet cloth  
will ensure that more spores stick to the cloth instead of becoming airborne. Note:  
While it isn’t necessary  
to use paper towels, their disposability helps to curb the spread of spores from one  
leaf to another.

2.Ensure plants have proper airflow and ventilation - Even if you have absolutely no  
airflow or ventilation  
in your grow room, having even two fans will drastically reduce your chances of  
encountering WPM while also  
benefitting your plants overall health. One fan should be oscillating if possible  
and should gently blow air  
over your plants. All the plants need is enough air to gently rustle their leaves.  
The second fan should be  
in your grow room pointing outward, pulling heat away from your plants (only needed  
if you have no ventilation).  
Having a fan pointing out of your grow room will force old air out of the room, and  
in turn, pull new air into  
the room. At this point, you’ll have new air coming in, being used and circulated,  
then kicked out. Keep in mind  
that two fans is a minimum.

3.Treat plant with SM90 to kill spores prevent future growth - Mix 1 part SM90 to 5  
parts water(I’ve found 7 parts  
water to be equally effective) in a clean sprayer/mister. Wait until just before your  
lights for off for the day  
and mist your (newly cleaned) plants. Get all the leaves! This diluted SM90 mixed will  
kill any spores it touches,  
and anywhere it lands becomes uninhabitable for future spores. Plus, it’s safe to use -  
even during flowering - and  
it smells awesome.

There you have it. If you end up running into White Powdery Mildew, give this advice a  
shot and you won’t have to  
deal with it past that first day. If you do end up using these steps, feel free to  
let us know if it helped you or  
not, or how you did it differently. When growers know just a little bit about this  
disease, it doesn’t have a chance!

[![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/original/4X/c/b/2/cb22ecac07c89fb21618bf8ff181e258965ec225.jpeg "Jorge Cervantes: Washing Away Powdery Mildew") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7jE7qzfgQs)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Magilla12](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/magilla12/32/187176_2.png) [@Magilla12](https://ilgmforum.com/u/Magilla12)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 12:38pm UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/need-help-with-identifying-white-on-leaves/30362/11 "2019-04-22T12:38:07Z")

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Yeah, I’ve read this all watched every video there is on it. I just needed confirmation that it was what I’m dealing with. Time to sterilize. I might do a sulfur burn after.

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**Author:** ![HornHead](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/growingmarijuana/user_avatar/ilgmforum.com/hornhead/32/267986_2.png) [@HornHead](https://ilgmforum.com/u/HornHead)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2019, 1:21pm UTC](https://ilgmforum.com/t/need-help-with-identifying-white-on-leaves/30362/12 "2019-04-22T13:21:37Z")

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Is it wpm or thc crystals?
