Not So Fast

By Grammy Green

Our heart palpitations are slowing down.  For a minute there we thought we lost our Blueberry to bud rot.  And we are days away from harvest.  

Bud rot is a type of mold that develops in the dense cores of the cannabis buds. The infection starts on the stem inside of the bud and then spreads outwards, making it very difficult to detect in its early stages. After its onset, bud rot breaks down the surrounding bud and spreads out in all directions. Soon it produces its own spores that can then spread to other areas of the plant or garden. The rot will first appear white and wispy and will turn grey and black as the bud turns to a mushy, slimy consistency.

Conventional wisdom says to destroy the plant before the spores can spread.  Being reluctant, we decided to break out our BelOMO 10x Triplet Loupe Magnifier and examine one of the affected buds.  We didn't find anything white and wispy, nor mushy black.  What we did find was little green caterpillars.

These guys are about an inch long, and very difficult to see, being green and all.  We think they are sawfly larvae, as we have an infestation in our roses this year.  This is the first time we've seen any insect take more than a passing interest in cannabis plants.  Most will take a bite of a leaf and move on.

So instead of tossing our Blueberry girl, we are pulling the colas apart and looking for the nasty little creatures that are damaging the buds.

You may want a loupe magnifier of your own.  It's really the only way to know when to harvest.  When the trichomes have changed from clear to milky to amber, it's time.  And in order to see that progression, you need to get up close and personal.  There are other brands and places to buy, but here's a shortcut that will get you started:    https://belomostore.com/belomo-10x-triplet-loupe.html